I'm not a classic/vintage collector. My ride right now is a Specialized hybrid but I have always wondered about a road bike, which I'm attracted to, but not at all sure is my cup of tea in terms of geometry and riding position. I have an old Schwinn World Tourist cleaned up and readied by my wife's nephew. Actually, I credit it with getting me back to cycling.

Anyway, my plan is to get a set of drop bars off eBay or something and sort if make believe it's a road bike. It's a 58 cm frame (I'm 6'2") so it should be reasonably close. However, before I start fooling with it, I wanted to make sure I'm not screwing up something of value to someone. I seriously doubt it, but I did run the serial number through a Schwinn look-up site and it said, "congratulations, you have a genuine Chicago Schwinn." I used a serial number I found on the left drop out. I have no idea if this is the correct location and there are several numbers on the bike.

The first image (if I did this right) is the left drop out, second is the right drop out, third is the badge number and the last a decal found on the frame. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks.

Hmm, seem to be unable to attach pics from Photobucket.

It's not like you'll be doing something that's not reversible, so that would not be a problem. 58 cm, however, might be too small for you. I'm 6'1" and prefer a 62 cm frame.

if your height is in your torso, that's your size - if it's in your limbs, you need 62 cm

It sounds like a fine plan to me. Like non-fixie said, everything you'd be doing is reversible and anything that makes you want to ride the bike is a worthy project.

There's really no such thing as "road bike geometry" in the singular sense, and Schwinn sold a World Sport that I'd bet was the same frame but with drop bars.

Schwinn World Tourist

While it's definitely worth obsessing over bike size before you buy a bike, when you're talking about reconfiguring a bike that you already own I say build it, ride it and see if it's comfortable. "The right size for you" is also something that doesn't really exist in a singular sense. I've had bikes from 52cm to 57cm that I've been able to set up for a ride that's perfectly comfortable for me.

Thanks for the replies. I finally did get some pics uploaded from my PC directly, if it matters. To be honest, I've felt my current hybrid (Large according to Specialized) is too small. I find myself wishing I could stretch out a bit more, either bars more forward, or seat further back which is not possible. The 58 cm frame is really just to see how I feel riding in a road bike position. I suppose the bike shop would let me try one, but just a few minutes in the parking lot isn't the amount of time I'd hope for before making a buying decision.

58 would be on the low end, there are many adjustments you can make that might get you by fine... longer/taller stem, seat slid back, raise seat post.

Usually you can "stretch" a bike by putting on a longer stem, but with a Schwinn that's not quite as easy since Schwinn stems are usually a funky size.

I'm no expert, but it's my understanding that the "World" in the name, like "Schwinn Approved" indicated that the bike was made in Asia. This link would suggest that yours was made by Giant in June 1981.

Schwinn Serial Numbers and Date Codes

It's certainly not from 1957 as the Schwinn Cruisers serial number lookup tool claims. It could be that the head badge was added some time later in the bike's history.

Thanks, no I can putz around unfettered.