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Continental final assembly begins
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I think you will soon have the title of nicest Continental ever to exist :)
No vintage derailleur though? I dislike those junky Shimanos on new bikes but on old bikes I really dislike them. Seems like you want to do this right so in my opinion, some vintage derailleur action is called for |
SB,
If you need hoods for your levers. Loose Screws has them, but only in brown. http://www.loosescrews.com/index.cgi...d=391243112008 Your Conti is lookin good! Can't wait to see the wheels hit the pavement! |
That's one beautiful Schwinn. Excellent work. Are those rims correct for that year Continental or is that an upgrade? Either way, I think they look correct.
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Beautiful! What are you using for a seatpost?
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Cinelli Giro D'Italias (that's what they look like, anyway) on a Continental?
-Kurt |
Bars are a standard Nitto and for the seat post I am going to custom make one from a combination of a modern micro adjustable and a piece of 7075 T-6 aluminum bar stock. I'll turn it on the lathe and then cut off the new post leaving enough to insert the custom sized piece and have a friend of mine weld it and then put the whole thing back on the lathe and clean up the weld so it won't even be noticeable (at least thats the plan) the rims are alloy I bought from an e-bay store and installed a Shimano hyperglide 5 speed freewheel. The brake levers are actually NOS I have some hoods (I bought them from Loose Screws P. B.) but not sure if I want to install them. If you look in the background you can see the Freddy Fenders in the aluminum finish hanging on the wall. I bought them but still not sure I want to install. I guess I'll see how they look. I'm pretty ambivalant about that RD but man that thing sure shifts nice even though its a really cheap unit. I have a RD on an old bike a buddy of mine gave me that I'm going to clean up and see if it might work but right now I want to get this bike on the road and see how it works. The FD is a combination of the old derailleur which was really nicely chromed and a NOS newer Schwinn approved unit that I took the shift cage off and installed it on the old unit. It really shifts nice with the new crankset. I need to get some brake pads cause the old ones are glazed over, probably get some koolstops but may use what ever I can get fast. I really didn't care too much if this bike looked bone vintage I which is the reason I went for the micro adjust seat post. I will probably tinker with this bike most of the winter till I get it right. Part of the coolness factor it that the cable housing is actually a dead on match for the powdercoat but it doesn't show up that well in the pictures. anyway I'm already looking for a lugged frame to start working on when this project is done. I think I'll sell the green Varsity but not till next Spring.
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Damn, you got me all excited. I thought you were referring to a NISHIKI Continental...still, nice looking bike though. We have one of those for sale at my shop, though it is setup for cruising with high bars and stem etc. It is without a doubt one of the heaviest bikes I have come across...
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That is really impressive! The Nitto handlebars are a great choice.
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I like that you kept the stem shifter and center pull brakes. Continentals are so so.....**********
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I like the red brake cable housings, but I would have routed them over the top of the handlebar. I am glad you didn't fall for the fixed gear / single speed fad.
The bike does look sharp, and the crankset, derailleurs, and saddle are big improvements over their original counterparts. The only thing I would have done differently would have been barcons instead of the TwinStiks, but those are admittedly very Schwinnish! |
I got the rear derailleur cable installed and believe it or not that cheapo RD really shifts nice just need to do a little fine adjustment once I take it on the road but on the stand its like butter next comes the FD and even withought the cable just making it shift that old boy shifts really nice I'm sure it has a lot to do with the crankset. I also put the front Freddy fender on and it really looks cool IMHO The reason I did the brake cables that way is because that was the way the originals were and as I said I wanted to keep a bit of the old look but also update too which is why I'm using the Freddy fenders and besides would have had chrome but I liked the idea of the FF and the look. I decided not to use the hoods cause I'm using the suicide levers and they wouldn't fit and the NOS levers have some bright copper trim I don't want to cover up.
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Beautiful! Very nice work!!
When you are done be sure to weigh it. I bet it will be FAR less in weight than a standard Continental. |
I even changed out the old non chrome kickstand for a chrome one I had in the collection. My next project is going to be a lugged Italian frame. My wife doesn't know this yet :)
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Stringbreaker:
Your Conti is looking really sweet! Great work! Did you re-letter the frame? If so, where did the decals come from? I'm having trouble finding lettering for my own 1979 Continental II restoration project, which is progressing nicely otherwise. I've decided to keep it all original wherever possible, with the exception of the old steel wheels. (I might put chrome fenders on it as well.) One question ... is the painted fork correct for a Conti? Mine came with an all-chromed fork. I'll be interested to see your bike when it's all finished. Trailtrekker in Iowa |
The fork came painted and was original, this bike is a 1972. I had the frame and fork blasted and then powder coated. I got the decals from memorylane classics they have a website but not all the decals they have are listed. These are authentic repros and worked just fine
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Hoo boy, I know if I ever meet a man on a drop dead gorgeous Schwinn Continental I know it will be stringbreaker :) .
East Hill |
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