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'74 LeTour

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I tried about every conceivable derivation of 'pedal restoration'...including Schwinn. Not finding anything in 'Search'. I'm sure it's come up before, but I can't find it.

There are a few on eBay if I wanted to experiment. How did the term 'rat trap' come into being?

Kevin
 
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other search terms to essay -

"pedal rebuild"

"pedal restore"

"pedal restoration"

"pedal repack"

"pedal servicing"

"pedal refurb"

"pedal resurrection"

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OK, so I did find this;

I have something similar in tabs on the bike side of the pedal cage. That should make the pedal come apart. What I'll find inside, who knows. The guy in the video didn't think there were any bearings in his pedals, just pressed in metal discs.

I'll post some pics when I get to this. Might be towards summer.

Kevin
 
No bearings huh? Well then, it's not suppose to come apart so they said hey, lets not install any balls. :joycat:
 
Lol....I'm not sure on my pedals.....until I get in there.

LeTours were for people who wanted a Schwinn lightweight 10spd but couldn't go the Paramount. Hopefully, it has ball bearings. If not, I'll just upgrade the pedals.

Kevin
 
When I did my 1974 Le Tour (now my Son’s) Sheldon Brown was still alive, and was selling a Japanese replacement pedal that was rebuildable, for slim money. I’d bet they have something similar, today.

I bought new Sun rims, laced them with stainless spokes onto the original hubs, the aforementioned pedals, a really cool Truvativ crankset and bottom bracket, an aluminum seat post, a set of Gatorskins, that are still on the bike, a generic, Shimano 6 speed freewheel, and a cheap, but, better seat, and was rewarded with a bike that weighed 22 lbs, with a Greenfield kickstand. I have no desire to return it to what it was. It would be like comparing an F16 to a Saber jet. Dramatically better bike to ride and use.

I suppose a first generation Le Tour could be collectible some day. But, I’ll bet I’m dead when it happens.

Somebody will probably appreciate being able to service the pedals,

Ted
 
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thanks very much for this informative post!

getting a LeTour down to twenty-two pounds is a major accomplishment.

have never known the vendor for the LeTour series of models.

recall Giant doing the World series of models beginning in '78 and Panasonic/Matsu**ita doing the Voyageur series beginning in 1973.

was there a single vendor for all of the LeTour series of bicycles?


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That, I don’t know. That name got hung on a bunch of different bikes. But, the first series, called “Le Tour” that replaced the US built fillet brazed Schwinn Super Sport model, and a later version, called “Traveler” were Panasonic bikes.
I owned both, a 1972 Super Sport, and a 1973 Le Tour, that was probably sold as a 1974 at Christmas of 1973 (the neighbor kid got it as a gift, we still have it, he has forgotten about it, I’m sure) and the Le Tour fit me better. I sold the Super Sport. The only thing I would say was better about the SS was the factory issue Brooks B15. Everything else was steel kid stuff.
Ted
 
When I do one of my restos, I usually simply oil with the pedal in a paint mixing cup threaded side up. Let gravity do its work to get the innards lubed up. I don't see any good reason to potentially destroy the end caps on rare pedals to grease them. Its not like pedals see a lot of rpm anyway, so if their not seized or binding up why risk it.

BTW, pretty sure the pedals in question have crimped in end caps, these were mass produced inexpensive pedals used on many bikes at the time. Soldering doesn't make much sense in light of that. Those pedals in the photo are mine, can't see any traces of solder.
 
The crimped Raleigh pedals respond nicely to a mix of kerosene and ATF, flushing them with a turkey baster, in an old coffee can, blowing that out with compressed air, and a week or so of sitting vertically, with some 80W90 gear oil squirted on the upper bearing near the shaft.

That said, I do prefer rebuildable pedals.

Ted
 
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