norcalmike

I bought this Schwinn Prologue off a college girl the other night. She said she got a new bike and just needed space.
I don't know the history of this bike really. I looked it up on bikenet and nothing came up. (though that doesn't really mean it wasn't stolen at some point)
This is a college town and I know this is just an old bike to some people But to me, I just don't understand how someone could trash a nice old bike like this.
Its like they turned it into an art project. Almost no component matches. Sad.
Don't worry little buddy, Ill save you.


20171120_220736 by Norcal Mike, on Flickr


20171120_220749 by Norcal Mike, on Flickr


20171120_220744 by Norcal Mike, on Flickr


20171120_220753 by Norcal Mike, on Flickr


20171120_220757 by Norcal Mike, on Flickr


20171120_220812 by Norcal Mike, on Flickr

sdn40

Some kids attached baseball cards to the spokes of their bikes, while some tucked the cards neatly in a shoebox.
Some people wash and wax their car weekly, while others wait for the next rainfall and call it good enough.
To each their own
Plus you get a nice project to keep you busy and out of trouble

norcalmike

good point..It was dirt cheap too.

Colnago Mixte

Some of the late 80's, early 90's road bike paint jobs looked even worse than this, brand new.

jamesdak 

So you'll probably freak out when I mention that I'm prepping a pretty much mint 1987 Schwinn Circuit to turn over to my son. Knowing he'll probably abuse it a bit. But heck, in my book that's better than just having hang in a garage for another 30 years. They are just bikes and should be used.

jpaschall

Agreed. If the paint is scuffed up from locking it up all over campus/the city, more power to them.

Spaghetti Legs 

Rescue bikes are sometimes the best ones!

I bought my Merckx Century as a frame with a few parts from a seller in NYC. I did not get a vibe that it was stolen BTW. The frame was really beat up with dinged up shifter braze ons, beat up derailleur hanger threads, scarred up and pitted chrome on the forks and chainstays.

Looking closely at the frame though I could see areas of touch up paint and the headset and bottom bracket were nicely greased and clean as a whistle; evidence that the bike had a thoughtful owner before falling on hard times. My guess is it fell into the hands of a hipster who “fixified” it. I put more work into that bike than any other I’ve ever had and it’s one of my favorites now, not only because of the wonderful fit and ride, but because it’s my “rescue puppy”.

55murray

Nice score. To be honest though, I work on a college campus and that bike to me does not looked trashed. At all. It is filthy, the paint is a mess, but I’m not seeing anything in the way of major rust or broken components...

norcalmike

front derailleur

3alarmer 

.
...when I rode a bike as transportation in my college years, that was called "Theft Deterrent".

norcalmike

it is a great bike and will clean up nice. for $90 I'm not complaining. my post was more about how nice bikes end up this way. I guess as a Schwinn collector, I get sad when I see then beat up. Nice win for me though, and this Prologue.

Colnago Mixte

Fortunately, new paint and decals are always a possibility, and not at all difficult to justify for a frame of this quality.

I do confess to liking the "art student" motif though.

norcalmike

I am tempted to mechanically restore and roll as is. every bike has its story. My story can start here

Colnago Mixte

Paint reminds me a little of Eddie Van Halen's guitar:

Piff 

To some, they're just bikes. To others, they're BIKES. Good things to learn from both perspectives.

wrk101

Not unusual. Many do not value/appreciate older bikes. To us, these bikes are classic and vintage. To them, they are old and out of date.

I am reminded what the local bike shop told me when I asked about old parts for my 1987 bike. "Any bike over five years old are obsolete and not worth fixing". The 1987 bike? My Prologue.....

Bought an early 1990s Klein from a college student who had rattle canned it white (except for the dropouts, he painted them yellow). White over everything else, from the decals and frame, to headset and other components. I told him he had ruined the bike as with its original green to blue fade paint, it was pretty valuable. His response "I didn't like it." So I guess he was right. So I paid him a low amount and spent hours with acetone removing the rattle can.

55murray

Oh, I do see that now, that is toast!

The Golden Boy 

Bikes that get ridden get beat up.

Bikes that get ridden to a place and left out, get beat up.

There's a very large segment of the bicycle riding population that see bikes as tools, regardless of how nice those bikes are.

When I was commuting, I was fortunate to have an indoor area to store my bike. A lot of people do not have that luxury. Just in what I do ride my bikes, they get little biffs here and there. Sometimes a dent- that makes me sick to my stomach...

jamesdak 

If it helps, Testor Gloss Red 1103TT paint was pretty much a perfect match for the red on my Prologue. Even out in the Sunlight. The Testor gloss white was close but a bit "brighter".

I picked mine up in the dark and it was pretty worn looking and filthy as all get out. This is the night I picked it up after a quick wipedown.




It now looks like this and is one fast machine.



As soon as you sort out the mechanicals you will have a wonderful bike no matter how it may look! Good find!

norcalmike

Nice! ^^^^

Slightspeed

Found this frame in a trash pile of scrap metal on a back alley. Took more than a wipe down and touch up, but what a great ride. Before, during and after.

Insidious C. 

Somehow I have a hard time feeling poorly about a nice bike that someone actually used.

John E

Same here -- you should have seen some of the ugly, blotchy paint jobs I rode during the 1970s, when bicycle theft was rampant on the UCLA campus.

John E

That's not a bad idea, at all.

mountaindave 

Yup, seems well used, but not abused. Maybe a little neglect, but nothing that can’t be remedied. Is that a Deore RD on there? Fun project!