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Post by brianbutler on Oct 4, 2021 12:33:05 GMT
Over the weekend I acquired two new project bikes. Here are the photos from the ads:
The first is a 1983 Fuji del Rey for $50. I have a 1984 del Rey and it is one of the best bikes in my collection. I have put about 14K miles on it over the past four years. The new one is in great condition and will only need tires, tape, hoods, and cables. Nice lightweight Fuji Valite frame and good Suntour components. Light wear. My size.
The other one is a 1988 Schwinn World Sport for $30 that I mainly wanted for the Araya alloy rims but it needs only tires and cables for a nice refurbish and is my size. I have a set of blackwall tires that will be perfect. The condition is "barely used" - no chain or tire wear but tires are crumbling after 34 years, bearing grease still OK except some caking in the wheel bearings. It has a nice Japanese double butted CroMo frame. Some of the components are lower end but 1988 was just after the apex of steel bikedom, so overall it is a tremendous bargain. 12-speed Shimano SIS mechs and shifters. I plan to refurbish and then either sell, use it as a winter bike, or keep it as "parts on the hoof." Currently fully broken down for cleaning.
Brian
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Post by oldroadietehachapi on Oct 4, 2021 15:11:57 GMT
Fantastic! Great buys and great projects!
Jim
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Post by wheelson on Oct 4, 2021 21:45:49 GMT
Fantastic! Great buys and great projects! Jim Like Jim says, great bikes. I work on the Del Rays all the time at the the shop, they’re good. The Schwinn is also very good and solid. If it’s US made it was from the plant down South, it Taiwanese then built for Schwinn by Giant. Good finds, especially at this point in time. Tough choice if you have to keep one. Suggestion: build ‘em both and side them before deciding. Best, John “wheelson”
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Post by triitout on Oct 4, 2021 22:22:06 GMT
Great shopping spree! I "stole" an Araya wheel set from my wife's unused Miyata and have them on my Gran Touring. Very nice riding. They're easily worth more than $30 alone. Nice!
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Post by brianbutler on Oct 4, 2021 23:52:34 GMT
Fantastic! Great buys and great projects! Jim Like Jim says, great bikes. I work on the Del Rays all the time at the the shop, they’re good. The Schwinn is also very good and solid. If it’s US made it was from the plant down South, it Taiwanese then built for Schwinn by Giant. Good finds, especially at this point in time. Tough choice if you have to keep one. Suggestion: build ‘em both and side them before deciding. Best, John “wheelson” Thanks for the info and advice. I plan to keep both, at least for now.
Brian
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Post by brianbutler on Oct 4, 2021 23:54:56 GMT
Great shopping spree! I "stole" an Araya wheel set from my wife's unused Miyata and have them on my Gran Touring. Very nice riding. They're easily worth more than $30 alone. Nice! There is another parts bike in NH for $25 that I might get next time I am up there - Alloy rims, Suntour V-GT RD, Suntour V-Comp FD, and Suntour ratchet shifters. Can't beat that.
Brian
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Post by brianbutler on Oct 5, 2021 14:57:57 GMT
Here's a question for a Schwinn expert (i.e. Wheelson). I noticed the water bottle bosses on the Schwinn World Sport are offset about 10% to the right of the down tube center line. I was wondering if there is an explicit stated reason for this or, failing that, do you have another explanation. I can only guess that it's Schwinn being Schwinn and the offset accommodates a special Schwinn bottle cage. Now, if I saw this on a modern $6000 carbon fiber bike I would know immediately it is the result of detailed wind tunnel studies, or perhaps to finely balance the frame.
Brian
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Post by wheelson on Oct 5, 2021 15:30:40 GMT
Here's a question for a Schwinn expert (i.e. Wheelson). I noticed the water bottle bosses on the Schwinn World Sport are offset about 10% to the right of the down tube center line. I was wondering if there is an explicit stated reason for this or, failing that, do you have another explanation. I can only guess that it's Schwinn being Schwinn and the offset accommodates a special Schwinn bottle cage. Now, if I saw this on a modern $6000 carbon fiber bike I would know immediately it is the result of detailed wind tunnel studies, or perhaps to finely balance the frame.
Brian
Brian, I have no idea having never noticed this. If this was one of the Greenville, Mississippi bikes in the great escape from Chicago move, I understand that there were many misadventures starting up. I just can’t see any reason for that configuration and certainly can’t see the Taiwanese bikes coming like that. The only offsets from the factory were the under- top tube brake cable guides. Those and some misaligned seat tube water bottle braze-ons that a friend put on a Schwinn Sports Tourer, NOT under my supervision! Best, John “wheelson”
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Post by brianbutler on Oct 5, 2021 16:18:50 GMT
Here's a question for a Schwinn expert (i.e. Wheelson). I noticed the water bottle bosses on the Schwinn World Sport are offset about 10% to the right of the down tube center line. I was wondering if there is an explicit stated reason for this or, failing that, do you have another explanation. I can only guess that it's Schwinn being Schwinn and the offset accommodates a special Schwinn bottle cage. Now, if I saw this on a modern $6000 carbon fiber bike I would know immediately it is the result of detailed wind tunnel studies, or perhaps to finely balance the frame.
Brian
Brian, I have no idea having never noticed this. If this was one of the Greenville, Mississippi bikes in the great escape from Chicago move, I understand that there were many misadventures starting up. I just can’t see any reason for that configuration and certainly can’t see the Taiwanese bikes coming like that. The only offsets from the factory were the under- top tube brake cable guides. Those and some misaligned seat tube water bottle braze-ons that a friend put on a Schwinn Sports Tourer, NOT under my supervision! Best, John “wheelson” OK, I have a couple more data points. First, this bike has stem shifters and cable housing stops for them on the down tube. These are also rotated by the same amount, so obviously the tube was simply not at top dead center when it was brazed, a rather stupid mistake and evidence of zero quality inspection. Think about it. After this mistake it went through several more steps - painting, packing, etc. I don't know if cabling happens at the factory or at the dealer, but either way it is surprising it made it to the customer. Or maybe it did and there was some compensation we don't know about.
The serial number is GM706043. I suppose the GM is Greenville, Mississippi. Poor Schwinn.
Brian
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Post by brianbutler on Oct 5, 2021 16:37:10 GMT
Maybe I should make a market for these things. Here is another '88 Schwinn World Sport in my size nearby for $35. The frames seem really good. Double-butted CroMo, forged dropouts, plenty of braze-ons (various angles notwithstanding.) And this one looks to have an alloy seat post unlike my current one, which is steel.
Brian
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Post by franco on Oct 7, 2021 10:28:20 GMT
The Fuji looks a bargain Brian, they were high spec bikes weren’t they? Never see them in the U.K. not the old models.
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Post by brianbutler on Oct 7, 2021 13:12:27 GMT
The Fuji looks a bargain Brian, they were high spec bikes weren’t they? Never see them in the U.K. not the old models. The del Rey is in the bottom half of the lineup but it is still a very nice bike. Here is the spec sheet for the 1983 like the one I just picked up, which is all original:
Brian
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Post by brianbutler on Dec 8, 2021 1:51:26 GMT
I noticed a FREE Fuji Espree available 20 minutes away so I picked it up and stripped it for parts - Suntour AR deraulleurs, Suntour [alas, stem] shifters, Dia Compe sidepulls and levers, Good JIS dimensioned headset, a good bottom bracket, hubs and alloy rims in good condition, nearly new 27x1-1/4" tires and tubes. The rest went into my scrap metal bucket or trash bin. I might scrap the small frame and fork but they feel very light. If they weigh in like Valite tubing I'll keep them, not sure for what.
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