Schwinn Varsity Party Bike

[Tallbikeman]

My Schwinn Varsity at the Port of Sacramento which confusingly is in West Sacramento where I live. 26" frame. I personally would try oiling the mechanism of the odometer on your bike. Those old odometers were a completely mechanical gears and what not going on in that little box. If it starts getting loud I think oil will quiet it down. When new they just ticked when working. I've had them lock up and it was probably because as kids we never lubed them.

 

[Jude Ephesus]

View attachment 198332
My Schwinn Varsity at the Port of Sacramento which confusingly is in West Sacramento where I live. 26" frame. I personally would try oiling the mechanism of the odometer on your bike. Those old odometers were a completely mechanical gears and what not going on in that little box. If it starts getting loud I think oil will quiet it down. When new they just ticked when working. I've had them lock up and it was probably because as kids we never lubed them.

THAT BIKE IS AWESOME!!!!

I was searching the archives a few weeks ago for ideas and found that thing!!!!

that chain guard is over the top….. paint, wheels, bars, rack. that bike is off the charts cool .

a lot of super cool “creature features“ and technology built into that thing with amazing paint and lettering.

 

[Wildcat]

Check the attachment of the nub on the spoke and align it so it just touches the odometer enough to turn the counter.

 

[Jude Ephesus]

A big shout out to @OddJob who helped me out on my seat. Got me a super fair deal. Thanks!

As the green and white is great, I really did like the silver bottom on the other.

BOOM! Took like 10 minutes

Shined her right up!

 

[Jude Ephesus]

Oh…. And, a little anticlimactic, but the varsity is getting white walls!!!

And…. Before I pump this all the way up, I usually let this roll off my back, but being road tires, this is just too noticeable to me!

Any one got any secrets for installing white walls with perfect height all the way around?

To me, one side white wall is wider than the other: below is the same wheel, same sidewall

-maybe better noted above, in the top pic’. If you look close, the top white wall is thinner comparEd to the bottom side.

 

[OddJob]

Keep the wheels rolling, nobody will notice Jude!

 

[Wildcat]

Most all the whitewalls I've seen don't have a good even white stripe. If the tire is centered that's all you can do.
I've had some NOS tires that needed a lot of adjusting to get them just right. I start with just enough air to get the shape, then push and pull the tire to get it even, then add a little more air and check it again.
I've had a few tires that sat flat on a bike so they had a flat spot. I used the same method to get them straight but it took some riding and readjusting a week later to finally get them decent.

 

[OddJob]

"Every saddle has a silver lining " ~ OJ

Now let's see the silver with the green and white!

 

[SoulGarageOH]

That frame polished up great, Jude. Wow!

 

[Karate Chicken Industries]

Whitewalls, you get what you pay for. The best ISO 630 whitewalls are the Schwalbe HS-159.

 

[Jude Ephesus]

Most all the whitewalls I've seen don't have a good even white stripe. If the tire is centered that's all you can do.
I've had some NOS tires that needed a lot of adjusting to get them just right. I start with just enough air to get the shape, then push and pull the tire to get it even, then add a little more air and check it again.
I've had a few tires that sat flat on a bike so they had a flat spot. I used the same method to get them straight but it took some riding and readjusting a week later to finally get them decent.

Thanks for your input on this. that‘s sort of how it was looking and was definitely what I was doing, I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t missing out on some pro tip the lines everything up perfectly!

I’ll keep fiddling with the tire to see if I can get it closer.

 

[Tallbikeman]

THAT BIKE IS AWESOME!!!!

I was searching the archives a few weeks ago for ideas and found that thing!!!!

that chain guard is over the top….. paint, wheels, bars, rack. that bike is off the charts cool .

a lot of super cool “creature features“ and technology built into that thing with amazing paint and lettering.

I painted the bike about 15 years ago. The rims were especially difficult to do. I painted the SCHWINN VARSITY on both sides of the rim but I also painted at the spoke line the words, HAPPIEST WHEN ROLLING. The idea for the smaller words rolling around came from the general idea of Buddhist prayer wheels that spin and send a prayer whilst spinning. I'm not Buddhist but I really liked the idea of sending a thought to the universe expressing my feeling about riding bike as I rode the bike. Unfortunately the rear rim has failed and the new rims are going on silver because I haven't enough time to paint them. My Varsity is sadly sitting upside down awaiting the new rim installation. Front is done, working on the rear.

 

[MattiThundrrr]

Those rims have me spinning with happiness. Beautiful work, fantastic concept. Thanks for that, @Tallbikeman

 

[Jude Ephesus]

I painted the bike about 15 years ago. The rims were especially difficult to do. I painted the SCHWINN VARSITY on both sides of the rim but I also painted at the spoke line the words, HAPPIEST WHEN ROLLING. The idea for the smaller words rolling around came from the general idea of Buddhist prayer wheels that spin and send a prayer whilst spinning. I'm not Buddhist but I really liked the idea of sending a thought to the universe expressing my feeling about riding bike as I rode the bike. Unfortunately the rear rim has failed and the new rims are going on silver because I haven't enough time to paint them. My Varsity is sadly sitting upside down awaiting the new rim installation. Front is done, working on the rear. View attachment 198585View attachment 198588View attachment 198590View attachment 198597

Great story! Thanks for sharing in my thread! Super inspirational!

 

[Jude Ephesus]

OJ’s most excellent seat!!!!!

All shined up and ready to go!!!

 

[Jude Ephesus]

And how ‘bout dat?

 

[Captain Awesome]

And how ‘bout dat?
View attachment 198663View attachment 198664

Tasty combo

 

[BartRidesEternal]

Great project! I really enjoy the enthousiasm and the detailing.

Seat came out great too. And what are you planning to place in that saddlebag? Spare tire and tools? Lighting?

Keep up the good work!

 

[Jude Ephesus]

Great project! I really enjoy the enthousiasm and the detailing.

Seat came out great too. And what are you planning to place in that saddlebag? Spare tire and tools? Lighting?

Keep up the good work!

Thanks Bart!

i‘m not logging any serious miles on this thing at this point, so no tools or tube in the bag! The party rides max out at about 8-9 miles. There’s tons of people on the ride and a sag wagon usually isn’t too far off.

I’ll probably just use the bag for my phone, keys, as I’ll end up taking the bike to our departure spot in my truck and maybe some cash or wallet for post ride drinks!

I have a headlight, need to pickup a taillight, and have some other “surprise“ lights lined up for the end of the build.

thanks for your interest and input and stay tuned!

 

[Tallbikeman]

And how ‘bout dat?
View attachment 198663View attachment 198664

Your seat turned out awesome. I love the saddle bag. The colors match which makes it look awesome. Two awesomes make a WOW.