SkunkWerX

OK, so I did not need another bike. Still awaiting final parts to finish the other one.

I found this on CL, mere hours after it was posted. $40 was the final price tag.
Schwinn, mid 90's Classic Cruiser, one of the Taiwan bikes for the 100th anniversary.
I know they may not hold a ton of value, but this one even has viable tires, not ridden much, no sidewall checking or cracking. They aren't great, but they are "usable" for now.

The front basket and rear rack both are absolute abominations, in my book. Stripped them off this morning and gave it a quick bath.

Need to do some polishing, minor rust removal, and just a "once over".

To everyone looking for a cheap viable cruiser bike, just be patient and persistent. Your first one may not be a 1950's classic, but you can get in the game without spending $300 to $500 on a new bike.

Philphine

[QUOTE=SkunkWerX;18954643]OK, so I did not need another bike. Still awaiting final parts to finish the other one. [QUOTE]


never stopped me before.




I kinda would like a bike from the year I was born, but again it wouldn't stop me from buying that bike. can't beat $40 for a bike that nice.

SquidPuppet

Score!!!!!!!

That one should have a Shimano E hub. It might be a D, but I suspect an E.

SkunkWerX

[QUOTE=Philphine;18954733][QUOTE=SkunkWerX;18954643]OK, so I did not need another bike. Still awaiting final parts to finish the other one. Oh yes, i agree, the old frames are cool, but along with those comes a major investment in time and $$....but then you have a Lifetime Keeper. I was speaking to people who we hear, who say, "My budget is low, and can't find "anything". All I am saying to them, is, keep your eyes open, and be patient.

"Shimano CB-E110" on the reaction arm.

Working the front end right now, it's apart, having the little rust specs polished out. There are more than what the pics show, especially on the springer forks. But they are polishing out, at least at a 95% rate to shiney chrome.

Anyone need a cheap black anno blackburn rear rack? How about a front basket big enough to hold a fat baby and 3 small bulldogs?

Rollfast

I don't believe those were ever built in Taiwan, and I had one. I don't recall it in my Schwinn book I have either (Hurd and P.......?)


I would definitely love to have that basket, although I'm rather broke for the rest of the month... Someone spent good money for that. That is a real grocery getter!


That bike cost me well over $350 new back then! In that condition you are beyond blessed, it's swell!


PS If I had $250 to spend right away though, I could find a postwar Columbia ballooner if very lucky around here


But you Dawg!

SkunkWerX

Rollfast, as far as the basket goes, it's just a cheap steel basket. If it was chromed, it has faded, it looks almost galvanized?
Has a dull finish.

If you are in the DC/Balt area, you can come get it....otherwise shipping is probably more than it's worth.

I read that they retailed for roughly $450 msrp. in 1995. In '95 that was a good chunk of change.

SquidPuppet

In 1995 Schwinn offered a variety of cruisers. Yours, the Classic Cruiser (China) had an MSRP of $259.95.

Schwinn catalogs, 1991 - 2000 (236 of 577)



Schwinn went bankrupt in 1992 and the company was sold to Scott Sports Group. I guess Scott still respected the Schwinn name and in 1995 decided to celebrate Schwinn's 100th anniversary by building a reproduction 1955 Black Phantom. Only 5,000 of them. This was a special bike. They contracted one of the old Chicago Schwinn engineers to design it. It was not a Chinese TIG welded bike like all the other Scott "Schwinns". It was built in California. They went back and found the old original tooling so they could get it just right. What tooling they couldn't find, they remade. Leather saddle, locking fork, the original paint stencils were used and the pinstripes were hand painted.

Dealer cost was $1,600.00 and MSRP was $3,000.00

60+ lbs of Steel. No aluminum.

1995 repro...

SkunkWerX

Finished the cleaning/polishing. Removed: the handlebar "foam" covering.
Need to soruce some better grips, the originals are just soft round tubes.
Still need to re-affix the headbadge. Maybe upgrade the saddle, too?

1995 Schwinn Classic Cruiser: 100th Anniversary Edition (Found on CL for $40)

SquidPuppet

Not quite. See my post above. But I still dig it.

These are nice. Thick and just the right balance between firm and soft. Sometimes you can find them at Amazon. If not, this place always has them.

Kraton Rubber Bike Grips, Black - Beach City Bike

SkunkWerX

It has a 100th anniversary gold sticker on it.

The guy I bought it from, brought it out here from CA, when he transferred jobs.
It had a CA LBS sticker on it, JAX bicycle shop.

I agree, it's still the Taiwan built $259 bike.

And yes, THAT is the place where I got the blue sparkle grips.
Will order those black ones for this bike. thx for link.

SquidPuppet

Ha ha ha. JAX started out as a tiny neighborhood surfboard shop in Huntington Beach way back when I was a kid there. As the sport became more popular and the beach and tourist crowds grew, JAX wisely took advantage and ventured into other business like clothing and bikes. Now they are this mega business. Ahhhh....fond memories.

SkunkWerX

Yeah, the JAX sticker listed several locations, Huntington Beach, Long Beach.....

So, I picked up a "brand new" 535 Twin Rear Carrier Basket off of CL.
Got it for $10. So I "had" to buy it, at that price. Never installed, shiney, hardware still in factory baggie.

Q: Do I install it on this Schwinn Classic Cruiser? The front basket was probably useful, but it detracted from the springer front end, and just made the bike look bad. Holding the Wald 535 on the rear fender, looks like it belongs there. Someone already made the comment that it is a "grocery getter" and I think they are on the right track.

I may do a quick install, just to see.
Opinions welcome.

PS: ordered the Black kraton grips. Gotta wait for them.

SquidPuppet

You just need to decide which will be the work horse and which will be the play bike. You might do that based on looks, or take weight into consideration. Or, once you finish the blue bike you could ride them both and see if either one speaks to you in a certain way.

SkunkWerX

Yes, true. I think the blue one would look fine with the baskets too.

Also, while riding this beast I was feeling a bit cramped in the cockpit, just didn't seem quite right.
So I looked to see how much farther i could move the saddle backward....and all of a sudden it hit me!
The standard style saddle clamp is flipped around 180, putting the seat more forward.
You gotta love an easy fix!

Rollfast

Since they are my transportation, I had a basket on my Classic Cruiser, and paperboys, as those twin Wald baskets are often referred to since they were big enough to deliver papers. They are definitely NOT $10 new, so that was a BARGAIN. As I said, if you really don't that front basket I would be happy to take it off your hands and install it on Germaine. I still think that the utility will come in very handy for you. It sounds like you really got a nice break on everything from somebody who saw you as not just an owner but the true enjoyer of it. Germaine, my current Schwinn is also a '95. She was a gift and I work hard to keep her rolling and I have lost a few bearings and bent up some wheels over time because she is my workhorse but the original rims also lasted 17 years and you see, I'm 250+ so I have to use alloy wheels for strength now. Many of those Living Carfree prophets in A&S don't know that it's not exactly easy and I spend proportionately the same percent toward fixing 3 bikes as I did my car...nothing is free.


My experience with the repro Phantom black grips, as with any black grips, is that they mess up your hands pretty good compared to glitter grips. I have Green glitter grips on Germaine, she was the green and maroon 2-tone that is suppose to change coloring in the light but I never notice now. I added Hawthorne/Higgins peaked fenders and a Phamtom tank, both with a version of dark green and white motif, and a nine hole rack painted olive green then added a Columbia split reflector on the rear fender and an amber jewel to the rear of the rack.


The one problem you will have in mounting a headlight is that the Allen head stem bolt won't allow you to mount a lamp at the stem unless you can figure out another way to bolt it there. You'll want the light ABOVE the basket a ways to keep it from being obstructed.


I kind of want to add an aero windshield for a motorcycle with a big headlight and I have motorcycle turn signal assemblies as well. I can control with signals with something called a Wamco Winner signal kit, made by a handicapped workshop a few years ago o I got three. One light assembly is bent into a U shape and sits under my customized J.C Higgins rack to light the built-in lenses.


It's my grocery getter and I'm getting up there, I may as well have the 'cars' I want from the bikes I have.


But the thrill of owning my Classic Cruiser was pretty special.

SkunkWerX

Rollfast, thanks for your input. I got the sparkly grips for the blue bike, went with the solid black kratons for the cruiser. I'll be able to do a comparison.

Yes, I did very well on the "paperboy" basket, and of course, the bike itself. I don't hammer people down on their pricing. I watch for deals, and I try to explain to them what i am doing, and how the item will be finding a "good home". More times than not, the sellers do the dealing for me, and say, "You can have it for..."

When selling bikes, bikes that I have poured in my effort, time and $$, I find that I now like to find the "good home" for them. It's nice to know that someone is: A. going to actually use it, has a plan. and B. keep it well maintained. I actually had a person willing to pay my full asking price, then another person offering slightly less for a bike I restored. I ended up offering it to the latter person, because their story was more compelling and the bike "belonged" with them. So, yes, I have had good fortune, it is a Karma-thing, I think.

You are first in line for the front basket. I'll get back to you on it. Should I sell the blue cruiser, or even the classic, I will offer either "fully basketized" (front and rear) or without.

Rollfast

You should be able to take the arms off and fit them on top or underneath in a box, I bought a Wald 135 last month and the arms aren't much longer than the width of the basket. And since I have the Cruiser SS from that year I can make a nine hole rack fit over the paperboys and it looks swell. It's tricky, but it can work.


The paperboys are for my Rollfast lightweight any how, as it the 135. I have a really neat J. C. Higgins rack with lenses and a DIY lighting setup inside that for the Rollfast. Had to flatted the fender brace with a hammer though to make that work all at once.