I've been searching for a sleek yet low key "utility road bike." Well this 1981 Schwinn Super Sport showed up over the weekend, was priced attractively and looked clean. The photo below is of the Super Sport after I took her home, with only removal of some ugly white reflective tape on the top tube. The cables were new as they were rust free, good paint, and the seller said he had $60 into the Continental Ultra Sport tires and tubes. WRK101 said the rack was original too.



I took a neighborhood ride on Sunday, and noted the shifters were a little stiff, I hated that saddle, and the pedals made some noise when getting under way. So today, with great weather, after adding a vintage Vetta saddle and lubing the shifters, I rode about an 8 mile round trip to the post office. The bike didn't seem to glide that well and the pedal noise was still there. Having ridden on many different bikes in the past year, both before and after overhauls, you notice these things.

I ended up pulling the wheels off and the bearing dust caps had that yellow/brown hue of being untouched since the bike was put on the road. I cleaned the hubs, regreased and added new bearings. I even rebuilt the left pedal bearings as a dust cap was missing. The bike glided much better, but the pedal creak was still there and the pedaling didn't feel smooth. Well needless to say, the first photo below documents what 32 year old bottom bracket cups look like if they haven't been touched, no grease, and the 2nd photo, not of the Super Sport wheelset, but of a mid 1980's Fuji S12-S I overhauled earlier this week, which were in better shape with more grease than the Super Sport's. I put a new used set of BB cups on the Super Sport and cleaned the freewheel in the ultrasonic cleaner.

Just took another short test ride and needless to say, all is good! Nice to know beauty is more than skin deep!

That's why the elders on Bikeforums preach to the noobs to plan on overhauling your bearings ASAP after you get your new old ride.

Very nice find!

the rd alone is worth $60.

Thanks eschlwc, I forgot to say my new friend wears nice jewelry too, Suntour Cyclone.

I have yet to have found a vintage bike yet where the bearings were OK. Even if they feel OK, they haven't been in my experience.

And it is amazing how good an old set of wheels, and a 30 year old crank can roll with fresh bearings and grease.

+1 To below, be sure to do the headset too!

Well done.

And its not just Cyclone, its Cyclone generation 1 plus the GT model. That's the version that brings the most.

^I agree Bill. In all my years overhauling bikes, none of them have had adequate grease in the BB, hubs, or headset.

Nice looking find.

I agree as well....... I don't even test ride a vintage bike when I am looking to buy. "Bench test" all moving parts before purchase then overhaul all bearings before riding it anywhere. I have been able to salvage plenty of bearings and cups with this mentality. My theory is that the bearings where probably okay when the bike was parked and the grease has since hardened. Seems to ring true so far, of course I have the thrashed bearings and cups as well.

I found this on the web; OP's bike doesn't look a day over 10!

Cool find. I'm going to send you a PM about that WTB saddle. If you hate it I'm interested in taking it off your hands. That's my favorite non-Brooks saddle

It's the only non-Brooks saddle I've tried that works for me. My daughter likes it, too. She insisted that I put it on her bike.

I did pull the bars and fork this morning and below is what I found. Good call Bill and Anixi. Cleaned in the US cleaner and took her for a test ride. Now the bike rides as it should, very smooth, swift, and compliant.

PS: Thanks for all the compliments!

^Yeah, I don't assume that any used bike I get, even from a friend who presumably knows how to work on bikes, has repacked any bearing. I always take them completely apart and rarely see any grease. I remember a friend who wanted his wheels trued on his 26" tandem. I checked the wheels for true, they were pretty close. I then checked the wheel bearings for play: of course they were wobbly enough to simulate out of true. The wheel bearings were completely dry! And this is a guy that has over 10 bikes in his collection, does his own work etc. Did the work for a "Brother-in-law" price which made his day. I asked when the wheels were last serviced, his response? "Never". 'Don't trust anyone to service bearings' is the lesson learned!

I'd have overhauled it before taking the test ride. That old white grease they used can turn into a solid.

I've bought four reel to reel tape decks cheap because they didn't work. The only problem they had was that the old white grease had turned to glue and seized them up.

Originally Posted by cobrabyte
Cool find. I'm going to send you a PM about that WTB saddle. If you hate it I'm interested in taking it off your hands. That's my favorite non-Brooks saddle

Couple of questions guys: 1) which WTB model are you speaking of? 2) do the stitched seams bother/irritate you?

Thanks. Brian

That's the normal SOP, because mostly I buy project bikes. A 40 minute extra excursion prior to overhaul in the life of 32 year old bike will not matter.

My PA10 had been stored for years and the grease had completely dried up so there was no lubrication whatsoever. I think it may have been the original factory grease. I'm glad I didn't ride it that way, even around the block.

I don't remember the model name and I don't see anything quite like it on the Nashbar site. Maybe it's an older model. It is shaped similar to yours and it does have the stitched seams. I think they would bother me if I rode naked, but I don't.

^I use the Laser V Pro on my MTB, it seems to be light, just the right amount of padding, and comfortable for more than an hour of riding.

Thanks for the lesson. Much to learn.

Even scarier, I worked at a Peugeot shop during the height of the early 1970s Bike Boom, and on rare occasions a new bike came through with no grease in one of the hubs.

There's one in Chicago CL. Too tall for me though.

https://chicago.craigslist.org/nch/bik/3978899910.html

NICE find! 4 years later it was a racing bike, with no dropout eyelets, and certainly no rack mounts.,,,,BD

Also in my saddle top three...

Here's a smaller one south of Flint, MI. Big number on price tag, but a certain Schwinn aficionado on this board says the racks are worth $100.


https://flint.craigslist.org/bid/3891978071.html

' might still be too tall for me. Flint is far away too.

I just keyword search Super Sport in CL, the asking price for these things are almost ridiculous.

I totally agree!!