The Hunt for a LeTour IV...
 

... has been successfully completed.

Earlier this week I was scanning through all of the local CL listings. To me local means anything within a 2 hour drive. I cover most of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and part of New York... I even occasionally check Connecticut and Massachusetts.

Anyway, as some readers may know, I have been keeping my eyes open for a blue 23" Schwinn LeTour IV since it was my first road bike. I have a red one lined up that is in great condition, but I have still been scanning the CL sites and Ebay.

At one time, I bid more for a pristine bike on Ebay than the bike cost me when I bought it new... I lost.

Anyway, back to current events... Earlier this week I spied a LeTour IV on the Harrisburg CL site and immediately emailed and called to get it. Very few details, but that it rides well, and was a LeTour IV for $20. I figured it would be a parts donor if nothing else.

After I got myself in the seller's queue I contacted USAZorro to see if he would act as my agent for the sale if needed, since it is about a 2 hour drive for me. Well, USAZorro in his efforts to build his bike fund already responded to the ad, and was also waiting to hear back. He said that he was hoping for a chromoly frame with alloy wheels to flip. Since I know the bike is not chromoly and came with steel rims, I let him knowthat if he thought it was worth his time to buy, he could flip it very easily by selling to me... but that I wanted it no matter what he decided.

In the interim, I also got a PM from fender1 to alert me to the bike's listing becase he remembered I was looking for a LeTour IV. I let him know the status, and thanked him for alerting me... I love the comeradrie in C&V.

Later that day, I got a PM that the bike was a 23" Blue LeTour IV... I don't know if I would call it my holy grail, but it is specifically what I was looking for. It rode well and he picked it up. I also got an email from the seller to let me know that he had picked the bike up for me.

I even forget if we discussed before he picked it up or not, but there was a possibility that we could meet in Allentown a little closer to me, since USAZorro would be passing through there today.

I agreed to let him keep the handlebar because he liked it, as his finders fee... Not a big deal, since I was going to replace it with a wider bar. My intent is not to keep it stock, but to have the bike and ride it with the upgrades that make sense (like wider bar and alloy rims). I also told him I would treat him to lunch as part of the deal since it was saving me quite a bit of driving.

Well, today we met at the Red Lobster near Allentown, I brought along some of the Macademia Nut Shortbread I had just received from East Hill. We waited for a while because apparently everyone in the Allentown area goes to Red Lobstr on Good Friday. But we chatted about bikes and lots of other things during the wait and over lunch. After lunch we walked out to our cars, and I loaded the bike into my car after looking at it again (I had looked briefly before lunch).

We chatted for a while more, and I gave him the shortbread I had with me since we were both too full to eat it after lunch, and I still have some at home... after a little while we said our goodbyes and each drove off.

As I was driving home, and had just turned onto the turnpike I glanced back at my bike, and thought to myself how glad I was to have found the bike for $20, and got to have lunch with a friend too... then I thought again... $20. :eek: The $20 bill I had in my shirt pocket to pay for the bike was still in my pocket. I immediately called USAZorro's cell phone, before I had a chance to calm down... I rolled to his voice mail... I was so upset with myself that I offered to mail the money or send PayPal as soon as I got home... I think he could sense how much it bothered me. After I hung up, I even thought briefly of making a side trip to Mechanicsburg, but decided it wasn't worth $20 in gas since there were other options.

So, at any rate, I now have a Blue Le Tour IV, had a great lunch with a friend, and will be sending payment via PayPal in just a few minutes.

Neither of us took pictures of the lunch, but pictures of the bike will follow after a little cleaning this weekend.

Oh, and I will still get the red bike too. ;)

Great story. Congrats! jim

C&V teamwork! That's the spirit!

Looking forward to the pictures. I wish I could be back home in good old Pennsylvania right now, tinkering with my bike projects, but I'm stuck in Butte, Mt for the next month. I can't imagine how many CL finds I'll miss out on. :(

Congrats!!! Can't wait for the pics!!:beer:

Check catch of the day. With you away, I have been busy!!!!;)

Should have gone to Yocco's on Rt 100.
In and out quick any day.
Nice to find the Holy Grail now and again; I once got an English market Contax II with f1.5 Sonnar for $60.
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OK people, for the record here.

1. - I already knew 1st hand that Darwin is a class act and an honorable guy. The stars pretty much aligned perfectly here for him. It was the bike of his youth, the right size for him, about 10 minutes from my house, in good working order for $20.00, and I was already planning on driving to New Jersey and back today. There was no doubt that the bike was destined for him.

2. - He was gracious enough to immediately grant my request to pilfer the SAKAE RNDNNR (That's how it's really spelled) handlebars for the next bicycle I'm building up. The color and the handlebars were the only two concerns I have ... er make that had... about the next one. (I gave him a set of alloy Road Champions in comparable condition that I'd brought along thinking maybe we'd get a picture for East Hill).

3. - He fed me. Not only lunch, but he shared some treats that East Hill sent him.

So, when the Le Tour IV was safely nestled in the back of his vehicle, and I was trying to figure out a tactful way of reminding him to reimburse me for the bike, I was thinking - it's only $20.00, and I'm sure it will occur to him - so I decided to not say anything then. Why spoil the moment?

About 15 minutes later, when my phone vibrated after I got done checking in with my son, I knew immediately what had happened and was smiling about it the remaining 70 miles on my way back home.

To prime the pumps of interest a bit, the bicycle is neither the strawberry red, not the frosty blue that the Schwinn catalogue says the bike came in, but a really pretty shade of glossy true blue. It won't take much to make this specimen a real looker, as the scratching is really quite minimal, and the gloss is still tremendous. People will stop and look, especially on a nice, sunny day.

Enjoy the bike my friend, and thanks for your generosity. :)

Hurrah! It's great to meet up with other members :D . AND, you got a bike too!

East Hill

Great story! :D

Teamwork on the C+V just like the Mixte frame I getting from Bigbossman. Now he is in California and I am in the Seattle Tacoma area. It just so happened that Easthill was going down that way from here in Western Wa. in a couple of weeks, she graciously offered to retrieve said Mixte for me and deliver it here to my doorstep or maybe her doorstep and I'll go pick it up from her. Either way I get a decent frame to build up for my wife and I don't have to pay for shipping. :)

Awesome story!!

I have to say, everyone from the forum I have met in person, and all I have delt with completely over the net, have been terrific people, glad to see it's not just an isolated thing!

Now...we need pictures!

Anyone in the Puget Sound area need anything taking down to the Bay Area? As long as I'm going that way...it's welcome to go with me!

East Hill

Oh, I've been watching. You lucky dog.

Not to worry. I get back on April 12th and then I have a week's vacation. I hope to have five new bikes ready for the "Before and After" thread by then. :D

great story!

hey i just realized i have my red star. woot

Ooooh, nice!

East Hill

It will probably be next week before I take any pictures, but I have discovered that neither the stem nor seat post are frozen. However, the seat post has a shim, and I don't seem to be able to easily remove the post... No major problem, since I can adjust it where I need to have it set, and it will be fine.

I have ordered a pair of Sun CR18 rims to replace the steel rims, and as soon as I get the wheels disassembled, I will measure the hubs so I can order spokes.

In the interim I will use the original wheels from my Voyageur.

I used some metal polish and have finished the stem, brake levers and rear brake... still the front brake to go.

I also discovered that one of the braze ons is broken. the bottom cable stop for the front derailleur. The owner replaced the front derailleur cable to get around it, and held it in place with a couple of twist ties. I will probably use a clamp on stop and RD guide instead of aving the braze on replaced.

I think I may have mentioned earlier that I am planning this as a rider, and not a restored bike, but I do want it to be stock in appearance except for where upgrades make it more ridable. It does appear that both derailleurs and wheels are original, and the date codes on the brake levers are December 1978, which is in keeping with a 1979 model.

I will be going with a color scheme that would have been like the original, with black tape and saddle (saddle will probably be upgraded to a Brooks). and black cables.

I am still excited!

Oh, and happy Easter!

Congratulations on completing your search. I'm looking forward to the pics.

funny that i found this, cool story man. :)

I keep thinking "next week" to finish cleaning it up and getting it on the road. School is out after the 5th, so after that I have no excuses. :)

Best of luck LD :D

Sounds like that bike is gunna end up awesome :)