Bicycle! Bicycle! I Want To Ride My...

[Huntn]

If I've mentioned this before, my apologizes for starting a new thread. A brief search did not reveal one.

Anyone restored a bike lately? I've got a 1971 era Schwinn Super Sport Bicycle that I've owned since 1971.

It's got an alloy frame, and aluminum wheels and has been impervious to rust for the last 40 years, that is until I moved to Texas. Now the parts that used to be chrome are rusting up bad. This bike is a classic and I'd like to keep it. For any bicycle affectionados, what are my options for replacement/re-chroming? I assume parts for this bike are no longer available, like the chrome guards, or the pedals.

I plan on talking to a local bicycle shop soon, but thought I'd ask here.

 

[latergator116]

That's a nice looking bike.

I think you'd be able to find parts for that bike if you looked around. Of course ebay is a good place to start, but bike swaps or flea markets might find you something too. Maybe you won't be able to match it exactly, but you can probably interchange a lot of parts from schwinns of that era. Good luck.

 

[shuttersny]

Schwinn

A descendant of the original Schwinn Bicycle company owner has a company which he produced two distinct line of bikes as well as does incredible restoration of classic bikes especially Schwinns. He is not allow to used the name Schwinn because the name was bought - his company is called Waterford Precision Cycle - waterfordbikes.com/w/
The bikes he makes are beautiful as well as the striations -check out his lug work and paint jobs. This is first class, hand crafted work - not cheap but for the quality, reasonable. He can make the bike better than the day it was made.

 

[MyMac1976]

I wouldn't send a Super Sport to Waterford the postage to get it there would be more than the bike is worth.

 

[Huntn]

That's a nice looking bike.

I think you'd be able to find parts for that bike if you looked around. Of course ebay is a good place to start, but bike swaps or flea markets might find you something too. Maybe you won't be able to match it exactly, but you can probably interchange a lot of parts from schwinns of that era. Good luck.

Thanks! The problem with eBay might be shipping is someone trying to sell an entire bike, but I'll check it out.

A descendant of the original Schwinn Bicycle company owner has a company which he produced two distinct line of bikes as well as does incredible restoration of classic bikes especially Schwinns. He is not allow to used the name Schwinn because the name was bought - his company is called Waterford Precision Cycle - waterfordbikes.com/w/
The bikes he makes are beautiful as well as the striations -check out his lug work and paint jobs. This is first class, hand crafted work - not cheap but for the quality, reasonable. He can make the bike better than the day it was made.

I look this up, thanks!

 

[Apple fanboy]

If I've mentioned this before, my apologizes for starting a new thread. A brief search did not reveal one.

Anyone restored a bike lately? I've got a 1971 era Schwinn Super Sport Bicycle that I've owned since 1971.

Image

It's got an alloy frame, and aluminum wheels and has been impervious to rust for the last 40 years, that is until I moved to Texas. Now the parts that used to be chrome are rusting up bad. This bike is a classic and I'd like to keep it. For any bicycle affectionados, what are my options for replacement/re-chroming? I assume parts for this bike are no longer available, like the chrome guards, or the pedals.

I plan on talking to a local bicycle shop soon, but thought I'd ask here.

You should be able to get the chrome parent re-plated quite cheaply locally. Do you have any electroplaters in your area?

 

[Huntn]

You should be able to get the chrome parent re-plated quite cheaply locally. Do you have any electroplaters in your area?

I'll be checking this out.

 

[Huntn]

Two years later, I've done nothing with this bike, I think it's a loss primarily due to frame rust which will require stripping the paint and starting over. As the original finish would be gone, the classic nature of the bike will be diminished substantially (I think).

That said, I have two bikes in my garage that take up space. I'd like to hang them on the wall. Due to space constraints, hanging them vertically seems the most compact. Some solutions advocate hanging them by their rims. I might assume that this would be bad for the rim in the long run. Can anyone confirm? Thanks!

Horizontal hanging by 2 rims

Vertical hanging by a rim.
​

Update: Found this online:
Many bike shops, collectors, or racers hang their bicycles by the wheels.


The wheels are made to withstand the weight of the rider while going through road bumps. The forces of a hanging bicycle are way less than anything the wheels are designed for.


Some very deep aerodynamic rims (say, Campa Bora) might require some special hook with a wider seat.


Some people say to hang the bike only by the rear wheel to avoid stress on the headset or fork. This might be true for some particularly light built bikes. On a "normal" road bike, I wouldnt worry.

 

[adk]

I wouldn't worry about it at all. Buy some vinyl coated hooks from the hardware store ... they'll be fine.

 

[Huntn]

I wouldn't worry about it at all. Buy some vinyl coated hooks from the hardware store ... they'll be fine.

I ended up buying the Gladiator Big Hook, which was more expensive than a ceiling hook, but I had to hang from the wall for space considerations and this works well.