Bikedued

They're Continental Town & Country, before they went blackwall only. I am not a big fan of negative tread tires for the most part, since the tread "goes away" when you need it most. They do QUITE well in grass, etc though. They also roll smoothly on the center rib on pavement. Overall decent, and look awesome.,,,,BD

Closeup of the tread on these.

https://www.westernbikeworks.com/prod...FeRi7AodcEkATg

The Golden Boy 

You're not helping.

rawly old

My latest toy is this $60 mint Univega mixte which I took home 1 hr. after it posted on CL.
Initially thought to be an '84, I checked date codes; it's a G/H, '78/'79. I am amazed; it's
so light for a dbl butted chromo, and easily the fasted bike I've owned,(that includes a
brand new Peugeot racer I'd bought in the late '60s).
With the 100 psi roadies I felt every pebble in the asphalt, but now with 65 psi 27 x 1 3/8
cross tires the ride is very smooth & somehow even quicker. It might be due to reduced
vibration & more even weight distribution. The Club Roost Terra cross tires are ideal for
the price. They're far better than the Kenda 161 yet just as affordable.
As seen, the seat & bar bags were modified from thrift finds, $7 for both. The inframe,2 oz., is
a simple triangle of ripstop nylon, stitched with velcro closures. The $8 used rack needed
extensions to avoid heel strike,(size 14 feet),should I decide to use my panniers. On the
rack is a U.S.M.C. bivy with a $15 walmart fleece bag inside. It makes a great weekender,
and with the cross tires I get me off pavement to my secret fishing holes.
There's no problem putting it on public transit, which is so cheap here. I can go 200 mi. to
the Pacific beaches for $4.50. What a freedom machine!

The Golden Boy 

I don't think I've added it to this thread yet-

Here's the 1984 Schwinn Voyageur SP.

Bikedued

That is nice! Love the paint color, never seen it before!,,,,BD

The Golden Boy 

Thank you! It's a super rich dark blue.

gaucho777 

+1 on the sharp Voyager. That blue must look great out in full sunlight. Nice upgrade to the shifters as well. Btw, I notice the front rack is mounted to the rear eyelets. Was this the only way to make the rack level? Do you still have enough clearance to mount a front pannier at the hooks on the bottom of the rack?

The Golden Boy 

''Thank you!!

The Blackburn racks that mount to the dropout braze ons all mount to that lower eyelet. Even top of the line touring bikes may not have 2 eyelets per dropout, and there's always a lower braze on. I also got a couple of NOS Vetta front racks- the spacers to clear the fork leg are a part of the included hardware.

I have mounted (or have attempted to mount) rear panniers to the front rack on my 620. The rears are a bit big- the hooks rest goofy on the rail, but I'd say a smaller pannier would be fine. I've just used Pannier Hooks for the panniers and handlebar bags with the elastic straps. I really have the front rack for the Acorn bag- I'll take pix of the bike with that.

The paint is interesting. I'm so used to Trek's Imron, and compared to that- this paint is crazy fragile. I've also been trying to decide whether I want to outline the lugs. This bike is a little later than what I associate lined lugs to be with, but the dark blue just INVITES gold lining.

The Golden Boy 

Here's are a little closer shots of where the racks attach on the VSP and the 620:

Bikedued

If all goes well Saturday, I should have another Cannondale to convert. A newer model white M500. It will probably get the LX group from the Sante Fe, and some drop bars possibly. The paint is supposedly toast, but we'll see. I've never been a fan of White C'dales though. During the build, paint might be in order. Maybe strip and polish? I need to get the thing first of course.,,,,BD

I should mention newer, means newer than my 88. It's one of the early nineties with the extended dropouts...

Bruce27

Great pics. Never knew Schwinn did Columbus. Naive on my part I guess. Very nice.

The Golden Boy 

Thank you!

So this is a Panasonic built, Columbus framed bike. There must've been a switch around this time, using Columbus as the "high end" material. Where Trek was using 531c, 531CS, or 531 + CrMo or Mangalloy for their upper end touring bikes- Schwinn started using Columbus. In 1985 Schwinn started using Columbus Tenax for the Voyageur (and SL/SP for the VSP). I'm assuming the 1985 Voyageur was built in Japan, but I think the 1986 Tenax framed Voyageur (the only "Voyageur") was built in Greenville. I think the other Tenax framed Schwinns were made in Greenville.

hairnet

@neo_pop_71 I finally got that Univega Gran Turismo rolling. The bar will have to come up eventually.

neo_pop_71

Wow... just W O W ! ! !

That is not the same G.T. you picked up that day, I never imagined it could look so beautiful!

Hairnet, were you able to save the original fork or did you have one made?

I'm so glad I was able to save that frame from that butcher but I'm more excited that you were able to return bring it back to life and get rollin' again!

Again, really nice work!!!

-D-

jmilleronaire

I like the '84 Voyageur SP, it inspired me to post my '83!

This is the only picture I have of it right now. I replaced the degraded gumwalls with gatorskins when one separated in a corner and made me do a really heroic tuck-and-roll.

The Golden Boy 

More pictures!!!

"heroic tuck and roll" sounds much more successful than "planted."

hairnet

I did some work at the co-op straightening the fork (it was really bad) and, guessing from the way the bike steers, added some extra rake. It's good though, it now feels like a low trail CX bike :-P which is fine because I don't think it is a very good touring frame in this size.

I know a frame builder and he agreed to replace the hacked off brake cable guides, add a pump peg, and fix the gouges to the TT and crown race. I also had it powder coated in a batch with his stuff, so I didn't get to choose a color but it worked out nicely.

graumpee

1975 Fuji Dynamic 10
Not marketed as a touring bike and has no braze-ons for bottle cages or racks, but has two sets of eyelets on the rear dropout--one on the front, and longish chainstays(44cm). I've kept all the original components excluding the chain, pedals/straps, wheels/tires, saddle and handlebars. The latter three have been replaced with vintage parts: Avocet Touring I, Sakae Randnner, and Araya 27x1-1/4 36/40 laced to Suntour hubs with a 7-speed Maeda freewheel driven by a new KMC X8.93 chain. The pedals are MKS Sylvan Touring (anodized a tannish color for a bit of differentiation and to harmonize with the Power Grip straps). All the cables have been replaced as well as the handlebar tape. I've added the poor-man's aero bars in the form of Control Tech handlebar extenders attached to Cinelli Spinaci's. Rear rack is vintage Jim Blackburn, front racks are the Soma Mini Alloy Front Rack and Blackburn's FL-1 Standard Lo-Riders. Finally, ample clearance for SKS P45 Longboard fenders with 1-1/4 Paselas, which will be officially seated for the open-ended tour that begins in mid-April.

Thank you soo much to this entire forum, the majority of my searches led me here and subsequently provided me with more than adequate amounts of information, especially helpful in the form of differences of opinion that allowed me to adapt my choices to those views and my personal experiences/preferences.

s819.photobucket.com/user/graumpee/media/20140305_151206_zps4dc6d5f1.jpg.html

s819.photobucket.com/user/graumpee/media/20140305_152521_zps6ef2e51d.jpg.html

jmilleronaire

Sure, as soon as the snow releases its stronghold and I can justify digging it out of the back of the garage again.

The Golden Boy 

It was 60 yesterday- going back to 12 tomorrow...

oldbikenewbike

My two Schwinn Sports Tourers...

beeseecleta

i know this is an old post, but i gotta say. sweet bike! you built this frameset, right?

beeseecleta

expeditions are awesome bikes. so beautiful. i'm gonna go ride now.

vqstaphbeard

Made a few changes to the Voyageur, notables are taillight, Stronglight 49D, and wheels I laced up, Shimano 7700 rear and Shimano DH-3N80 to H+SON TB14.

The Golden Boy 

It's really cool seeing what other people have done, how other people have overcome the stuff that stops you, and gives you great ideas for your own bike.

Your Fuji is really cool- I wonder if it was a "touring" bike (as 44cm says "1970s tourer" to me), but just ordered with fewer braze ons. I don't know how the system worked- but I've read that you could order Treks to have or not have cable guides, rack/fender bosses and stuff like that. In 1975, the person who ordered your Fuji may have had enough for the frame, but not the extras.

I'm also very intrigued about your use of the front racks- the tall front AND lowrider. A few of my bikes have tall front racks- I don't know how the weight of fuller panniers will affect the steering from the top rail of the rack, but I've considered adding lowriders- yours is the first I recall seeing set up that way since I started thinking about it.


Looks like a fantastic bike!