Should I strip my LeTour and learn?
 

What I mean is, I was given a "Mint" 1989 or 90 Schwinn LeTour. This bike was used for one ride of around 8 miles. I put air in the tires and rode it 50 miles or so...It goes really nice but It sat for about 20 years and I feel it definetily should be gone over, tuned up, and fit properly to me. Ironically its my size.
I'm very mechanically inclined, and I wonder if I should strip this bike totally down and clean it adjust it, etc.etc...to do it for the reason it needs. Plus to learn from it. I used to ride allot years ago and have such a powerful draw to get back out to the open roads and long rides!!

Or should I leave it to the pro's, pay the 50 bucks or so and have it done?

I also was give a Women's Trek 330. Same year......"NEVER USED". I have no use for it, but I love the look of it...My wife has no interest in riding with me. I don't know what to do with this one.

Thanks so much for your input,
Rich

If it's a nice bike - no. Find a "beater" bike and learn on that.

I do have 3 beater "Walmart" bikes in the shed that could use some TLC anyways....Thanks for your opinion :)

Every time that I ride one of my bikes I make a mental list of what, if anything, needs to be done to it.

Short list - just do that.
Long list - time to disassemble the whole bike for an overhaul.

I'd hang on to the ladies bike for awhile. If you look like you're having fun she might come around. You never know.

Beaters are great to learn with....some of those really crappy ones resist maintenance so badly, you'll hone your skills and decent parts will seem easy to fix (I'm referring to those plastic shifter units mostly here).

If you have a crank puller (I assume the Schwinn has square taper cranks) and the right bottom bracket tools (you'll have to look - some take a "pin" tool, others a weird notched wrench tool, or both, etc.) you can repack the bottom bracket bearings and ajust that.

Your stem should be easy to remove (may need to tap it with a rubber mallet if it's seized) and grease, and the heaset can be cleaned with a rag and repacked with grease if you have a large adjustable wrench and some other wrenches.

Yeah, if you have some basic tools you can probably do a good job with the bike. I like Le Tours actually - I'd fix it up and ride it if I had it ;).

Oh! And if nothing else replace all the cables and housing -- your shifting will feel like new and braking will be good.

Retro, thanks that's great advice...allot of this bikes parts seem really good. no slack or slop, and work well. Probably more of a light go over at first and keep the list going for later repairs.

Gene2308, thanks for you reply also...Ya I haven't looked really well to see what type of cranks I have. I won't lie...I've never done bike maintenance so I'm a noob to the parts and names of such. But I will take it a step at a time and if I'm not comfortable, I'll talk to my local bs.

Thanks

Rich

It took me some time as an amateur mechanic to gather the tools needed to do an entire bike, and at 55 years I'm still missing a few. Maybe start with certain parts and concentrate on those and let the shop do the others. And $50 won't get you much of an overhaul. If the wheels are cone and bearing type as opposed to sealed I'd start there as cone wrenches aren't expensive, but be careful when re-packing. Read up on how it is done and how it should feel (which you can't really read, it helps to have something to compare.) BBs are similar if they are the old square taper but require many more tools as Gene points out.

The tools last forever so don't hesitate to buy them if you think you'll ever use them again. I repacked a BB for the first time in 20 years just last year, and I had all the tools necessary on hand. And that BB is now smooth as silk.

I don't think a $50 tuneup will handle it. There is a chance the grease has hardened inside the hubs, cranks, and steering. Once you learn how, check at least the front wheel.

The oil creeeps out of the grease, leaving thickener. It's especially bad if the bike has sat. However, I feel you could get by with a tuneup if you oiled the hubs, crank, and steering frequently. It really needs new grease but provided your components aren't sealed, oil will do.

Thats how I learned. maybe use the women's bike for practice

I would. I love taking stuff apart! If you are mechanically inclined and like to mess around with stuff then you'll enjoy this. That's how you learn. If it wasn't used that long then it definitely needs cleaning and new grease (grease might have hardened, lubes leaked/dried out). Make sure you have all the right tools, spare parts, lubes though or it'll be very frustrating. A bike stand will help a lot and make it more enjoyable. I have a $100 Park stand and cheap Nashbar toolkit ($150?) and they work fine. Check Bicycle Tutor videos and go for it!

Mind you, if you need to buy tools it will cost you more than having your LBS do this (perhaps even several hundred dollars) but you will loose out on the learning and fun part. However, as it was pointed above a basic tuneup will not be enough here, you're probably looking at complete overhaul of all bearings, you may need new tires even, tubes definitely. Also, there is a good chance you'll do this more thoroughly yourself than the LBS and you will get to know the bike intimately which will enable you to repair and maintain it yourself in the future as well as predict and prevent failures. So in a long run the investment in tools may actually pay for itself.

Adam

Here's the 1990 Schwinn catalog page showing the Le Tour. The red metallic was the only color available that year:
http://www.trfindley.com/flschwinn_1...ad_Cat_28.html

1990 spec page:
http://www.trfindley.com/flschwinn_1...0/1990_10.html


1989 catalog spec page. Colors available were medium blue/dark blue fade, and champagne:
http://www.trfindley.com/flschwinn_1...9_Ltwt_16.html



Thanks to BF member Scooper for sharing these Schwinn catalogs .:)

I would do it. The cost of tools is minimal and a "one time" investment. Given the age of the bike it needs more than a $50 tune up. What it really needs is a the bearings repacked, brake shoes, and possibly new cables.

Here are some other sites for advice, not to mention The C&V sub forum.

http://www.mytenspeeds.com/My_TenSpe...t_Contents.htm

http://www.parktool.com/repair/

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/

I'd start with the ladies bike. You will learn and you might even find that the fact you rebuilt it "for her" might give you the leverage to get her to at least try it out. Worst case, you'll learn a lot and have a bike she can ride when she is ready.

Then, go for the Schwinn. It is a great feeling to ride a bike you've torn down and put back together.

:thumb: :speedy:

A.

I think the only special tools you would need would be cone wrenches and a freewheel puller for the hubs and a pin spanner, hook spanner, and crank puller for the bottom bracket, unless they were already using cartridges in 1990.

I take my freewheel hub wheels to a bike shop and ask them to pull the freewheel. There are too many different types of removers required-Shimano, Suntour, Maillard, etc.

The bottom bracket may be sealed so my oil trick wouldn't work.

The main pitfall is incorrect cone adjustment. After regreasing all the cup and cone bearings, you could just go ahead and let the shop true and tension the wheels and readjust the cable tension and derailleur stops.

Well I've put the LeTour in the basement shop now and I'm going to start by washing it down really good and start to look at what I need for tools and what I need to do to Overhaul this baby...I'm riding in the Trek across Maine on Fathers day weekend (3 days...180 miles) at least one other century this summer and Patrick Dempsey 100 mile challenge to fight cancer in October. Pluse I will be putting on the miles for training, so I'm anxious to start and to feel me riding something I can really be proud of and enjoy.

Well Biked....I'm blown away by those links....yep that's mine....the Red one. I can't wait to look at these all in more depth...I have to get up at 4am but I'm going to be up late reading.

DedHed also thanks for the great links. You all rock that have replied to my question...I so appreciate all of your responses....I can only hope that someday I'll be able to give some new person asking the question some great advise as you all have given to me!!

Rich

One way to be successful in learning the mechanics around a bike is to have a good book in front of you on bicycle maintenance (Make sure you get one that covers older bikes cause they have changed quite a bit since the 80's and 90's. As you learn, do a slow, patient zen-like approach towards the work on the different components on the bike so you don't get impatient and end up stripping or bunging up the many delicate (mostly aluminum alloy) parts of the bike. which is the tendency for most new mechanics. Be aware of how different components thread on to the bike and don't just depend on written instructions, confirm the direction of the thread visually before you even put a tool on it. Working on your own bike is not only a good way to save yourself some money, it is a relaxing and staisfying activity, specially during bad weather or off season days. It will also give you more confidence in riding your bike because you are sure that everything that counts on the road is installed, adjusted and lubricated properly to your satisfaction to give you the safest ride.

Chombi

I agree, I like to take it slow and easy when doing things such as this...I will just take one task at time and complete it fully then onto the next until its done.

Great advice,....Thank you

Rich

Whoa! That may have been the wrong thing to do!

After 20 years the grease in the bearing probably resembles bakelite more than lubricant. So riding it - even a few miles - may have munged the bearings. You definitely need to open them up and have a look/replacement party.


Long term application of guilt can sometimes work.

DMF, at the time my ignorance never thought like that or new any better..I was just happy to have a pretty descent bike to start riding again :( ....Since getting a bit more serious and reading every post i can on certain topics. Especially this one that I started...I'm sure I will have a bearing replacement party, which I'll be glad to do. haha

I can't wait to get the bike back on the road and feel the difference having a complete overhaul/tuneup.

Thanks for the reply.
Rich

+1

With luck you'll be okay and not have to replace anything but the grease. This is a nice bike so take care of it.

There are four load-bearing points to check. The two wheel hubs, the bottom bracket, and the lower headset race (check the upper, too, but it's not as critical). It's a good idea to learn how to do the first three yourself - and get the tools to do them - but the headset you might want to take to a shop.

While it's in the shop have them check the spoke tension and true the wheels. A general tune-up and checkout is a good idea. And get some fresh brake pads. IIRC, the LeTour has steel rims so you need all the stopping power you can get.

Enjoy your bike!

Absolutely not!:) This is a 1990 model. Le tours from the '70's and very early '80's had steel rims. But by the early '80's they were equipped with aluminum rims, and had them from then on-

Adam. dedhed and others have it right! You should be able to field strip what you ride..it's not all that scary and, after you can do this, you own what you ride and you are afraid of nothing.

We call it being " a fully functional bicylist" ride it. break it, fix it and you are your own full size action figure.

Mike