Retroman69

Old Blue, after a long fight, had its first break-in ride and is as smooth, quiet, and quick-shifting as can be!

Retroman69

PS: I am now a believer in the Brooks B17 saddle. This is the first time I actually rode one and it was incredibly comfortable right off the bat.

3speedslow

Wow!

Kdogbikes

Super job Retroman! Awesome pic angles. I’m always amazed at how Schwinn chrome can be brought back to life. Really nice bike.

Cyclist753

+1 with the above posters! Wow! It looks good! I understand the saddle switch but that old Schwinn saddle is way cool!

TiHabanero

Well done, sir. Beautiful machine, and bulletproof for years to come. Great choice on the saddle.

The shop I work in on Saturdays was built on Schwinn 60 years ago and we were talking about the old Varsity and Continental after a customer dropped one off for a tune up. They really were good bikes. Simple, durable, and honestly ridable bikes. A friend of mine rode a Continental cross country in 1974, and I toured all over the Midwest on a Super Sport (fancy framed Continental). My brother rode his Varsity all over creation including dirt trails and river beds. Keep it maintained and it will go the distance.

OTS 

A++ Resto

I like it. Well done!

noglider 

You may find you like the nose of the saddle tipped up, as many Brooks users do.

pastorbobnlnh 

...and many do not and prefer them level or tipped ever so slighty down--- instead.

Well done retroman! Do you find comfortable hand positions on the track bars? Which positions work best for you?

BFisher

I always liked the "Sprint" chainwheels that came on the earlier models.

Cool bike.

Retroman69

I appreciate the comments, thank you!
I did keep the old “S” spring saddle because I think they’re cool too.
I went with the Brooks because I think that was what it came with from the factory, but it turned out to be a nice rider on top of it!
Over time I’ve found if saddles are tipped forward a bit I feel like I’m sliding forward and constantly adjusting myself, and tipped back the nose is crushing my groin and I have to stand up frequently to get the circulation going again, so dead flat works best for me.
I’m riding the bars on the top most of the time, and drop onto the hooods if I need to access the brakes, and that seems most comfortable for me. The only time I go low is if I’m losing a fight with a headwind. A lot of that is because of my tricky back though.
I switched bikes from the blue SS to my Varsity, and was surprised how much heavier the Varsity feels by comparison.
Thanks again for your compliments and your advice throughout the project.

John E

That certainly cleaned up nicely. What type of drop bar bend is that? I would miss the usual hand position above and behind the brake levers.

Retroman69

Thanks! I’m not sure, they are pista (track) bars, with a deeper than normal drop. They actually still have plenty of room up top, even though they don’t look it.

dddd

Glad to see this bike come through with so much of it's componentry intact, especially as it is such an early example.

Those bars likely suit the rider who needs the most drop to the brake lever hoods for sprinting and for climbing steep hills, giving a larger change in hand positioning when sitting up for recovery. In this sense, bars with sloped ramps actually make perfect sense (especially with vintage bikes, where there are no integrated shifters forcing one to ride atop the hoods while just cruising along).

Job well done!

Retroman69

Thank you very much!
I’m glad in retrospect that I rebuilt and reused as much of the original equipment as possible. I’m more satisfied with the result.

Fahrenheit531 

A remarkable refurbish. Looks amazing!

That said, you may want another inch or two of housing where it meets the rear derailleur, for both function and aesthetics.

Retroman69

Thanks! I agree, I screwed up the cut on that one, but didn’t have any more silver housing. I’ll be cutting a new piece there.