Originally Posted by
justcynn
Riddle of Steel told me the Voyageurs were clear coated and that tends to yellow and get brittle and that It is relatively easy to remove with a paint stripper. that is what I did and then I just used Quick-Glo Chrome Polish (as seen on Jay Lenos Garage). I like these all chrome Schwinn's so much, I have two now - one more of a original build and this one with the modern components. The original Super Maxy crank and Altus groupset are really nice and smooth. I almost like riding the original set up better than the new but it just doesn't have the range for hills like the triple Tiagra does and I am not getting any younger
I had the same clear coat issue. Once I stripped the clear coat on mine I was really shocked at how nicely it cleaned up. Mine's a 12.2 so didn't have as nice of a crank attached, it was a swaged "Le Tour" marked 52x40 (IIRC?). Next build for that frame is likely going to be a fixed gear, fendered, porteur bar commuter. Probably going to try and find some period-approximate high flange track hubs and use a decent amount of the Shimano Arabesque groupset I've got hanging around
I surprisingly found a 110mm .833 stem on eBay that should make non-drop bars fit well enough.
80's Schwinn bike shop line up
I've had a few of the 80's Schwinns come into and leave my collection - two 86 Passages, and an 85 and 87 Tempo. All really lovely bikes, but they were always either too small or too big for me.