Cool cool cool! All this info is great. Thanks everyone!
Yeah definitely weird that someone would knick old Schwinn wheels, especially with some nicer rides on the same street. I watched the cctv video from my building, and dude showed up with a backpack and tools, so seems like a planned attack. When vintage bike geeks go bad
Could of been worse. Growing up in the city, I was always told to ride a good distance away from the parked cars, not just to avoid getting doored, but because it was common for people to pop out from between two cars, shoulder you off your bike, and take off with it.
Maybe on a heavy Varsity I could just plow right over them. haha
Despite the Varsity frame sitting across from me, giving forlorn looks, I have been checking out Craigslist. That Motobecane ChicAgo steel posted is super nice! And only about $50 more than the LBS quoted to get the Schwinn rolling again. Definitely tempted.
I'm 5'7" so am kind of wussing out on my 17" frame—I like to be able to put my feet down easily at lights.
Did see a couple of cheap Ross 10 speeds on CL similar to my bike, but checking Ross here on the forums informed me that they'd kind of just be a cheaper version of the heavy Schwinn. Whoo hoo, go insider info on bikeforums!
If I stay stubborn and keep obsessing over the Varsity....I did find
this online, which checks a few more boxes. My dropout spacing is 130mm though.
Will definitely be keeping my limitations and budget in mind. I love getting stuck in on little projects and learning about all the bits and pieces. Sometimes it works in my favor, like repairing broken faucets, but most the time I end up like:
Whole new bike or somehow, someway new wheels for Varsity, I'll update on the outcome. (and possibly ask for more advice)
