Installment #2 of Back-to-back twofers from Art F in Rockville. This time it’s an OTSG First GreatSport Aquarius, and a miniaturized 24″ Schwinn Collegiate.
Hi Cameron,
Here is one of the crappy bikes I promised you I would submit . The headbadge says GreatSport the model is Aquarius and it says 10 speed right on the top tube so you don’t need to count gears .Must have been a bike sold at woolworths or Kresge’s . I can’t find info on it anywhere . I think I picked it up for about $15 at a thrift store because it looked shiny, all the cables were attached, the wheels were true and the tires had air in them . When I put it on the repair stand there were no surprises other than derailleurs needing a little tweaking and the brake levers mounted on the lowest part of the bar. But when I took it for a test ride it was just YUCK . It’s no fun riding a gas pipe special when You have to lay flat on the top bar to work the brakes . I think I’m getting old . I miss the suicide levers when you can’t ride with your hands resting on the brake hoods. I put it on craigslist for $85 . I want it gone so I can concentrate on the good stuff in the backyard like Peugeots, Motobecanes, Schwinns and Kabukis .Regards,
Art
Hi Cameron
This is a miniature version of my Schwinn collegiate 5 speed
http://oldtenspeedgallery.com/owner-submitted/art-f-schwinn-collegiate/
It has 24 X1-3/8 tires but the equipment is just about the same as the full size version. this thing is probably indestructible . I think it weighs about 50 lb . Must be the gas pipe frame tubes and the wheels that are like motorcycle rims . I thought I could sell it on craigslist DC for $95 but no nibbles after a week .
Addendum:
Now that I look at the 2 pictures side by side , it looks like the only similarities were the name Collegiate . the smaller one had dropped handlebars and pieplate crank protector while the larger one had sweptback handlbars and full chainguard. . But both had that great Scwinn chrome that cleans up so nice and the derailleurs that usually only took a 1/4 turn of adjustment screws to fine tune them.
Art
Thanks Art