Any info on this beginner I just purchased? I'm a big guy and I wanted to get back on the road again. Used to run 5 miles daily. Time availability and marriage took more of my focus. Anyway I got this bike for $50. Not sure if I need thicker tires or what. I'd upload a pic of I knew how

Welcome to BikeForums. Look at the head tube just above the lower bearing cup for the serial number and let us know what it is. Just the two letters at the beginning will do.

Welcome to Bike Forums!

Thanks for the help! Here are some pics I just took

"JK" = September 1974. You have a 1974 Continental in Opaque Blue. It appears to be a 22" frame. How tall are you? If you're a big guy, that frame may be too small.

welcome to the forum

Im actually only 5'9 but pushing 6'2 lol. by big i meant weight. im about 225lbs. im concerned about getting hurt if this bike were to fail me.

Well, I don't think you'll have to worry about the Continental frame failing; it's said that Schwinn electro-forged frames and cockroaches will survive the nuclear holocaust.

thats why there is so many of them around......my 72 varsity just needs tires, tubes, seat, handlebar tape and might as well do cables and pack all the bearings.....it was left outside.... I have a 77 huffy sea pines thats in way worse shape, half of the fork is rusted away..lol

You folks think this bike is worth investing some money into? the flywheels dont shine so much anymore and the breaks could use some adjusting...

all in all i only paid $50 bucks for this bike. However, its already growing on me since its my first roadbike. My last bike was a Dyno VFR lol.

It depends on whether you'd expect to get your investment back if/when you sell it, or just want to make improvements that would make it easier and more enjoyable for you to ride.

The frame and fork weigh around ten pounds and that won't change, but by changing to lighter and more modern components you can make the bike much more enjoyable. Typical upgrades would include swapping the heavy steel wheels for lighter aluminum alloy ones, ditching the kickstand, converting the crankset from the one piece steel "Ashtabula" crank to a lighter 3-piece alloy crankset, upgrading the derailleurs to higher quality, etc. These upgrades can be relatively inexpensive if you're a savvy shopper. You'll never get your money back if you sell it, but while it's yours it'll be a big improvement over the way it is now.

Browse around on the Classic & Vintage forum.

Thanks for all of your help. One last question. Someone told me that the 700c front tire is not the proper wheel for this bike even if it fits. what type of wheel should i be looking for to match the rear wheel?

The 1974 Continental came equipped with 27" x 1 1/4" tires. 27" tires have a 630 millimeter Bead Seat Diameter, or BSD. 700c tires have a 622 millimeter BSD, so the diameter of a 27" rim is 8 millimeters greater than the diameter of a 700c rim. It's not a huge difference, but that 4 mm shorter radius means that if you mount 700c wheels on the '74 Continental frame, the caliper arms on the brakes may not have sufficient reach for the pads to contact the braking surface of the rims properly.

The correct OE rim for the 1974 Continental is Schwinn p/n 80 225, shown on the catalog page below (illustration 3).