Used Bike Help!
 

I found a used Schwinn Traveler on craigslist and would like some feedback from biking gurus! I know next to nothing about road bikes so any advice is useful! The seller doesn't know the year but I have talked her down to $60. Here's the link with pics and what not! Thanks for your help!

Schwinn traveler ladies road bike

Also, I would mainly be using this to ride to work (~5mi) and around town. I am going tomorrow morning to test it out and see how it fits, but I would love any feedback on the model or anything else that would be useful to know for a first time purchaser. thanks again!

5 miles can be done on many bike types. Do you like the more agressive riding position? It might be worth considering swapping to upright handlebars for better visibility around town.

Full disclosure, this will be my first road bike. I am currently riding a mongoose mountain bike. So, I am unsure if i'll like the positioning or not. I am going to look at it and decide tomorrow morning. I would eventually like to use this bike to go for longer trips, just wanted to get used to a road bike sooner than later..

So this will make a beautiful and reliable commuter. I have just sold about 14 similar bikes in the last month.

Bikes like this that have sat need to be completely refurbished. I did one a day for the last three days lol. So i have done over 400 of them , it takes me about 3 to 4 hours. You have to repack the bearings in the front and rear hub, the bottom bracket, the head set and fork. I sell a bike like this ready to go for about 125 usually with new tires. If you have to take it to the bike shop, might cost you about 150 bucks. So you would have 210 in the bike it would still be worth it cause these bikes last forever.

Great!! My other question, I am not the biggest fan of red, but have been told that removing the original paint is frowned upon by most people. Is that the case you think or is that just nonsense? Also, do you think this will be an easy transition from a mountain bike? Thanks so much for your reply!!!

The old Schwinns aren't known to be the lightest bikes on the block. But they would be robust bikes for short-distance commuters.

The seat angle looks a little funky, and the handlebar tape a bit weathered. I agree, you should plan on doing a full service on the bike if you get it. The price is good :thumb:

I'm not convinced that is true, as long as one doesn't concentrate on the pavement right in front of one's tires, and not too much drop of one's bars/seat. There was a question a few days about about rearward view, and it may actually be easier to glace directly behind oneself from lower drops than from a more upright position.

My Schwinn of the same era has served my daily commuting needs for upwards of a decade.

Does the bike have aluminum rims? Unless you're really handy, and committed to a few hours of fun, steel rims would be a show stopper. I upgraded the wheels on my Schwinn myself, but it was a labor-of-love kind of thing.

A few things about upright bars: it makes you higher and more visible in traffic. There are loads of variation in upright-ness. From well above the seat to about even. To help transition to the lower bars, it is nice to start a little higher and work your way down. You don't have to go loop frame high, but even an inch above the seat gives you good visibility and let's you get "low" as needed.

As for the paint:
Some people are grabbing bikes because they want collectors items. I do not think you need to keep this one as an original show piece. Paint and upgrade away.

The main problem with changing colors is that it is seldom done right. Strip-eze and Krylon is not right. The biggest obstacle in painting a bike is that few bikes are worth the cost of the labor involved in a job that doesn't ruin the bike. Even most lower end factory paint applications will outlast all but the best of aftermarket applications.

+1. It isn't worth the cost to strip and paint.

That isn't a bad bike. as for drop/flat bars...it has stem shifters and suicide levers...this is the kind of bike boom bike that was made for riding on the top of the bars while giving people the looks of having a "racing bike." The good thing is if you like riding on the hoods or in the drops, you can easily do that!

As far as repacking and regreasing, I go against the conventional wisdom here and say if the wheels and bottom bracket spin freely with no bad noises, you are probably fine and I wouldn't worry about it for awhile. It will help you spread out expenses. The cables may also be fine for awhile. I would get some Koolstop brake pads. That should help your braking power a lot. Other than that, take a little bit of time and clean her up, if you are not mechanically inclined take her in for a tune up and you should be fine for awhile. That bike will probably last another 30-40 years if taken care of.