Do pre-walmart Schwinns get any respect?

[strantor]

I was given a Schwinn Mirada Sport from 1992, before Schwinn was whored out to Walmart. I was thinking this thing might make an OK touring bike; made of steel, seems pretty solid and has threaded eyelets for panniers and mud guards. So if I tried to rub shoulders with any hardcore touring bicyclists with this old Schwinn, would they laugh at me? How lame is this bike in the eyes of biking world?

 

[Volnix]

You really care? If you dont fit then you can:
1. Buy another bike
2. Not go riding with them /img/vbsmilies/smilies/biggrin.gif

What kind of steel is it? Is it the branded stuff like Reynolds and Columbus? You got a picture?

 

[jpr95]

Conforming to the opinion of snobs only makes you a lesser person.

I have a 1987-ish Schwinn World Sport. I rode it when I got back into cycling in 2010, now it's my trainer bike. I'm going to either make it road-ready again as a foul weather bike for myself, or I might set it up for my wife to ride if she wants to start riding a little with me once she's off some meds related to a very unexpected health problem last year.

There's nothing wrong with riding older/classic/antique bikes. Update it or don't. What you ride is your business, as long as it fits YOU and contributes to YOUR enjoyment of cycling. You'd be surprised, though--there are plenty of folks out there who appreciate older bikes. Just last fall, I went to the Indiana University fall bike auction. I was hoping to pick up some cheap bikes/parts. I had my eye on an old Schwinn Paramount--I thought I could maybe get it for $25 or even $50 at worst. Wrong. It went for I think $150, with no wheels and pretty beat up mechanicals.

 

[strantor]

Originally Posted by Volnix .

You really care? If you dont fit then you can:
1. Buy another bike
2. Not go riding with them /img/vbsmilies/smilies/biggrin.gif

If forced to choose, it would be option 2.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Volnix .

What kind of steel is it? Is it the branded stuff like Reynolds and Columbus? You got a picture?

I don't know. When the sun comes up I'll try to see if it says anywhere.


needs a new front tire and that's about it for now.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jpr95 .

Conforming to the opinion of snobs only makes you a lesser person.

I have a 1987-ish Schwinn World Sport. I rode it when I got back into cycling in 2010, now it's my trainer bike. I'm going to either make it road-ready again as a foul weather bike for myself, or I might set it up for my wife to ride if she wants to start riding a little with me once she's off some meds related to a very unexpected health problem last year.

There's nothing wrong with riding older/classic/antique bikes. Update it or don't. What you ride is your business, as long as it fits YOU and contributes to YOUR enjoyment of cycling. You'd be surprised, though--there are plenty of folks out there who appreciate older bikes. Just last fall, I went to the Indiana University fall bike auction. I was hoping to pick up some cheap bikes/parts. I had my eye on an old Schwinn Paramount--I thought I could maybe get it for $25 or even $50 at worst. Wrong. It went for I think $150, with no wheels and pretty beat up mechanicals.

Thanks for the words. I have no intention of paying hundreds or thousands of dollars for bike, if that's what you meant by conforming. At least not until I am riding sufficient miles often enough that I think such a bike would be of any benefit beyond impressing other people. I'm going to view this the same way I view wine. I like cheap wine. I actually like the wine, not just the price (but I do like the price too). But anybody who knows anything about wine, knows that I taste for swill, and they don't hesitate to judge. So do I drink expensive wine to impress them? No I just don't drink wine with anybody who knows anything about wine.

That being said, if attending a party somewhere and expected to bring wine, it would be good to know whether or not the wine that you intend to bring will be spat out. That's all I wanted to know - would the cycling community in general spit this bike out?

 

[Volnix]

I'm going to view this the same way I view wine. I like cheap wine. I actually like the wine, not just the price (but I do like the price too). But anybody who knows anything about wine, knows that I taste for swill, and they don't hesitate to judge. So do I drink expensive wine to impress them? No I just don't drink wine with anybody who knows anything about wine.

Lololol lately over here there was a huge scandal about adulterating beef meat products with horse meat. I was reading a website that was stating all the brands that have been found to contain horse meat. So there was one saying "Armenian style kebab". I imagine a guy munching "hey ho silver", thinking about the weird taste and deciding that its probably because its "Armenian style" lololol./img/vbsmilies/smilies/biggrin.gif

The same applies for bikes, like having a set of very expensive race tyres for commuting and fading them after 200km... In that aspect these tyres are not good, but its probably the wrong tyres for that use anyway. Havent seen any "fraudulent" bikes that much... Seen some very "fashionable" and expensive fixies but I guess that the point is design and aesthetics in those... and I have seen quite alot of, ehmm, "chubby" people with jerseys in hydraulic disk brake mountain bikes... A lot of them... /img/vbsmilies/smilies/biggrin.gif

Thats a nice bike btw... /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif

 

[strantor]

Frame says CR-MO, so I assume that means 4130.

 

[alfeng]

Originally Posted by strantor .

I was given a Schwinn Mirada Sport from 1992, before Schwinn was whored out to Walmart. I was thinking this thing might make an OK touring bike; made of steel, seems pretty solid and has threaded eyelets for panniers and mud guards. So if I tried to rub shoulders with any hardcore touring bicyclists with this old Schwinn, would they laugh at me? How lame is this bike in the eyes of biking world?

FWIW. I think that you are good-to-go with the frame ...

BTW. If you want to use the bike for touring of any distance, then my suggestion is that you consider updating the rear wheel with a hub that uses Cassettes (I may be incorrectly presuming that the rear wheel may have a Freewheel ... the rim can be relaced onto a Freehub ...) + new shifters (Shimano Deore, or better) & appropriate derailleurs & chain.

 

[strantor]

Originally Posted by alfeng .


FWIW. I think that you are good-to-go with the frame ...

BTW. If you want to use the bike for touring of any distance, then my suggestion is that you consider updating the rear wheel with a hub that uses Cassettes (I may be incorrectly presuming that the rear wheel may have a Freewheel ... the rim can be relaced onto a Freehub ...) + new shifters (Shimano Deore, or better) & appropriate derailleurs & chain.

It has a Hyperglide cassette rear luckily. I am thinking about getting a lower geared cassette since I am usually towing the trailer with 80lbs of gear, food, and kids inside. I've been told that I may need new derailleurs for the larger cassette, so I may perform all the upgrades you suggest at the same time. I also want to paint the bike a different color so that would be a good time to paint it too.

 

[Volnix]

Originally Posted by strantor .

It has a Hyperglide cassette rear luckily. I am thinking about getting a lower geared cassette since I am usually towing the trailer with 80lbs of gear, food, and kids inside. I've been told that I may need new derailleurs for the larger cassette, so I may perform all the upgrades you suggest at the same time. I also want to paint the bike a different color so that would be a good time to paint it too.

The paint job looks like its in pretty good condition. The first signs of fatigue related damage appear on the paint. Hairline cracks etc. If you really want to paint it, with wet paint and no heat treatment (like that electrostatic paint stuff) that might "reset" the steel into other strength properties then you might want to check the whole thing very well for cracks. How you are going to scrape the old paint is a bit of a probem too. If you sand blast it then you might scrape some steel out too and cro-mo tubing because of its strenght of material are usually very thin walled. You can chemically scrape the old pain but I guess that would include corrosive very very nasty materials.

I think the bike is fine as it is. A new set of hubs cassette wheels etc and its fine. A new cro-mo bike costs at least 700euro (for example the Surly Cross Check, on 4130 Cro-mo)... Some go up to 2000euro, like one "Thorn" tourer I saw which is Columbus or Reynolds or something 8xxx something something...

If you hate the color then can maybe just use some tube protectors?

 

[Karbac]

Strantor, Your frame should be fine for touring. I've toured on a similar frame ('93 Giant ATX 760) with good results.

 

[JohnyRain]

Just joined the forum and wanted to weigh in on this "old" thread. My first "adult" bike was a 1982 Schwinn Super Sport. It was a great bike; wish I still had it. It weighed about 26 pounds with racks, water bottle, etc. It rode like a dream. The steel frame was very 'forgiving" of rough road conditions. I put thousands of miles on it and it never let me down. I let it sit around and hardly rode it during the late 90s for a few years and decided to sell it. If I had it now I know it would be ridden. Hope someone is putting it to good use these days!

What did you decide to do with your Schwinn?