kocour

Hey, I also have two chrome Schwinns - mine our 1980 and 81.

polymorphself 

Such a cool color especially in certain light. Is this her daily rider? What are her opinions on it?

trailmix

She loves the color and the tan accents which is why she requested a set of skin wall Paselas.
This bike is used for short touring trips like weekends or overnight rides.
She is definitely a fan of touring bikes with bigger tires and cantilever brakes. She also has a 1990 Cannondale ST400.

WT160

Here is a picture of a 1980 Voyager 11.8 that I sold in the spring.

trailmix

nice looking bike, I would like to find a 23’ 86-88 someday.

polymorphself 

Thank you. I don’t see them pop up too often but they aren’t super rare either. Check the various sites daily and you’ll find one.

trailmix

I always find bikes when I am not looking for them. I wanted an 85 Trek 620 for the longest time with no luck and once I finally gave up, a nearly mint one showed up just a couple of miles from my house.

WT160

I found mine (post 305) next to a dumpster.

Rooney 

Theres a 58cm ‘86 on eBay right now for $600 in Madison, WI. Seems a bit overpriced. Could always try giving them an offer.

polymorphself 

Does seem high for the condition, but that's ebay for ya. That being said it looks like it will clean up nicely. Probably worth putting an offer in!

WT160

I sold my 1980 for $285.

trailmix

I am a real cheap-o, too much for me.

wschellen

Drove all the way to Arizona last weekend to pick this one up off ebay. It’s in minty condition, just needs some cleaning and a few tweaks.

ravenix 

So I’m in the process of building up my ‘85 SP frame and trying to size the wheel set & fender size. Looks like the largest fenders I can fit in the fork is about 40mm? Had anyone successfully done this size? If not, what fenders work with the frame? Thanks!!!

Rooney 

I used the 45mm hammered Velo Orange fenders. Definitely had to do some persuading (I think it's partly why I've had trouble getting a super clean front fender line), but it came out pretty well. Eventually, I'll make them fit nicer. I keep meaning to post an update. One day.

Can't wait to see an update on your bike. Was the powder coat an exact match for the original color or more of an approximation? The lug lining is fantastic!

scarlson 

I just built out a Voyageur SP for a friend. I used VO Zeppelin fenders (52mm), which of course don't fit inside the fork crown unless you bend them. I just shaped them with pliers to go around the forkblades. This was done on a lot of bikes with aluminum fenders, back in the day. I would not think twice about modifying fenders this way. You will get more coverage and maybe even be able to fit bigger tires.

ravenix 

You got a set of 45mm fenders to fit through the fork? Wow, yeah please post some photos when you have a chance! What size tires are you running with those fenders? I measured out the available width in the fork for a maximum of 40mm.. but that's touching both sides. I figure with the curved lip of the fenders there's no way to run bigger than a 32mm tire without rubbing issues? Even then I'd feel better with a 28-30mm tire.

The powder coat is definitely an approximation, not an exact match. Though honestly it looks beautiful and I'm really happy with the results! Has a bit of iridescent sheen to it in direct sunlight... love it
Just fit an older 2 Nut Chris King Silver headset and working what stem and seatpost to use.... going to be a fun build. However, it's not going to be a original restoration. Using a lot of 9 speed parts and moving to 700c wheels... semi-modern vintage!

Will post some update photos tomorrow.

Rooney 

As I said, some persuasion was necessary. I honestly didn't think to check the fork width prior to buying the fenders because I saw other Voyageurs with the hammered VO fenders, and those only come in 45mm. The narrow fork crown is probably what I like least about the bike. Are the Tenax Voyageur forks any different (in terms of clearance for fenders/tires), or does everyone else bend their fenders too? I keep meaning to take updated pictures since other parts of the bike have changed, but every time I go for a ride I get too caught up in the riding and forget. My initial effort is posted back a page or two. I'm running 27 x 1 1/4" Pasela's which haven't given me any trouble. I think earlier in the thread someone was running 700 x 35 with fenders.

Looking forward to your photos! I'm excited to see what you end up choosing!

homelessjoe

well I have pretty much everything I ever needed and there is not much I want ....and I usually exercise self control but if I ever find a chrome Voyageur sp in my size within driving distance......I will sell some of the wives stuff and go and get it....absurd price would not stop me.......I would even clean the garage .....sleep with the dog.....eat peanut butter for weeks........I MIGHT even go so far as to sell one of my other bikes

acm

Wish I had pics to share, but a buddy of mine picked up a '73 World Voyageur in blue for next to nothing ($25-ish) this summer and bought it to me for an overhaul. Paint job was beaten up pretty good but the chrome underneath was largely in good condition and a bit of wax made the bike shine like a penny. Came complete with Schwinn dynamo and lights, only thing aftermarket on it was the RD which was replaced with an early 90's shimano model, and a new B17 which he asked me to put on for him.

I'm not into schwinns at all but this is a great bike. Granted, it's actually a panasonic, but still.

scarlson 

Here's the '85 Voyageur SP I did with VO Zeppelin fenders. The tires are Panaracer Gravelking 700x38. You can see all the fender massaging I had to do. It was fairly minimal. Fenderline was good, with easy rear wheel removal due to the vertical dropouts. I cut the rear fender down to fit between the chainstays, and made a slight indent for the front derailleur. I made a "step" in the front fender to sit flat under the fork crown and slightly indented the sides. Caveat is that the fork may not be original, but I think it is at least period-correct.

Rooney 

scarlson — Looking at the crown, I'd agree it's probably not the original fork. What do you mean by making a step in the front fender?


Here's a quick photo I snapped today — it's muddy out there! Maybe it's time to add some mudflaps. I'll try to note all the changes since the last time I showed this.



44cm Nitto Noodles: I'd replaced the original 42cm bars with 46cm Noodles but thought they might too wide, so I went to 44cm. Now I think I'm missing that extra 2cms.
Shimano aero brake levers: We'll see how long I go before trying to remove the obscenely large SHIMANO down the front of the levers.
Jagwire Carbon Silver shifter and brake cables: I went back-and-forth between the Carbon and Sterling, but I think this bike is too neat and grungy for the Sterling.
Suntour bar-ends: I'd wanted to switch out the downtube shifters for a long time, and I'm so happy with the result! I never liked reaching all the way to the downtube; it never felt comfortable or stable.
Shimano downtube barrel adjusters: They're there. The adjuster could be a better grey, or silver, or black. I'll probably never think about them.
Nitto Jaguar seatpost: It fits, it looks good.
Finally realized titling the Brooks up makes it significantly better. It wasn't uncomfortable before, but now it's incredible! Gradually raised the nose over multiple rides until I found the sweet spot.
Velo Orange Moderniste cages: I'd had two of these a year ago, then got rid of them when I moved because I thought I'd never use them, then realized I missed them and got two more.
NOS Mountech FD
Cyclone MK II RD
New 5-speed chain
New front wheel: My buddy noticed the old front-wheel's (likely a replacement itself) axle was short and caused the fork blades to compress. That also made it difficult to get the wheel straight. This was the only option at the LBS. It'll be replaced in a year, or whenever I finally get a 700c wheelset.

Quite a bit has changed since I originally got the bike about two years ago. Sometimes it's been more circuitous than I expected, but that's part of the process, right? I'm very pleased with how it's gone so far. Maybe I'll even have the handlebars wrapped next time!

scarlson 

Yeah, probably not original. But your fork looks comparable to this one in terms of distance from fork crown to rim in front. That makes me pretty confident that the same setup (700x38 tires, VO Zeppelin fenders) would probably work on the original fork as well. And in this fork, it _really_ worked, I mean with flying colors. There's a big ol' nut under the crown holding the fender on, and the daruma bolt didn't even have to be sawed shorter to clear the tire or anything. On some other bikes (Nishiki, Holdsworth), it's so tight up in there that I have to use a recessed nut or an Aheadset starnut shoved up inside the steerer. Great success!

Like this:


A simple flat spot to help the fender sit level on the underside of the fork crown, even though it's going through at an angle. I usually do it with a hammer and a wood block.

beicster 

I don't know about SP forks but that looks exactly like my non SP 85 Voyageur fork. They came painted but were chromed underneath.

scarlson 

Interesting! I didn't give it much thought, because it's a friend's bike and the frame didn't show signs of front end damage and the fork, regardless of origin, was straight and had the appropriate eyelets and posts. I think it said "Spinner" on it, which they may have made the Voyageur fork. Not sure. The headset was incomplete as well when he got it. I think the crown race was plated zinc and the cups were plated chrome or something so they looked a little different. But yeah, it's hard to find threaded cantilever forks, of this steerer length, with proper fork crowns, so that's points for it being original or at least from the era. Wonder what would possess a person to go strip all the paint off. Maybe a bad blemish.