# The "Shoulda Been" Schwinn Lightweight Project Shakedown Ride



## Schwinny (Apr 4, 2021)

I found this bike in 2017 with a crushed front wheel, fork, fender and handlebars. The lady I got it from at the Estate sale said the family Station Wagon backed over it in the late 1980's. By the looks of the whole bike, it had been well ridden up till that point.
I put it back together semi-correctly and rode it like that for awhile






It rode well, I got it to stop rattling pretty easy, but as a bicycle it was a little small for me, a little stodgy and was officially a 10 footer. (looks pretty good from 10ft away)
But I cant leave well enough alone... So I stripped it down, rubbed it real well and came up with a cooler version for awhile...





I really liked this version, with a gear change it was pretty fast, but I cant leave well enough alone. So I disassembled it again and rubbed it some more. This time I thought I would mix  all the Schwinn bike types I had parts for that would fit, just to see if anything cool showed up with the idea that maybe they should have made one of these.
Now there are parts on it from the 40's through the late 70's and it looks like it popped out of the early 50's
There are still several kinks to work out, and the correct length and angle kickstand has eluded me so-far but it is basically finished.
Here it is on its maiden cruise on a perfect Sunday morning.





















































Here's a list of the parts:


1964 November frame with all braze ons removed except for chain guard.
NOS Tange fork 3/4 chrome
Weinmann model 2120 rims 622-19
Michelin World Tour gumwall tires 622x35
Front high flange hub from a 73' Suburban
3 speed hub is a 67' Coaster model (TCW 3) from a 67' Breeze
Front fender is original Shark fin stainless style
Rear fender is from a 79 Collegiate (thanks coaster brake junkie)
Seat is a Brooks 66S with chrome rails and springs using a Continental clamp and AS bolt
Crank is a rebop "lightweight" 7" stroke version with Continental Atom 440 pedals
Front sprocket is a 48t rebop sweetheart and rear is 22t
driveline has been switched to 3/32"
Headbadge is a early brass version.
handlebars are Soma "City" aluminum (very close to the originals but 1/2" higher rise.
Front brake is an NOS Weinmann 999 center pull
And of course the 40's Feather chain guard.
And a big thanks to CABE members; Coaster brake Junky, ABC Services and Cathula for their help selling me parts !!


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## BOB LOBLAW (Apr 4, 2021)

It would look better with matching fenders. Love the blue.


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## Frank and Pam Skid Kings (Apr 4, 2021)

George Washington's original axe. Axe head been replaced once and the original handle twice Lol. Nice job, looks amazing.


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## juvela (Apr 4, 2021)

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Lots of good fun there; thanks for posting!   

The Sakae Ringyo - Schwinn stem appears a bit too high for safety; its markings are visible on the back side

The Atom model 440 pedals are definite heirloom items: the Establissements Maurice Maillard factory which produced them in Incheville France closed in 1991

Keep an eye out for a Weinmann brake caliper with the orangish "Schwinn Approved" label

Lots of fine work there!   

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## SirMike1983 (Apr 4, 2021)

I see the Tange fork as an improvement over the original. The Schwinn flat blade forks have quite a bit of side-to-side give. The production convenience of the time allowed them to be produced in huge quantities, and they were just adequate, at best, for the purpose of a front fork on a utility bike. When you bank in a hard turn or check for flex, you'll actually see the gap between the rim and fork sides change because of the flex. On the 10-speeds, you could pay a little more and get a regular fork on the Continental over the Varsity. The bike probably rides a lot better now with the modified seat post and the new front fork. The paint looks great.


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## Schwinny (Apr 4, 2021)

juvela said:


> -----
> 
> Lots of good fun there; thanks for posting!
> 
> ...



Yes, that stem is right on the edge of disaster.. Just below the lip and above the bearing. Exactly how it shouldn't be. Thats one of the kinks to work out. I'll be careful until I can work out a longer stem.
Thx!


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## Schwinny (Apr 4, 2021)

SirMike1983 said:


> I see the Tange fork as an improvement over the original. The Schwinn flat blade forks have quite a bit of side-to-side give. The production convenience of the time allowed them to be produced in huge quantities, and they were just adequate, at best, for the purpose of a front fork on a utility bike. When you bank in a hard turn or check for flex, you'll actually see the gap between the rim and fork sides change because of the flex. On the 10-speeds, you could pay a little more and get a regular fork on the Continental over the Varsity. The bike probably rides a lot better now with the modified seat post and the new front fork. The paint looks great.



The fork has been on it since last spring and you are exactly right. It was like a completely different bike. It rides a lot smoother. Amazing difference and it weighs less than Half of the cast iron OE.


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## juvela (Apr 4, 2021)

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if you don't mind a stem which lacks an Ignaz marque there is the Nitto Technomic; quite handsome as well...





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## Arnold Ziffel (Apr 4, 2021)

It is a great looking bicycle.   You do outstanding work!   A+ for creativity too!!! 

You should consider installing an extra-long stem.   You have to be safe!   Because your Schwinn frame is 1964,  it should be very easy to find an aftermarket 22.2mm diameter stem that you like.    That stem diameter  was  very common to most all American bike makes.
The later 1966 onward Schwinns with the stronger, thicker walled head tubes required a smaller 21.1 stem diameter that was unique mostly to Schwinn and some Japanese made bikes, mostly produced for Schwinn during the 1970's.   You probably do not have as many aftmkt stem choices for the later 1966 onward Schwinns  as you have for the 1965 and earlier Schwinns.

Creativity and customization & personalization  is  something that a large segment of CABERS seem to miss out on.
Sure, there are some dynamite bone-stock factory designs, but   I think  that  many of the custom-personalized examples exceed what the factory did so long ago.


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## Superman1984 (Apr 4, 2021)

Arnold Ziffel said:


> It is a great looking bicycle.   You do outstanding work!   A+ for creativity too!!!
> 
> You should consider installing an extra-long stem.   You have to be safe!   Because your Schwinn frame is 1964,  it should be very easy to find an aftermarket 22.2mm diameter stem that you like.    That stem diameter  was  very common to most all American bike makes.
> The later 1966 onward Schwinns with the stronger, thicker walled head tubes required a smaller 21.1 stem diameter that was unique mostly to Schwinn and some Japanese made bikes, mostly produced for Schwinn during the 1970's.   You probably do not have as many aftmkt stem choices for the later 1966 onward Schwinns  as you have for the 1965 and earlier Schwinns.
> ...



Agreed 100% on the custom side being so much fun, personal, & there's No Right or Wrong. I love my middle weight wearing balloon tires & having the freedom to do it the way I'd like without worries of "ruining" a vintage or stressing correct parts etc


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## RustyHornet (Apr 6, 2021)

Gorgeous bike! I rode on the exact same bike as your first pic there for years as a teen. Miss that bike. I believe my dad gave $.50 for it... Always loved the Racer, till I didn’t and sold mine. The older I get, the more I appreciate something that isn’t a Stingray or a Balloon tire. Good looking build!


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## CycleOc (Apr 6, 2021)

It’s been a while this superior tourist 


 is still not quite done collecting dust for 6 years needs a few finishing touches hopefully this spring/summer


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## Schwinny (Apr 10, 2021)

juvela said:


> -----
> 
> if you don't mind a stem which lacks an Ignaz marque there is the Nitto Technomic; quite handsome as well...
> 
> ...



That would be like mixing Deco and modernism.... how Goshe'..... 
But that is a fine looking stem


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## Schwinny (Oct 2, 2021)

Finished with this bike. Its as far as it will go.
From here it will go to the back of the line to do a standard maintenance and cleaning project at some time in the future. I guess this can be considered its final mock-up. Whats left to do will be that some time in the future the frame will be re-painted and all that entails. I used a different type of primer on this one and the blue is crazing, chips pop off easily also. Just not satisfactory. When I do that I will polish the wheels and replace the front "approved hub from the 70's with a 63' Sprint and the rear TCWIII with a S3C. I'm also considering a rack.
The Miller lights have been removed from their dynamo chains. The front has a battery pack inside and an on/off switch. I'm mulling around drilling a small hole in bottom side of the top tube at either end and running a power wire to the rear inside the top tube. I dont like all the wire clutter so much.
Other than that, I will be tweeking-in the seat and handlebar height here and there but I'm calling it done.
I've got no more parts to hang on it.... maybe a rack.....
The final changes were getting a bobbed rear fender to fit and look right and to get the handlebars up higher. The answer being to go to a 22mm fork head i.d. I bought it with the front end crunched and replaced it all with that of a 71' Collegiate. That gave my 64' frame a 21mm head i.d. Not an infinite amount of choices for 21mm stems. It gave way to a fantastic Chro-Mo Tange fork and then I thought I was going to replace the Tange (21mm also) fork with an original Schwinn locking fork. I got everything together to do that but found this particularly resplendent fork at the Salvage and it got the nod instead. It is a Reynolds 531 fork with Japanese tips and a chrome head. No other markings so I dont know what it came off but it is a 22mm i.d. fork and the ride is sublime. No jarring thumping down the street (Here in Tucson the streets are terrible). I pick the light weight and compliance of this fork over the coolness of a locking fork I wont use for anything but looks.
The fork allowed me to use the long stem Double-adjustable that's been waiting in the wings and now the bike rides super smooth and comfortable at 31lbs.


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## Beach Bum III (Feb 24, 2022)

Well
Done.


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## SchwinnFinn63 (Apr 9, 2022)

I would like to know what seat post you used!


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## Schwinny (Apr 9, 2022)

They show up on Ebay occasionally. You have to be sure you get the right diameter because the Schwinn size is rare in layback mainly because it is a small diameter and if you lay it back they bend easy. They do have them with the brace welded to both sides of the bend. Those don't look so good to me.
This one is very thick and heavy. I couldn't bend it at 180lbs.
I think the spring seat helps a bit also.
This bike sold last year at the Tucson Bike Swap.


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## Eric Amlie (Apr 9, 2022)

SchwinnFinn63 said:


> I would like to know what seat post you used!



I used this one on my '63 Traveler.
It's not beautiful, but it's stout enough for my 190 lbs.


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## The Spokemaster (Apr 9, 2022)

That just may be the 'best bicycle in the world' ...._how can you tell_ ? ....*it get's ridden !*


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