Two lightweight Schwinns !

[horsefarmer]

Checked out a couple lightweight Schwinns on the local Craigslist yesterday. Both Sturmey Archer 3 speeds.
A 1970 Racer...

and a 1979 Colleigate 3...

Seller promised he could load them in our car and we could make the 60 mi trip home without damage. He was right !

We don't have a bike rack.

Super nice clean bikes! The 1979 will need tires tho they are pretty bad in the sidewalls - maybe old gumwalls ?

BTW - My wife and I took them both for a test ride and I liked the Blue bike and my wife liked the red one so we bought em both.

 

[user 135]

Those are clean bikes. Check CL for a trunk rack. I see them on CL for $20-30 often.

 

[Bicycle808]

Nice score.... the tires are s5 so they only take 597mm Schwinn-specific tires.

 

[horsefarmer]

Well, 45 year old tires on the red Racer did not survive a 19 mile ride.
Rear tire blew sidewall right where steel bead area was bonded to sidewall. Time for new rubber!

 

[Yooperman]

They look good but how do they shift?

 

[RustySprockets]

Well, 45 year old tires on the red Racer did not survive a 19 mile ride.
Rear tire blew sidewall right where steel bead area was bonded to sidewall. Time for new rubber!

Just take note of what Bicycle808 said--tire size of 597mm is mandatory on these rims. The Kenda K23 is one of the only tires of that size still in production.

 

[horsefarmer]

They look good but how do they shift?

They both ride and shift great. I put a little light oil in both hubs before riding them.

 

[horsefarmer]

Update on these bikes - new gumwall Kendas on the red Racer and blackwall Kendas on the blue Collegiate.
IDK what happened, But when I pulled the Collegiate's tires off Both wheels were full of water!
Let them dry out and painted with conversion coating and paint.

 

[Yooperman]

Good choice for tires. Gumwall tires are actually popular in modern urban bikes again. I also think it now is a popular to break up color on a one color bike. They update the original tires adding a spash of speed racer. While popular in the seventees, chrome fenders aleady break the color and blackwalls update the collegiates appearance.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk