Need help Identifying this Frame
 

Hey guys, I am trying to gather some insight into what frame I have.

I purchased this bike just a bit over a month ago, and am definitely enjoying it. When I purchased it, the PO mentioned that it was an 80's Schwinn frame, but couldn't give me more details. He painted over the frame (very poorly), and I am left clueless.

I looked at the serial number (below the BB?) and have: K008698, although I'm not sure if the zeros may be O's.

Let me know what you think?

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e2...01009_0002.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e2...01809_0001.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e2...01809_0003.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e2...01809_0004.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e2...01809_0006.jpg

That's a Schwinn Tempo judging from the fork crown. Tenax tubed Schwinns, though not rare, aren't all that common either. These Columbus Tenax tubed bikes were sold under other model names I think. Later rather than early your seems. Early '80s had chromed tips so it's less likely that they would've been painted over, speculation for now.

No great feat as the man told you Schwinn so ... deduction figures in.

I think most of the tempos had wrap around seat stays, so I would guess slightly further down the line. Maybe a prelude. I have a Tenax Super Le Tour with the same fork crown, but they were made for 27" wheels.

-Jake

The rear cluster looks exactly like my Le Tour:
http://home.comcast.net/~jeff_wills/...es/bike035.htm
but the fork doesn't match. Hmmm....

Some early LeTour types were Tenax just reading now... not one of those, wrong fork bend and crown, just doesn't figure in other ways too.

Premis had dif. seat stays; Super Sports and Preludes... dif. fork crowns.
See for yourself all that's out there. Ser. # appears Japanese, can't (not tried much) break it. It appears to be Japan made, a hunch. By some accounts at least some Tempos were made in Mississippi. Focusing on all else, the Miss. #'s also, you may confirm...

Gee it looks so Nishiki-ish !

interesting. The bike does have Sugino crankset, although I don't think that means much...or does it?

I think it does. Though Miss.built bikes were out for a short spell. It's more reasonable to suppose that a crank is OE than not. I think Japan. US made tended to have Shimano, another Co. from Japan. So though it's not definitive in itself, it's all part of the process, that of deduction just short of speculation. Indirectly it meens at least a little.