kostnerave
Finally riding a big boys bike
Hi Everyone,
Here is the latest addition to my collection, a 1965 Varsity Sport in Violet. I purchased this bike at the Hurst,Tx. show put on by Scott McCaskey. The turn out was light with a couple of vendors already gone by the time we showed up at 9:00 a.m. I wasn't really looking for a bike and when I spotted this Varsity, I was excited but reluctant to purchase it. I scoped out the rest of the show for a few hours, waiting for somebody to claim it. Finally, I gave in and made it mine. It had an aluminum rack with folding baskets, aftermarket whitewalls and cloth covers over the brake hoods. When I got the bike home and started the teardown process, I realized that the paint and chrome were very nice. The frame is stamped June of '65 and the fork is stamped 6+5 while the crank is embossed '64. As nice as the paint was, the headbadge and seat post decal were badly faded. I decided to use some parts I was saving including: An n.o.s. headbadge, brake lever inserts, n.o.s. handlebar tape, a new Brooks B17 saddle, and a nice set of original Schwinn Breeze Sports Touring tires. I needed a nicer rear derailleur body and a seatpost decal to pull it together. Here is where I would like to graciously thank two of the nicest people in the hobby. First, Chris Terry (60sstuff) for providing a beautiful Sprint derailleur body, with a hanger and internals. Secondly, Gus Salmon for his patience and skill, reproducing a beautiful seat post decal. I feel these two items really bring the bike up a few notches. I've enjoyed every minute of working on this one and I hope you enjoy the pictures. Thanks, Mike (kostnerave)
Here is the latest addition to my collection, a 1965 Varsity Sport in Violet. I purchased this bike at the Hurst,Tx. show put on by Scott McCaskey. The turn out was light with a couple of vendors already gone by the time we showed up at 9:00 a.m. I wasn't really looking for a bike and when I spotted this Varsity, I was excited but reluctant to purchase it. I scoped out the rest of the show for a few hours, waiting for somebody to claim it. Finally, I gave in and made it mine. It had an aluminum rack with folding baskets, aftermarket whitewalls and cloth covers over the brake hoods. When I got the bike home and started the teardown process, I realized that the paint and chrome were very nice. The frame is stamped June of '65 and the fork is stamped 6+5 while the crank is embossed '64. As nice as the paint was, the headbadge and seat post decal were badly faded. I decided to use some parts I was saving including: An n.o.s. headbadge, brake lever inserts, n.o.s. handlebar tape, a new Brooks B17 saddle, and a nice set of original Schwinn Breeze Sports Touring tires. I needed a nicer rear derailleur body and a seatpost decal to pull it together. Here is where I would like to graciously thank two of the nicest people in the hobby. First, Chris Terry (60sstuff) for providing a beautiful Sprint derailleur body, with a hanger and internals. Secondly, Gus Salmon for his patience and skill, reproducing a beautiful seat post decal. I feel these two items really bring the bike up a few notches. I've enjoyed every minute of working on this one and I hope you enjoy the pictures. Thanks, Mike (kostnerave)
Looks like Gus got it worked out too. 
