No you can't have her...
 

We were returning home through the downtown area of our little town and my wife said "there are two bikes at the thrift store" which we had just drove past. As I went around the block to go back and check them our she said" One of them is a Schwinn" Sure enough they both were. They were in the front window in a store with the lights out as they had just closed. The woman has a good eye! I got out to look and one was a ladies bike maybe a Suburban with chrome fenders and a 5 speed, no front derailleur. The other was a men's with a 3 speed hub. It was harder to see and I couldn't see the head badge but it said Schwinn on it. They both looked to be in really nice condition as far as I could tell in the low light. This store has always been very reasonable as far as prices go but I have never seen anything there bike wise that was interesting. I think I'll go check them out tomorrow even though I have no idea what to offer or what to do with them if I get them.

Cruisin' for Schwinns in downtown Bowie ...

there's a song in there somewhere. Blaze Foley coulda hammered it out...

or tom waits ....or nick cave, maybe :D

man, the thrift stores around here all get pretty hard core about their pricing. there's no negotiating and no making offers. and, often times they're over priced somehow thinking they're "boutique" second hand or something. it's a thrift store, for pete's sake. people shop their because they don't have big bucks to spend. well, maybe some do, but most don't and it's not what thrift is about. anyway.....ehem.... sometimes i'm genuinely surprised (like with your bowie shop) and have found a gem here and there. case in point, a schwinn mesa runner for my wife at a goodwill two towns north from us. the original tag said $20...and i was more than willing to pay that. BUT!!...haha!...it was half off stuff that day! whoo hoo!

i hope can snag yer window prize for a reasonable amount and they're not doing the "vintage/boutique" pricing thing on ya. good luck!

Willie, Kris, Waylon and Johnnie coulda "gotten 'er done".....

Bill

I don't know if this is how other stores operate, but at the Goodwill stores in our area, the employees who are pricing things work on a quota system. They have to put a certain amount of value out on the sales floor every shift. So if an item comes in that looks like it could be worth something, they check online for a similar item and price it accordingly to pad their numbers. I only learned about the system after buying a piece of furniture for $5. They sent a guy from the back to help carry it out and when he saw the price tag, he went crazy. He set it down and went to call his manager while claiming it was a mistake and should have been priced at $100. My wife helped me carry it out, but I was worried the guy was going to call the police or something. She went back the next day and talked to the store manager to make sure everything was okay and that's when we learned about the price policy. It explains some of their crazy prices on stuff. Sometimes they even attach the printed page from their online "appraisal" to justify their price.

They were reasonable.A few quick pics.https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ce42cb6c1e.jpghttps://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b40f9329b4.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...11f958e7dc.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...5111ecdefc.jpg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...93f520ae18.jpg

Wow, a 23" Racer with a legendary dealer's (in place of the original Schwinn) headbadge. And a gear guard!!! One of our local places used to do the badge thing back in the stone age before shop stickers. The large frame sizes are hard to find. Our local co-op had a couple (Racer and Speedster, the latter model popularized by Dr. Sturgis on Young Sheldon) but we already had too many 3-speeds, if such a thing is possible.

You need to post about the Racer over here: https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...-3-speeds.html While an American bike, many of them are posted by loving owners and they'd love to see this one.

Thanks I will. I didn't have but a few minutes before I had to leave for work (I work evenings). I'll share it there when I get home.

Haack's was located "way out" on E. Washington Ave. At the time, it would've been pretty close to the edge of town. It was still a Schwinn shop until about 12 years ago. Then Williamson Bicycle Works (which had already been off Williamson St. for many years) opened a new location there. Williamson's owner Del has since retired, so now the store sits empty.

I'm guessing that bike made its way to Texas not long after its purchase here. Otherwise, between the compound ravages of midwest winters and student population treatment of "campus bikes", it would most likely not look that good. The grips, the "S" saddle, the pedal blocks, wow, it's something of a time capsule.

The thrift store lady said both bikes were donated by a couple who bought them new. I have no reason not to believe her.

How long had they lived in Texas?

Two very well cared for machines. You did well.

:thumb:

She wouldn't tell me who they were but I got the impression they were long time residents.

Oh man that head badge on The Racer! Love it, love it, love it!!! :thumb::thumb:

"I was a highwayman
Along the coach roads I did ride..." on a Schwinn Racer.

Neat finds.

When I got home I checked the Racer over a little more. It is indeed a 23" How did you know that from the picture? The tires hold air the brakes work and the 3 speed shifts at least on my stand. The seat post is free but I haven't tried the stem. According to the hub date & the s/n its a '61 model. It sold new for $56.95 but the 23" frame was $2 extra. I haven't rode a 3 speed bike since I was a kid and used one for my paper route in Hawaii from 64-67.

Found a nice pic of several Haack's head badges on the CABE - https://thecabe.com/forum/threads/ha...ection.156679/

Aaaannnddd, look what popped up this morning on the local CL:

https://madison.craigslist.org/bik/d...985905723.html

1966 Schwinn Racer Mens - $160 (Madison)

https://images.craigslist.org/00d0d_...67_600x450.jpg
Zoom in on the head badge - it's the goofy one on the left in the CABE pic.

That one has a lot better paint & decals than mine. I wonder if it's original. It's a shame it got the single speed treatment or were they available that way? I rode mine a little today. Everything worked great. Only problem was the front fender rattles where the brace is riveted on.

You can peen that rivet to shut it up. Take the fender off the bike and back up that rivet with an immovable object, then whack it.

Frame size was an educated guess. Most bikes of the era were 21" or 23" or 25" and yours is not tall enough (not enough head tube length, at a glance) to be a 25" ergo...

Here's a 21" for comparison:

https://lynchburg.craigslist.org/bik...984577892.html

UPDATED ! Vintage Schwinn Racer 3 speed - $50 (Goode)



bicycle frame material: steel
bicycle type: road
frame size: mens
make / manufacturer: Schwinn
model name / number: Racer
wheel size: 26 in

Vintage Schwinn Racer - 3 speed. "Barn Fresh". $50 B/O

Cleaning out an old barn, found this in the back. Seems to be all there.

Everything turns freely: Rims, tires, peddles, steering. No noises.

"Schwinn" branded tires. No dry rot, good tread. Look original.

Good for parts or restoration.

Text or call preferred 4 three 4 six 6 0 8 one 1 1.

Nice finds OP I especially like that peaked front fender on the red racer. If I lived somewhere flatter I would have a 3 speed in the stable......

The Racer could be had, both in '61 and '66, as a three-speed, single-speed coaster brake, or a two-speed (presumably a kick-back). https://bikehistory.org/bikes/racer/

I see that now. I don't know why I wasn't associating coaster brake with single speed. The catalog shows it was "radiant red" I wouldn't call mine very radiant. I wonder if there is a color chart anywhere for them, I would like to see what it looked like new. I am going to have to think about what I am going to do with it. I'm starting to get attached to it and it sure felt good what little I rode it today, even though its probably a little big for my 5'8". I doubt a repaint would add much if any value to it but I sure do like shiny bikes......

I think that paint's just chalked. Common with red; at its end of the spectrum, it absorbs more UV light and tends to fade more than other colors, esp in places like Texas. I bet it would buff down to a much brighter red.