This one looks like a good deal----> If the frame fits and you can do 150.00. It looks like a 50c, not sure though. Might be on the tall side for you.
Older Schwinns are always nice bikes. I think these iterations weren't godzilla heavy, as an added bonus.
If you have a little spare time, yard sales have yielded some very pleasant and cheap surprises for me as far as bikes go. Maybe take a look at the yard sales on CL and your local news papers and look for ones that have "bikes" in the listing ?
BTW, I love shopping vicariously through other ppl, keep posting :D
schwinn 10 speed bicycle

So counter with 125. That is a nice bike. I just got through looking at it. Very nice. Even at full asking price. That one you can ride in a skirt, even though it has drop bars. Not really correct, but heck, all the social graces are going to hell in a handbasket. I don't really see a lot of evidence of a bent fork on the Shogun btw. Photo's are really hard to make those kinds of determinations from.

H

I don’t see a problem with the fork. It does look like it might be too big for someone 5'6"" and again the previous owner is probably too small as they have the seat way down, so you need to be taller than them!

For informational purposes.Here is a really cool blog about my favorite commuter bikes:
OTS Of The Month | Old Ten Speed Gallery
Old japanese steel is coveted by some. Stemmies, safety levers, 27" rims . . . I think its the Golden Era :beer:
Try as I may to update, there is just nothing out there that stirs my soul like plain, average CL Japanese 70's and 80's stuff.

Some might not agree, however --lolz :lol:

Yes it dose seem that way dosnt it? I asked him how tall he was he said 5'9 :-(. It seems like every bike I want to buy I'm too short for, the last 3 ended up that way... One I was too big for... Gosh..

That Schwinn is awesome! 1989 Traveler, I think. Should be a twelve speed.

Well, you could always poke around & look for a frame builder that would alter the frame dimensions of an "as is" find. You would be surprised what a little angle grinding & welding can turn out...

Plus, if you want to make any alterations, like running things through the tubes, that'd be he time to do it....

- Andy

That Schwinn almost looks like it has sewups on. You should make sure they didn't put some on there, unless you're up for a bit of an adventure.

If you can get to Indy there are a ton of options.
Here's a few from the last two days:
NISHIKI BIKE AND SCHWINN FRAME

http://indianapolis.en.craigslist.org/bik/4430793826.html


Raleigh Arena Road Bike

http://indianapolis.en.craigslist.org/bik/4430321826.html



1982 Woman's Schwinn Varsity

http://indianapolis.en.craigslist.org/bik/4415524352.html



1980's Woman's Schwinn Traveler

http://indianapolis.en.craigslist.org/bik/4415532837.html



They seem to get updates about three times as much as Bloomington and infinitely more than Terre Haute, but I've had great luck.

I'd advise against the varsity and traveler above. They are 35 lb steel rim dogs.

this was a low end bike when new. Made to be ridden by children and thrown away once they got tired of it.

I can tell by the components, stem shifters, suicide levers, chainring guard, foam grips. probably only $150-$200 or so when new.

it probably needs tires, chain, everything lubed, wheels trued, handlebar tape.....

the rack looks janky. probably wasnt angled down like that from the factory.

he says is perfect but you can clearly see that the cable running along the downtube is loose.

offer $50 and not a penny more. you will need toput cash into this pos and it will still be a pos.

And I'll +1 this!

It really is getting kinda stale.

Old Japanese steel. It will probably be dependable as long as you maintain it. The only negative I see is that it has bolt on wheels so you will have to carry the proper wrench as a part of your flat kit. You also want to move the front end of the Pletscher rack down so it is level. Level the seat as well.

I find it very amusing that adults are so worried about an internet forum. Say what you want to IDC, I'm trying to better my knowledge of bikes, maybe you need to better yours on the outside world rather than cyber friends... Remember you're an adult why are you even worried bout me? How is it any bbetter or worse than the constant posts "I'm starting to commute help me pick a bike" or "what do you think of my cool new accessory" .

If I would have never posted pictures of that cross fit would have knever known the fork was bent, I would have gotten it and possibly realized later or got into an accident because on the twitciness. It's like my goals are different from yours, so if I'm learning about different bikes and different time eras so what? Is it disturbing you in anyway? No? Okay move along then .

Thanks guys. I never knew Japanese bikes were that populst here. This make sense though seeing as iI remember from history class they didn't have roads till after WWII. Maybe I should research Japanese models, I could imagine their bikes were very commuter friendly.

I know how hard it is to save money for a poor college student...If it's possible try saving 5 dollars everyday and put into a little piggy bank. You'll have 150 dollars in 30 days. And then you can afford a better bike. There are lot's of nice older bikes within 150-200 dollars range. For now just suffer riding the roadmaster.

Hang in there AQ! Your doing just fine. Can't believe I'm gonna say this, but (choking) I agree with the 'villebillie;). I'm enjoying the shopping trip:thumb:

I would think, actually, that the type of Japanese manufactured bikes that myself and others like are quite uncommon in Japan. "Grandmother" looking bikes are much more common for commuting and hauling stuff, just like here in Sweden.

The two reason I like Japanese road bikes from the 1970's and 1980's are (1) the quality and craftsmanship employed in the factories and (2) they were following a lot of the standards that you see today in terms of sizing and threading and whatnot, so you can often use modern replacement parts without too much trouble. Sometimes the budget level components from Japan were so good that this becomes a moot point. A lot of the better Schwinns, actually, were made in Japan and Taiwan. My thoughts on Taiwan from about 1980 onward are very much the same.

That said, my favorite riding bike is an English Carlton from 1967, with a variety of old and new parts, and I am getting a lot of happiness riding my weird Finnish city bike all over the cobblestones.

[MENTION=369069]Archery_Queen[/MENTION] Here's a link for a site that a forum member runs, it's quite impressive and should help you out a lot with self determining bike quality it should also save you a lot of wading through BS and snark, and you can always post threads if you're not sure what you've come across or need input still.

MY "TEN SPEEDS - Home Page

Don't forget Greenville Tenax Schwinns are often mistaken for being of Panasonic manufacture because they're that well made.

Frame looks bent to me. Top tube appears to have a strange angle. This bike took a header at one time.

No these bikes were made for the North American market during the "bike boom" in the 1960s and 70s, to compete against more expensive bikes made in North America and Britain. So they were part of the massive growth of Japanese exports, along with transistor radios and Ibanez guitars. That style of bike is known as a sport-tourer, for recreational riding rather than racing or utility.

I suspect the rack was added later and it doesn't fit properly because the brake gets in the way, or some other attachment problem - also the rear triangle is short so the rear wheel is in very tight and so even if the rack could be leveled there won't be much heel room with panniers.

I don't think there is a bent top tube - that may be an illusion created by the top cable. and the head tube looks okay and directly in line with the fork - it just has a steep angle a bit like a track bike, which makes steering quicker, but is not necessarily the best for carrying loads.

AQ,

Just for reference, my wife is 5'4" and she rides a 48cm or 50cm. So you might ride something slightly larger than that, maybe 52cm, give or take. This Shogun looks to be at least a 56cm.

Shogun manufactured bikes at several different price/performance levels. They had a model numbering system, that I think started at 100. So a Shogun 100 was the lowest model and that went up to 1000. Then they also made 1500 and 2000 models that were touring bikes. I have a Shogun 1000 that I paid about $200 for.

I agree with some of the previous responses that this is a decent bike but also a money pit. None of the cables appear to be installed correctly which says to me that this bike is not even safe to ride in its current condition. Sure the owner may have put several miles on it without problem but by the time you replace the cables, cable housing, chain, bar wrap and maybe even the tires, you could be into this thing an extra $50 to $70 on top of the asking price.

Just for the record, I'm a japanese-bike-o-phile. One of my favorite rides is an 83 Miyata 1200.

Regardless, it's a formula that just works. :)
I have a basement full of them, and after I get another one up and rolling, my reaction is always "Wow, what a nice bike". :love:
I have had similar pleasant experiences with older Peugeots and Motobecanes, but sometimes the Pugs were patience testing with the sizes and gear clusters, etc.
Right now I have a high end Fuji touring bike from '86, a Centurion from '85 and a '77 Ross(USA- w00 Hoo) touring bike and always trading and looking for more "keepers". We have three shops within a short distance of each other here in Louisville that keep these olde classics rolling, so I think thats a testament to the design and manufacture of these bikes. Ive ridden newer bikes, and to me, an aluminum frame with index shifting is a step backward. Not something I could own. But, to each their own though:)


@ RalieghSport : Thank you for posting "My Ten Speeds" link. Very cool !! :thumb:
And, keep posting away Archery Queen, I enjoy just looking at the pictures :beer:

Thanks :) I'm very greatful for everyone's knowledge. Finding a decent road bike is hard. At least in my budget, but Ireally want to join the bike club on campus :-/ iI might go back to the bike project placeand see if they have a cheap road bike . I know now what to look for thanks to everyone's knowledge ;-). I've learned so much from everyone. So thank you guys :-D