MajikMan

I actually found a Varsity left inexplicably in a ditch in rural Maine. It was dark, but by the headlights of the car it looked to be in pretty good shape, and had a rack and fenders. I left it in the ditch. If I'd have had a rack, or didn't already have two bikes and luggage piled in the back of the car, I would have taken it just for the racks and fenders. If it was something of higher quality, I'd have made space.

There are at least three Varsities at the co-op.... I dunno...they're just so common, heavy, etc that I feel what little space I have for bikes can be better used by other machines. Like the car and the ditch Varsity, I guess it really boils down to space. No large bike garage = no room for low-end bikes.

Bikedued

I saw several of them yesterday at my local flea market. One was $5. It was beyond being a nice original bike, and even needed a repaint to be decent. I also could have had a lemon in fairly decent shape for cheap. The main thing that stopped me was the weight. Even if really nice, it's still hard to flip them once the buyer knows how heavy they are. Strip it to bare frame and coaster brake it, 3 piece conversion on the BB, and alloy bars/stem, then it may be light enough. I like the way they look, but they seem to weigh as much as a ballooner.,,,,BD

Little Darwin

They seem that way until you lift a middleweight.... I can't imagine too many bikes would weigh more than my 1960 Jaguar with front and rear racks. But I know it is a middleweight, marketed as weighing less than a balloon tire bike...

I had spent some time moving around my two middleweights, and then moved the Varsity, it seemed light... then I moved my lightened Sears 10 speed (swapped to cranks and wheels)... It was very light.. Then I lifted my Centurion and about threw it through the ceiling...

It is all relative... I built a bike for a friend, and she claims it weighs as much as her existing bike... But I bet it weighs 5 pounds less... I'll prove it is different some day when both bikes are in the same spot.

dave80909

You guys have inspired me to drag out an old continental I've had for awhile..
Spent about 15 min. with a brass wire wheel shinning up the forks a little..
Threw some 700 rims and tires I had laying around on it...worked on the chain a bit.
hooked up the front brakes...and rode it...wow...it rides nice.

It all weighs in about 31 lbs with the kickstand...

needs more work but it was a good 2 hours spent.

roccobike

I little Brillo ought to shine up that crank real nice!

dave80909

I found the owners manual for it on the internet...
fun reading


https://www.geocities.com/sldbowners/1975/75ompgc1.html

pastorbobnlnh 

Isn't Bob Hufford a nice guy? Thanks Bob!

well biked

+1.........And I've got a feeling Sierra had something to do with that, too. Thanks to both of them-

Sierra

Nope, not with the owner's manuals. I photographed a lot of the catalogs for the site. The images are not great, but they are better than nothing until we have the time to scan them to get some better images.

Thanks again to Bob for all the work he puts into the site!

dave80909

WOW !! thats U guys ??

Nice work...+100

infinityeye

AHH man you got a welder! please post a simple faq to get started. What do you need, kinda welder to get for bikes etc. This is the final frontier for me and No where to learn here in Tallahassle. I don't want to make alt bikes or anything, just want to learn the skill as little and I'm completely in the dark. Any advice would be great.

base2 

I'm not too sure where to post this, being's that it is my first post here. I have been a member for a while, and used the search function regularly. I read this ^^ and finally feel I have a reason to post. I'm just not sure where this fits.

I am working on a Varsinental I picked up off of CL. The guy was going to make a SS, so he sanded all the paint off and hacked off all the cable bosses, the chain stay brace/kickstand. I picked up the frame and a bag of parts from both a Varsity and a Continental for next to nuthin' as his plans were to "move out of the country"…what ever that means.

Question: as far as the Truvative BB adaptor, is their any pitfalls I should avoid? Or does and English bottom bracket work with any crank? It seem that at any given time in my local area there is a crank on CL, but lately they seem to be BB30 or EVO86 (or some such number) What exactly am I looking for? Should I just go to a LBS and buy a set and save myself the hassle/risk/expense?

Next question: Did I do well here? I ask because the local shops even the "reputable" second hand shop, told me "no such animal exists, and can't be done."
Since I needed forks no matter what, and as far as I was concerned, the originals were not an option, I went ahead and purchased
Nashbar Carbon 1-in Threaded Road Fork
to combine with
VP-H755 BMX bicycle headset - 1" threaded 32.5mm cups 26.4mm crown race BLACK (it has yet to arrive.)
and
Origin8 1" Threaded to 1-1/8" Threadless Quill Stem Adapter - Silver
The Easton carbon aero EC70 handle bars and 1&1/8 stem I already have, as some Ultegra brakes too, so it's not like I'm out any money.

Next up was brazing on all the cable bosses, re-tracking the frame for 130mm wheels, beefing up the thin drop outs, brazing on a rear derailer hanger, moving the brake brace for 700c wheels, reinstalling a chain stay brace, drill and tap for cable guides under the bottom bracket, and finally powder coat. (I forgot to do a modern braze-on FD hanger, but I guess that's life...

The carbon forks are cool because the difference between them and the chrome jobbies the LBS had was about $10, they have the crash bar lifetime warranty, and weigh half as much.

I guess that leaves wheels. I have a set of Race 28's, with no tires/tubes, and some already complete 11 speed Aksium's that came with another bike I could put in dedicated service. Swap out that bikes Powertap carbon wheels on occasion? I don't know, I haven't got that far yet…

Here is some pics, as it stands right now:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folde...TA?usp=sharing

base2 

I'm not too sure where to post this, being's that it is my first post here. I have been a member for a while, and used the search function regularly. I read this ^^ and finally feel I have a reason to post. I'm just not sure where this fits.

I am working on a Varsinental I picked up off of CL. The guy was going to make a SS, so he sanded all the paint off and hacked off all the cable bosses, the chain stay brace/kickstand. I picked up the frame and a bag of parts from both a Varsity and a Continental for next to nuthin' as his plans were to "move out of the country"…what ever that means.

Question: as far as the Truvative BB adaptor, is their any pitfalls I should avoid? Or does and English bottom bracket work with any crank? It seem that at any given time in my local area there is a crank on CL, but lately they seem to be BB30 or EVO86 (or some such number) What exactly am I looking for? Should I just go to a LBS and buy a set and save myself the hassle/risk/expense?

Next question: Did I do well here? I ask because the local shops even the "reputable" second hand shop, told me "no such animal exists, and can't be done."
Since I needed forks no matter what, and as far as I was concerned, the originals were not an option, I went ahead and purchased
Nashbar Carbon 1-in Threaded Road Fork
to combine with
VP-H755 BMX bicycle headset - 1" threaded 32.5mm cups 26.4mm crown race BLACK (it has yet to arrive.)
and
Origin8 1" Threaded to 1-1/8" Threadless Quill Stem Adapter - Silver
The Easton carbon aero EC70 handle bars and 1&1/8 stem I already have, as some Ultegra brakes too, so it's not like I'm out any money.

Next up was brazing on all the cable bosses, re-tracking the frame for 130mm wheels, beefing up the thin drop outs, brazing on a rear derailer hanger, moving the brake brace for 700c wheels, reinstalling a chain stay brace, drill and tap for cable guides under the bottom bracket, and finally powder coat. (I forgot to do a modern braze-on FD hanger, but I guess that's life...

The carbon forks are cool because the difference between them and the chrome jobbies the LBS had was about $10, they have the crash bar lifetime warranty, and weigh half as much.

I guess that leaves wheels. I have a set of Race 28's, with no tires/tubes, and some already complete 11 speed Aksium's that came with another bike I could put in dedicated service. Swap out that bikes Powertap carbon wheels on occasion? I don't know, I haven't got that far yet…

Here is some pics, as it stands right now:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folde...TA?usp=sharing