SamSpade1941 

Hello all ,

I wanted to share my latest acquisition with the C&V group. I purchased this complete and 100% original Schwinn Circuit. Its pretty dirty but its actually in nice shape, the paint is decent with a few minor blemishes that I will touch up after I strip the bike down. Everything I have read on here and on other places around the web indicates that these are one of the good Schwinn bikes so I really could not pass it up for $40. After I finish the overhaul and restoration on my 81 Allez I will start working on this one. I really hope this Schwinn makes a great daily driver for those occasions that I do not want to ride my Surly LHT.

Can anyone tell me if these bikes can accommodate a 700X30 tire ?


Thanks again for all the help and information members here have given me. I will also try to post some better photos tomorrow when its still daylight.

dddd

You sure got that one for the right price!


I finally found a Circuit in my size with the 7s Sante gruppo, it was a Saturday night find on Craigslist with a 40-minute drive, each way. Bad neighborhood, but the seller was completely legit.


These are race bikes with appropriate frame angles, so are nice, snappy bikes. I happily paid $200 for mine in top shape.

ThermionicScott 

I agree, sweet bike for a sweet price!

My method for checking this is to inflate the tires you have, measure their width, and then use allen wrenches as feeler gauges between the top of the tires and the brake calipers.

For example, if your tires measure about 23mm wide, and you can get a 6mm wrench between each tire and its respective brake caliper, then there's a good chance 28mm tires would fit. But I provide no guarantees!

Kdogbikes

Nice bike at a great price. Schwinn paint really pops after a workout with rubbing compound. I have two tempos with 28c. An 85 and 87. I don't think 30c would fit. There is a great thread on 80s schwinns.

dpicare26

I love my '88/89 Circuit, for what it's worth. I'd buy 10 more at $40 a piece!

qcpmsame 

If you got this one for $40.00, you are now wanted for Grand Theft C&V Bicycle in the First Degree. Those are a sleeper of a bike it seems, kind of under appreciated until someone gets one and then the nice build comes through. How about more pics as you get things shaped up and reassemble everything, please?

Bill

rccardr 

Clearances are pretty tight on that year of Circuit; while a 25 will fit, I think a 30 will not. Remember that the paint on your Circuit is a semi-matte finish, so it won't come up to a high level of shine no matter what you do.


Nice score at a great price- they are excellent bikes!

jlax2485

Where in the world do people find these screaming deals on bikes? Especially a higher end bike like that circuit. Congrats on that bike because you got an incredible deal!

SamSpade1941 

Its a little bit of timing and luck. I paid $80 for my 1981 Allez; this particular bike was at a moving sale and they did not want to move it. Its been my experience that most people seem to want a "new" or at least "newer" bike and do not want these older gems. I just need to find a $40 Paramount now

jamesdak 

Great find!! I love mine. A 30mm tire won't fit. Conti GP 4000s II tires in 700 x 25 will but there 700 x 28 won't fit on mine no matter which rim I try. I've racked up a few local KOM sprints on mine so these will move out with the best of them. Keep us posted as you sort it out.

jamesdak 

Me too!!!!!

plonz 

I run 25mm Vittoria Open Paves on 1989 Circuit. Maybe room left for 28s but I doubt 30s.

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Chombi1 

I agree, the OP stole that Circuit at 40 bucks!
Congratulations on the fantastic aquisition!

SamSpade1941 

Ok experts I have more questions....

This evening after I arrived home I went into the garage and cut all the bike computer cabling and sensors off the bike which was wrapped everywhere and was even tangled in the crank . Next I went to remove the seat post and loosened the clamp bolt. The seat post felt stuck but after some wiggling it came out without incident. I put a little grease on it and tried to reinsert it would not go in without force so I grabbed my caliper and the bike actually takes a 26.6 post. The Schwinn catalog states its a 27.2, however this does not appear to be correct at least on my example.

Secondly the Schwinn Catalog shows the rims should be Araya ADX1W rims , but mine are Rigidia HLC 2000 rims. The Hubs are indeed Suntour Sprint sealed hubs per the catalog spec.

Here is my question , did Schwinn do a lot of substitutions that are not cataloged? Everything else is exactly what the catalog says it should be except the seat post specs and the rims on my wheel set.

Thanks !

plonz 

My 1989 Circuit definitely takes a 27.2mm post. The one that came out was stamped as such as is the one I put in. In my experience, measuring seatpost diameter yields inconsistent results, although 0.6mm different than the stated size is quite a bit. Does the one you removed have the size stamped on it?

Steve Whitlatch 

27.2 for sure. I had an 88. Great bikes. I have a newer version now. If it came out, it will go back in. You would NEVER fit a 27.2 in a 26.6 tube.

RiddleOfSteel

Wonderful. Gran Theft C&V, indeed! I'm still amazed (and extremely happy) I got my Peloton frameset for just $70 four to five years ago.

I also await pictures when she's all cleaned and tuned up.

SamSpade1941 

Ok since I did not get the Suntour pedals with the bike , any pedal suggestions ?

Chombi1 

Why not update to modern clipless pedals. It is always something that I do when the original pedals are not available to me as Lot of clipless pedals like Look Keos (Classics i my case) do not look lost on a C&V bike as clipless pedals have not really changed that much since their inception, back in the mid 80's. Anyway, I always consider clipless pedals as a big safety improvement over clipped pedals (with cleats). that I used before I switched over to clipless, way back in 1985.........

plonz 

Ditto.

That Circuit is a fast bike. There will be no lollygagging, sight-seeing, casual strolls, etc... No 28mm tires, fenders, racks or handlebar bags either. Put on a pair of clipless pedals and get your hammer on!

sdn40

Because the Circuit, along with some of the other high end Schwinn's go under the radar, is there another bike that you can compare it too ?
Is the Circuit damn close to a Paramount for instance ?
Just wondering

RiddleOfSteel

Another vote for clipless pedals. There is the safety factor, as well as the convenience factor, to say nothing of power transfer. I run SPD mountain-type clipless pedals on my bikes as I commute in the city, and am constantly in and out of them at lights or wherever. The two-sided feature makes it pretty brainless to operate, and the type of bike shoe I can use allows me to walk normally, which I do and value the ability to do.

The other thing about clipless is that I tend to think that it gets you to feel what the bike really is. 23mm or 25mm tires do that from a road feel perspective, and clipless pedals do that from a pedaling/power application standpoint. And this is a bike that is fun to feel the power go through and feel how it responds to your inputs. It's that man-and-machine sort of thing, and I dig it. Heck, I have SPDs on my Superbe-equipped '74 Paramount P15 (touring) with 27" x 1 /14" tires! At 25"/63.5cm of frame, it's a big (27.0 lb) bike and feels substaintial, but get out of the saddle and accelerate, put some power down, and she feels very light on her feet and the whole thing rocks side to side in total unison. It's a treat.

SamSpade1941 

Ive never used a set of clipless pedals before and honestly they kinda scare me a little. Ive owned a couple of bikes with toe clips and never really felt comfortable with them so usually I would remove the toe clips from the pedals, I guess I will have to sort this out and figure out if I want to buy a set of BMX platforms with the pegs in them( like I run on my LHT) or if I want to try clipless pedals and buy some shoes etc that I need for this type of thing.


I really appreciate everyone's suggestions thanks!

Scooper

I was reluctant to try clipless, but a decade ago when I bought my Waterford, Pastor Bob encouraged me to go clipless and get used to them (riding, unclipping, clipping in) in a vacant parking lot to gain confidence. It didn't take much practice to decide they were much better than the platform pedals I had been using. Once you figure out you need to unclip before stopping and remember to put the unclipped foot down, the sense of security in being "connected" to the pedals is very comforting. Clipping in and out quickly becomes automatic without even thinking about it.

I started with SPD pedals and have stuck with them, primarily because the shoe clips are recessed and you can walk normally in SPD equipped shoes.

SamSpade1941 

Ok I have a more important issue than the pedals... I have a chain ring that was bent which I did not catch when I did the visual of the bike before buying it. Can anyone tell me what chain rings I can use to replace the set currently on the crankset? I know 52/42 but ive never had to replace a chain ring before and I know vintage suntour components are pricey.

Thanks so much