BIKE weather

[DrEntropy]

Any of you guys old enuff to have the Proteus book? Mebbe one of their frames?

Back inna '70's I was about to start the project when that Raleigh came along. Never did build a frame, have always thought it would have been a great project.

I still have a late '70's Puch in pieces here, too. No motivation to do the resto, tho. And the wheels are somewhere in the ether.

 

[SaxMan]

Yes, I have a bike problem. One night, Mrs. Saxman walked into the garage and looked up and asked "What are all these bikes doing here?". I looked back at her and said "Honey, they are all ours". I then had to go and explain what each bike was for. It was bike tinkering that got me into airplane tinkering, which got me into car tinkering and ending up with the Sprite.

When people know you have a bike problem, they only contribute to it. I can't tell you how many bikes followed me home. I usually fix them up and give them away to someone who needs them. One of my fix up specials was an old Mongoose BMX bike that is going to find its way under an underpriviliged child's Xmas tree in another week.

 

[sail]

Thanks for the book Doc, nothin but a bunch of hippies. Same time frame an acquaintance from art school bought the book and a full campi tool set for $1,200 or so. I thought he was nuts. Today he's a well respected frame builder starting at $2,500 and I'm nuts.

Mrs. Saxman must be a peach. you've got too much stuff.

The thing about bikes is that nearly everyone, if they're possessed, can afford almost any bike they want. This might be a bit over the top for a very cool fixie:
:https://www.ebay.com/itm/Limited-Co...080426?hash=item51d9011f6a:g:veAAAOSwYHxWO~gz

 

[3798j]

Any of you guys old enuff to have the Proteus book? Mebbe one of their frames?

Back inna '70's I was about to start the project when that Raleigh came along. Never did build a frame, have always thought it would have been a great project.

I still have a late '70's Puch in pieces here, too. No motivation to do the resto, tho. And the wheels are somewhere in the ether.

Wow...Proteus...had forgotten about them until your mention. We dressed and installed the components on a customer's frame. Turned out nice and he was over the top with it.
And Puch...we not only sold their bicycles, we were a Puch moped dealer from '77 to (I think) late '80 when they pulled the plug on the US market. Nice, nice detailed frames, too pricey versus the competition though.

 

[pdplot]

I still have my original Schwinn LeTour in the cellar-supposedly one of the best Schwinns ever. The tires are cracked but its in great shape because I don't dare ride it around here on these roads with aggressive SUV and pickup drivers. Two friends of mine were badly hurt on bikes so my riding days are over. The frame is also too large for me.

 

[sail]

Wow... we were a Puch moped dealer from '77 to (I think) late '80 when they pulled the plug on the US market. Nice, nice detailed frames, too pricey versus the competition though.

Wow again. I rode a friends Puch moped back then when my MGB was down. Frequently. Got some looks but it was fun to ride.

 

[SaxMan]

I still have my original Schwinn LeTour in the cellar-supposedly one of the best Schwinns ever. The tires are cracked but its in great shape because I don't dare ride it around here on these roads with aggressive SUV and pickup drivers. Two friends of mine were badly hurt on bikes so my riding days are over. The frame is also too large for me.

The LeTour is one of the better bikes Schwinn produced -- it was lighter than the Varsity by almost 10 pounds and had a brazed lug frame giving it a very responsive feel. Schwinn called it an "Xtra Lite", but it still tipped in around 29 to 30 pounds, depending on the year, still several pounds heavier than its contemporaries. Modern road bikes are 20 pounds or less, with some pro models down under 15 pounds. I've rehabbed several older Schwinns. They are a joy to work on as most well designed bikes usually are. The other thing is they are incredibly rugged. You practically have to run a Schwinn over with a steamroller to kill it. Even bikes that haven't been touched in 20 years don't take much to be rideable...new tires, cables and lube up everything else and you're ready for a ride.

 

[waltesefalcon]

I own a Schwinn Varsity and I can attest to how rugged they are. Mine lives outside and every year when I get ready to ride it I just lube everything up good and check the tires. I did buy some expensive aluminum wheels for it a couple years ago because the original ones were starting to rust around the spokes and 27" tires aren't as ubiquitous as they once were.

 

[PC]

Had a Schwinn stingray when I was a kid, thought it was the coolest thing. It was shiny and had lots of nifty do-dads. Just the thing for a ten year old.

Then I tried to ride a distance that was more than just around the neighborhood. I found out the hard way that heavy bling wasn't actually what you want in a bike.

For many years after that I wouldn't be caught dead on a Schwinn.

Ironically, after Schwinn had stopped making bikes altogether, operating purely as a marketing company with all production done by contract manufacturers, they ran a series of ads with the byline "Wouldn't be caught dead riding a Schwinn? What, you scared of a little death?!"

They had also started selling bikes that could hold their own against the competition in terms of performance.

So, decades after swearing off Schwinn, I bought myself a MADE IN USA "Schwinn" and have been riding it happily for years. (Never mind that they have no factory of their own in the US, or anyplace else.)

Unfortunately, with things like 26" wheels, rim brakes (and forks with studs for them) and 9-speed/triple crank driveline components rapidly disappearing from the market, I may be forced to shelve my trusty Schwinn in the not too distant future.

 

[GTP1960]

It was bike tinkering that got me into airplane tinkering, which got me into car tinkering and ending up with the Sprite.

Sax, your transition to Car tinkering sounds a lot like the original Standard Triumph story:
"The trade name became "Triumph" in 1887.
Founded by Bettmann & partner, Moritz (Maurice) Schulte, from Germany.
In 1889 the businessmen started producing their own bicycles in Coventry, England.
in 1919, the company shifted to car mfg. with the Triumph 10/20."
(this info is from Wikipedia)

I guess, Bettman & Schulte skipped the airplanes though.

 

[SaxMan]

Don't be so sure that triple cranks and 9 speeds are dead. No, they are not the current fad of 2 x 10 or 1 x 11s, but parts are still plentiful. I still have no trouble finding 8 speed componentry for my older bikes. The Trek T900 tandem that I just bought this year for myself and my daughter to ride when we're not riding in the Sprite came factory fresh with an 8 speed drivetrain.

There's still a lot of places that sell a lot of old school componentry. You just have to sniff them out.

 

[DrEntropy]

Today he's a well respected frame builder starting at $2,500 and I'm nuts.

I certainly can relate.

And Herself's bike is a Schwinn "World Voyageur." Built like a tank.

 

[SaxMan]

Picked up this bike from the brother of a friend's garage this weekend:
Schwinn Super Sport by David Cohen, on Flickr

I knew it was a Schwinn by the head badge, but had to look it up via the serial number. It's a 1971 Schwinn Super Sport in virtually original condition with a couple of period-correct accessories. It's been sitting for many, many, many years and needs to be gone through top to bottom, but overall, it's not in bad shape for a bike that is nearly 45 years old. The Super Sport was part of Schwinn's line up of fillet-brazed frames and were several pounds lighter than their Varsity and Continental models. I've ordered some reproduction decals, some NOS handlebar tape, and will order new gumwall tires with fresh tubes. Replace all the cables, lube everything up and it should be ready to ride.

On the down side, to get the Schwinn, I also had to take two Huffy children's bikes, a girls 20" bike and a boys 24". I dismantled the girls bike already. It's really in very good shape. I think Huffies get a bad rap. Yes, they have low-spec parts and are very heavy, but the engineering behind them is pretty solid. Where they fall short is that they are being assembled by a 17 year old stock boy versus a qualified mechanic at your local bike shop. Basically everything was either way under or way overtightened.

Took the 29er out on the trails today for its post-overhaul shakedown -- new wheels and tires. The lighter wheelset really wakes the bike up and the Maxxis Advent tires were far better at shedding mud than any other tires I've ever had. It was muddier than I wanted it to be, but less muddy than I expected. I got off the trails before the freeze/thaw turned them into a quagmire.

 

[Basil]

I'm really old school, when it comes to bikes.

if a bike can't be had for $200.00 bucks......it just can't be had. ($10k??!!??)
Also worth noting: I don't look good in spandex.

There are two kinds of people: Those who don't look good in Spandex and know it and those who don't look good but don't know it. :tongue-new:

 

[PC]

Kind'a like the "Wouldn't be caught dead on a Schwinn" but now I ride one thing, I'd really love to get my hands on a "Huffy" some time.

Back in the eighties when Huffy sponsored some of Americas top athletes and teams you'd see them riding bikes that were either contracted out to, or built at Huffy's tech center by, leading custom builders like Mike Melton, John Slawta and Ben Serrota.

It would be awesome to get one of those to ride. Unfortunately my little dream isn't likely to come true any time soon. Those bikes/frames are few and far between, rarely coming up for sale. Most are kept as prized pieces of somebody's collection. Some are too specialized (no pun intended). Some are too old and ridden too hard to be safely used again, having been built to race just one season. Most just aren't my size. But, maybe someday.

If you ever see a 56 cm "Huffy" come up for sale let me know.

 

[PC]

There are two kinds of people: Those who don't look good in Spandex and know it and those who don't look good but don't know it. :tongue-new:

There's a third, those who don't care.



Yeah, yeah, from the outside it looks like an odd fashion statement. After a few hours in the saddle you discover it's a critical enabling technology.

 

[3798j]

Remember well when a customer brought in his brand new (custom) Serotta frameset for us to see. Wasn't really aware of them other than knowing they were located somewhere in New York. Still believe it is/was
the prettiest, cleanest frame I've ever seen.

 

[SaxMan]

I'll keep my eyes out. I do recall that Huffy did sponsor a race team...kind of like their one shot at high-end bike building. People know I'm into bikes so they bring a lot of stuff to me, usually free of charge. I've been kind of hoping they'd do the same thing for old cars, but that hasn't happened yet. :wink-new:

 

[PC]

More than just one shot, they sponsored and built bikes for the 7-11 pro team (as in the above pic of Andy Hampsten), the US national and Olympic teams and various riders for quite a few years. They won many races, stages and medals on "Huffies."

Apparently, it was all for marketing. AFAIK they never actually sold high-end bikes to the public, except for a small run of the (Serotta built) 7-11 team bikes.

But the fact that Huffies are just department store bikes is what would make riding a pro "Huffy" fun.

 

[sail]

There's a third, those who don't care.
Yeah, yeah, from the outside it looks like an odd fashion statement. After a few hours in the saddle you discover it's a critical enabling technology.

I've always worn cycling shorts with chamois for longer rides. Big difference in comfort. I used to feel like a geek, as age progresses I've become even more invisible to women and less caring of what the men think. Being a geek really isn't so bad once you get used to it.