Teon

Thanks, DTSCDS....I finally figured it out!

CJ C

does it have the Schwinn Chicago badge on the front? i have been searching craigslist for a cheap one with that badge to turn into a fixie.

CJ C

hahahaha just scrolled up to the pics again and saw the badge. extra points from me on the coolness factor. I also live the color you have, time for a matching white saddle?

Teon

Yea, I really like the color, too. I was thinking of changing the bar tape to black, but after seeing the color combo, it works well with the winter mint color(is that what it was called?). I doubt if I'll go to an all white saddle, but I might get one of those gray/black or white/black ergo style road saddles. Was that bike actually made in Chicago, or just badged that way? I assume the frame was made in the USA, since it says that......or maybe not? Was it maybe Japan or Taiwan made and then assembled in the USA?

sillygolem

IIRC, a Schwinn of this vintage would have been made at their plant outside Chicago - I want to say it was in Mississippi or Kentucky. A "Schwinn Approved" frame is made outside of the country: '80s bikes were made by Giant, so they're still decent quality. Giant entered the U.S. market under their own name because Schwinn was planning on selling Chinese-made BSOs, and they thought it would damage their image.

As about tires in C&V and everyone will immediately say Panasonic Paselas. When I was putting my SS conversion together no one had them in stock, so I bought Cheng Shin (CST) high-center tires. They ride great, and they're cheap. They even remained undamaged after I hit the edge of a pot hole hard enough to bend the rim.

Teon

If it means anything, and I think both the wheels and tires are original equipment....

Weinmann 416 Alloy Wheels, 27 x 1 1/14, made in Belgium. Tires are Schwinn Super Record 27 x 1 1/8" gumwalls.

It truly is very interesting to me to find out more history about this bike.

CJ C

i had a bid on ebay for a specialized avatar in white but i really wanted red or a red/black to match. you could always go with a brooks b17 and get matching leather/leather colored bar tape for the cool retro look.

its crazy how addictive this gets

you have an awesome bike keep us updated on how the rides go

Teon

I should have new tires and tubes for it tomorrow. I stayed with the gumwall look on the tires, as I like that old style look. I got some Panaracer Paselas.....I originally wanted Michelin World Tours, but they had just run out of stock on those. Anyways, been a long time since I have had to do any tire changing, so I imagine I'll spend a fair amount of time on Saturday stumbling my way through it, as well as making sure the wheels are somewhat true. I got some new tires for my mountain bike, too....so I figured that I would practice on that bike first....lol.

Hopefully I can get the Schwinn into decent and somewhat tuned riding shape by the end of the weekend. I'm looking forward to messing around with the bike......hopefully I won't screw anything up too badly.

Teon

I'm bummed. Thought my new tires would get here this Saturday, but they won't be here until Monday. Ah well.....guess I'll have to work on the rear brakes tomorrow, as the rear gear side brake seems to be sticking a tad.

I was really, really wanting to ride this thing some more this weekend..........bleh.......

nfmisso

+1

Teon

So I finally got the tires and tubes today, and threw them on the bike. Everything went great, except for the p.o.s. Park tool stand pump with gauge.....supposed to do high pressure, but it's so cheaply made that it could only handle one try to 80 psi, then it wouldn't get back to 50 psi, even after I checked all the gaskets/seals and re tightened everything.....what a piece of junk, and glad i didn't spend anymore than a little over 20 bucks on it.

Anyways, I digress......got the tires on the Schwinn, as well as replacing the tires and tubes on my mountain bike as well. Got everything pumped up with my old air pump, and took for a nice little shake down cruise. Nice bike! Rides smooth, shifts and trims quite nicely.....very quiet...no squeaks or howls or anything out of the ordinary, except for new tire noise.

And nfmisso.....you are correct, sir! The brakes are a tad scary. They got plenty of life left on them, but wow, do they ever take forever to stop the bike....lol. I only know that because I took out my mountain bike as well to check out the road tires, and it has nice center pulls....and it stopped on a dime compared to the Schwinn. So I adjusted the brakes some more and will try again tomorrow. All in all, though.....I'm really pleased with the bike! We'll see how long my back lasts with those road drop handlebars before I decide to get a more adjustable stem with a longer quill.....lol. It will be nice to alternate with the mountain bike when my back needs a rest.

So Nigel, I've looked at the brakes you recommended, and they sound good. However, looking at my traveler, it's got the nutted rear brake, but the front brake has a flush hex head on the back, and nutted on the front. Will those tektro nutted long throws work??

Thanks again for all the advice you all have given me......I felt really good in the garage working on both bikes as everything was extremely simple and straightforward, and I didn't have troubles with anything.

Fletch521

Those are 36 spoke wheels. Much stronger and better suited for a clyde than 32 spoke wheels. There is no reason I can think of to switch from a 27x1-1/8 to a 27x1-1/4.The 1-1/4 tires may have clearance problems with the frame and will also be to wide to clear the break pads if you try to mount the wheel with the tire inflated. there is also no reason to switch perfectly good 27s for 700s. Plenty of tires available in 27". Not the selection thee was 20 years ago or as many as in 700 but still enough to keep a person riding.

Teon

Yea, I was pleased to find that the wheels were pretty much in true. At least from what I could tell without an actual truing stand. They certainly seemed acceptable. And I am already down to the mid 250s with my weight, so hopefully I will continue to put less and less strain on the old gal(bike...lol) as I continue.

Point well taken on the tires, Fletch, as I found that out tonight when I installed the 27 x 1-1/14 tires. Had to keep them low inflated to get them past the brakes front and back....and then after I had installed them and tightened down the rear brake after adjusting, and then pumped them up to full pressure, the rear wheel wouldn't move, and I was like....wtf???!!!

So I looked over the rear wheel.....brake pads had clearance, gears were ok, nothing binding down there.....and then I looked at the rear stock reflector. It's mounted to the front bolts of the back brake, then it's frame travels under the rear brakes......and, of course, the tire was binding there. Took off the back reflector, and no probs at all. Although, I certainly can understand why people go with 27 x 1" tires, as that gives plenty of clearance for fenders and such. My bike is fine, now, but I don't have the clearance anymore for fenders....lol....lesson learned.

Guess I'll have to go to 27x1 if I want fenders......no prob atm, as I have the mtb to ride when it's raining(it'll probably handle the wet conditions much better anyways)

I certainly took a few mental notes tonight, that one not being the only one......lol.

nfmisso

Another advantage of the Tektro dual pivots - they have an over center cable release lever on the brake, which spreads the pads about ¾" No problems dropping out even 27 x 1 3/8 on very skinny rims.

Teon

Good to know, Nigel.....thanks! You should be a salesman for Tektro, as I am about ready to pull the trigger on buying those brakes......lol.