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What a great period photo - is that 1978 or thereabout?

I am not sure of an exact date, but from what I can remember from cruising on my bike and roller skating on that same stretch of strand, I would say it is the late 70's sometime! Now it has been taken over by all the Yuppy millionaires!
 
How difficult are these bikes to maintain? Particularly the Positron shifting system and/or the rear drum brake? Seems like Positron parts have gotten pretty expensive.
 
Sounds like maybe you don't like working on old bikes, so you would probably be better off buying a complete and functional one.
If the drum brake doesn't stop well enough for you, it's best to replace the entire cable and shoes. There shouldn't be any shifting problems unless someone bangs up the derailleur or the bike gets left in the rain to rot and the shift cable seizes or busts. If you have to replace a cable, I don't remember the adjustment being bad, but research beforehand, get the right length cable and the guide flag and make sure you put all of the factory cable clamps back on. Hope this helps.
 
Sounds like maybe you don't like working on old bikes, so you would probably be better off buying a complete and functional one.
If the drum brake doesn't stop well enough for you, it's best to replace the entire cable and shoes. There shouldn't be any shifting problems unless someone bangs up the derailleur or the bike gets left in the rain to rot and the shift cable seizes or busts. If you have to replace a cable, I don't remember the adjustment being bad, but research beforehand, get the right length cable and the guide flag and make sure you put all of the factory cable clamps back on. Hope this
How difficult are these bikes to maintain? Particularly the Positron shifting system and/or the rear drum brake? Seems like Positron parts have gotten pretty expensive.
 
The adjustment isnt bad, just backwards from the traditional cable. The piano wire cable does both up and down shifting operations rather than pulling for 1st gear and spring return to 5th gear. The issue I have had is the plastic housing end breaking from age. Housings are an exact length and cant be customized. And they are hard to find and expensive.
How difficult are these bikes to maintain? Particularly the Positron shifting system and/or the rear drum brake? Seems like Positron parts have gotten pretty expensive.
The drum brake (also refered to as a "drag brake" on tandems) was not meant to use for panic stops. On tandems, they assist in slowing the bike down on long downhills. This keeps the heat away from the tire to prevent a high speed blowout. They are retro cool but are more involved and less effective than caliper brakes.
 
I guess I did not word my question the best. What I meant was what parts are likely to fail and/or be difficult to acquire/repair? I have not had a bike with the Positron shifting system. If the shifting cable (wire) fails, is it as simple as putting a new cable in the housing or do you have to get a new cable/housing? I've heard these cables can break at the point where they go into the shifter.

I had an Apple Krate at one point, and agree the drum brake was more of a "drag brake" than very useful for quick stops. My assumption was that the drum brake should have more stopping power, but i guess that is not the case.

How is the quality of the paint and chrome on the frame and rims on these bikes? If rust on the rims and other chromed parts more serious than on earlier Schwinns?
 
I guess I did not word my question the best. What I meant was what parts are likely to fail and/or be difficult to acquire/repair? I have not had a bike with the Positron shifting system. If the shifting cable (wire) fails, is it as simple as putting a new cable in the housing or do you have to get a new cable/housing? I've heard these cables can break at the point where they go into the shifter.

I had an Apple Krate at one point, and agree the drum brake was more of a "drag brake" than very useful for quick stops. My assumption was that the drum brake should have more stopping power, but i guess that is not the case.

How is the quality of the paint and chrome on the frame and rims on these bikes? If rust on the rims and other chromed parts more serious than on earlier Schwinns?
The chrome is typically thicker and more lustrous than say an early 50s Phantom. The knurling on the rims isn't as uniform though and I think the Schwinn Tubular S-2 stamps stopped some time in 79. If you are worried about paint, I would avoid red in 77 and 78. The red ones I've had got crispy after so much exposure to the sun. The Blue 78 I have has a lot of scratches, but doesn't seem to be suffering the same scaley/flakey fate as the sun faded red 77 I had. That's not to be said that you can't find one with minty red paint. The screens like on the fork and chain guard are extremely easy to damage and wipe off if you get them wet or use any sort of cleaner, wax, or solvent on them. Decals can be sourced though. In 1981 they began to make models with both handbrakes instead of the drum if that is your preference. My black 81 is suffering from a burst cable. I haven't started on the project yet though.

PXL_20241101_220535283.jpg
Thinking about fabricating my own cable ends out of something not plastic if I can't find a good cable cheap. Positron cables, silk screenings, and crispy original tires are the usual weak points you find on these bikes. Otherwise parts can be sourced. Brake shoes and drum hubs will likely always be high priced though.
Something interesting about the Positron derailleur, if the cable fails, you aren't stuck in high gear. It has detents built into the derailleur and you can still manually select what gear you want...leaves you in a lot less of a predicament.
 
@WillWork4Parts Thanks for those insights. I think I read somewhere in this thread an opinion that the chrome and paint in this era of Schwinn was not as good as earlier times, but sounds like that is not the case. The Positron shifting system sounds interesting, but obviously it has its issues. I've always thought these bikes were cool and potentially nice riders. Hopefully I'll run across one in the area. They don't seem to show up too often.
 
The chrome is typically thicker and more lustrous than say an early 50s Phantom. The knurling on the rims isn't as uniform though and I think the Schwinn Tubular S-2 stamps stopped some time in 79. If you are worried about paint, I would avoid red in 77 and 78. The red ones I've had got crispy after so much exposure to the sun. The Blue 78 I have has a lot of scratches, but doesn't seem to be suffering the same scaley/flakey fate as the sun faded red 77 I had. That's not to be said that you can't find one with minty red paint. The screens like on the fork and chain guard are extremely easy to damage and wipe off if you get them wet or use any sort of cleaner, wax, or solvent on them. Decals can be sourced though. In 1981 they began to make models with both handbrakes instead of the drum if that is your preference. My black 81 is suffering from a burst cable. I haven't started on the project yet though.

View attachment 2131273 Thinking about fabricating my own cable ends out of something not plastic if I can't find a good cable cheap. Positron cables, silk screenings, and crispy original tires are the usual weak points you find on these bikes. Otherwise parts can be sourced. Brake shoes and drum hubs will likely always be high priced though.
Something interesting about the Positron derailleur, if the cable fails, you aren't stuck in high gear. It has detents built into the derailleur and you can still manually select what gear you want...leaves you in a lot less of a predicament.

The whole reason that cable in the picture failed is that the bend in the cable was too short. I always put as much cable forward as possible, and shortened up the end that mounted to the derailleur. The end at the shifter was a huge stress point because the cable was always being moved back and forth with the turning of the handle bars, and the end at the derailleur had minimal movement...........!
 
The whole reason that cable in the picture failed is that the bend in the cable was too short. I always put as much cable forward as possible, and shortened up the end that mounted to the derailleur. The end at the shifter was a huge stress point because the cable was always being moved back and forth with the turning of the handle bars, and the end at the derailleur had minimal movement...........!
Ah, excellent point! Totally makes sense when you have a solid cable (wire) instead of a stranded one.
 
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