ciclista_pazza

I recently moved and had to sell a 1979 Schwinn Le Tour mixte with swept back handlebars that I loved. I can't get over how great that bike was and have been wanting to get something similar since. I haven't been able to find a Le Tour bike for sale since I moved, but I did come across a Schwinn Traveler on ebay that would be my size. (or at least it says it's 19" which should theoretically fit me).

Here's a link to the bike:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/14483879292...Bk9SR7L40MC2Yw

It's only $40 for local pickup (and I'm in the area) and I wanted to get some feedback. From the pictures, you can see that the bike isn't in stellar condition, but I would be replacing the shifters with thumb shifters (I had thumb shifters put on my Le Tour and loved them), I would replace the pedals and probably the brakes, and I would also get new tires and possibly a new wheelset if needed. Does this one look too far gone or would this be a reasonable deal for a fixer upper? Also, how many speeds do you think this is? I think my Le Tour was a 10 speed. Anyone know how many speeds this one (apparently a 1984) likely has?

One other question - does anyone have experience buying bikes at bike swaps? I moved to the Ann Arbor, Michigan area and there is a vintage bike swap coming up in May, so I could potentially wait and see what they might have. The issue is my size (19") is hard to come by so I'm tempted to get a bike that fits me when I see it.

Thanks for any guidance.

cb400bill

Pic Assist

ciclista_pazza

What is pic assist? The ebay link I pasted shows pictures - can you not see them on your end?

ciclista_pazza

Here are pics from the ebay listing:

cb400bill

People respond to inquiries better if they don't have to click the link to see the pics.

ciclista_pazza

Thanks! I've added pictures.

Now that I see the super enlarged pics, I do notice a lot of rust. Maybe it would be best to skip this particular bike.

Murray Missile 

I'd pass on this particular one at $40. They're a solid daily rider and will give decades of service but there are THOUSANDS of them out there. They're as common as dirt and almost as cheap, I picked this one up a couple years ago for $15 as pictured, the paint turned out to be nearly perfect. I converted it to a 3X8 with flat bars, fenders and 700c wheels. I put 38mm tires on it and it has room to spare. It's been doing trainer duty helping me with my rehab after knee replacement surgery.

albrt 

This seems like a very reasonable deal at $40. I rebuilt one of these for my wife and it's a pretty good utilitarian bike. A lot of what looks like rust is superficial and will scrub off. A few steel items like the spoke protector (aka dork disk) are prone to rust and might not look much better even on a cleaner example. You can either replace or eliminate the spoke protector pretty easily along with the other things you are doing.

This appears to be a 12 speed - two chain rings in front x 6 cogs in back, which is what I would expect on this bike. If the wheels are steel (they look like it) then you could reduce the weight a lot by getting alloy wheels, but you don't need to do that right away unless there is something wrong with the wheels.

There will be lots of bikes at the Ann Arbor bike swap. You probably won't find a rideable bike for $40, but there is a pretty good chance you would find one that is ready to go for $40 plus what you would spend buying tires, pedals, etc. for this one.

MeadMan2

The paint looks really good though it needs a good clean-up. As far as the chrome, I have had success using 0000 steel wool soaked in WD 40. If those are aluminum rims, the wheels are fine.The first thing I would do is replace that horrible saddle. The condition of the paint to me indicates low mileage. I think it is a decent bike for $40.00.

thinktubes 

ciclista_pazza

Thanks for the comments! This gives me a lot to think about.

Vintage Schwinn

It is worth the $30 ebay price (Ebay listing reflects a $30 buy it price, and local pickup only).

Yes, you will have a lot of clean-up and sorting out the "tuning" which will be co$tly if you were to drop it off at the local bike shop and say tune it and make it roadworthy-reliable.

Having said all of that, you can look at it from a Do It Yourself perspective, a learning experience, "project" and perhaps do it all yourself for a very reasonable sum.
The biggie is that you'll have to learn how to take it apart and put it back together...
It isn't that hard to do.
Replacing cables, Replacing Brake Pads, Replacing Tires & Tubes, Servicing the Bottom Bracket, Servicing the headset, servicing the wheel bearings, the cassette or freewheel whichever is applicable, Adjusting the Rear Derailleur and adjusting the Front Derailleur as necessary, Truing the wheels with a spoke wrench with the bike upside down resting on handlebars & seat can be done to near perfection by a novice that pays attention and goes very slowly, only making very very slight adjustments at a time and then carefully measuring (eyeballing) the effect of that slight adjustment....yes it is perhaps a long process of perhaps an hour or two for a novice to better True a slightly imperfect wheel but you can't go fast and willy nilly when you really are still unfamiliar with what the spoke truing adjustment will do. It would be a long list of things to do. If you were to pay a Shop to do all the work, it would be cost prohibitive because you could purchase a nice used bike in your perfect size for far less than the local bike shop's Repair Bill to make that bike dependable & rideable.
You could DIY for a fraction of that cost, where it would be reasonable and inexpensive, but the huge problem with that is that you may only currently possess a fraction of the knowledge about how to do it yourself. That is it in a nutshell.
The bike is obviously worth $30, or worth $50, perhaps even $60 BUT THE BUYER OF THAT BIKE WILL NEED TO BE CAPABLE (or willing to learn) OF DOING ALL THE NECESSARY DISASSEMBLY, REPAIRS & FINE TUNING for it to be a cost effective "project bicycle of the perfect size" to evolve ultimately into a dependable daily driver bike for buyer. There is zero flip potential. There will undoubtedly be "SUNK COSTS" but those shouldn't amount to too much. The bike would be "well built and durable" and a perfect size fit IF THE DIY PROCESS GOES WELL. If you were to bite off more than you could chew, you would have spent time and wasted money on an aborted project.
That is the big risk if you cannot succeed with the DIY approach.
The DIY approach is not for everyone.
There is certainly nothing wrong with that.
If the DIY approach isn't for you, then DO NOT CONSIDER ANY SUCH "PROJECT BIKE". (......certainly not ever for a primary bike that you intend to ride as soon as you can)
........Buy something else instead that NEEDS NOTHING, and IS WELL KEPT AND PERFECTLY ROADWORTHY and fits you (frame fits you perfecty & is exactly the style of bike that you want)
...........Keep looking until you find what you are after. Use whatever existing bike that you already have, or borrow a spare bike to ride, temporarily, from a family member or friend until you do locate a decent, suitable, bicycle that you really want to buy.

capnjonny 

If you have a bike co op that is accessable to you I would recommend you stop by and talk to them about your pending purchase. They might have a used bike for sale that has already been serviced, usually at a very reasonable price. They might also let you volunteer with them as a way to gain the knowledge you will need to do any restoration yourself. Working on bikes can be frustrating. it can also be very rewarding. Are you the kind of person that likes solving problems. Do you have any mechanical aptitude or want to gain some. If so then fixing bikes can be an addictive hobby. As someone who has restored cars and boats you will find it is a much cheaper hobby than either of those.

ciclista_pazza

Thanks! This is a great point. I'm not too experienced at making major repairs to bikes myself, and I often forget how much that ends up costing when I ask a bike shop to do the fixing up.

Also, I just came across Facebook Marketplace for Ann Arbor and there are lots of vintage bikes there I'll check out. But you make a strong point about waiting until the right bike comes along. I'm bad about that and need to learn to have more patience.

ciclista_pazza

Thanks! There is a bike coop in the area. I've never been good at fixing bike stuff myself, mainly because I always seem to run into hurdles, like not having the wrist strength to unscrew a bolt or to remove pedals. These seem like simple things and it bothers me that I can't seem to do basic things like that. I probably should take a class through the coop to become more experienced and to gain confidence.

dedhed

1985 worth asking price IMO IF you do work yourself.


https://bikecatalogs.org/SCHWINN/MODELS/Traveler.html




https://fredhaj.tripod.com/schwntrvpage.html

ciclista_pazza

Very cool. Thanks!

Pompiere

If you are not in a hurry, there is a huge bike swap at the Monroe County Fairgrounds on May 5, where you can browse hundreds of bikes.

ciclista_pazza

Thanks! I'm planning to go to that. I think it used to be held in Ann Arbor but was moved to Monroe this year. I agree that would probably be a better option. My only concern is that prices will potentially be jacked up. I've only attended one bike swap meet in my life, and don't know how it usually goes, but am guessing they will hike up the price of cooler vintage bikes like Schwinns.

Pompiere

It was at the Washtenaw County fairgrounds pre-Covid, then they moved to Monroe after not having it for a couple years. I went last year and was really impressed by how nice the facility was. I didn't think the prices were too high, but it depends on what you are looking for. Rare, high end bikes can command high prices, but something more common like a Traveler would be more reasonable. It's worth going just to see all the different bikes. Get there early for the best selection, then stay late to make deals on the stuff the dealers don't want to haul back home.

52telecaster

I also think that's a pretty good deal. The letour and traveler changed a lot over the years. The steel got better over time. Double butted 4130 is hard to find in a mixte. If you can persevere through getting it the way you want, I bet that would be a nice bike.

capnjonny 

Some bikes have collector value, some don't. There are plenty of great bikes out there like the schwinn you show that have little or none. Unless you are a collector yourself you should probably stay away from those "collector" bikes.

When looking at an old bike the amount of servicing it has had should be considered in the price. At the bike exchange we spend an average of $40 on new parts plus 5-10 hours of volunteer labour on each bike we donate out.

when I "restore/ upgrade" a bike I spend $60 - $100 on new parts plus replace old broken parts with good used ones from our parts bins. . I spend at least 10 hours of my time, often lots more.

Valueing my time at $20/ hr. that is upwards of $260 plus the original bike. A shop around here in silicon valley will charge $60/ hr. One shop I know did a restoration on a Schwinn Continental and charged the owner $600, Only justified for nostalgic reasons.

ciclista_pazza

Thanks! It's great to hear first hand feedback about the bike swap and that's good to know about prices for something like a Traveler. And I still have some hope that I can find a late 70s Le Tour again . I'm sure it will be a blast to attend the event.

ciclista_pazza

I hear you. I'm not sure how much I would shell out for this bike, but for the 79 Le Tour mixte I had previously, I paid about $125 when I bought it from a bike shop and since that one was in pretty good shape, I just had new brakes, tires and shifters put on it (and a new wheelset so I could lose the steel rims). It came out to about $275-325 total with the cost of the original selling price. But once all that was done, it was a dream bike and if I could have brought it with me when I moved, I would have had it forever. I think that it's sometimes worth it if it's the right bike. Especially when you think about what other people spend on some newer bikes or even bikes from Walmart. I also don't have a vehicle (I just rent cars when necessary or take Uber) and so that saves me a lot of money to begin with, so sometimes it's worth it. But I wouldn't pay $600.

One major hurdle with the bike on ebay is I couldn't test ride it to make sure it fits me well (since the tires are trash per the seller) and I can usually tell right away if a bike will be a good fit in general by test riding it. And sellers sometimes list the size incorrectly.

Edit: Now that I think about it, I probably would end up spending near $600 for the ebay bike after all the repairs and upgrades unless I restored it myself, considering the shape it's in now. I probably will just wait and see what they have at the bike swap.

52telecaster

What you spend isn't nearly as important as whether or not you ride it regularly. I love that your bike is your major transportation mode!