Ah yes, quite familiar with those old steel Varsitys in a 10-12 speed configuration. Indeed, I own a 1976 Panasonic/Schwinn Super Le Tour 12.2 that I am extremely fond of... Bought from the original owner sometime around 1981. Somehow got rid of the original saddle for a SELLE but the one in the pic below will go on it next time I shine her up and ride her...

Back to that Craigslist Varsity: the guy did a pretty good job on the conversion; lack of a "hockeystick" chainguard notwithstanding, so I thought that the bike could possibly be "stock"... Thanks for the clarification and BTW, do you have the Schwinn catalogs up online?

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=434266

Not my doing, but there are Schwinn catalogs posted online here:

Schwinn Catalogs by Year
Schwinn Catalog Scans
Vintage Schwinn Catalogs 1899 to 1984

Note that the Suburban was essentially a Varsity Tourist (it replaced the Varsity Tourist in '70), and for '70 and '71 it was available in a 3-speed model: http://bikecatalogs.org/SCHWINN/MODELS/Suburban.html

Gster, I've got a red Hercules. Not as old but the fenders look terrible. The white contrast color could look good. And i could avoid color matching.

Very nice! I have a couple of 1930s Raleighs, and they have similarly very slack angles. Lots of wheel flop!

I was given the rear wheel from a trashed frame (an old Sears Free Spirit). The hub is a Sturmey Archer S3C (C-for coaster brake), dated 1986. The freewheel does not rotate backward and the drive side non-rotation washer had the flats stripped. I think it may have been ridden with the stripped washer - could that have locked it up?

Below is a photo of the washer. I would like to know if there is an easy fix for this, or if I need to learn how to pull the thing apart and repair it.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=434438

I've given the bike a quick makeover and replaced the fenders with a pair of mini Bluemels that I had in the garage as well as a Brooks saddle. The trigger has been swapped out for a mid 50's one but would like to get hold of a Hercules trigger as well as a chain ring. The bike is what we used to call a "Bitsa"..bits of one bike and bits of another. This ad from 1936 is the only thing I've found to date the bike. The serial # also seems to confirm but there's not much info out there...
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=434443
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=434440http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=434441http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=434442

I've removed the fenders and they're a little rough as well.

Well it looks good. Thats what I'm hoping my starts to look like. I'm not giving up on these fenders yet. I might just do the contrast color after all. Top bar kind of beat up? The photo kind of hides it. Flipped North roads handlebars ?

I'm encouraged. I need to get back to it. To many projects.

i don't think this tire has ever been moved ..http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/h...pswfyvk6tm.jpg

Original tubes, original tires, original chain, proper chain tension, rolls straight -- what reason would there be to move it during the first 100 miles?

Harris Cyclery in MA sells these washers online. Fairly inexpensive.

Thanks, the top bar is pretty rough but I'll leave it as is. I'm going to re route the gear cable as well over a pulley on the seat tube. I'm just missing one elusive part. The mysterious Fulcrum Stop!

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=434531There's a guy in town that will probably have one.

I'm only a beginner at 3 speeds but I would have said a coaster hub sprocket shouldn't rotate backwards? That's how you apply the brakes.
You might be able to find the washers or other parts at the local bike co-op. Make sure you get the right washer - old bikes used a narrower dropout slot than modern bikes.

well it is 40 years old .. I have a 45 year old stingray with original tires and tube and the wheels have been off of that thing a few times for sure .

Here's my 1973 Eaton's Glider before and after(so far). I had issues with the AW going into "neutral" when I'd shift into 2nd or sometimes while in 2nd, jumping *out* of gear. Tried taking it to a bike shop because my skills aren't super advanced and I thought I might have to open the hub, to be greeted with absolute disgust (he kept rolling his eyes) by this guy who didn't seem to think it was worth fixing. His suggestion was to replace the entire wheel/hub with a $200 single speed one. Went to a community bike shop to ask about parts next, where they offered to help me replace my wheel with a "normal" one. They said they don't get parts in that aren't easily interchangeable, so it's all derailleurs around there. Took the bike home, oiled the hub really well (not ready to open it yet), replaced the shifter cable, housing and indicator chain and it is shifting fine! I won't be going back to that bike shop. What do they gain from treating people like dirt?

Here's the before (this was the photo on Kijiji complete with antique shop in the background)
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7402/...b6fc96c8_z.jpg20 by Lindsay.Joy, on Flickr

Here it is right now (complete with cat)
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7361/...33956dd2_z.jpgUntitled by Lindsay.Joy, on Flickr

So far we've ( @nelsonmilum and I, who I am sure will be posting a before/after of his matching bike soon) replaced the cables and shifters, brake pads with Kool Stops, new grips and tires, lots of elbow grease and de-rusting with foil, and got a bell the colour of the Eaton's department store shopping bags. I have a new rack to put on the back which I'll do soon. I think I will eventually want a front basket, too, and a better saddle, when I can afford it. This vinyl one keeps catching on my clothes, is rock hard, and the plastic lining is all brittle and cracked.

The mainstream shops often send me the three speeds that they are not equipped to work on... many people have come to me with similar stories where shops wanted to swap out wheels or sell them a new bicycle because their old one was unserviceable.

Eaton's Gliders were manufactured by Raleigh for Eatons... they tend to be of similar good quality with a nice level of finish.

I wish Winnipeg had a Bicycle Repair Man. I bought a supercycle from "Larry The Bike Guy" once and he is no substitute.

That Glider looks great! And what a lame story about your bike shop. Bike shops are notorious for having snobs, which is absurd when you think about it.

I love the white Gilders. I remember my mom had one back in the day, and I looked for a white one myself but ended up with this (faded) green one: nice rider though:

http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/a...r/IMG_1572.jpg

The Brooks is a good choice (B67) however worth as much as the bike is! I've since moved the seat to another build and have a regular unsprung saddle from a Schwinn on it - surprisingly though its quite comfortable.

Since someone else warned me about mine - you might want to check your stem to make sure it is far enough inserted into the head tube - yours looks a little high....

Thanks! I'm really excited about this bike, especially after coming from riding a heavy cruiser. It's going to feel pretty zippy in comparison.

So far, we've found one shop in town where they don't seem like snobs. When we go to the parts counter, sometimes we have to bring a photo of the part that we need to replace and where it goes on the bike. Not just because neither of us know much about bikes, but also because Raleigh and SA are really bad for naming parts in strange ways. The employees there will always help us figure out what we need. N went into one shop where nobody would even talk to him. Oh well. Their loss.

ETA: This posted at the same time as Markk900. How far in should my stem be? I'll double check the book. I realized my handlebars were tilted down and now that I've fixed that, it maybe doesn't need to be up so high. I love your green glider, too! I'm hoping to get a B66s.

I avoid my local shop and sometimes drive an hour out of my way to go to a shop I like. My local one looks down on my late 90s Cannondale. And I'm always wrong to start with. I wish I could go there and discuss my bike problems and have them do some of the work. I do this with my trusted mechanic, I get a quote if it seems reasonable they do the work, if not I do it. No hard feelings and I take most of my work there and recommend them to friends.

I tend to order bike stuff online because of this which I would prefer not to do, but then I don't have to argue with anyone.

You will want at least a couple of inches of tube inserted into the headtube. Not sure if the seat is adjusted for you but if it is you can bring the bars down a LOT!

To learn a lot about the maintenance you might need to do, google "Sheldon Brown 3-speed" and you should have plenty to read! Also check out @Velocivixen's thread: http://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vi...tos-heavy.html Even if you never need to go as far as she did, you'll be much better informed when you go to the shop (snobs or not).

Yeah, the seat's adjusted the way I'd like, I'm just used to having higher bars. My other bike has you almost leaning back so this feels really forward and weird. They'll probably need to be lowered a bit to be an inch into the headtube. Thanks for the tip!
I've gotten a lot out of Velovixen's thread and Sheldon Brown's site. I also got Glenn's Complete Bicycle Manual which has been really helpful. Even if I've done my research, sometimes a snob can make me feel really stupid, you know? Like the first guy kept saying, "What makes you think the hub is fine?" Use that technique long enough and I'll start to doubt my own name. I feel like I should bring cue cards.

I found a few used washers for free in my LBS's used hardware drawer. But more to the point, could riding the bike with a stripped washer bind the bearings?

I know the PO was riding the bike a few months ago - before a car backed over the frame.

Never let anyone else make you feel stupid for something *they* don't know! BTW - read your blog.....while it won't help much you can get a new B67S from SJS Cycles for only $128 (instead of $175)..... Search Results

And this one might work out for you: Brooks B66S Bicycle Saddle | eBay but watch out for the exchange rate!

I usually have a washer on either side so if only one was stripped I think the axle would not have moved since the other side was still holding it. Even stripped on both sides, or with no washers, I suspect the axle wouldn't move much. I'd be much more inclined to believe a car backing over it might have a bigger impact (pardon the pun).

Whoa, $35! I wonder how high that auction will go... I calculated exchange and shipping from a few sites including SJS awhile ago and it just about evened out with the local shop (this is the one where they're actually nice) because our dollar is so low right now. I'm willing to wait a bit since it's too cold to go very far at the moment.

The front of the bike suffered the damage and the rear wheel looks to be in good shape. I think that I'll loosen the left side locknut and see what goes.

I make house calls although the time and mileage here might be prohibitive.

:)

If folks need parts (especially Canucks) I am always happy to send those out.

Good to know!