While cleaning the rims this afternoon I realized that this bike has tubular tires on it. Another first for me. I believe it says S8 on the rim but the 8 might be a 6. It's not very clear. Well I guess I'll be shopping for some 27" tubulars. :shock:
varsity
- Thread starter thom
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I called the local bike shop where I've bought tires before. They say that some Schwinn rims are stamped 27x1 1/4 tubular but actually take a tire & tube not a true tubular tire as in a sew-up tire. I brought the bike with me to work today so I will defate a tire on my lunch hour to see. Aren't tires and wheels the most confusing thing about bicycles? :? Some time back I needed 27" clincher tires for a Western Flyer and was told that pretty much all 27x1 1/4 clincher or wired on types interchange , even on a Schwinn. Anybody confirm or deny ?
The guy at the bike shop was right.It did have clincher/wired on tires. I removed both during my lunch break. The rims look good inside.It still ticks me off a little that the rims are stamped "tubular". Now I remember why I avoided Schwinn bikes in the past.I was thinking it meant sew-up, glue-on tires and had decided to trade or sell the bike.I intended to remove and keep the rack . That's why I brought it to work , to take the rack off during lunch. Now , I think I'll keep it and put some tires on it.I've been wanting a bike with dropped bars to try , so I guess this will be the one.Actually this situation brings up a question my inquiring mind wants to know. Are rims made for the glue-on "tubulars" always aluminum or are some chromed steel? First chance I get, probably later this week when I go to get my tires, I am going to look at some glued on tires and rims to see how they look different from clinchers when mounted and on a bike.Another question... Do any clincher type tires/tubes use presta valves or is that just a glue-on, sew-up thing? I'm going to be more careful about what kind of tires the bikes I buy have on them.
thom said:
breathe.....your worrying waaay too much about used bike tires! at least 99.9% of the used bikes out there use readily available clinchers (even the sizes that are schwinn specific are easy to find these days). if by some odd chance you do come across one with sewups (you're probably more likely to be struck by lightning while yard saling) there's a good chance it will have vintage hubs worth far more than the cost of a used replacement wheelset anyway
keep in mind a varsity is not the best bike to base your opinion of drop bars on! modern road bars on a properly fitting bike have vitually nothing in common with the cheap, narrow bars and funky position of a 'bike boom' ten speed. these are the handlebars that frightened an entire generation into buying mountain bikes :mrgreen: varsities do make great raw material though, as evidenced by some of the cool builds on this site 8)
Hmmmm......How about a VARSITY BUILD-OFF??
You can get Presta-valved tubes in most sizes, but why bother? Other than the roadie snob-factor, Schraeders are much easier to use, and you're much more likely to find a pump that'll fit 'em even in the worst of situations!
And in response to a previous poster, yes, these older "10-speeds" have little in common with modern roadie bikes, and are much heavier, but they have the advantage of being very sturdy, well-built, very comfortable bikes - and there's no reason they can't be "fitted" as well as anything newer. There's a reason they sold millions of these models, besides just the "bike boom" of the time!
Although...hmmm...a Varsity build-off...could be fun!
And in response to a previous poster, yes, these older "10-speeds" have little in common with modern roadie bikes, and are much heavier, but they have the advantage of being very sturdy, well-built, very comfortable bikes - and there's no reason they can't be "fitted" as well as anything newer. There's a reason they sold millions of these models, besides just the "bike boom" of the time!
Although...hmmm...a Varsity build-off...could be fun!
Thanks. The reason for my questions about valves and rims was to recognize glue-on type tubulars on any bike I might look at to buy. I figured any with presta valves would probably be tubular and tubulars would be on aluminum rims. I would probably still buy a bike with tubulars if the tires are in good shape and the price is right.
I'm sure there are "better" bikes available than the Varsity. But how many can I buy for $25.00 like I did the Varsity?
I'm sure there are "better" bikes available than the Varsity. But how many can I buy for $25.00 like I did the Varsity?
