Red, White, and Schwinn -- Bicentennial Varsity

[soddruntlestuntle]

Was hoping to have this one all finished by the Fourth, but Life had other ideas.

Bought this about a month ago for twenty bucks:

I needed another road bike like I needed another hole in my head, but for that price how could I pass it up? Of course you can see why it was so cheap...

Yeah, that fork is seriously bent. But I inspected the frame closely, and I could not find any cracks or other signs of damage.

Side note: anyone out there with a similar vintage Varsity, could you measure the angle on your head tube? I want to see if mine is worse off than I thought.

Found a replacement fork for cheap on eBay, and then purchased a crusty '72 Continental to scavenge the quick-release wheelset, saddle, and pedals from, and voila:

Of course I had to go with the red, white, and blue Hunt & Wilde tape.

Still need to procure a chain, but otherwise it's ready to go. I had initially thought about flipping this one, but the possible frame damage has caused me to rethink my plan. Hell, what's one more bike in the garage, amirite?

 

[thedrewski86]

If there's one thing I dig, it's a cashed '70s Varsity

 

[SirMike1983]

It looks to me like the frame is bent, but if there are no cracks or ripples, could be fixable with a frame jack like the Park HTS1 or similar.

 

[soddruntlestuntle]

It looks to me like the frame is bent, but if there are no cracks or ripples, could be fixable with a frame jack like the Park HTS1 or similar.

Still does, doesn't it? Luckily I'm not into it too much. Took a magnifying glass and a bright light to it and couldn't find any visible signs of damage, have to see if anyone locally has a frame jack.

 

[thedrewski86]

The top bar seems a little concave towards the ground... that must have been a hit.

 

[Schwinn Sales West]

The top bar seems a little concave towards the ground... that must have been a hit.

It actually does not take much to bend the frame in an accident. If you look at the front wheel like a clock face, a hit at 3 o’clock is all it takes. Run into the bumper of a parked car, or a brick fence with a 3 o’clock hit and the frame, fork, or both will bend “Not” the front wheel. John

 

[Oilit]

Still does, doesn't it? Luckily I'm not into it too much. Took a magnifying glass and a bright light to it and couldn't find any visible signs of damage, have to see if anyone locally has a frame jack.

It might be worth riding it first and see how it handles. If it rides all right, good enough for twenty bucks. As long as it's stable, the rest is a matter of personal preference.

 

[SirMike1983]

If you use the HTS1 or similar, check with a straight edge that you are straightening the bend/hump behind the head tube and not putting an "S" bend into the top and down tubes. The telltale sign of a problem while straightening is if you apply pressure with the tool and start seeing a bend downward at the middle of the top tube but that tube still has an upward hump just behind the head tube joint. There are more sophisticated tools available - frame tables, etc., but they are generally limited to full-service framebuilders/shops.