davei1980

my 18 year old wants to ride more but doesn't love the SS bike I built for her; she does love my wife's 1979 Schwinn Varsity.

I found this Collegiate on CL for $60. Seems like a fair price. Close up pics reveal new tires. Thinking of offering $40. Thoughts?

ollo_ollo

Its OK, but you can do much better looking at a Japanese Mixte or step thru bike. All ladies models are hard to sell, slow movers, so once they've sat unsold, available at a low price. Give your daughter a break and find something 10 or 15 pounds lighter. Aluminum alloy cranks and rims at a minimum. Think Centurion, Univega or even a Schwinn "World" bike. A made in Japan sticker on a late 70's-mid 80's bike means bang for bucks. If you want to stay with the old Schwinn Ashtabula crank bikes, look for a ladies Super Sport. At least they had chrome moly frames, alloy wheels that stop when wet and were a bit lighter. Don

FBOATSB

I recently saw a Varsity for $69 in a Goodwill where I was dropping off some stuff. I thought that was pretty outrageous for the condition, they didn't even bother to clean it. $18-$20 is about my maximum for anything Ashtabula, if I was even looking.

davei1980

I like where your head is at (I LOVE my Nishiki and would give it to her if it were her size, set up as an SS family fun bike, $10 purchase, virtually all parts swapped out virtually with CX tires) - there are a few Nishiki/Miyata mixtes for sale in my area - I think the same guy has them all and they're listed for $150 which is over my budget for a kid I am not sure is serious about getting in the saddle.

That said, there are a few Bridgestone/DB/GT entry-level step through MTBs which might be cool for her after swapping out tires and putting the cruiser bars on she likes.....

davei1980

K good to know -

I don't mind spending the $ as long as it's something I can re-coop when she's done.

Wasn't sure if these were "collectible" I know nothing about old Schwinns. She likes it because it's green and is a step through. See my signature below V

michael k

This!!!

If it fits and has no damage,why not?
Ps. my daughter love the color too.

ryansu

+1 with @Ollo Ollo I know SpokeVegas is fairly flat but you'd shave about 20 lbs of bike weight with a Japanese mixte over the Sherman tank of a Collegiate, which sounds odd coming from me as I could usually care less about weight.

I built up a Peugeot split tube mixte for my Daughter and got lots of input from her on: saddle, bars, cable housing (color) and tires she was pleased with the end result. Good luck and have fun with the Daughter bike project. I see one in Wenatchee but that is a bit of a haul https://wenatchee.craigslist.org/bik...663378594.html


IMG_2012 by Ryan Surface, on Flickr

michael k

lol Fair enough. I once purchased a Schwinn Varsity Jr. (24" wheels) as a project. They charged by the pound and it weighed in at 37 1/2 lbs.

davei1980

Sharp looking mixte she's got now! I like it....

... yes, Spokane is flat compared to Seattle but there are some steep hills, especially since our road borders the river, so the only way out of here is UP

ryansu

Thanks, it was fun to build for her. I have a brother who lives in Spokane near the river not far from Upriver Dr, and N. Argonne, I was visiting last month and rode on the Centennial trail with him, fortunately I was spared steep hills

davei1980

THAT'S EXACTLY THE DESCRIPTION OF WHERE I LIVE! I live on the north side of the river, just west of Argonne Road and just south of Upriver Drive.

I commute to downtown everyday on the Centennial Trail, and yes, it is flat since it follows the banks of the Spokane River. That's how I can get away with commuting on a Single Speed! It's really a commuting dream come true since I only have 1 major intersection to navigate in the 8 mile stretch between here and downtown.

I lived in Seattle for 1 year, I couldn't make it around the block on a single speed!

davei1980

Funny you mention brakes, because my daughter's existing single speed has a really nice Tektro long reach caliper on the front. I will part out the bike when she gets a new one; that caliper is going to replace the crappy single pivot caliper on my wife's 1979 Schwinn!

Which POS mixte are you talking about? You do realize my daughter is not entering any criterions or stage races anytime soon, don't you? Am I posting this in the correct forum?

ollo_ollo

ryansu is wise getting his daughter involved. There are things involved we guys no naught of.

When she was in grade school, I gave my oldest grand daughter a kids 24" wheeled, drop bar mixte and she was burning all the little neighborhood boys with her speed, but a few years later she tells me "This bike is fast, but it's not in style anymore" She got dad to buy her a mountain bike and put streamers on the bar ends. Don

ryansu

That is a very nice area. Yeah my brother likes to rub it in that he commutes by bike and has maybe one light to stop for, he did commute from Kirkland to downtown for years so he probably deserves the traffic break.. I drive from West Seattle to Redmond over the bridge everyday, sigh, its a 20 mile one way bike ride and that's not in the cards currently but its on my list for September. I did bike commute to a downtown job on a single speed and even made it up my one mile 6% grade hill but that was a few years and many pounds ago lol.

ryansu

I can be taught

davei1980

West Seattle IS an amazing area though, you have Alki Beach right there.

I commuted from Bothell to Bellevue for 13 months so I feel your pain.

My folks lived in Rainier Beach in the 70s - dad worked at Paccar in Renton. That was a trip.

Based on your description of your bother's commute, I am SURE it's almost the same as mine. one big intersection before downtown. Unfortunately, not all of Spokane is that bike-friendly - he and I are just lucky

ollo_ollo

So can I. You will appreciate this: In 1971, Boeing layoffs, 25% unemployment inour neighborhood. My oldest boy tells me he's decided to do a paper route. Earn some extra $$, he's got a bike already! It'll be easy.

I told him, based on my experience: "Not that easy, probably a long waiting list & usually you have to buy the good routes" No, he insists, all he needs do is mail in the application. OK, I'm thinking this will be a good lesson.

About a week later, a Times manager calls me saying he has a route for Jeremy.....Beach Drive! Both sides, North from Lincoln Park. No street route to learn and pretty much every house. He did have pages of delivery instructions (go in side garage door, put it on my workbench etc. etc.) Big tippers, holidays, he cleared more from tips than the route. He did end up walking the route with one of those 2 wheeled carts, so, a bit more work than he expected.