# The Curse of the Breezebino



## soddruntlestuntle (Sep 2, 2022)

Having recovered from the SNAFU that was my previous bicycle purchasing experience as chronicled here, I sat down and decided a different plan was necessary.  So I brainstormed for a minute or two, and decided that the bike my wife needed was a ladies Collegiate-- classic Schwinn styling, but with a modern derailleur in place of that antediluvian Sturmey-Archer three-speed pain-in-the-butt.  So I perused FB Marketplace and Craigslist and of course found bupkis here in the bicycle desert in which I reside.  But I _did_ find a tempting example on my local OfferUp page-- it was listed as a 1959 Collegiate (I know Schwinn didn't produce a Collegiate that year, but sure as hell, that's what the serial number stamped into the dropout says).  





Nothing fancy, but seemingly a good, solid bike.  The only problem was that the ad was posted eleven months ago.  Nonetheless, I decided to try and contact the owner Wednesday morning to see if it was still available.  He responded immediately in the affirmative.  Great!  Could I come look at it that afternoon?  Sure.  Super!  What's your address?  Silence.

So I waited for a response.

And waited.

And waited.

I finally messaged him again about four o'clock, saying that I was still interested if it was still available.  I drove home from work a little disappointed, when he finally messaged me back with a phone number to text, oh, and he wasn't sure if he still had the Collegiate.  So when I got home I texted him, indicating that I was still very much interested if he still had the bike.  No response.

Finally, at almost 11:00 yesterday morning, he responded; said he'd been busy, but that I was welcome to come check out the bike if I was still interested, and here's the address.  So we made plans for me to meet him at the shop where the bike was located.  I arrived at the shop, in a part of town that can only be described as 'gritty'.  But he wasn't there yet.  So I cooled my heels out on the sidewalk, hoping he'd arrive before I got mugged.  Finally a tall, skinny kid on a modern cruiser rolled up.  My man.  He climbed off without making any eye contact, and proceeded to start going behind a myriad of chain link gates, ostensibly looking for something.  I assumed he was looking for the Collegiate.  After about fifteen minutes he came over to where I was standing and informed me that apparently someone had tossed the bike out.  Of course.  But he DID have another old bike that I could have for FREE if I wanted, as an apology for his wasting my time.  I figured sure, what's the worst that could happen, it certainly won't be another OH MY GOD ARE YOU FREAKING SERIOUS NOT AGAIN





Yes folks, another 24" Breeze.  I think I'm cursed.  I think I need to go back to collecting baseball cards, it's much less stressful.


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## 1motime (Sep 2, 2022)

Did you take it?


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## soddruntlestuntle (Sep 2, 2022)

1motime said:


> Did you take it?



DAMN STRAIGHT I DID.


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## Oilit (Sep 2, 2022)

Don't feel bad. Looking at old bikes is like panning for gold, you have to sift through a lot to find a nugget.


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## juvela (Sep 2, 2022)

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think it unlikely machine seen in first image a 1959 model

the Schwinn-Huret stem shift it wears did not launch until 1967


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## soddruntlestuntle (Sep 2, 2022)

juvela said:


> -----
> 
> View attachment 1689522
> 
> ...



Right-- but this serial number





comes up as a 1959 model using the serial number look up on bikehistory.com.  However, I've confirmed elsewhere that it actually has a build date of July, 1968.


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## juvela (Sep 2, 2022)

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forum member @Metacortex has written about these numbers being put into frame parts _years _before actual manufacture

fine detective work on your part!   😉 


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## Oilit (Sep 3, 2022)

soddruntlestuntle said:


> Right-- but this serial number
> 
> View attachment 1689540
> 
> comes up as a 1959 model using the serial number look up on bikehistory.com.  However, I've confirmed elsewhere that it actually has a build date of July, 1968.



In 1959 Schwinn was using a different system, first a letter for the month then the last digit of the year, then five more digits for the actual serial number. An actual 1959 bike would be marked G904276.


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## GTs58 (Sep 3, 2022)

That SN is July 1968. GDxxxxxx.

That serial number look up is useless in many cases, and it can really lead you down the wrong path. Also fyi, the serial dates are not a build date of any kind, including a frame. The date associated to the SN is the date the number was stamped on the bike's component.


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## soddruntlestuntle (Sep 3, 2022)

Oilit said:


> In 1959 Schwinn was using a different system, first a letter for the month then the last digit of the year, then five more digits for the actual serial number. An actual 1959 bike would be marked G904276.



It must be a glitch in their system, and it’s reading the ‘D’ as a ‘9’.  Or something.


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## GTs58 (Sep 3, 2022)

soddruntlestuntle said:


> It must be a glitch in their system, and it’s reading the ‘D’ as a ‘9’.  Or something.




I have no idea what is causing the issues on that site and Pat has tried to fix some of the problems, at least he says he has. After many years I finally got him to change his BS line that said your bike was "Built On", to your SN was stamped on.  So I know he's been trying to clean up that messed up site. I personally dislike the whole format set up, and never go there unless I need to find out where someone says this or that trying to prove some misinformation. For internet posted catalogs I use Tom Findley's scans that are now posted on Waterford's site when Tom knew he wasn't going to last much longer. He did pass away, and his site is now inactive. 
Here's Tom's scans if you haven't come across them yet. 





						SCHWINN CATALOG SCANS – My CMS
					






					waterfordbikes.com
				




The actual serial number list has it's flaws also. I've come across countless errors over the years and lost track of how many. I know this is one reason why Pat's serial lookup is flawed, but there have been way too many wrong on his site that were not related to any of the actual list's errors.


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## AndyA (Oct 28, 2022)

soddruntlestuntle said:


> classic Schwinn styling, but with a modern derailleur in place of that antediluvian Sturmey-Archer three-speed pain-in-the-butt.



I don't mean to get into a discussion of the relative merits of derailleurs vs. three-speeds (they're all good). But I feel compelled to defend the Sturmey-Archer three-speed. I find they provide enough range of gears for casual riding with no muss, no fuss. 50 million Brits can't be wrong.


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## soddruntlestuntle (Oct 28, 2022)

AndyA said:


> I don't mean to get into a discussion of the relative merits of derailleurs vs. three-speeds (they're all good). But I feel compelled to defend the Sturmey-Archer three-speed. I find they provide enough range of gears for casual riding with no muss, no fuss. 50 million Brits can't be wrong.



Having now ridden with a fully-functioning S-A three-speed hub on my '55 Corvette for a couple of months, I can say that my previous poo-pooing of said unit may have been unwarranted.


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