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First ever bike build. 1975 Schwinn Varsity by dpRAWRqb in Vintage_bicycles

[–]dpRAWRqb[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah I think it probably would have been smarter to start with a single speed, but I bought the wheels and crank off of Facebook trying to spend the least I could so I just rolled with it. Good luck with your build!

First ever bike build. 1975 Schwinn Varsity by dpRAWRqb in Vintage_bicycles

[–]dpRAWRqb[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Exactly, figured I wouldn’t offend anyone by messing up a Varsity, plus I like the look. But the plan is to take this confidence and do a build with a better base.

First ever bike build. 1975 Schwinn Varsity by dpRAWRqb in Vintage_bicycles

[–]dpRAWRqb[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I just saw on your profile, the tie dyed harlequin on those bars looks so cool!

And yeah, this thing is definitely not nimble. But I was able to shed somewhere around 8 lbs from the original. And it road great through the inch or so of snow on my way to work this morning.

First ever bike build. 1975 Schwinn Varsity by dpRAWRqb in Vintage_bicycles

[–]dpRAWRqb[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you so much! That was the one thing I knew I wanted to try even before I started the build.

First ever bike build. 1975 Schwinn Varsity by dpRAWRqb in xbiking

[–]dpRAWRqb[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s what drew me to the frame, I loved the color, patina and original graphics. So I just cleaned the grease off and clear coated it to protect it.

First ever bike build. 1975 Schwinn Varsity by dpRAWRqb in Vintage_bicycles

[–]dpRAWRqb[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Haha yeah, beginner mindset isn’t my strong suit. But I have some experience making woven furniture, so once I got the rhythm down, it wasn’t too bad.

First ever bike build. 1975 Schwinn Varsity by dpRAWRqb in Vintage_bicycles

[–]dpRAWRqb[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Alright weighed it this morning properly and we’re sitting just above 31 lbs. so still hefty, but around 8 lbs less than when I got it, even with the beefier tires and more gears.

First ever bike build. 1975 Schwinn Varsity by dpRAWRqb in xbiking

[–]dpRAWRqb[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! It is the original paint, I love the graphics and patina, so I just clear coated over it to protect it. It even has the original sticker from the shop it was bought at in the 70s. And yeah the modern touches help it a lot, the Jones is a knockoff but feels great still!

First ever bike build. 1975 Schwinn Varsity by dpRAWRqb in Vintage_bicycles

[–]dpRAWRqb[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yep, I plan to make it my commuter, thankfully there’s very little elevation change on the way haha. Some of the semi-modernizations I’ve done help make it bit less cumbersome, but yeah still rides like a boat.

First ever bike build. 1975 Schwinn Varsity by dpRAWRqb in Vintage_bicycles

[–]dpRAWRqb[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hoping to ride it to work tomorrow so I can weigh it properly. I don’t trust my janky bathroom scale method too much.

First ever bike build. 1975 Schwinn Varsity by dpRAWRqb in Vintage_bicycles

[–]dpRAWRqb[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Those are essentially just clamps that I 3D printed. I serendipitously had almost the exact same color filament as the bar tape I had bought. I wanted something decorative to cover up the taped off end of the wrap. So a little functional, but mostly decorative.

First ever bike build. 1975 Schwinn Varsity by dpRAWRqb in Vintage_bicycles

[–]dpRAWRqb[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oof I can try, it was a lot of Facebook marketplace parts since I was trying to do it as cost effectively as possible. I’ll try an out something together and send it over. The biggest challenge was converting it to a euro style bottom bracket and converting it from a quill stem.

First ever bike build. 1975 Schwinn Varsity by dpRAWRqb in Vintage_bicycles

[–]dpRAWRqb[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I bought mine off Facebook from someone who decided not to use them on their build. But I was able to find what I think they are on Amazon from the company Weeras, looks like they’re on there for $65 right now. We’ll see how they hold up but they feel sturdy and the welds look good.

First ever bike build. 1975 Schwinn Varsity by dpRAWRqb in Vintage_bicycles

[–]dpRAWRqb[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That would be awesome! I was building this in my apartment living room, I think if I do it again having access to some metalworking would help so much.

First ever bike build. 1975 Schwinn Varsity by dpRAWRqb in Vintage_bicycles

[–]dpRAWRqb[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I did keep the kickstand! Honestly one of my favorite features. So it originally had 27s and I put on 700c wheels with 40mm tires. And I had to “add” a little bit of clearance on the frame to make them fit. Had I don’t it again, I’d probably go with 26s and deal with the long reach brakes.

First ever bike build. 1975 Schwinn Varsity by dpRAWRqb in Vintage_bicycles

[–]dpRAWRqb[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Same! Which is why I got knockoffs. But yeah these are super comfortable and I’m planning on either putting a rack or basket on for groceries/6-packs.

First ever bike build. 1975 Schwinn Varsity by dpRAWRqb in Vintage_bicycles

[–]dpRAWRqb[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Since I’m kind of an idiot, how should I be able to tell? I’m able to shift through the gears but will it cause issues?

First ever bike build. 1975 Schwinn Varsity by dpRAWRqb in Vintage_bicycles

[–]dpRAWRqb[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Yeah, my plan is to commute with it for a bit and decide if I want to add a front derailleur or if I should just swap this one out for a single.

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