TakingMyTime

While on our nightly walk the wife and I came across what appears to be a Women's 1972 Opaque Blue Schwin Super Sport with a "Free" sign attached. It is now sitting in our garage. From my cursory examination last night it appears to be in decent condition. More than likely garaged kept. Everything seems to be there including the original bar tape. Other than being 46 years old it looks pretty good.

First, let's get it out of the way that I do understand that this bike is not worth much. It is what it is and I'm happy with that. I need a little project to keep me busy this winter, so this just might be the one. It appears to need elbow grease more than anything. My wife likes the color and it's the smaller of the 2 frame sizes offered so that's an incentive in itself since it will fit her well. I'm more than confident that I have the ability to tear this bike down and put it back together again.

Here's my question, the only significant rust is on the spokes. So much that I'm guessing I'm either going to need new wheels or a wheel rebuild. What are your strategies for handling a situation like this? The rest of the bike has very little rust and is all quite manageable. The spokes seem to have taken the biggest hit. My only problem is what to do about the wheels?

I'd prefer to keep my investment under $150 after all is said and done. That is going to include a chain, brake pads, cables and housing, tires and tubes etc.

DiegoFrogs

Before you proceed on the wheels in any way, I would first rebuild the hubs to make sure that all is well inside before you spend time and money on the wheels. It would be a huge disappointment to relace with new stainless spokes only to find that the cups are in bad shape.

It can be tedious, but I would try cleaning the spokes with a little steel wool and a brass brush to see if you can get them clean. Otherwise, if the rims are nice and aluminum, and the hubs are good, I would relace with stainless spokes. There are also some 27" and 700C wheelsets that take a freewheel that are reasonably priced and of good quality. I'd probably make the switch to 700c if i went that route.

ollo_ollo

What he ^ said. Plus, if you do need to replace the wheels, check Craig's for good buys on replacement wheels. I got 2 new Alex wheels cheap from someone who bought them & they didn't fit his bike, then found no market for 27" wheels. You can also replace the steel Ashtabula crankset with a 3 piece, alloy, crankset by using an adaptor sold for BMX & other Schwinn type BB shells. Find a local bicycle Co-op to source any parts you may need. Enjoy the overhaul. Don

Hudson308 

Burnishing the spokes with steel wool or similar will only give you temporary results, as it will scuff off the protective zinc coating on the spokes. It's possible that a previous owner doing this has accelerated the rust on them already. If you do decide to replace the spokes with stainless, Danscomp is a great place to find them at a reasonable price. Their double butted stainless spokes aren't always advertised on their website, but are available with a phone call. Be sure to measure spokes on both sides of the rear wheel, as they may be different lengths. And of course, pics or it didn't happen.

dddd

I have to ask, what is the "problem" with the rusted spokes?

If the spoke nipples turn enough to get the wheels reliably in service, then is it just a cosmetic issue? No real fix but some relief could be effected with silver paint, diluted with solvent and applied with a small brush. The spokes are probably way more reliable than they look in my experience.

The bling of shiny spokes will come at considerable cost I'm afraid, and at least some of the early 70's Supersport rims are known for not holding much pressure with wire-bead tires (you can easily test for what the upper limit is, noting if the tire bead starts creeping up in one spot along the outer edge of the rim). That was a quality-control issue with certain Weinmann rims and some hold pressure well while some do not. The tire has a lot less to do with it than the rim btw.

TakingMyTime

Thanks for all the suggestions. I know the question was a little on the dumb side i.e. if the wheels are shot I'll need new ones.

After a deeper inspection and cleaning this morning it appears the spokes are not as bad as first thought. The rims are good but I still need to disassemble the hubs to make sure this thing will proceed. I'm going to definitely have to go through the rear hub and freewheel. Something back there is not performing the way it should. All in all this bike is in very good mechanical condition. From the rim and brake pad wear I don't think this was used much at all. It's going to be my wife's "ride around the neighborhood" bike.

Lascauxcaveman 

I'm with @dddd, first clean them up and treat as he suggests.

If it happens the the spokes are indeed too far gone, then just get whole new or good used wheels. (I am assuming a '72 Super Sport has steel wheels, not aluminum, and therefore any new wheel set is going to a big improvement.) You might score a nice used set for less than the price of a full set of spokes; I've done it several times.

67tony 

As you may know, it is a filet-brazed frame...kind of unusual and kind of cool...and described here by Sheldon Brown. Despite the quality of the frame, Schwinn stuck Varsity/Continental components on it, resulting in a less-respected, heavy bike.

Below is what I did to mine, including a crank upgrade, a Suntour Sprint group, and new wheels.
Pastor Bob, and a few others, also have renovated Super Sports...that are very, very nice.

Hudson308 

@dddd 's experience notwithstanding, all the wheelsets I've got on Super Sports are actually pretty decent wheels. Medium-quality single wall aluminum rims with Maillard/Normandy high-flange hubs.

ramzilla

FBOATSB

@TakingMyTime, rest assured, this statement wasn't lost on me. Although I like spending your money as well as the next guy
I am in the camp of a thorough servicing, spiffing up, some nice cushy tires, and let her do just that on a mechanically sound cool Schwinn. Suggest to your wife that you are there to make any upgrades she might desire.

67tony 

Hey...PICTURES!

Lascauxcaveman 

Bad guess on my part, then. I was thinking that far back only the Paramount and whatever was #2 in the lineup would have aluminum rims.

TakingMyTime

Yep, she has her road bike and one other. I'd like to get this bike working well enough for just that.. around the neighborhood. Sometimes it's nice just to take a slow ride over to the park and relax. I have no problem putting some work into it, but there is no way I'm dumping any kind of serious cash into this thing. I was actually surprised how she reacted to it when we found it the other night. I didn't think this style of bike would appeal to her. She's really diggin' it.

Hudson308 

It's a common misconception, because of that Ashtabula crank. And the pie plate. And the kickstand. And the stamped dropouts. Truth is I've got a '73 SS that came with what appear to be the exact same Weinmann dimpled rims that came on my '72 Paramount.

ollo_ollo

Elbow grease + Bearing grease will make a nice neighbor hood cruiser then. Don

TakingMyTime

The brakes have been removed in this picture. Everything appears to be completely stock including the tires, tubes and tape. You asked for pics so here you go.

ollo_ollo

That will clean up nice. Paint looks good & will really glow when waxed. Don

Darth Lefty 

pastorbobnlnh 

...and a long cage Huret Allvit RD (albeit a Schwinn Approved version I'm guessing), to boot! IMO, ride wise, Super Sports are the '60s Cadillac or Lincoln of bicycles. A super smooth ride!

Is it just my confused mind/eye playing tricks on me, but is some of the lacing on the wheels different at different places? Specifically look at the four spokes below and twelve spokes above the valve stem on the front wheel and twelve spokes below and four spokes above the valve stem on the rear wheel. Any thoughts?

Hudson308 

Hmmmmm.... now that you mention it...

TakingMyTime

Camera angle. I just went out to the garage and checked,

BTW. I know that these are not hook-bead rims. Will they accept this tire? If not, some low cost suggestions please.
https://www.jensonusa.com/Kenda-Street-K35-Road-Tire.

pastorbobnlnh 

Yes, those tires will probably will work very well on those rims. Just go carefully as you inflate the tires. Probably don't go higher than 85-90 psi.