ChuckNOS

Greetings.

I joined the forum Is am looking for advice on undertaking the restoration of my 1977 Schwinn Le Tour II bike.

I am the original owner. The bike is in VG condition and all original with the exception os the cables, tires and brakes pads. Only missing the original from wheel reflector.

I put the Schwinn away about 7 years ago when I got my carbon fiber Felt Z5 road bike. Cosmetically is needs some spit and polish and paint touch up. No real rust issues other than the chrome wheels have some pitting.

When I decided to restore the bike at first I though that I would rebuild the crankset and head set bearings. But after taking it out for a spin, everything still seems pretty tight and quite. The derailleurs, shifters, brakes etc. work well.

So the big question is, should I go ahead and tear the whole thing down while I've got it apart? After all its been about 44 years since this bike was new.

While I haven't torn down a bike to rebuild it on probably 50 years, I'm quite sure that I can handle the tasks albeit I need to acquire the correct tools.

Any advice.

(Note: I tried to attach pics but as a new member I am not permitted.)

bikemike73 

Yes

If you have it all apart, fresh grease and ball bearings .

It's not that bad of a job.

Just be patient


Good Luck

cb400bill

Pic Assist - https://www.bikeforums.net/g/album/21073105

CO_Hoya 

Pic assist (many more in his gallery)

cb400bill

I think your rear rack is mounted upside down.

ChuckNOS

No. It is correct. Installed by the shop the day I bought the bike.

ChuckNOS

Thanks for the photo assist. I didn't realize thee is a gallery.

ChuckNOS

I figured that but didn't want to make a move until I had confirmation.

Thanks.

Velo Mule

Nice looking LeTour ChuckNOS . New grease in the the wheel bearings, bottom bracket and headset will make the bike feel better. A little touch up paint will help. Many of our member go to CVS or Wallgreens and find a nail polish color that is close or matches. The bonus is that it comes with an applicator brush. I like Testor's paint, however there are not as many colors available and I have to blend to get close enough. It can be difficult, I may try nail polish myself next time.

The Schwinn rack has an additional loop of wire to keep things from sliding forward. So, if you were to put books in the rack, the main spring loop would hinge down and also items to be captured forward. This extra loop would keep the books in place. It can be folded back down if not needed.

From what I can see the brake and derailleur cables look good. I try getting some oil into the cable housings with an aerosol oil. Something like SuperLube is good. WD-40 evaporates too quickly to be a longer term solution.

ChuckNOS

Thanks for the advice. I might have a small bottle of Schwinn red touch-up paint someplace. Haven't seen it in awhile but I seldom discard things like that for my bikes. There was a scrape on the cross-bar when I bought it. The shop gave me a discount on the bike and the touch-up paint. I doubt that the bottle is still good, but it might give a lead on getting a good match. I like the nail polish idea, I'll keep it in mind. Also notice that the bike had a white primer/undercoat layer to get the proper look.

The thing about being "semi-retired" is that one actually works half the time! So I'll probably not get to the teardown until the weekend. Then it's a matter of acquiring the right tools, then, of course, the proper parts. I'll post more pictures once I make some progress.

Velo Mule

Since you have the touch-up paint from 1977 ChuckNOS , it is probably all gummed up or maybe even fully hardened. If it still thick and gummy, I've added acetone to touch up paint with good results. You could try that.