Another tragic fate has been avoided, another 10-speed will live to see more miles. Thanks to the efforts of Eric in Pennsylvania, this 1985 Schwinn Sprint is looking better than ever.
I found this 1985 Schwinn Sprint on a local freecycle.org list. I was told that the individuals from whom I acquired said bicycle had just thrown it in the trash for pickup. Apparently they throw away perfectly good items on a regular basis.
Thanks to this horrible habit, I ended up the recipient of this mid-80’s Taiwanese made Schwinn 10-speed. I already ride a 2007 Schwinn Voyageur GS hybrid for commuting and long distance pleasure rides but found myself wanting a workout bike for strength training. I figured that I’d be able to rebuild it if the frame was tight.
After picking up the bike I took a thorough inventory of what I had, and what would need to be changed and/or adjusted. The whole bike required a through cleaning of all parts first and foremost. The front and rear tubes and tyres needed replacement (27×1 1/4). All of the cabling needed to be replaced and re-lubed. The brakes originally needed adjustment which was accomplished during cable changing. The front and rear derailleurs needed adjustment. The wheels needed to be trued with required extensive work with the spoke wrench. Finally, the chain required oiling.
It was just this morning that I finished the final touches, those being seat re-adjustment and the wrapping of the dropbars with some phat wrap from Specialized. I’d taken a preliminary test drive prior to all of the above changes sans the original tyres and dead tubes being replaced.
After roughly $60.00 worth of total replacement parts and some much needed TLC the Sprint has been reborn and feels like a totally new machine. I live in a fairly hilly area of Pennsylvania (Hilltown, Central Bucks County, PA) and look forward to taking this bike to task against the local terrain. Just shows that one can find an older bicycle and with little money and considerably more time invested, a true gem can be had.
The next project is another donor bike, an AMF Roadmaster Scorcher which I intend to make into a fixed gear just for the experience of doing the conversion.
Keep up the great work with the site, it is always a pleasure to see some of these older 10 speeds still in use and getting attention.
Thanks Eric
