1962 Schwinn Traveler...maybe?

[Oilit]

A buddy has a '62 Traveler that I'm thinking of buying for $90. My concerns are...i dont need/want another bike and the scratches on the top tube would bother me. the first concern can be overlooked but the scratches cannot. would a polishing compound help remove or diminish them?

overall the bike has decent patina, very original including the schwinn white walls, and came from the family of the original owner

what is the tire size? The chain guard doesn't have the "schwinn traveler" graphic but rather the elongated line with a single star graphic, is this an aftermarket piece?

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The tires are a size proprietary to Schwinn (Chicago). Most 26' lightweight tires use a 590mm bead seat diameter, Schwinn used 597mm. Kenda makes new replacements that are the right size, but they're the only ones that I know of. You often find these bikes with the smaller tires wedged on, but they won't seat right and they're a pain to get back off. There's a sticky at the head of this section with more details.

 

[bikemonkey]

The tires are a size proprietary to Schwinn (Chicago). Most 26' lightweight tires use a 590mm bead seat diameter, Schwinn used 597mm. Kenda makes new replacements that are the right size, but they're the only ones that I know of. You often find these bikes with the smaller tires wedged on, but they won't seat right and they're a pain to get back off. There's a sticky at the head of this section with more details.

Sunlite makes the 597 gumwalls if there is ever a need for that look. They also make other Schwinn size tires.

 

[Schwinn499]

Kenda makes them in gumwall and whitewall also.

 

[GTs58]

Sunlite makes the 597 gumwalls if there is ever a need for that look. They also make other Schwinn size tires.

JFYI, Sunlite is just a major distributor of bike parts and they don't make anything. Possibly a Taiwan based company. Seems that name is on everything these days and their tires are actually made by Kenda. I purchased a pair of headset bearings and found out later they were distributed by Sunlite. Couldn't find any manufacturer stampings on the retainers so I'm guessing they were also made in China.

 

[bikemonkey]

JFYI, Sunlite is just a major distributor of bike parts and they don't make anything. Possibly a Taiwan based company. Seems that name is on everything these days and their tires are actually made by Kenda. I purchased a pair of headset bearings and found out later they were distributed by Sunlite. Couldn't find any manufacturer stampings on the retainers so I'm guessing they were also made in China.

Thanks for the info - our shop deals with QBP and Hawleys and I cannot get a Kenda or Sunlite 597 gumwall from either distributor.

 

[Eric Amlie]

Cody, I particularly like that black Racer.
I saw a photo of a Paramount done up in that paint/decal scheme that I just fell in love with.
Unfortunately, I didn't save the photo.

 

[Siestabikes]

Well, I ended up acquiring the bike for about about 2 hours of labor working on dept. store Huffys and Magnas. It cleaned up much better than expected. I spent a few hours tweaking the crank, hubs and wheels and fixing the broken fender tab near the chainstays....by sliding down the fender and drilling a new mounting hole. In the end, I sold it to a friend who will sell or trade it for musical instruments. It was a brief 48 hour affair with little regret and a better understanding of what I want in a vintage Schwinn

 

[GTs58]

Looks very presentable. So all that shimming is needed to make the fender/tire reveal look better than factory?

 

[bikemonkey]

Well, I ended up acquiring the bike for about about 2 hours of labor working on dept. store Huffys and Magnas. It cleaned up much better than expected. I spent a few hours tweaking the crank, hubs and wheels and fixing the broken fender tab near the chainstays....by sliding down the fender and drilling a new mounting hole. In the end, I sold it to a friend who will sell or trade it for musical instruments. It was a brief 48 hour affair with little regret and a better understanding of what I want in a vintage Schwinn

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I see it came loaded...

 

[SirMike1983]

That was a good buy. That Traveler 3-speed is a good bike and certainly worth $90. The earlier ones with the more ornate decals and different colors are worth a bit more, but that black bike is nice looking and will be a good rider.