Originally Posted by
charkue
Hi gang,
This is my first time on a bicycle forum like this. I came across this thread while looking for info on the Schwinn Tempo. I'm a university student and someone left one of these bikes on a bike rack without any lock. The bike is in bad condition; the back tire is off of the rim and the rim itself is bent and busted. We have a bridge 80' off the ground on campus and I think someone threw it off the bridge, or just brought it here to die. I ended up taking it after a week and could use some advice on restoring it.
I don't know if any work has been done to this bike in the past. I'm pretty sure is has 26"/27" inch rims (though the one is broken) made by Campagnolo. It's got a little rust on it, but nothing I can't sand down. The brakes seem to work and the gears appear to be functional as well.
What should I do with this? Is it worth the trouble to restore? Where do I even begin? Should I sand the frame down, restore some original paint design, get some new rims? Should I just take it to a bike shop and tell them to fix it up? Any advice is greatly appreciated.
~CB
First piece of advice: you should go ahead and post a new thread—this one is five years old. Everyone is going to think that this post is about what the original poster was saying and your post is likely to get lost.
The good news is that people have resurrected bikes far further gone that yours sounds to be. Between this subforum (Classic and Vintage) and the Bike Mechanics subforum, you should find tons of people ready and willing to help get your bike into tip-top shape.