Because it's a piece of **** with absolutely no redeeming qualities and yet people are suggesting that spending money on fixing it is anything but a waste.

If it was super cheap and complete a suicide conversion or maybe even springing for new wheels wouldn't be a bad option. Since he has over $300 to spend he might as well build a decent conversion that will be useful and ride well for years to come.

Dutret is being a bit harsh but I have to agree with him...those things are heavy as hell, I wouldn't have bought that frame for $40.

Whoa, easy goes it, friends. If it were all about the weight, we'd all be walking.
Pretty bike, pretty heavy...pretty bike.

that is a wide ass bb shell. Is that for their freewheeling front crank? for $40, I truthfully would rather have gotten a KMC SL BMX chain, a suntour superbe cog & lockring, and most of a NOS sugino BMX ring.

Probably just a standard Ashtabula (one-piece) crank shell.

When I did the same to a Varsity, I used the Ashtabula crank but ditched the outer ring and guard. You have to get a tiny cog, but it works. It's a good starter fixed bike, because when you get a light japanese frame to swap onto, you'll say "holy s**t". I wouldn't bother buying a new BB for this thing. You'll find another frame soon.

UPDATE:

It's done!





My first impressions:
1) Fixed gears are fun, and quiet.
2) Skidding is hard.
3) Trackstands are tricky. I'm decent at them on my road bike, and I thought they would be easier on a fixed gear, but I'm just not good at pedaling backwards yet.
4) I want some better (and bigger) clips and straps.
5) The varsity is heavy (yes, yes, I know you all warned me, don't bother with the "I told you so's"), and the fork rake is huge, which feels funny. I'll probably get a new frame as soon as I start my summer job and have some money, but I'm glad I at least have another bike to ride for now.

i like that bike.

looks really good and clean

Turned out great. It has enough of that old-time scorcher feel to make those cranks look anachronistic...

great looking bike. what was the total cost if you don't mind me asking?

add him to your ignore list. one of the best things i've done in a while.

About $350 all said and done. Just about everything is new but the frame, fork, stem, and bars.

cool, I think it is kind of charming, even if the frame does suck in terms of performance.

$350? You could have purchased a college education for your children with that money! GRRR, I AM SO ANGRY!!! GRRR!!!!

(There, dutret. I just saved you the effort. Go eat a donut or something.)

I am new at these fixed gear conversions too and didn't realize building a fixed gear out of a sub-standard bike could cause so much anger. If you don't mind me asking in this thread, what makes a vintage road bike "bad" for a conversion? And more specifically would the '74 raleigh super course I was recently given make a duret have another seizure?

I think it may be cause that schwinn was originally very crap, built like a bomb-shelter (heavy) with very slack geometry (which suits some people. Meant for comfort, not speed). Its kinda like telling someone to paint on a canvas that is faded, crumbling and has holes. They can do it, and the end product may look OK, but it will never be as good as a new canvas.

That's a good analogy.

The way I saw it was this: I wanted to build a fixed gear bike for cheap, so I needed a used frame. Used frames are NOT easy to find in Kansas, so I snagged the first cheap one I could, so I'd have something to ride until I found a better one. After building it up and riding it, I realize the frame isn't the best, but I didn't expect it to be. I expected it to work, and it does. Actually the weight that everyone is complaining about doesn't really bother me. It's heavy, sure, but I'm not climbing mountains here. It's the weird geometry that I am not so much a fan of. The fork just sticks waaaay out in front.

All in all, though, I love it, and I think it looks fantastic, and that's what matters, right?

So, apeter, just build your bike, ride it, love it, and if you don't like it, change it and sell your old stuff on ebay. If you spend your money wisely, you can get a lot of it back if you decide to sell anything. Who cares what dutret has to say?

That's actually a pretty bad analogy. A gas-pipe Scwhinn is hardly a "canvas that is faded, crumbling, and has holes." On the contrary, these frames are bombproof and will likely outlast all of us--but, like a rough, thick-fibered sailing canvas, they are neither light nor particularly suited for use in the creation of a top dollar, nuanced work of visual art.

[QUOTE=nobrainer440]

All in all, though, I love it, and I think it looks fantastic, and that's what matters, right?

QUOTE]

Yes. Exactly

Good luck buddy, I did the exact same thing. Spent $50 on a green schwinn varsity and converted it. I must have scrapped 60 lbs off the thing and still coundn't carry it up my stairs. this thing was a tank, as all varsity's are. I ended up scrapping it after three weeks and buying a miyata to convert. buyer beware
here's my link~~~~~> https://velospace.org/node/1791

edit, sorry I only ready the first page, good lookin bike, replaced more than i did. hope you have fun!

You learned a lot about bikes, and you aquired the parts
so that when more "decent" frame comes along, you can
drop the Schwinn and roll away of something twenty lbs.
lighter. Sounds like you did alright. Plus, the bikes looks
good.

I recently found a baby blue Schwinn Varsity (just like yours, with the white arrow on the forks) at the Salvation Army store that I really wanted to build up for my first fixed gear bike, but after picking it up, WOW is it ever heavy. I instead chose a lighter road bike that was next to it. BUT the aesthetic appeal of the Varsity really does go a long way and in the end, if you like the look of your bike, you'll be out riding it more. Also, what did you do with the kick stand? Please leave it on...this is the one bike that truly deserves to have it's kick stand in place! Really cool, the smooth lines from the head tube to the top and down tubes looks really pretty in person.