Originally Posted by
rsacilotto
@ ryanwood: to be fair, I added the rack, and replaced the saddle, pedals and brake levers with ones I already had. The original parts were fine, just not my taste. I paid $220 for it (asking price was $240), there wasn't much to complain about, it was in ready-to-ride condition. Bearings are good, no trouble with shifting or braking, and wheels are true and not dinged. I replaced the chain, cables, bar tape and tires. The ride is great - I have a 33-mile round-trip commute that I've started, 2x per week with goal to do 3x minimum. I was looking for a classic touring frame, this Schwinn completely met my expectations - smooth ride, nice handling even with a load on the rack. As a bonus, the bike is reasonably light - spec'ed as 24 lbs., but a little heavier with some of the mods.
My craiglist Schwinn is a '81 Le Tour. It was in fair condition, and the price was right because I had enough spare parts around the garage to make it work. My biggest regret is the paint job. I have the frame nicely speced out (lighter than my cross-check) but the paint is scratched in quite a few places and I am starting to see some surface rust popping up here and there. I have been contemplating tearing it down and getting it painted, but have been putting it off and just commuting on my Surly which is now doing double duty as a tourer and commuter.