Schwinn Starlet - Educate me, please!

[OutlawAlice]

I got this adorable Schwinn Starlet from a great old man who had been riding it for years. It was originally owned by his neighbors wife and they gave it to him because it was easier for him to ride a ladies bike like a step-through. He had to stop riging it because of a knee replacement so it made it to me to keep it rolling. He said he thought it was a 1958 but I'll get the number off of it to make sure. It is all original as far as he knows.

Here are my questions where I need help....yes, they might be dumb, but I'm not familiar with this bike and it's way too nice for me to make a stupid mistake. :roll:

The front fender light is missing the lens and the light bulb holder has come loose. Has anyone repaired one of these? I can post more pics.

Before I take the tank off to look (the horn doesn't work either) what and where is the power source for it and the light? Batteries? (No, I haven't taken anything apart. I want to be as un-intrusive as possible)

I saw a photo on a Google image search that showed a rear saddlebag basket set installed under the luggage rack, but it was a dead link. Has anyone else done that?

Any info on a Starlet is greatly appreciated!

 

[dragnusa]

It should have a place for the batteries in the light its self for the light

 

[Terry66]

Congrats! That's a sweet bike. The horn should have a battery tray inside the tank. Many times they are rusted. Also people left batteries in them and they can corrode.

Anyone else think it is weird that a lot of the old girls bikes were blue and the boys were red? Seems it should have been the opposite....

 

[OutlawAlice]

Congrats! That's a sweet bike. The horn should have a battery tray inside the tank. Many times they are rusted. Also people left batteries in them and they can corrode.

Anyone else think it is weird that a lot of the old girls bikes were blue and the boys were red? Seems it should have been the opposite....

I have noticed the blue/red thing and always wondered the same thing! I'm going to suck it up and open the tank. I'm taking the bike to work with me tomorrow and hopefully I don't find 15 year old corroded batteries. At worst, maybe I can replace the battery tray and wiring and the horn still work. We'll see! :mrgreen:

 

[dragnusa]

Congrats! That's a sweet bike. The horn should have a battery tray inside the tank. Many times they are rusted. Also people left batteries in them and they can corrode.

Anyone else think it is weird that a lot of the old girls bikes were blue and the boys were red? Seems it should have been the opposite....

Never thought about that before, but come to think about it all the old girls cruisers I have are blue

 

[Terry66]

Congrats! That's a sweet bike. The horn should have a battery tray inside the tank. Many times they are rusted. Also people left batteries in them and they can corrode.

Anyone else think it is weird that a lot of the old girls bikes were blue and the boys were red? Seems it should have been the opposite....

I have noticed the blue/red thing and always wondered the same thing! I'm going to suck it up and open the tank. I'm taking the bike to work with me tomorrow and hopefully I don't find 15 year old corroded batteries. At worst, maybe I can replace the battery tray and wiring and the horn still work. We'll see! :mrgreen:

I am not 100% sure, but I bet you could find a repop horn unit of some sort on ebay or whatever that you could use if yours is trashed. Being honest, as clean as that bike looks, you might be in luck and just drop in a couple batteries!

 

[CRASH]

If, when you take the tank and horn apart, you do find corrosion from battery leakage, if the metal hasn't completely broken down you can clean it with a mixture of baking soda and water to get off the battery acid, then use a wire brush and/or sand paper to get down to the metal to help the contacts.

Great looking bike!

 

[B607]

The rack doesn't look like any Schwinn rack I've seen but the color seems to match. Not sure about that one. The Starlet came out way back when as a balloon tire bike. Yours is newer and a middleweight...the next step in the forced evolution we had to endure from fat tires to skinny. :wink: Gary

 

[OutlawAlice]

If, when you take the tank and horn apart, you do find corrosion from battery leakage, if the metal hasn't completely broken down you can clean it with a mixture of baking soda and water to get off the battery acid, then use a wire brush and/or sand paper to get down to the metal to help the contacts.

Great looking bike!

I'd forgotten about baking soda neutralizing acid. Let's see what I find when I crack it open, Going to try to do it this afternoon.

 

[OutlawAlice]

The rack doesn't look like any Schwinn rack I've seen but the color seems to match. Not sure about that one. The Starlet came out way back when as a balloon tire bike. Yours is newer and a middleweight...the next step in the forced evolution we had to endure from fat tires to skinny. :wink: Gary

I did a Google search and saw an equal number of wire racks and 9 hole style solid rear racks. Not sure why the difference. It might not be a 58, but I'll get the serial number and we'll see.

Middleweight? There's another thing to help me on. Maybe since it's a 24 inch you aren't going to see the same characteristics as a 26 inch cruiser??

Educate me on the years for the fat tire to skinny tire. I love the fat tire look, but I'm wondering if these aren't original tire even though they have the enamel Schwinn badge set into the tire itself?

 

[Sphinx]

Alice,
Middleweights are 1 3/4 or 1.75 wide and Balloon tires are 2.125. Most Balloon Tire Bikes were built previous to 1955 (Not All).

 

[OutlawAlice]

Alice,
Middleweights are 1 3/4 or 1.75 wide and Balloon tires are 2.125. Most Balloon Tire Bikes were built previous to 1955 (Not All).

Ah! Now I know! Thank you!

Hubby has a 1950 J.C. Higgins Colorflow he's about to get started on. He's putting white fat tires on it. Trying to convince him to let me start him a build thread. :mrgreen:

 

[OutlawAlice]

Welp. Here's what I found when I opened the tank...

I bypassed the baking soda and stuck it in the sand blaster then srayed a little rattle can over the poorly executed previous owner's JB weld repair.

I'll be pickig up batteries tomorrow to see if it actually works.

 

[OutlawAlice]

In the meantime, the serial number is F053052 and here's a pic of the badge on the tires. Aftermarket? And what I have as far as the headlight. Any recommendations for restoring the light??

 

[B607]

A 24" bike...that explains the rack. Different than 26" 9 hole style. Your bike was built in June of 1960. Your horn looks like it might work with a little work on the bracket. Horns and lights you just have to fiddle with. Half of them you see on bikes don't work anyway. Gary

 

[OutlawAlice]

A 24" bike...that explains the rack. Different than 26" 9 hole style. Your bike was built in June of 1960. Your horn looks like it might work with a little work on the bracket. Horns and lights you just have to fiddle with. Half of them you see on bikes don't work anyway. Gary

June of 1960? There must be conflicting serial number databases. I pulled one up and it had October of 52. I thought that seemed too early.

Fiddle with is all I'm gonna do. If they don't work, oh well. Most of my other bikes have dynamo setups on them, but I think I'm just going to add a few things on this like hub shiners, streamers, and maybe a cool old license plate if I can find a neat, rusty one. I have a newsboy saddlebag style rear basket that rises above the rack. I might mock that up to see how it looks. I have a thing for old accessories. :lol: :mrgreen:

 

[OutlawAlice]

My horn works!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :mrgreen:

 

[CRASH]

My horn works!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :mrgreen:

8) 8) 8)

 

[Rustinkerer]

June of 1960? There must be conflicting serial number databases. I pulled one up and it had October of 52. I thought that seemed too early.

The online databases go for the earliest use of the number. Schwinn started messing with their numbering system in 1957, and came up with a bunch of non consecutive numbers, as well as a few repeats. The fact that it's a middleweight (launched in 1954), and has the 59-62 chainguard peg this one as a 60. Tires are 80s-90s replacements. -Adam

 

[OutlawAlice]

June of 1960? There must be conflicting serial number databases. I pulled one up and it had October of 52. I thought that seemed too early.

The online databases go for the earliest use of the number. Schwinn started messing with their numbering system in 1957, and came up with a bunch of non consecutive numbers, as well as a few repeats. The fact that it's a middleweight (launched in 1954), and has the 59-62 chainguard peg this one as a 60. Tires are 80s-90s replacements. -Adam

Gotcha. I'm new to this, so information like that really helps. Since the tires are replacements,then no harm no foul in replacing them with some whitewall fat tires. The fenders are wide and high enough to accomodate them.