sd5782 

I needed an excuse for some wrenching and got it from all the posts on upright conversions.
I have a handful of bikes and already have this that I bought decades ago.



My 1973, purchased in 1975 and recently serviced and updated.

My son expressed an interest in an old Schwinn like mine. I purchased 2 incomplete bikes at the co-op for very cheap, so why not one for me too with the other frame?
I posted about these before, and believe they are perhaps from 1972 or 73.



$18 for one on left, and $10 for one on right. Seat is toast.


Most of the parts came from the co-op, and I just did a little shake down ride. 13-30 Suntour Alpha gets me about 35-81 gear inches which is fine for leisurely suburban/urban sightseeing. I believe the bars have the 15 degree bend which still makes it easy to pop the front wheel up over poor pavement etc. Front wheel is a 700c for now. Rear dropout spacing is actually close to 130mm. A real mutt as it sits, but a work in progress for a rookie.



Work in progress.


Suntour stem shifters, and my favorite mirror. Old Weinmann levers that felt pretty nice. Bars not too wide or swept back, so good leverage. Seat choice will be trial and error as will grips.






With the bike boom, 27" wheels were slim pickings at the co-op, especially a high flange to look decent. Plenty of brake travel for 700 conversion if I ever wanted, but some Kendas will match this low level build I think. I did find a Shimano 333 that may look okay on it at a casual glance.



Shimano 27" 333 high flange.


Critique and suggestions are gladly welcomed. At 63 years old, another upright may be nice. I already have a 3 speed and a vintage Bianchi Boardwalk hybrid, but this fills a niche maybe. If nothing else it is a reason to wrench on something. I will never be able to make it a work of art however as others do. Looking decent from 5-10ft is usually good enough for me, unless I get something that came to me in great condition.

dddd

Nice bike, the upright bars will make for very "light" steering with this frame's 73-degree HT angle. So it should climb very well when the roads get steep!

I found one that came with flat bars from the factory. The quick steering makes for a good dog-walking bike.
It resides on my porch for quick trips to the store (with it's theft-deterrent appearance).

branko_76 

The upright bars, removal of the front derailleur and chainring are good moves. The other "upgrades" don't make sense to me. It's not going to be a racing bike or a long haul tourer so I would keep all of the stock parts.

Keep the Alvit rear derailleur and overhaul it.
Keep the 27" wheels (which apear to be aluminum) with original Schwinn Approved hubs. Overhaul the hubs and rebuild the wheels with stainless steel spokes. Buy a spare set of 27" tires and keep them stored in a plastic bag for when you need to replace them, which may be never.

John E

My first bike, a Schwinn "middleweight," had paperboy bars, but I got a road bike 6 months later and have used drop bars ever since. When I bought my mountain bike, I was not happy with the Ritchey mountain bars until I added perpendicular extensions, which gave me a welcome additional hand position with a drops-like neutral forearm/wrist rotation/orientation, and I have loved my mountain bike ever since. With my 4-finger motorcycle-style brake levers, I can activate the brakes from the extensions, which have become my normal/default riding position.

sd5782 

Since one of the 2 donor bikes was missing parts, most of the stock parts will be going on the one for the son to be nearly stock. I tried out that stock RD and remembered why I didtched mine 40 years ago. I also have another SS In the tall size I will be selling so will include the troublesome French rd with that one.
As to the drivetrain on mine, the shifters and rd I had laying around from the co-op. A stock Schwinn stick didn’t pull enough cable to shift all 7 gears. I plan on keeping it 27” also. Frame needs cleaned and touched up too. I could see myself putting a 36t on front, as I don’t think I will be using the 13 or 15 tooth sprockets. I’m talking casual riding here.

sd5782 

Yes, the bars were the first question. I knew I didn’t want swept back bars. I have a 3 speed with swept bars, and like your paperboy bars, control is definitely lacking. They certainly won’t allow any curb hopping. The flat hybrid bars give great control but are a more aggressive position. Only short rides for this one to get the blood circulating a bit, so one hand position will be tried first.

sd5782 

Nice woman’s SS, and you are correct on the light steering. It looks like your bars are similar in shape to what I tried. An easy to grab and go bike is the intended purpose.