francisdacat

I recently rescued a 10 speed Schwinn World from the neighborhood trash. Picture shows it after a lot of work cleaning it up. Looks like someone bough it, rode it once and then left it to rust in a damp garage.
I was hoping someone could tell me what year it was made. I think it might be a 1983. It has a serial number stamped ( see pic ) into the underside of the pedal crank housing. Serial number is GD903869. It has sticker Made In Tawain and has Suntour shifters. Tires also say Made in Tawain that say made for Schwinn S-6 or K-2.

I was also hoping someone would know where I could get replacement foam handlebar covers.

Thanks!

Scooper

1990 model year world in "Racing Red"... It should be a 12 speed (six cogs on the rear hub).

noglider 

If you have S-6 size tires, that's a difficult tire to find. You can order them on the web, but I don't know of a good quality tire available in that size. If I'm not mistaken, it's a 597mm bead seat diameter (BSD). See if there is a metric size on the sidewall.

I agree that the bike was barely ridden, if at all. If you can find tires, you can get it running very well.

Scooper

Unfortunately, the World model was too low in the model line-up to have the specs included in the catalog. However, the 1990 Parts & Accessories catalog lists the World Sport and the Sprint as being equipped with 27" x 1-1/4".

OP, look carefully at the sidewalls of the tires on the bike and see if 27" x 1-1/4" is marked anywhere on the tire. If it's 27" x 1-1/4", the BSD is 630mm.

If the tires are really S-6, Tom's right and they are 26" x 1-3/8" with a BSD of 597mm.

Sheldon Brown's Tutorial on Tire Sizing Systems

Metacortex

Note that the "S-6" designation refers to the profile of the rim, not the size. Schwinn had S-6 rims in 20" through 27" sizes. Credit goes to @Scooper for the following catalog page:

Scooper

Oops!

Since the 1990 catalog page says "lightweight all alloy rims" and the 1973 P&A page says the S-6 rims are chrome, I'm wondering if the S-6 Endrick rim (no bead hook) is a different rim than the 1990 S-6 rim.

noglider 

Well, that's interesting. So maybe the tires and rims are a more common size. I hope so.

r0ckh0und 

If I remember correctly this model year of the World has a chromo frame with integrated RD hanger. I stripped one down a couple of years ago and built it back up as a gravel grinder with bin parts and it turned out quite nice. Posted somewhere in the Gravel Grinder thread......and difficult to reference from my mobile. Point is.....its a worthy daily rider.

Murray Missile 

Good save. I just bought foam grips for my World Sport off Ebay for about $8 with free shipping. I'm not a big fan of the foam but the bike is just for my stationary trainer so it's good enough. This Schwinn World has been sitting in the same spot across from my house for about 4 years, it was pretty decent when it first showed up. I asked about it for parts but he thinks because it says Schwinn on it it's made out of gold. So, it sits and rots, the only good thing is that it's on the South side of the building so there's no moss growing on it.

Metacortex

I think the S-6 designation only applied to the Schwinn steel chrome plated rims and not the Weinmann, Araya and other brand alloy rims. I believe Schwinn continued to have the S-6 designation moulded in tires even though the same tires could be used on other rims of the same size, which is the industry standard 27" or ISO 630 in this case.

The Golden Boy 

PM Sent:

Scooper

Yep; I suspect that's all true.

francisdacat

Scooper, thanks for the reply. It is a 10 speed ( 5 cogs ) on the freewheel, that's why I thought it might be a bit older than a 90.

Scooper

I could tell it only had five from the photo. I'm guessing the original rear wheel may have gotten taco'd and a previous owner found a replacement with a five cog freewheel.

francisdacat

You all had it just right about the rims. Pics of the rim. They are Weinmann 416 Alloy ETRTO - 630 x 16 27 X 1.1/4 Made in Belguim. I found these tires on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Sunlite-Road-R...9NDJ58GJ14GRGN I was going to give them a try unless someone has some input on why I shouldn't. The Amazon page says 27x1 1/4 is not the same as 27 x 1.25. Are my math skills that weak? Thanks for all the replies.

francisdacat

Rims are Weinmann 416 Alloy and 630x16 as you suspected. See other reply for the pictures - thanks

francisdacat

Thanks for the tip. I'll check out ebay and craigslist. I am just trying to get the bike back to original as I can. Eventually after a couple of rides I'll probably donate to our Bike Coop in Cleveland. Well at least that is my plan for the moment.

Scooper

The Amazon page is correct; fractional sizes are different than decimal sizes. If you refer to the Sheldon Brown link I referred to in my second post, Sheldon explains it this way:

There's nothing wrong with your math skills.

BTW, we're talking about tire width here, not the diameter. A 27" tire will have a bead seat diameter (BSD) of 630mm.

Scooper

Those tires on Amazon should be OK, but most folks here like the Panaracer Pasela 27 x 1 1/4 tires.

Hummer

From the serial number: Built by Giant of Taiwan (the first letter "G") in 1989 (the first digit "9"). This is the correct format for a Gaint serial number for model years starting 1987 and into the 1990s.

turky lurkey

Good looking bike! How somebody could through it in the trash is baffling.

Scooper

The 1989 model year World looked similar to the 1990 model year, was also available in Racing Red, and also had a six cog freewheel. The "D" likely means the frame was made in April, 1989.

Here's the 1989 catalog page.

francisdacat

Thanks to all. I appreciate the you guys sharing your expertise. Glad to know although I'm not sure why that it is a 89 model year.
Amazing about the 27x1.25 not equal to 27x 1 1/4. Glad you guys are here.
I've got the 2 pin freewheel remover tool on order so I can regrease the axle. Let you all know how that went or maybe seek some more advice after I mess it up. I'll check out thes Panaracer tikes - thanks

Hummer

Scooper, I am not sure what the second letter in the serial number represents. In the Giant serial numbers that I have seen, more than half the letters of the alphabet have been in this location. Because of this I do not think that the letters represent a particular month.

I have noticed that letters early in the alphabet usually mean that the year digit of manufacture is the same as the model year of the bicycle. Letters later in the alphabet usually mean that the model year is one year more than the year of manufacture.

The Golden Boy 

Did the Grab Ons get to you yet?