I have a Schwinn Woodlands that I have torn to the nekked frame for cleaning, greasing and repainting. The back rim looks peculiar...better than it should....it reads to be "ARAYA Japan 26 x 1.5 HE VP-20". The hub is "SOMOS", it has a 14/28 (5 spd) cogset and and a "Sunrace Index Roots Ltd 6029 freewheel".

I found some weird (they are not bicycle springs) springs wrapped around the outside of the back derailer...some type of redneck fixie best I can tell. The RD is a Shamino SIS. I don't see any damage to it, it pivots OK as best I can tell.

The shifters don't match one another. The one for the back is a Shimano SIS and the one for the front is Shimano (no other info) that has a thumb adjustment for the friction (?).

What, if any of this is stock? What would be a reasonable upgrade?

Pictures and serial number, PLEASE! Hard to know what is stock if we can't check the correct catalog. So we need to know the year and the serial number can tell us this. Thanks!

Ser # GN811784...

I guess it's too late to edit - the badge number is 2548.

Thank you.

This is the best I could do. Your bike seems to be a 1988 made by Giant in Tawain. Here is the catalog page for the 1990 Woodlands specs. Hopefully it will give you some idea as to what was stock. Thanks for the pictures. Best of luck.

https://www.trfindley.com/flschwinn_1...0/1990_21.html

Thank you pastorbob! It appears not much of stock is left after 21 years. It's still torn down...but painted orange, almost the same color as what's on the headbadge. I'm just curious how the gearings are going to work. Nothing would move when I got it. Partly the cables, partly the non-bicycle springs, maybe the shifters - I got them to loosen up, too.

Would anyone care to state what reasonable upgrades would be if the RD/FD are junk? I find 7 speed stuff but not any 5 speed. And I know Falcon is junk...probably Pyramid, too.

I found I have the 1989 Woodlands catalog page and specs:

Onuts,

It sounds as if you could easily pour well over $100 in low to mid range new components into this bike. So the question is is this worth it to you? Does it have sentimental value? If so, and you have the funds, go for it. But if not, you might be better off being patient on Craig's List and finding a similar vintage MTB in ready to ride condition for $100-200.

About your issues: It's hard to tell if your RD, FD, and shifters are trash, or just need a good cleaning. Can you take some closeup pictures of these culprits? They sound trash worthy, but they might just be gunked up with annual layers of grease and dirt.

Is the bike pictured above your bike? I'm a little confused because you said it was orange, like the headbadge. Thanks for clearing this up.

This bike was two steps up from the bottom of the line in '88. Decent enough bike at the time. I wouldn't put large amounts of money in it though, unless it had sentimental value. If the shifters won't budge, it might be that the cables have frozen due to rust inside the housing. As far as the back wheel, it sounds like someone replaced it at some point. Because the freewheel is a sunrace, i'm betting they took an entire rear wheel off of a donor bike, rather then just replacing the wheel. Not sure if you'll be able to get the indexing to work on the rear shifter, considering the freewheel has been replaced, but there should be a small lever on the rear shifter to disbale the indexing and put it in friction mode. The brakes could be a pain to center, if memory serves.

Best of luck,
GregG

To scooper: Wow, you really nailed it! Thank you! That's almost exact. My handlebars are different as is the stem. But that pic is it!
To pastorbob: Yes, the pic I posted is my bike. I've repainted it as the frame was really, really beaten up. This thing has had a hard life.
To ggroth: Nothing sentimental about this one - I just like it. I think you're right about the donored back wheel as the it is marked 1.5 and scooper's page shows that it came with 1.75...I think the front is original. I'm just going to 'pretty it up' as a rider.

It's fully stripped, cables out of housings, everything off and I've cleaned it up with kerosene. I have the pedals lubed and back together, as well as the BB and the fork/steering. I'm waiting for tires to come in before I go any farther.

Hey! I did have a handy pic of the mismatched shifters. It's the one for the RD that I have questions about - that small slider - is that a friction adjuster?



You can really see the difference in the bar set up as compared to scooper's pic.

I don't think they're mismatched - it's not uncommon for the front shifter to be friction while the rear is indexed.

Yes, I think that lever on the rear shifter will switch from index to friction mode.

Cool Stem.

And I love the pictures from the catalog...the dude posing with his Mountain Bike while reading a book and the shot of him doing a little wheelie off the curb damn...he's got some moves....good thing he's got a mountain bike to tackle those tough curbs.

Knowing that this isn't any kind of gem...and my intent is to make it a good rider...I've looked at some rear derailers at bikepartsusa.com. I see several 7 speed Shimano in the $18 - $24 range. Would one of those replace the SIS if it's toast?

If my tires will just get here I'll know if the RD is good or not. Just checking options.

Shifters aren't mismatched. The slider on the right shifter changes the shifter from SIS (indexing) to friction. If you can't get the indexing to work with the freewheel on your current rear wheel, you can simply move that slider all the way to the left, and use it in friction mode.

GregG

It seemed to take forever for the tires to get in. i have no LBS so it's internet for me. I got a pair of Kenda Q-West's with new tubes. Passed the old tires and tubes off to the neighbor's kids.

After soaking in kerosene, some good brushing and a bit of electralysis:



Which is really fun - it kinda gets that "Mad Scientist" in ya going

Everything was ready for re-assembly



After a bit of paint. Rustoleum is great and Krylon blows. I'll do this different next time.
Lots of learning in this project.



New tires, new tubes, new shift cables, new brake cables, new seat, stripped to the bone
and re-greased, change in paint color, lots of fiddling with worn out brake springs.
Still not 100% done but close enough:



I took it out and am amazed: I got all of the gearing right on the first shot. It shifts just
fine and rides good enough for me. I'm liking this ol' ride just fine!

Thanks to pastorbob and scooper for your help; and ggroth was dead on about the shifters.

Wow! That's a pretty amazing transformation! Nice work....

Now all ya gotta do is ride the snot out of it.

Onuts,

WOW!!!! You're inspiration for all us dump prowling, curb grabbing, yard sale nickle -n- dime C&V cheapskates!!! You certainly turned your lemon into O-So-Sweet lemonade!

Looks really great. I think orange is a great bike color --

I wish I could get myself motivated with a project bike to take it that far. It is such a satisfying feeling when you get done and can look at the fully rehabilitated bike.

Looks Killer. Like Brand new cool color.