In Absentia

I'm new to cycling and have a Trek 7300FX hybrid that I've been riding, but it's too small (the salesman at the LBS didn't seem to care about getting me a properly sized bike) and I've decided that I want a road bike instead.

I was recently given a 1981 Schwinn World Sport by a friend who had stopped using it. He'd kept it out on his front porch for quite a while and the chain and gears are all rusted out. It has Suntour derailleurs (Honor RD, Spirit FD) which look all right and were working fine the last time he rode the bike as far as I know.

I'm considering tearing the entire thing apart and rebuilding it with all modern components because I want a beater bike that I don't have to worry about being stolen or being out in the weather, but also one with plenty of gears that shifts smoothly. The frame is in great condition except for chips and scratches in the paint that have a little rust, but I'm planning on sanding it down and spray painting it anyway. Additionally, I'd like to replace the headset to use a threadless stem and get rid of the quill stem.

Does this seem feasible and financially reasonable or should I just donate it to the local bike coop and try to find a good deal on a newer used road bike? I should add that I also like the idea of building the bike up from scratch to get some hands-on experience with bicycle mechanics. I'll mainly use the bike as a commuter/errand-runner and also to try to get into better shape so that I can justify spending a decent amount of money on a good road bike later if I decide to get more serious about cycling.

Pompiere

Finding modern components to fit may be challenging, since many things have changed in 25 years. And buying new parts individually can cost quite a bit. However, you could find a donor bike of similar or slightly newer vintage and use the parts. That route would be a lot less expensive, and still give you the chance to learn mechanics along the way.

greybeard87

Replace the cables & chain, rubber & brake pads,bar tpe & saddle if you like.Lube her up and ride it and make sure its a good fit before investing much more. At that point you will have an ideal "beater".
Don't be in such a hurry to replace the headst & stem. It would also require a new fork. To save a couple bucks you could use a threadless adaptor with new stem, original fork & headset.
Good luck, The World Sport should be a nice solid bike, a fun project and a great learning experince.

bigbossman 

^^^
+1

'cept I wouldn't necessarily replace the chain. Unless totaly rusted out, chains are easly to rehab. Drop it in a milk jug half full of kerosene, agitate, and let sit for a few days. Agitate every once in a while. You'll be surprised how much crud will come off, and even rusty chains can be reclaimed in this manner.

merlinextraligh

+2
The chain probably needs replaced because it is likely that it's stretched over time if the bike saw much use. Problem is a new chain may also require a new freewheel.

I would not replace the stem. To go threadless, you're talking a new headset, new fork, new stem, and likely to fit the new stem, new handlebars. Besides there is nothing wrong with a threaded headset and quill stem. They are are a heck of a lot easier to adjust heightwise. Big advantage of the threadless set up is that they can be substantially lighter, particularly with a carbon fiber steere tube. That weight advantage isn't really relevant to your project.

bigbossman 

Easy enough to check before you blow money on somethng you might not need - from the center of each roller to the center of the next is exactly 1/2" (12.7 mm).

Shamelessly lifted from Sheldon Brown's most excellent web page:


If the rivet is less than 1/16" past the mark, all is well.

If the rivet is 1/16" past the mark, you should replace the chain, but the sprockets are probably undamaged.

If the rivet is 1/8" past the mark, you have left it too long, and the sprockets (at least the favorite ones) will be too badly worn. If you replace a chain at the 1/8" point, without replacing the sprockets, it may run OK and not skip, but the worn sprockets will cause the new chain to wear much faster than it should, until it catches up with the wear state of the sprockets.

If the rivet is past the 1/8" mark, a new chain will almost certainly skip on the worn sprockets, especially the smaller ones.

In Absentia

Thanks for all of your help. After taking most of it apart, it looks like the drivetrain is salvageable. The chain actually looks like it just needs to be cleaned, but I'll still check to make sure it's not too stretched out. The gears look like they just need to be cleaned, so I can probably clean and lube everything and put the bike back together and be able to ride it. Is there anyway to get rid of the stem shifters, though?

bigbossman 

You could convert to clamp on downtube shifters pretty easily. The only caveat is that if there is no "bump" on the dowtube to hold the shifters in place, they might slip. then again, maybe not....

The other option would be barcon's.

All you'll need for the downtube conversion is a set of shifters, which are a dime a dozen. Heck someone here probably has a set that you can have for postage. You'll need to mount the shifters, re-run the cables, and adjust. Very easy.

Barcons aren't to hard to install either. But barcon shifters are more expensive, and getting more so by the day.

rodfrank

Why not just run the stem shifters. Assuming that they are mechanically sound they will do just fine from now on.

fordfasterr

I have the same exact bike, I noticed from your picture that your crank set is not the same as the one I have... I hav a sugino VP crank set... what does that one have ? i see a chainring guard... mine didn't have one..

I picked up my bike @ a thrift store for $ 37.99 and I converted it to fixed gear... so I ditched all of the components except for the front brake and one lever.

This bike is really nice and I cleaned and re-packed all of the bearings including the BB which I had to buy a crank puller tool from ebay for $ 14 to get them off...

Also, one thing to note is that you will have trouble finding tires of the high quality race variety that are availale due to the older wheel size...

My araya wheels are 27 x 1 1/4 size... most newer tires and hardware are made for 700c wheels ! OUCH.

I guessed that mine was made in 1986 based on the serial # info...

So good luck with your bike !

Pic: -->

oldcrank

There have been some beautiful restorations of world sports, as if they just came out of the Schwinn catalog. Judging from the photo, this would certanly be a prime candidate!

Take it only as far as you wish and need to . . . but it's a very decent bike, with a great history, and would be a worthwhile project. You'll get a lot of experience under your belt working on it.

fordfasterr

I also noticed that our frames are slightly different in regards to the little metal brake cable guide locations..

My bike had three of them on top of the top tube, yours has only 2 on the bottom of the top tube... quite different...

Also, the stem on your bike appears to have some kind of hex nut on it, while the one on my bike is stamped " custom " (don't know if its stock or not) and it uses an allen bolt to lock it down and its recessed into the vertical part of the stem itself.

It originally had the shift levers directly bolted to the stem just like yours does.

=)

Be sure to post up pics of it when you finish building it and painting it. I still have to get some inspiration to paint mine !

TireLever-07

I've got a World Sport too,Sept-83 build date.The 40.5 wheelbase gives a nice ride.I've got stem shifter and almost no braze-ons, just cable stops.As above,i'd just replace,regrease, & clean the beast.I guess '84 went with the seat tube's,slightly bolder decals.This weekend Ebuy had an mint '84 W'Sport NOS,50$.I had a '75 Le Tour too,they're great bikes for novice mechanics.

In Absentia

Thanks again! After I repaint it, I think I'm just going to rebuild it with the current components, including the stem shifters. It should be a fun bike and I'll just use the money I save to get a modern road bike as well. I'll definitely post some pictures when I'm done.

531phile 

I had a world sport once. The tire clearance on it was Surly Crazy. It's like owning a Surly without forking over $390 for the frameset. Both have 4130. (world sport is just main tubes)