PoorInRichfield

I finally took some photos of the restoration of a 1987 Schwinn Tempo that I refer to as a "35th Anniversary Edition". It's a year late in being a true 35th anniversary, but close enough!

I purchased the bike two years ago because it was the same model as the first road bicycle I purchased back in the late 1980s when I was 14 years old. When I realized it was nearly impossible to get an exact-match of the teal color of the original Tempo, I decided I'd restore the bike with a few creative tweaks that weren't on the original bike. Overall, the bike turned out way better than I expected, especially considering this is my first restoration. I'm also thankful I did the restoration before VeloCals closed-up shop or else I would've been out of luck finding decals.

If you have any questions on how to spend considerable amounts of money on restoring a mid-grade road bicycle that nearly no one cares about, let me know... I'm now an expert in that area!

More photos in my Flickr photo album.


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merziac

No questions, only answers here.

Welcome to the club.

Piff 

Incredible job! Can you talk more about how you repainted it? It is gorgeous.

rccardr 

Very nice. Lotsa polishing work there!
That 105 stuff works incredibly well and will outlast all of us.

PoorInRichfield

Thanks!
The gory paint details...

1. Hand sanded old paint off. Pain in the butt... I won't do that again.
2. Sprayed Montana Cans "Tech Metal Primer" as the base to protect the metal. Very nice primer... went on super smooth.
3. Sprayed Montana Cans "Montana Gold Spray Paint Shock White" for base coat and seat tube. Total garbage paint... went on super lumpy. Hand to sand it down and try something else.
4. Sprayed DupliColor "Pearl White" automotive paint to replace the above paint. Sprayed better although it's really hard to tell it's a pearl color unless you really look.
5. Used automotive masking tape to tape around lugs on seat tube and covered seat tube with tape to keep it white.
6. Sprayed Montana Cans Metallic "Caribbean" as the main color. Obviously, a bit darker than the OEM Schwinn "Teal" color, but a really great looking color in the sun. I almost went with Montana Cans "Tenessee" color, which might've been a better match, but too late for that.
7. Applied the decals.
8. Sprayed USC SprayMax 2K Glamour High Gloss Aerosol Clear to protect the decals and the paint.
9. Did some sanding and polishing to smoothen out the clear coat.

plonz 

Fellow Tempo owner here. Your restoration is terrific! IMO, the Metallic Caribbean is a much better choice than the original. Truth be told though, I still prefer the color way of the 1988 model behind it.

PoorInRichfield

I considered doing some touch-up paint work on the 1988, but finding a bright blue metallic color that I can guarantee is a good match is proving difficult.

Now that my 1987 is done, the 1988 is now for sale to someone who will appreciate more than I do... my "nostalgia" lies with the 1987.

PoorInRichfield

One part of the restoration that I think turned out particularly well was the black suede San Marco saddle. It was dull gray and very warn-out prior to restoration. I really wanted to keep it as a suede saddle doesn't make any sense, but looks kind of cool! The saddle weighs a ton and is hard as a rock... I must've been much tougher when I was 14 than I am now as there's no way I'd ride this saddle today.

I used a black suede dye to bring the original color back and a silver paint pen to bring back the San Marco logo.

AdventureManCO 

Hold my beer…






Gorgeous bike btw!

rccardr 

Likewise.
I loves me some Tenax goodness.
Custom paint and graphics with color matched bottle cages, Dura Ace 9 speed, Sugino compact crank, the works:

georges1

Very nice restoration and very nice Schwinn thanks for sharing

rccardr 

Couple others that have emerged from The Lab over the years:

PoorInRichfield

Anyone recall the retail price of a 1987 Schwinn Tempo?

PoorInRichfield

Uploaded "video walk-around", complete with me babbling about my bike as though someone cares.

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smd4

I love love LOVE that color! That thing looks professionally painted. Take a well deserved bow.

My only suggestion: White hoods; white frame accent; white cable housing; white cages; white toe straps; white bar tape; even white bar end plugs.

Black saddle.

What doesn’t belong? That late 80s bike is crying out for a white saddle! Which will take the bike to the next level. I know you’re proud of it, but save the black suede for a bike with black trim.

rccardr 

Hey, WE care! Beautiful work.

Lascauxcaveman 

Probably high 200 or low $300? Maybe mid-300?

A bargain, IOW.

PoorInRichfield

That's the saddle the bike came with "back in the day". I agree that black looks odd and white would certainly look better, but that's what Schwinn pulled out of its parts bin. Now that I think about it, Lycra saddle covers "were a thing" back in the 80s and early 90s and I'm pretty sure I had some kind of goofy cover over the seat.

smd4

Sure. But you've made so many changes, from color to decals to seat post (all vast improvements over the original, in my opinion), why stop at the saddle?

PoorInRichfield

A receipt on Facebook Marketplace for a brand new 1988 Schwinn Circuit... $499.95 plus tax. Hence, a Tempo would've been considerably less. Hard to believe you could buy a Shimano 105 equipped road bike for just a few hundred dollars at one time considering today's 105 equipped bikes start in the thousands.

It seems as though the cost of bicycles these days has far exceeded the rate of inflation. If a Tempo cost ~$300 in 1987, it would now cost ~$800. In today's dollars, an $800 bike is nearly a WalMart bike, not a Shimano 105 equipped race bike!