sean.umbuc

So I just picked up a cheap Runabout off of CL for $20, and I was wondering, since it was the only year they made it, if it'd be worth keeping the original canary yellow paint and decals? For the most part, the paint is decent (no rust spots overall, but fairly dull) and the decals are in readable but not great condition. The only area of concern is just behind the bottom bracket where there is some rust/pitting that covers a decent sized area. Sorry but I don't have pictures at the moment (and I forgot to take some before I completed most of the disassembly last night too, darn) but I will take a few tonight.

Most, if not all (I haven't checked everything yet) seems to be original on the bike, so my plan was to disassemble everything, give everything a good wipe down (and for the wheels/cranks/etc. to give them a once-over with some brass wool), possibly sand/primer/paint, repack the bottom bracket, then put everything back together, replacing the tires and brake pads and all the cables (plus change the handlebars and brake levers to something that suits me better). Would anyone suggest anything else to do? This is my first bike to overhaul, so it's definitely a learning process. I'm trying to soak up all of the info I can on the web so I don't have to learn from mistakes in the process, or at least not as many.

Any comments/help would be greatly appreciated!

teh_d3th_st4r

Paint it. If you don't take care of that pitting, it will eat the bike.
No sense in keeping a bike in original condition if its condition is detrimental to its longevity.

Lascauxcaveman 

Clean up the rust (lots of threads here on how to do that) and touchup/clearcoat the formerly rusted area. It's only original once.

teh_d3th_st4r

It's painfully difficult to match color with faded vintage paint. With the availability of water transfers and matched paint, one can easily do a full restoration on nearly any bike.
That's just my opinion/suggestion. It's yours, so the decision is completely up to you.

sean.umbuc

Would it be possible to get the decals from somewhere? I've tried looking at a few sites but none of them had anything listed for the "Runabout" one. The others would be simple enough to get I would think.

As far as touching up the paint, I agree that it would be too difficult to completely match the current color, so I was debating seeing if i could clean up that area and simply clear coating it to stop it from spreading. It could help maintain the originality of it but also protect it from some further damage.

teh_d3th_st4r

Yeah, finding the specific script can be a challenge...
There's several places on the Internet that print out custom water transfer and vinyl decals. I've used this service on a number of bikes so I could have Japanese script on vintage steel (not a fan of vinyl stickers).
You can also get special paper for your laser printer that allows you to do the same thing.

teh_d3th_st4r

I didn't say it was impossible, just that it's a pain in the ass.
I've done a number of touch ups, but I'm more bent towards customs and full restorations.
Like I said: it's just my opinion/suggestion.

mparker326

Why paint a $20 bike? You will never recoup your money. Ride it till it dies!

Metacortex

The Sportabout and Runabout were the absolute heaviest and lowest-end 27" wheel Schwinn bikes that year, below even the Varsity and Suburban. The cost of repainting or even just replacing decals would never be recouped. I'd clean it up as best you can and then ride it or sell it.

teh_d3th_st4r

I, on the other hand, think that crusty old bikes look shabby and sad.
If you're gonna ride it, at least make it look nice.

FastJake

I'd rather ride an ugly bike that performs well than a shiny turd.

Personally I wouldn't stick any time/money/effort into a Schwinn Runabout but it's your bike and your decision. Do what you want with it, as it has no real collector value.

teh_d3th_st4r

LOL! Shiny Turds? You just described my Soviet bikes!

sean.umbuc

So here's the spot where the largest amount of rust has accumulated.



I'm thinking that painting it is probably going to be the best idea. I had to take most of it apart anyway to re-pack all of the bearings and (soon to be) install a new chain and new handlebars, so taking off the last few components and sanding/priming/painting isn't that much more effort in my opinion. The thing that really pushed me to this is hearing that it was such a low end bike anyway and has zero collector value so I may as well enjoy what my own bike looks like, right?

teh_d3th_st4r

It's a bike that's definitely worth more when it's been customized.
Make it pretty and enjoy it.

sean.umbuc

So here's my (almost) finished product!

I still have to run the new cables, install the chain, put on the brakes levers, and just tune everything, but as far as this thread's topic is concerned, mission accomplished. Thanks to everyone for the input