moe_g

Hi, I'm new to this forum, so excuse me if I'm doing anything wrong or asking this in the wrong place. I just picked up a 1981 Schwinn Le Tour Tourist and I'm looking to get it ready to ride. I took it to a local co-op and found that most of the parts are in good condition. We removed the dry rotted tires and old tubes and cleaned out the back hub, regreased it and put it back together. I just ordered new tires and tubes. There wasn't enough time to work on the brakes, but the bike is pretty old, so if sanding the pads doesn't help, what are some good (cheap) options for pads and cable?

I have a few specific le tour questions too if anyone is experienced with them.

(would have posted pictures, but I'm not allowed to yet)

Thanks!

SurferRosa

Here's a brake cable and housing kit I buy for my bikes that ships for under $10 (+tax):

https://www.ebay.com/itm/39282598568...sAAOSw0Q1hCDCm

cycleheimer

polymorphself 

Cool bike. Drop the kickstand and swap the steel rims out for alloy ones when you get a chance. Both will help with weight as this bike stock is on the heavier side as well as ride quality.

I personally would also drop the dork disc and all reflectors but that’s just me.

I would also eventually swap the stem shifters (which are fine) for bar end shifters if i thought the bike were going to be a keeper.

Curious if yours came with the original fenders?

RobertUI 

Welcome! I for one, really love these older Schwinn's!!!

daverup 

You've already saved, having a co-op to help with this bike.
Someone else already posted a deal on cables, so the biggest thing left will be the brakes.
If the brake pads are really old, sanding them will only expose more old hard rubber. The old steel rims are difficult to get good braking performance with higher quality pads. If you are going to ride this bike in the rain, you will have trouble stopping with old pads. The cheapest option will be newer pads, but they will not be great in the rain either. Probably the best brake pads on those steel rims will be Kool Stop, but they won't be cheap.
If you can get alloy rims at the co-op, you could save some money there, and the bike will be lighter. Alloy rims will make stopping easier with average brake pads.
Good luck!

moe_g

Thank you! This is great and looks like the set on my bike now.

moe_g

Thank you cycleheimer! Mine is the blue with white fenders

moe_g

I think I'll eventually swap the rims out, but the current ones are in pretty good condition, so I'll stick it out for a bit while keeping an eye out for a cheap pair of alloy rims.The people at the co-op kinda scoffed at me when I mentioned swapping them though, but the bike is heavy especially for 113 lb me! One of the volunteers taught me about dork discs and I think for safety reasons as a new cyclist I'll leave it on haha. Also, I happen to think it looks kinda cute!

I'm actually looking forward to learning to use the stem shifters. The last bike I rode was my childhood bike that was a single speed, so I'm up for the challenge.

Yes, it came with the original Bluemel fenders! It looks like it was in someone's garage for the last 40 years. Minimal scratches and rust and all original decals and parts as far as I can tell. The only thing missing is the red reflector in the rear.

3alarmer 

...at the co-op here, we buy cables and housing in bulk, and sell it at cost to the customers. If your co-op does that, that's be far your cheapest alternative. Brake pads, I would just look for something on Amazon.

merziac

You "can" sand the rims braking surface, not a long term fix but......

polymorphself 

We're gonna need pics.

merziac

moe_g

Do the fenders have any Schwinn branding on them, "Approved" or the like?

polymorphself 

I've not seen mention of the bottom bracket yet. You'll definitely want to clean that out and re-grease. You'll need some specific tools for it if you don't do it at the co-op. RJ the Bike Guy is your friend for online vintage bicycle tutorials:

moe_g

Thanks for the break pad recommendation! I think I will eventually upgrade to alloy wheels for weight and performance reasons, but for now I'm gonna stick it out with the steel for money reasons haha. Luckily I'm in Los Angeles where it rarely rains.

When I take it back in to the co-op I will probably go this route.

Thank you! I'm happy to be here and learning more and more everyday. I think older Schwinns are pretty cool too!

Pics coming as soon as I reach my 10 post count and the restriction is lifted!

Thank you for this! I definitely need to do this. I'm going back to the co-op soon and will do it while I'm there. I went to the Bicycle Kitchen in Los Angeles, in case anyone in the future stumbles across this thread and is looking for a co-op in LA.

The guys at the co-op recommended trying to sand the breaks and loosening the break hardware (not sure what it's called), because the brakes are a little wonky. We ran out of time before the place closed, but I'm going to bring it back soon to finish up and see what the final diagnosis is. I'm not opposed to getting new break pads, cable and housing though.
​​​​​
The fenders say "Bluemels Popular made in England," just like the ones in the original add from 1981.

moe_g

My seat post and stem are both seized, I'm assuming from internal rust. I was planning on grabbing some PB Blaster to get them unstuck. I'm also planning on securing my parts with pitlocks, because I live in LA and bike theft is terrible here. They don't make a locking part for quill stems though. A part of me wonders if I should leave the stem stuck, so that it can't get stolen....

Any advice on unsticking them? Also, the bike has an integrated seat post clamp, but its missing the fastening bolt. Does anyone know what size I need?

Feel free to explain anything to me like I'm 5. My bicycle knowledge only goes as far as this forum, youtube and google.

52telecaster

Stuck seatpost and stem can be pretty brutal to get undone but they will usually come out. You're lucky if they are the right height now. PB blaster is good but plenty of grunt will be required.

Welcome to the forum an know you came to the right place. There is more knowledge here than you can imagine.

Fahrenheit531 

...You'll find that's really all you need. Well, that and tools.

As mentioned above, a stuck stem or seatpost can turn into an epic battle. If it does, stay strong. Fight the good fight!

moe_g

Oh jeez, I knew it would probably be hard from a youtube video I watched, but that thread was enlightening. The seat can turn a little, so that's promising. The stem on the other hand... I'm prepared to be in the trenches. I still believe when there's a will, there's a way though! I'm a lightweight, but I'll be using all my strength (and patience) for this. I'll let y'all know how it ends up. The co-op has a vice grip, but I don't want to risk the frame.

moe_g

Update: I got the seat out within seconds of using PB blaster! I'm about to start on the stem. Fingers crossed it doesn't give me too much of a hard time.

moe_g

The stem is officially free too! I sprayed PB blaster around the bolt, because I couldn't get it to turn at all. Then I removed the front fender, flipped the bike upside down and sprayed the stem hole (?) with PB and let it sink down. After a few minutes I flipped the bike back and muscled the bolt out. (In retrospect, I think the stem might not have even been stuck, just the stem bolt, but who knows.)

Not too bad for my first experience freeing stems and seat posts, though I'm aware most cases are probably way worse.

I'm going to continue taking the bike apart to scrub all of the rust off where needed. Hopefully I'll be able to post pics soon!

polymorphself 

Evaporust is your friend for the rust both the liquid for easy dipping (a few hours soak is usually enough) or the gel for parts you can’t soak in a bin (the frame, for example).

After the rust is off the frame I typically do a warm wash with soapy water followed by polish and then wax. Frame will look close to new again if the paint is decent.

My go to polish is Meguires scratch X (will take care of very light surface scratched as a plus) and mothers Caranuba for wax.