rito25

I have a 74 or 75 Schwinn Continental in Kool Lemon. It's all original with the exception of cables, brake pads, and tape.

I've noticed that lying around I probably have enough parts to upgrade the bike. I might be getting a 27'' or a 700c wheel set soon. Have a few cranks lying around. Have a Suntour GT V. Clamp on down tube shifters.

I was thinking about maybe doing a long long bike tour(s) in the summer(Perhaps Delaware to Alabama?). I was thinking that this frame would be perfect since it's nuclear bomb poof and rides like butter. However; I don't want to take away from the value or the look of the bike if it's not going suit the needs I'm looking for.

Overall do you think this bike is worth converting especially for touring use? Or just keep it stock?

mrhedges

I'd switch out the wheels, steel wheels are pretty slow. I'd keep looking for a proper touring bike. You could tour on a Schwinn conti but you could also tour on a bmx bike. not saying it's not possible just that you might be better off on something diffrent. 80s and 90s era hard tail mountain bikes make great tourers, i'd even venture to guess a Raleigh grand prix would make a great low budget touring bike. I had one as a single speed city bike and it was always smooth light and comfy and there often a bunch around fairly cheap.

wrk101

Is it possible? Sure. Is it worth doing, not really. You can find bomb proof bikes that weigh in at 15 pounds less, and have much better components.

I have upgraded some bikes over the years, not because it made any sense, but just because I wanted to.

Delaware to Alabama? I would pick up a nice used Trek 520 or a used Novara Randonee myself.

79roncooper

i have a '71 continental that i rode the wheels off of back in the '70's. i upgraded things as they wore out. in the end i had a better riding bike than i started with, but after building a really nice bike, i never rode the schwinn again.

Gravity Aided

I would keep that Continental stock, and get something else for the tour. Schwinn Voyageurs sure are nice bikes, but there are many, many nice old touring bikes out there, by a lot of different makers. Your idea for a tour sounds great. You might look at the touring forum for a lot of ideas.

repechage

During my very first road bike race, there was a guy riding a Schwinn Continental, with Phil Wood hubs at least. He was off the back in short order.
Maybe it is all about the bike.

rito25

To be fair I don't even know if this bike tour will happen or not. I have no experience with touring and summer work may prevent it from happening.
I'll probably get the new wheel set with 700c rims and maybe upgrade the shifters and the crank since that is cheap enough. I kinda prefer heavier bikes. I find it slightly amusing that the Continental had a name that implied traveling across the continent yet was fairly ill suited to do so.

Gravity Aided

In the 70's, as I recall, the people who rode around the block, or down to the grocery store for a few items, were many, compared to the people who rode those same bicycles any distance for touring. As I recall, the first time I and my Dad rode bikes any distance together, we rode in traffic, on roads, and through the countryside. It seemed more like exploration than exercise to me. Good Times. Schwinn made those Collegiates, Continentals, and Varsities to last , with care and maintenance, until Judgement Day. Lighter cranks and wheels sounds like a good plan, touring excluded.

rito25

Ok. Tonight I switched the wheels for 700c schraeder rims. Running 700 x 32. Seems like they be a good fit but the fact that they are 6 speed is messing things up. Also put on a Suntour GT -V. It's really the best derailleur I have lying around. Also have a Sachs Heuret touring derailleur. Gonna put a Fuji triple chainring and 171 crank length cranks on next after I buy an adapter.

Anyone know how to fix the rear wheel 6 gear speed change? Swap the free wheels? If so how?

duffer1960

Hi Rito25,

I like your spirit, keeping an old classic Schwinn on the road. I like the Schwinn solidity, the good handling and riding position, geometry. Had my first Schwinn when I was 5 y.o.... Not so keen on encouraging you to make it tour-worthy, it's very verry heavy, and the 38 gear-inch low gear is not low enough for traveling loaded up mountains unless you're very strong. There are some 'mega-range' 6-speed freewheels with a 32 (?) tooth low gear, this would help a little but then you may also need more chain and a different derailer.

Swapped 27" for 700c -- Do the brakes reach ok?

I just converted my ~1979 Le Tour to 6 speed & new derailer (did this due to crappy o.e.m. shifting) and am working on a ~1987 Cruiser Supreme (doing this due to rim at end-of-life). Sorry about the rambling to follow, I just don't get out enough I guess.

Should be ok to put a 6-speed there. The new freewheels shift better anyway, and I find the availability of 14-16-18-20 cogs instead of 14-17-20 to be very helpful. Just spread the rear triangle when installing the wheel. The axle has to be the right length - not so long that it interferes with the quick-release clamping; not so short that the weight of bike & rider is not transferred by the dropout - but if you got a whole new wheel with axle it may be OK as is. There is a spacer on the axle under the freewheel that sets the exact over-locknut width. Standard width is 120 mm for 5-speed, 126 for 6-speed. Best to redish the wheel if changing from one to the other.

From your description, I'm not sure what problem you're facing. Did you reset the limit screws on the derailleur - will it travel to both ends of the freewheel, can you make it do this pushing with your hand? Just finding I have to replace the derailer on the Cruiser Deluxe, the cable housing stop is at too severe an angle relative to the cable anchor when at low gear.

Even if the spacing and axle length is OK, I recommend you get the proper freewheel removal tool (probably a Park FR-1 for a Shimano freewheel), and cone wrenches. Take it apart and inspect, make sure the bearings have enough grease and the cones are properly adjusted. The cones should have a small amount of play w/o being installed, and should still run smoothly but have no detectable play after closing the q-r over the dropouts.

Speaking of re-checking the factory work, spokes are often not tensioned properly out of the box. Another thing to do especially if you want it to hold up loaded & on long miles. Can re-dish then.

Once you get all this done, the 'Type 1' Schwinn stem shifter may or may not have enough travel to shift six speeds with that derailer. The later bikes (after ~1974 or so) had a compatible (fits over the steerer & has an anti-rotation tab) stem shifter that pulls more cable. They look different enough so you'll be able to tell when you see it. It may take some time & effort but I'm sure you can find one eventually. Either this, or replace the shifters with barcons or downtube shifters.

If you're asking, 'How to transfer the 5-speed freewheel?', you might need a Park Tool FR-4 for Atom/Regina, but (see above) I would recommend you just don't. Get a new 6-speed freewheel & do what you have to to make it work. If you're really short of $, take it to the bike shop & they'll remove it for you for about $5. Do the rest of the work - bearing inspection, width setting, tension and dish - before installing the freewheel, and you won't need a freewheel removal tool at all. (I would re-inspect the cone setting after a short while, so still would want the freewheel tool.)

Good Luck! Please keep us apprised

rito25

The lowest gear on the 6 spped one would rub against screws keeping the rack and derailuer on. I took it to the LBS and will have them remove the freewheels.
I have a fuji triple 48-42-32 or something like that I'm going to put on. I think that should be low enough for hills. And some bar end shifters and new brakes and everything should be hunky dory. I'll see how it compares to my Schwinn Continental Fixie conversion I did.

gettingold

Reading this thread, the answer clearly depends on your age. Those whose wheelhouse years for riding (not racing) bicycles was the late sixties and early to mid 70s like me, have a very warm spot in our hearts for those old continentals and varsities. My favorite was the burgundy continental. Never had one but always loved them. I had the lemon colored World Traveler. Upgrade it!

DavidW56

^ I'm glad to hear this. I just bought a burgundy Continental a couple of weeks ago. It was a throw-in with a LeTour III. I looked at the Continental more closely for the first time last night, washed off the dust and dirt, and found a nice looking paint job underneath. And it looks like my size, too! I might keep it instead of flipping it. And yes, it is really heavy.

rito25

The weights not that bad, once you put alloy rims on, a new crank, and remove the kickstand.
At least I hope it's not.

This is first real bike I've owned and it really got me into bike for the first time this summer.

Gravity Aided

Another Schwinn Continental mission accomplished! Enjoy the ride.

dddd

I've put a few Varsities, Continentals and SuperSports on the road, for more-spirited club/training rides.

Firstly, due to the geometry, the effective top-tube length on the Varsity/Continentals (SuperSports are normal by comparison) is VERY short for a given frame size, so size up and be prepared for near-zero crotch clearance.
Note that stem length on the Varsity/Continentals shouldn't exceed 10cm or 4". Handling gets really weird because of the 69-degree head angle. I put an 11cm stem on the SuperSports, no problem, they are about 73-degrees.

The bottom bracket height on the Varsity/Continentals is way high, in order to provide cornering clearance with the very-wide, two-sided steel pedals that come stock.

I always retain the stock cranks! No creaking from those, ever. There are adaptor "spider" rings that enable fitment of 110mm BCD chainrings, and Tioga made one (a sturdy, thick casting) that would adapt a 110/74 triple. Stock steel chainrings shift really well, btw.

I always use a standard Alvit derailer with ball-bearing pullies. These can be made to shift a 6-speed with good freewheel positioning and a bit of grinding on one of the parallelogram links. I select a Uniglide freewheel and Shimano chain for best shifting, usually a 9-speed HG chain, which plays nice with both the steel chainwheels and 6sp freewheel!
I have modded the standard-cage Alvit derailer cage to accept 30t freewheel cogs without having to use the touring mount bracket which positions the derailer more vertically and degrades shifting on the smaller cogs.

I didn't know about the TwinStick shifters getting updated for more cable travel. I have been able to get the earlier model to perfectly pull all 6 gears, but it is using it's full throw!

I once was able to source 4 pair of "clipless BMX" pedals in the 1/2" thread size, but these are usually completely unavailable. That's one reason to upgrade the crankset, but the bike loses some it's character and charm IMO.

I keep the kickstand, lose the "dork disks" and enjoy all the durability testing that Schwinn invested in. These bikes hold up really well.

rito25

Wait, you keep the standard derailluer? Doesn't give bad performance? I think my Suntour GT V would be better in every way. I was planning to keep the stock free wheel. The 6-speed would hit the rear pannier rack screws or the derailuer hanger. Just upgrading the rims to old alloy 700c by 32.
Also have some barcons lying around I wanted to add.
Was also planning to remove the kickstand and convert the crank but not sure.

So these frames had a very weird non-race, around town geometry? interesting.

duffer1960

Rito25,

I'll defer to dddd, he (guessing not a she) has more definite experience and ideas. I've upgraded one Continental; got a 2-for-1 deal for very little $, but the 2nd one was tweaked and cracked (looked like a garage crash; those of us of a certain age remember small garages and giant cars), I discarded the frame and kept some parts.

Yes, the Suntour will shift better than the stock derailleur, almost certainly. Use it if you can. It was when I used a Suntour that I found the cable pull was inadequate. Maybe you won't have a problem with yours. The Huret Allvit which was standard (but my new '73 had a Shimano) also shifted well in my experience (others disagree) and it was very durable; it even had ball-bearing pulleys (like dddd said). It shifted well, but the action is nonlinear - required markedly more lever travel and less force on the lever to shift the low gears than the high gears. Is that right, Mr. dddd? I installed the Suntour after being unable to make mine take enough chain to cover the whole range of big-big vs. small-small rings-cogs; I guess (years later now don't recall) not enough spring tension & couldn't figure out how to fix that.

If the freewheel is interfering with the rack and derailleur hanger mounts, it's because the over-locknut axle length (width) isn't wide enough. This is what I was saying above about 120 mm vs. 126 mm over-locknut axle width. You can fix this yourself -- I recommend you invest in all the tools needed to maintain that wheel. Spoke wrench, freewheel removal tool, and cone wrenches (unless it's a cartridge bearing hub). (On my 1987 Schwinn Cruiser Supreme, I'm having to replace the rim because the spoke tension was uneven and too low; it may have been this way from the factory. Broke too many spokes and now the aluminum single-wall rim is cracking at the eyelets.) You can make yours a six speed if you have (in addition to a six-speed freewheel) the right axle and spacers.

You can lose the kickstand but don't cut off the bracket, it's part of the structure of the stays.

I like your term, 'around town geometry'. Ahh, short top tube, that's it. I am not a racer. The short top tube position is very comfortable for me, gives me comfortable access to the drops for bucking headwinds or slogging up hills, while the top or hoods position (excepting the 'turkey levers') works well for general cruising. The handling is fast enough, but stable on-center, can ride no-hands easily, bike will track well if you're distracted trying to do something else for a moment. For my comfort, Schwinn got all that right.

Mercian Rider

My first 10-speed was a Varsity in about 1971. Bike shop owner talked my Dad (steel salesman) into it because it was sturdier and had the Schwinn quality reputation. It was fine for riding around the block, which is what the vast majority of 10-speeds bought in the 70s were used for, high end or otherwise. Anyway, I joined the local AYH and started club riding, sold the varsity, and upgraded to a significantly lighter Gitane Interclub about 6-8 months later.

I have a book that includes photos of people riding Varsities/Continentals on the local TOSRV ride (weekend double centrury) in that era. They were a minority--most had Euro lightweights--but it shows it could be done.

Notably, one of the highest-milage riders in history, Freddie Hoffman, did quite a few of his miles on a similarly constructed 1975 Schwinn Collegiate, loaded with an enormous amount of stuff. Look at RR 42 at 11--15, avaiable on pdf here: https://www.rivbike.com/product-p/rr.htm

All that said, my advice is that you look for a complete, dedicated touring bike from the 1980s, with triple chainrings, good wheels, rack brazeons, canti brakes--mainly because I think it will cost you less to buy such a bike than it will to hunt down all the parts you want to put on the Conti to adapt it to touring.

rito25

I should specify. These are all parts that I'm throwing on that are mainly taken from a bike my brother got that he's turning into a fixie. I'm putting maybe 30 down for the bottom bracket adaptor and new cables. Everything else is old parts I have lying around.

Mercian Rider

Then go for it, just save the old parts.

Look at Freddie's bike for inspiration.

dddd

About the geometry again, if you measure the top tube it measures about normal, BUT the seat tube angle is layed waaay back such that the top tube gets pulled back, making it effectively shorter as far as the rider will feel.

The Alvit derailers work well if set up carefully. The pivots on these are all adjustable and sometimes are found to be too tight. The derailer movement is non-linear in that it takes more lever throw to move from the biggest sprocket than it takes to move from the smaller ones. The cage also moves more redically away from the freewheel when shifting up to the biggest sprocket, so it favors a freewheel with bigger jumps up to the largest sprocket.
The Suntour is more versatile, and usually much easier to get working well, but Alvits can work extremely well with the right setup

mtnbke

If you're going to have that long of a bike touring trip it really is going to be pretty special in the timeline of your life. If it were me I'd want a bike that absolutely fit perfectly, and that I had a love affair with. For that long of a tour I'd want something comfortable but also something bombproof, and that climbed well and was fast. Everyone knows my passion for vintage Cannondale ST touring bikes and these fit that bill.

My only hesitation in telling you to go for it with Schwinn, is a fear that your enjoyment with that long of a tour is going to be hampered by that bike. If you have the means and the time to do other long tours like the one you have planned, if this isn't a "once in a lifetime" tour, then by all means build up your Schwinn. Even if it is, a true lifetime event, that you'll never have a chance to repeat, there is a certain panache to doing it on a Schwinn. That being said you can completely transform that bike with a really decent set of hubs.

You can scrounge up Mavic 501 hubs for cheap. They have 15mm axles the same as Phil Wood touring hubs do (although they do neck down at the bearings) and sealed bearings. They are the best hubs in the world as far as I'm concerned. The fact that these hubs won Paris-Roubaix and a Maillot Jaune in the TdF combined with the fact that we are talking about them in the same conversation as Phil Wood touring hubs should tell you everything you want to know. They'll spin forever and make that Schwinn fly if you don't lace 'em to boat anchor rims.

Enjoy that tour. For all the posts in this forum about fantastic bikes, I think most of us would rather have the time/means to take a tour like that on a Schwinn than have a garage full of Cinelli, Colnago, Mercyx, Serotta, or Vitus bicycles. I know I would. Above all be safe. Avoid pick up trucks.

JimHatfield

Against a lot of advice I upgraded my '74 Schwinn Continental by having the frame powder-coated flat black and had a local shop install aluminum wheels, commuter bars with thumb shifters, plastic fenders, rear rack, and new Velo saddle. Cost about $500 but I love the look, geometry, and ride quality - like a Lincoln Continental! Perfect for an old guy with a new hip!

USAZorro

That's the main thing... so long as you are happy with it, and didn't deface an historic treasure...