Schwinn Varsity Party Bike

[kingfish254]

Pedals came out greaqt. Ride at the end of the rainbow was a cool reward.

 

[Jude Ephesus]

So, shout out to my friend @OddJob !!!!

He saw I was struggling with my saddle and had a better matching green Schwinn saddle in his “inventory” he was willing to part with.

He and I worked out a deal on the DM and I just got the seat today.

-Gave me a super fair deal. Thanks so much OJ!!!!

I scrubbed the thing up tonight and it really popped!!!! Much better than the olive colored seat I had.

Can’t wait to get this thing on!

It’s perfect!!!

 

[Karate Chicken Industries]

Since it's a Party Bike and on a Party Bike one tends to party and sometimes one parties a little too much, I feel that some touring style Schwinn handlebars with green glitter grips may be more appropriate. Not saying I get too partied out to ride, but riding out anywhere when partying is part of my intent I usually don't throw a leg over anything with drop bars. Party On! YMMV

 

[Dr. Tankenstein]

So, shout out to my friend @OddJob !!!!

He saw I was struggling with my saddle and had a better matching green Schwinn saddle in his “inventory” he was willing to part with.

He and I worked out a deal on the DM and I just got the seat today.

-Gave me a super fair deal. Thanks so much OJ!!!!

I scrubbed the thing up tonight and it really popped!!!! Much better than the olive colored seat I had.

Can’t wait to get this thing on!

It’s perfect!!!
View attachment 196791View attachment 196792

@OddJob, that saddle looks like a fork I have….

 

[OddJob]

@OddJob, that saddle looks like a fork I have….

Yes, yes it does.

And @biggraham has a pair of sparkly green grips that match both the fork of Dr. T and the saddle for Jude E ....if he hasn't used them on a build yet.

 

[Jude Ephesus]

Since it's a Party Bike and on a Party Bike one tends to party and sometimes one parties a little too much, I feel that some touring style Schwinn handlebars with green glitter grips may be more appropriate. Not saying I get too partied out to ride, but riding out anywhere when partying is part of my intent I usually don't throw a leg over anything with drop bars. Party On! YMMV

Ha-Ha! WELL! It’s not that kind of party! lol.

I love your spirit but am leaning on more of classic Schwinn look than classic party look!!!!

-trust me, I have some tricks up my sleeve to put this puppy into a “well dressed“ party mode!!!

I do have a set of his and hers Columbia tourist III’s that I’m thinking of pulling out all the party stops on!

 

[Bike from the Dead]

That new seat's going to look great on your bike!

 

[SoulGarageOH]

Nice work on those pedals and seat, Jude!

 

[Jude Ephesus]

That new seat's going to look great on your bike!

Thank OJ!

 

[LBCJ]

Okay, all this “party bike“ talk happening so I had to chime in about what kids in SoCal in the 80s referred to as a party bike. (None of this is to say that I don’t love yours- been looking for the right clean met. green Schwinn for years to no avail).

So you know those years where your starting to venture out in the world- parties, HS sports ball, parks, whatever, and you’re too old to ride your BMX bike, but still a year or two from getting your license- and maybe traveling a little too far for a skateboard? Our solution to fill the gap was a party bike. Basically, something that cost no money and was personalized with supplies from mom/dad/grandma/uncle Bob’s garage. These bikes were almost exclusively 60s and 70s cruisers and lightweights/townies (we called them granny bikes). And while no one I knew ever outright stole anything, all were either found, given away by neighbors, 5 bucks at the garage sale, or maybe even borrowed from the side of a relative‘s house.

From there, everything that could be stripped off - was! leftover BMX grips were usually added (strandie style), then whatever spray paint that could be smuggled out of parents’ garages was used for personalization and easy identification (Spray bombed- no disassembly) The goal, I think, in hindsight, 35 years later, was to have something that you didn’t really care about losing, yet was still cool. Or if you made it ugly enough no one else would steal it- I’m not sure. Mine was a Huffy or Murray ( cruiser, blue, 70s, def not a Schwinn) that I painted white and gold with black polka dots. I recall a lot of Eddie Van Halen attempts and a lot of florescent safety paint! For a while, it seemed like these bikes were everywhere!

So sorry to hijack, I just wanted to share that AND would love to know if anyone else ever did anything similar. I know all of this would be lost on kids today- they’d just ask why we didn’t rent a scooter on the corner or call an Uber!

 

[Sparky Sharky]

Ok..... where’s @Wildcat !???

Stumbled across this bike....

Picture mega-zoomed. Thing is for sale: but quite the drive to go get it

Anyone know what it is through all the grainy-ness?
View attachment 195476

I'm pretty sure I see Bigfoot lurking in the background just behind the seat post!

 

[Sparky Sharky]

Okay, all this “party bike“ talk happening so I had to chime in about what kids in SoCal in the 80s referred to as a party bike. (None of this is to say that I don’t love yours- been looking for the right clean met. green Schwinn for years to no avail).

So you know those years where your starting to venture out in the world- parties, HS sports ball, parks, whatever, and you’re too old to ride your BMX bike, but still a year or two from getting your license- and maybe traveling a little too far for a skateboard? Our solution to fill the gap was a party bike. Basically, something that cost no money and was personalized with supplies from mom/dad/grandma/uncle Bob’s garage. These bikes were almost exclusively 60s and 70s cruisers and lightweights/townies (we called them granny bikes). And while no one I knew ever outright stole anything, all were either found, given away by neighbors, 5 bucks at the garage sale, or maybe even borrowed from the side of a relative‘s house.

From there, everything that could be stripped off - was! leftover BMX grips were usually added (strandie style), then whatever spray paint that could be smuggled out of parents’ garages was used for personalization and easy identification (Spray bombed- no disassembly) The goal, I think, in hindsight, 35 years later, was to have something that you didn’t really care about losing, yet was still cool. Or if you made it ugly enough no one else would steal it- I’m not sure. Mine was a Huffy or Murray ( cruiser, blue, 70s, def not a Schwinn) that I painted white and gold with black polka dots. I recall a lot of Eddie Van Halen attempts and a lot of florescent safety paint! For a while, it seemed like these bikes were everywhere!

So sorry to hijack, I just wanted to share that AND would love to know if anyone else ever did anything similar. I know all of this would be lost on kids today- they’d just ask why we didn’t rent a scooter on the corner or call an Uber!

I had a license at the time, but sometimes it was just a lot better not to drive!
I had the "Bamboo Suicide Scooter" back in 78-82. It was an ex 10 speed made single speed by a friend and painted like bamboo with one side pull caliper brake in the rear. It was just all of what you described!

 

[Ulu]

I came along too early for BMX bikes or even stingrays.

So I never had to go through this. I went right from a 26 inch bike into a Ford.

With a frozen engine & a big hole in the fender, but that’s another story.

 

[Wildcat]

How did I miss the grainy pic. But I can see a older Rollfast chain wheel, that's it though.

 

[Karate Chicken Industries]

Okay, all this “party bike“ talk happening so I had to chime in about what kids in SoCal in the 80s referred to as a party bike. (None of this is to say that I don’t love yours- been looking for the right clean met. green Schwinn for years to no avail).

So you know those years where your starting to venture out in the world- parties, HS sports ball, parks, whatever, and you’re too old to ride your BMX bike, but still a year or two from getting your license- and maybe traveling a little too far for a skateboard? Our solution to fill the gap was a party bike. Basically, something that cost no money and was personalized with supplies from mom/dad/grandma/uncle Bob’s garage. These bikes were almost exclusively 60s and 70s cruisers and lightweights/townies (we called them granny bikes). And while no one I knew ever outright stole anything, all were either found, given away by neighbors, 5 bucks at the garage sale, or maybe even borrowed from the side of a relative‘s house.

From there, everything that could be stripped off - was! leftover BMX grips were usually added (strandie style), then whatever spray paint that could be smuggled out of parents’ garages was used for personalization and easy identification (Spray bombed- no disassembly) The goal, I think, in hindsight, 35 years later, was to have something that you didn’t really care about losing, yet was still cool. Or if you made it ugly enough no one else would steal it- I’m not sure. Mine was a Huffy or Murray ( cruiser, blue, 70s, def not a Schwinn) that I painted white and gold with black polka dots. I recall a lot of Eddie Van Halen attempts and a lot of florescent safety paint! For a while, it seemed like these bikes were everywhere!

So sorry to hijack, I just wanted to share that AND would love to know if anyone else ever did anything similar. I know all of this would be lost on kids today- they’d just ask why we didn’t rent a scooter on the corner or call an Uber!

I was able to bum rides to events that were five miles or more away and hoofed or skateboarded to most local partys. Occasionally I'd ride my 26" frame Kool Lemon Yellow Varsity with the bars upturned and not worry about it getting snagged because other kids couldn't get a leg over the top tube. I had a few friends with janky party bikes and I'd adjust/tune them up when asked or if I could see they were barely rollable.

 

[RustyGold]

I went from BMX to MX to car. Got in trouble for riding my motorcycle to school at 12...so parked it on the outside of the school fence, so they couldn't do anything. First car tickets at 13.

I skipped any party bike phase, or any other bike phase. It's why I feel the most comfortable on big BMX...that is as close to being 11yo on a 20" BMX.

 

[Ulu]

To me a BMX is just a stingray where somebody stole your seat.

Really I have no way to appreciate those bikes because they didn’t exist when I was young. I never rode a bike smaller than 26 inch.

 

[GeePig]

While I was at university our courses were often longer to fit in courses in a workshop, so we were still there at the university for up to 4 weeks after everyone else went home for the summer. As one of my friends had a bike it meant we had a key into the bike storage area, and then it was merely finding which bikes had locks we could pick. So we mildly restored the bikes enough to ride, rode them and then left them there for, hopefully, the owners to return to find their bikes in better condition that when they left them.

 

[MattiThundrrr]

While I was at university our courses were often longer to fit in courses in a workshop, so we were still there at the university for up to 4 weeks after everyone else went home for the summer. As one of my friends had a bike it meant we had a key into the bike storage area, and then it was merely finding which bikes had locks we could pick

Wait. They left their bikes behind over the summer break?!!
There is something that is not being taught properly at that school

 

[GeePig]

Wait. They left their bikes behind over the summer break?!!
There is something that is not being taught properly at that school

It was in a small town in the middle of England, and most of the students were engineers or athletes, if that makes any difference.