Rare 50th Anniversary Schwinn Cruiser

[Xlobsterman]

Sure was, I ride through there regularly. Saw all the geese and thought it would make a nice pic!

I fished there quite a bit as a teen. We would ride our bikes there and catch Bluegill, Crappie, and the occasional Bass or Catfish. Wasn't there a Schwinn dealer Circle Cycle across the street back in the day?

 

[SoBayRon]

Yes, it was a Schwinn dealer, then in the early nineties it expanded and became a huge bike shop specializing in BMX and MB. It closed for good about five years ago and remains a large, empty storefront now.

 

[Thee]

Yes, it was a Schwinn dealer, then in the early nineties it expanded and became a huge bike shop specializing in BMX and MB. It closed for good about five years ago and remains a large, empty storefront now.

Bought parts there to build this frankenschwinn for my girlfriend (now wife) in 1995? It was Christmas & her birthday time, all after market parts save for the frame & 7 1/2” diamond cranks & sprocket, it was all shiny and new and she didn’t know the difference, it’s all rusty now, I told her recently I was going to rebuild it right, she told me to keep my hands off HER BIKE hahahahaha, yes dear lol

It had fenders, basket, little seat bag

 

[THE STIG]

All shined up…Not bad for $40.00

 

[Xlobsterman]

One thing to note: alot of people rag on these Taiwan built bikes for whatever reason? This was the first one of these 90's series bikes that I have completely torn down, and rebuilt. IMO, these are not bad quality bikes, and I would not hesitate to use one as a daily rider. They may not have the nostalga of the Chicago built bikes, but they are of decent quality except for stuff like the chrome! The crank and the chrome kickstand were pretty rusty, and did not clean up well. I have the kickstand soaking in evaporust, and I will see how that turns out this morning?

 

[AndyA]

The kickstand is pretty rusty, and may not be salvageable?

Nice find! In Saco, eh? My son-in-law is from Biddeford. Kickstand is easy. Go over it with some emery cloth or wet-n-dry sandpaper then brush on some Testors 1180 Flat Steel Enamel (the itty-bitty modeling paint jar). You don't have to get down to bare metal, just so the remaining rust is kinda smooth. It'll look good as new. Have fun.

 

[AndyA]

The crank and the chrome kickstand were pretty rusty, and did not clean up well. I have the kickstand soaking in evaporust, and I will see how that turns out this morning?

Postscript to my last post: Oops, I didn't see your most recent post. The Testors Flat Steel will work, even if there is some chrome left. You just have to rough up the chrome with your abrasive of choice.

 

[Xlobsterman]

Postscript to my last post: Oops, I didn't see your most recent post. The Testors Flat Steel will work, even if there is some chrome left. You just have to rough up the chrome with your abrasive of choice.

The evaporust is doing a good job on the kickstand. I just flipped it over to do the other half of it. I don't like to paint anything I restore. I am a big fan of leaving it all original even if the condition is not 100%. But thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Xlobsterman]

Nice find! In Saco, eh? My son-in-law is from Biddeford. Kickstand is easy. Go over it with some emery cloth or wet-n-dry sandpaper then brush on some Testors 1180 Flat Steel Enamel (the itty-bitty modeling paint jar). You don't have to get down to bare metal, just so the remaining rust is kinda smooth. It'll look good as new. Have fun.

The bike came from a shop in Biddeford that is now out of business.

 

[Nashman]

Sure was, I ride through there regularly. Saw all the geese and thought it would make a nice pic!

Canadian Geese no less. Their poo is annoying clumping in the tires. Sorry about that Chief.