JTred

Hey everyone, this is my first time in any of the non-mountain bike forums on this site. I got my first road bike today, a mid '80s Schwinn World Sport. From what I can gather, this frame was made in Taiwan by Giant and is an entry-mid level bike. It is exactly what I was looking for, an older (could it be called vintage?) roadie for a good price ($15). Apparently it was ridden a few times then sat in a garage for 20 years. It also has a tube and tool kit in the seat pack. I really like the toe clips, they will be a good introduction to being attached to the bike in case I eventually go clipless. It needs cleaned up a little but I will get to that after a few rides. It will probably see a lot of rails-to-trails until I get back into shape and then I will venture out onto the road. Anyhow I just thought I'd stop in and say hello and show off my new bike.

auchencrow

Congrats on your $15 deal, Jtred. The light action derailleur is a good one -( I currently have these on a couple of my own bikes and like them a lot.)

- I don't know what you mean by "It will probably see a lot of rails-to-trails" - but before you ride it far, you should hunker down and do some serious maintenance on it: The grease in the cups has probably hardened up - and likely you'll need new housings and cables to keep things flowing smoothly. Also take a close look at those tires - if they're dried out/cracking, you'll need to replace them too. You can buy good, serviceable 27" tires very economically, at a lot of on-line stores.

jtgotsjets

Looks just about perfect for what you want to do. Low-end, but on the nicer side of the low-end spectrum.

If it were me riding it, I would make a few low-cost changes
-remove kickstand
-swap foam handlebar stuff for real bar tape
-swap brake levers for aero levers
-maybe (if I had the cash laying around) switch the stem shifters for bar-end. This is 95% for aesthetic reasons, since stem shifters just scream "cheap bike" to me. All the other upgrades have at least some practical purpose.

caloso

Nice to see this bike. My first bike was an '85 World Sport -- a HS graduation presents from my folks. I rode it through college and law school and commuted on it to my first job. Well done.

DiegoFrogs

The frames on the World Sports are actually worthy of upgrades, in my opinion. It's double butted chro-mo, at least in the main triangle. I had a 1986, and although it was too big for me, I wish it hadn't been damaged in an accident. I'd pick another one up in a heartbeat.

garage sale GT

'86 was the first year it was butted. '85 and earlier had straight-gauge crmo. It was about a pound heavier and in my experience the ride was nothing special.

top506

The Light Action RD is '86 or later. And I concur with auchencrow, it's a good comp.
But unless it's a replacement it's kind of out of place on that bike.

Top

JTred

Thanks for the replies everyone, I was nervous about being laughed out of the forum. The tires are, in fact, cracking and that will probably be the first thing I do to it when I get some extra money. This bike will probably be a work in progress for some time.

Rails-to-trails means the Youghiogheny River Trail, a flat cinder bike trail a few miles from my house. For now I don't see myself doing any trips much longer than 20 miles. At least until I can get back into shape. Again thanks for all the replies and for the kind welcome.

Edit:
This frame is double butted, so it must be at least an '86.

Esteban32696

Nice bike ! IF you do any mods to it, KEEP the original parts. ONE DAY, it will be collectible & worth much more if original.

DiegoFrogs

I disagree. It will never be "collectible." Just have some fun with it. Upgrade and customize as you see fit.

Gthoro

Nice score Jtred, I picked up an identical WS to yours earlier this summer for the same price. It's an '86 and a nice ride. Enjoy it!

thenomad

I picked one of those up, in nearly unridden condition, for $30 and sold it for $170 here locally so you got a great deal.
Get off the computer and RIDE!