benjsy

Some absolutely gorgeous steeds on this thead, really inspiring builds. Here’s my Olmo I haven’t long had it so have borrowed the wheels off my commuter bike to get it running, new campag hoops should arrive next week. Also as a bonus here is my Gitane winter commuter, pedals have changed since this photo to clipless, it’s still on downtube shifters though so doesn’t strictly belong here..

ski4bob

Yes, my bad on the year, but yes, of the aluminums they made before bankruptcy, this was the one I always liked because of the colorway, and the seat collar. Yes, it's a Hylix, I hesitated for a long while before buying the fork. I talked to the seller via email, he said that he's sold over 500 of these with no returns and it meets the euro standards. Now of course any guy selling these might say that, but there aren't many bad things that are said about the Hylix products. Of course any fork may have an issue with a curb or wall strike but, I've already hit a couple of pot holes and every thing felt solid. I will keep an eye on it, although I'm not riding this bike on anything but smooth pavement.

ski4bob

I am with you on the nostalgia for Schwinn, I had seen one of these in the showroom back then but couldn't pull the trigger on it. Always loved the paint job, the internally routed rear brake housing and the lack of the silly quill seat post. The only other one that really caught my eye was the original aluminum Ontare, again because of awesome paint job. From what I know on the 354 it's the same made in America aluminum tubes as the other higher models, but assembled in, here's where it's murky, Asia? somewhere? For some reason, in my opinion, they made the nicer frame for the "entry" bike.

ski4bob

Both are very nice rides! The Olmo is very nicely done, looks like it should have come that way from the factory.

ski4bob

Thanks!

88Tempo

Mines dates back to when I was a youngster and got a chrome Mag Scrambler for Christmas. I put a lot of miles on that bike and then later a yellow LeTour. I didn't ride a bike at all from 86-2010ish.

I saw an Ontare in the Denver Craigslist a while back and had no idea what it was and it got snatched up pretty quick.

Rocket-Sauce 

I think almost any bike here is better done than the GCN bike. I quite enjoyed the GCN videos, but also had in th eback of my mind that we do it better.

Agree on how the diverse nature of retro-mod bikes are is why this is my favorite thread on the forums. All those bikes are just plain cool!

texaspandj

KLOSHE

My '85 fuso with an updated ultegra 2x11 drivetrain. What a joy to ride.

GailT

Nice looking Fuso! Is it a repaint? I'm watching my local CL hoping to find one at a reasonable price.

Wilmingtech

Love This Bike!

Im in process of restoring a 1987 Super Sport as well. It originally came with the "Miami Vice" Lavender (?) And white.

I'm sanding the whole thing down to repaint. After seeing your bike, Im not sure I want to keep the original color.

A couple questions for you -

1. What fork is that and where did you get it from?

2. What headset did you use?

3. What paint did you use Or is that original paint/decals (It doesnt look like the original paint)?

4. Where did you get the decals?

Thanks in advance. Fantastic looking buke.

-Sean

seypat

As usual, I check in and see nothing but beautiful bikes! Great jobs, everyone.

zjrog

@ski4bob love that color! My daughter just picked up a 98 Schwinn Passage in a very similar blue. Your bike looks awesome...

non-fixie 

HarborBandS

Thank you! I really like riding it, though I have changed out the handlebar and seat since these photos were taken.

The fork is a Nashbar carbon fork with a 1-inch threadless aluminum steerer. I am uncertain if they are still available with the bankruptcy of Nashbar/Peformance Bike, but it was only like $70.

The headset is an Origin 8 Pro threadless 1" headset. It was not JIS, but the 30.2 mm cups pressed in to the 30.0 mm head tube without issue.

The finish is powdercoat (RAL 3003 Ruby Red, I believe). A place in Chicago media-blasted and powder-coated the frame for about $100. I don't have a huge number of miles on this bike yet, but the finish is holding up very well so far.

The decals are from Velocals. The "Schwinn" decals were easy to apply, but the "Super Sport" decals were individually cut out letters connected by the underline. Very tricky, and I didn't get it perfectly straight--even using a ruler and marking the location. I'm sure it would be a lot easier with a shorter model name like "Tempo" or "Circuit". Ha.

I have another Tenax Schwinn that I rode for a bit before deciding I liked the frame and fit enough to invest in this build, and so far I just love riding this bike! Feel free to reach out with any other questions. I can also respond to PM's.

88Tempo

HarborBands that is a really nice Super Sport. I had a chance to buy one for $75, but it would of required a 4 hour round trip so I let it go and I still kick myself for passing on it.

HarborBandS

Thank you! They are definitely available out there for little $$$. Mine had already been stripped of the 600 Tricolor components, so I just reinvented the thing. It’s not a super high end steel frame, but I honestly can’t tell the difference. And it’s a lot nicer than a modern Surly or Soma, in my opinion.

Kent T

I had to modify bikes when I was 30 years and more younger. Legs with spasticity and physical challenges, in East Tennessee hill country demand granny gears and very wide range derailleurs to adapt, and this keeps Cerebral Palsied legs moving, spirited, and fit. As long as adaptations and updates are done tastefully, reversible, and look proper, carry on, and enjoy riding and staying fit, and scenery moving past you. What matters most, is did you ride, did you enjoy the ride, and do you want to enjoy it for life. Good bikes we have affinity and passion for. They engage us, inspire us, and move us through life.

Chrome Molly

So many nice rides...

Haven’t posted in awhile since I had little new stuff. One new bit of info I discovered for those of you that like to mix and match, or have newer Campy compatible wheels hanging in the shop... SRAM 10 brifters can be mated with a Shimano 7000-8000 series rear derailleur and flawlessly shift across a Campy 10 cassette with 11s chain.

Helped me clean out the parts box box on a Ritchey Breakaway build I am working on. Just FYI and for your gearing spreadsheets.

BradH

I've had this 1993 Allez on the back burner for a few years. Work, kids and life in general take priority over hobbies sometimes.

I finally got around to painting it over the winter. I used DuPont automotive base/clear with Velocals under the clear. Decals are for an '85 Allez but I had them already. Paint is a late 90s GM dark metallic green.

Groupset is a Shimano Tiagra 4600. I put one on my wife's Lemond when I built it up for her a few years ago and was very impressed. I slowly put together another group as I acquired parts for the build. I did upgrade the brake pads. Crankset is 39/52 and the cassette is a 13-30 10 speed (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 21, 24, 27, 30) I put together from loose Shimano and Miche cogs. I love it. I'm planning to roll a 14-28 too (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 23, 25, 28).

I bought a 1" threadless fork from Nasbar. I did not want to use a quill adapter, shims or 31.8 bars. I managed to find a 1" threadless stem with a 26mm clamp. When using Shimano STIs with the longer hoods I like the short reach/shallow drop bars with smooth transitions. Finding those with a 26 or 25.4 center is not always easy. I ended up using some Kalloy UNO bars leftover from another project. Nitto has one also and I've got some Soma Hwy One bars on another bike I really like. I made the bell mount out of a piece of 3/8" aluminum. I may trim it down in the future. I'm not sure about the bar tape but until it's shot it stays. Headset is a Tange.

Wheels are Tiagra 4600 hubs, Mavic Open Elite rims and butted Sapim spokes. I had some NOS 700-25 Continental 3000s with tan sidewalls. I wish I had more of these.

RiddleOfSteel

Great looking Allez! 4600 is a very good groupset, with the shifters inheriting 7800 Dura-Ace's internals. The rest is simply well-proven Shimano running gear, and excellent combination.

As for me, I have an "official" entry of my 1987 Schwinn Prologue, kitted up properly, in the outdoors (aka good lighting), looking as stealth as can be. She will give her components to another frameset soon, which makes me a little sad that the whole Black & Smoked look will be less so, but fear not (you all, and me as well), she will not suffer with inferior components. She'll be black with a bit of sparkle, and I think it will be stunning.

Full 7900 Dura-Ace, 7850 Dura-Ace wheelset, FSA K-Force carbon bars and stem, Specialized Ribcage bottle cages, Vittoria Open Corsa Evo CX tires, Prologo Scratch Pro saddle.

Milpool

That is a beautiful looking bike! Love the colours.

RiddleOfSteel

Thank you!

BradH

Thanks. Those Prologues are definitely one of Schwinn's best road frames. I've got a red/white 52cm '88 that sees use whenever I have a kid grow into it.

alanalanbobalan

I'm a longtime lurker on this thread and have admired all of the beautiful bikes here. I've always thought that a really special aspect of old steel bicycles is that they can be updated to a point where their performance is not that different from a brand new bike. Back when I was looking for my first road bike I was very very close to buying a steel Salsa Colossal but talked myself out of it, going for a carbon Ridley Fenix instead. While I've been quite happy with my Ridley, I often found myself thinking wistfully about the steel bike.

A few months ago I was gifted a 1986 Trek 500 Tri-series frame. It doesn't have the original paint scheme, but did have the Shimano 600 SIS group. The front and rear brakes don't match: the rear is a Diacompe G 500 and I'm not sure what the front brake is.



Honestly, it was in decent shape. After servicing the bottom bracket and headset I could have bought some wheels with a 6-speed freewheel and it would have been usable. But I decided that I wanted it to be a bike that I'd ride regularly. Also, not too long ago I had a chance to borrow a bike equipped with a Campagnolo Chorus groupset and loved the feel. The added bonus of upgrading to an 11-speed groupset was that I would be able to use Campy but keep my wheels with the Shimano cassette. I liked the idea of a silver crankset so I decided to go with the 11-speed Centaur. Along the way I learned a ton about wrenching and feel about 100x more confident in my ability to keep a bike running smoothly than before I took on this project. Since taking these photos I swapped the saddle from my Ridley onto this one (it's white), and have ordered some Tektro R539s since I'm planning to occasionally put some wider tires on it and do a little more off-roading.