Schwinn Varsity back from the dead (at Walmart!)



newbiebiker said:
Thanx for the info and i'll check that out:) . i was also wondering, do they make any smaller sizes of road bikes(like maybe "24 wheel size) or could i fit smaller wheels and tires onto a "26 frame? thx again for the info
Yes they do. Go online and you'll find a similar model at either Target or Wal-mart.com, I don't recall which.
 
garage sale GT said:
Yes they do. Go online and you'll find a similar model at either Target or Wal-mart.com, I don't recall which.
I hope im not bothering you but are you talking about the Schwinn Prelude bike?(sorry but im SOOOO confused by the different sizes and models:confused: ) thx once again!!!
 
newbiebiker said:
I hope im not bothering you but are you talking about the Schwinn Prelude bike?(sorry but im SOOOO confused by the different sizes and models:confused: ) thx once again!!!
http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/ref=br_1_4/602-2721548-9916664?ie=UTF8&frombrowse=1&asin=B000HS16DA
 
garage sale GT said:
http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/ref=br_1_4/602-2721548-9916664?ie=UTF8&frombrowse=1&asin=B000HS16DA
Thx Alot Man!!!! See you on the trails!!!!:D
 
garage sale GT said:
So how are you guys doing with your Varsitys and Denalis? I am sure the singlespeed conversions are holding up fine but what about the others? How's the rear wheel? Wobbling yet?
well, I have about 775 miles on the Dawes, and while I was cleaning/relubing the drive train, I noticed that If I spun the wheel, the tire rotated fine but around the hub area, it was "wobbling"... so I guess, I finally hit what you were saying before... I plan to take it to my LBS and see what they can offer me...
 
e0richt said:
well, I have about 775 miles on the Dawes, and while I was cleaning/relubing the drive train, I noticed that If I spun the wheel, the tire rotated fine but around the hub area, it was "wobbling"... so I guess, I finally hit what you were saying before... I plan to take it to my LBS and see what they can offer me...
I am not trying to be a wiseguy here, but I don't think you should sweat that. I have never had a rear hub which did not have any sprocket wobble, including a brand-new Shimano Deore. It's a minor manufacturing inaccuracy. It may have been that way out of the box. BTW, if the axle bends, the wheel may be cocked but won't wobble-not because of the bend.
 
Hey quick question for those of you more experienced riders... I've noticed lately, when i'm climbing hills out of my seat, every time my right foot comes to the bottom of rotation I hear and feel a knock. A knock is the best way I can describe it. Kinda like a pop but a deeper sound than a pop and I can feel it. Mind you it only happens when i'm climbing so (when there is more torque) on the bike. If anyone has any ideas... thanks.
 
Seamusmcseoin said:
Hey quick question for those of you more experienced riders... I've noticed lately, when i'm climbing hills out of my seat, every time my right foot comes to the bottom of rotation I hear and feel a knock. A knock is the best way I can describe it. Kinda like a pop but a deeper sound than a pop and I can feel it. Mind you it only happens when i'm climbing so (when there is more torque) on the bike. If anyone has any ideas... thanks.
I checked with a bike mechanic once and he said it could be the pedals...

Well, he didn't really look at the bike, but it does seem like that's the problem. I've gotten rid of the bike. Too many blown tires. I think I'll get one with a presta. Great bike, though.

Hope you fix that.
 
Seamusmcseoin said:
Hey quick question for those of you more experienced riders... I've noticed lately, when i'm climbing hills out of my seat, every time my right foot comes to the bottom of rotation I hear and feel a knock. A knock is the best way I can describe it. Kinda like a pop but a deeper sound than a pop and I can feel it. Mind you it only happens when i'm climbing so (when there is more torque) on the bike. If anyone has any ideas... thanks.

either BottomBracket or Pedals.

change out the pedals and test.

.
 
jcrarela said:
I checked with a bike mechanic once and he said it could be the pedals...

Well, he didn't really look at the bike, but it does seem like that's the problem. I've gotten rid of the bike. Too many blown tires. I think I'll get one with a presta. Great bike, though.

Hope you fix that.
It's just the thin, high pressure tires. You need a kevlar belt. Too bad the Bell flat blockers are not available in 700c or at least never seem to be in-store.

I find cruiser tires are so thick they won't allow most punctures to reach the tube because most things like shards of glass are either too short to reach the tube through the tread, or lay flat when you roll over them.

However, 700c-23 tires are a whole new ball game. You need a belted tire, or more precisely put, you'll still need a belted tire when you get a pricier bike if it's set up for narrow road tires.
 
Seamusmcseoin said:
Hey quick question for those of you more experienced riders... I've noticed lately, when i'm climbing hills out of my seat, every time my right foot comes to the bottom of rotation I hear and feel a knock. A knock is the best way I can describe it. Kinda like a pop but a deeper sound than a pop and I can feel it. Mind you it only happens when i'm climbing so (when there is more torque) on the bike. If anyone has any ideas... thanks.
I think its pedals, and they are easier to test out than trying to fiddle with the bottom bracket...

one sideline note about the varsity, denail etc... the tubes aren't necessarily the problem with flats... its the rim tape... I would really suggest that anyone buying one of these bikes, go get some rim tape from a bike shop (costs 3.00 per roll which will handle one wheel).
 
e0richt said:
I think its pedals, and they are easier to test out than trying to fiddle with the bottom bracket...

one sideline note about the varsity, denail etc... the tubes aren't necessarily the problem with flats... its the rim tape... I would really suggest that anyone buying one of these bikes, go get some rim tape from a bike shop (costs 3.00 per roll which will handle one wheel).
Yeah, I've put over 600 miles on my Varsity and I have never had an problem with flats.
 
Seamusmcseoin said:
Yeah, I've put over 600 miles on my Varsity and I have never had an problem with flats.
ok... but if you start getting them with no discernible object embedded into the tire... you might want to think about rim tape thats all Im saying...

I have a better bicycle that I got that is about the same price as the varsity and I really haven't had a problem with flats either until recently... I decided to take the tire off the rim and found that the rim tape had shifted and I hadn't noticed and decided to replace it with the Zefal cloth tape...
 
e0richt said:
ok... but if you start getting them with no discernible object embedded into the tire... you might want to think about rim tape thats all Im saying...

I have a better bicycle that I got that is about the same price as the varsity and I really haven't had a problem with flats either until recently... I decided to take the tire off the rim and found that the rim tape had shifted and I hadn't noticed and decided to replace it with the Zefal cloth tape...
Hey, you said you think it's the pedals...what about the pedals or what part of the pedals would actually make this happen?
 
Seamusmcseoin said:
Hey quick question for those of you more experienced riders... I've noticed lately, when i'm climbing hills out of my seat, every time my right foot comes to the bottom of rotation I hear and feel a knock. A knock is the best way I can describe it. Kinda like a pop but a deeper sound than a pop and I can feel it. Mind you it only happens when i'm climbing so (when there is more torque) on the bike. If anyone has any ideas... thanks.
I bought a Raleigh trail bike in 2001 and it's been clicking ever since, every time the pedals are in a certain spot. The seller went out of business but another LBS said the BB cartridge was probably moving around a bit inside the BB shell, and that it was no big deal. It's a very minor click though.
 
Seamusmcseoin said:
Hey, you said you think it's the pedals...what about the pedals or what part of the pedals would actually make this happen?
well, the pedals have bearings in them and if they are not well made/put together you can get a grind/click feeling in them... I actually have a pair of pedals that i bought from a lbs that has that problem. I meant to take them back but never got around to it... I have read that you can repack them I guess but I have never really looked into it...
 
tcar

i have had this bike for about 6 months and have about 1,000 miles on it. have ridden in two 50 mile charity runs and have been wanting to upgrade it somewhat with carbon fiber. saw that you did this. can you tell me the sizes, as i am not to fluent in bicycle jargon. have seen the items on ebay, but haven't ordered due to the fact that i am not sure what sizes i need. seat post, fork and stem. thanks
 
jptaguilar said:
tcar

i have had this bike for about 6 months and have about 1,000 miles on it. have ridden in two 50 mile charity runs and have been wanting to upgrade it somewhat with carbon fiber. saw that you did this. can you tell me the sizes, as i am not to fluent in bicycle jargon. have seen the items on ebay, but haven't ordered due to the fact that i am not sure what sizes i need. seat post, fork and stem. thanks
I haven't read all 18 pages of this post, but I have a quick question. I saw an original Varsity at a garage sale yesterday for $60. It looks like it has been sitting in a garage for sometime and hasn't been riden in an even longer time. With a little work, I THINK it might clean up nice. My question is, is $60 a good price for one? They still have the booklet thing that I guess came with it. I was thinking of offering $40? But I wasn't sure...what do you all think?