Old Ten Speed Gallery

I am hoping to have our record setting list of candidates for June’s OTSOTM posted later this afternoon, but in the meantime I thought you all might enjoy this well traveled Miyata 110. I spotted this beauty—complete with the standard cable lock coiled around the seat post—at the Ray Basso Criterium in Bensenville.

The thrill and honor of today’s Street Seen entry ranks right up there with the OTSG being quoted in the New York Times. This is because it was sent in by none other than BikeSnobNYC. Known primarily for his biting wit and hilariously creative references and writing style, he is also (though not openly) a big fan of old 10-speeds. He claims he spotted this ragtag beauty in Brooklyn, but judging from that stem to seat height ratio this could be a ride from his personal collection.

“Seen in Brooklyn.” I love it when they say “10 Speed” on the top tube!

–BSNYC

Thanks Snob

Our old friend Bob, for whom Tuesday’s Le Tour III is honorably named, sent in another from his personal collection. This time it is his wife’s Baby Blue ‘72 Super Sport. If Bob is anything like me, I suspect that he acquired this bike under the guise of being for her, so she wouldn’t begin questioning why he needed some many bikes.

Cameron,

Here is my wife’s 1972 Schwinn Super Sport, Baby Blue. Like all Super sports, it is equipped with a serious pie plate, heavy duty SMS’s and a Brooks B-15 saddle. The last picture shows a sneak preview of my next Schwinn, a 1971 Super Sport in Kool Lemon.

Bob

With so many Owner Submitted OTS streaming in lately, I have not done a Monday Market in over a month—I think we’re due.

Summer is officially in full swing and the national average for a gallon of gas has reached $4.10. Appropriately, the average asking price for an “old 10-speed” on Chicago Craigslist is a robust $113.11(as of June 23). Similar to the PistaDex, the price of some old 10-speeds are beginning to eclipse their original MSRP—leaving thrifty cyclists who have relied upon depreciated old ten speeds to feed their hoarding habits in withdrawal.

Are there any good deals on crappy bikes anymore? Well, in today’s edition of Monday Market, I am shopping with only $75 in-hand, and surprisingly, there are still enough old crappy 10-speeds to go around—especially if you live in Ohio.

Chicago - Raleigh Sportif 10 Speed Road - $75

Chicago - Two No Name Ten Speed Bicycles - $65

Chicago - Ross Gran Tour II 10-Speed Men’s Bike - $50

Detroit - Ugliest Schwinn Ever - $70

Detroit - Ventura 10 Speed - $50

Seattle - Shogun 10-speed - $50

Washington D.C. - Ladies Raleigh 10 Speed - $50

San Jose - Women’s 10-Speed Bianchi - $75

Boston - Ladies Schwinn Sprint 10 Speed Bike - $60

Phoenix - Free Spirit Physiofit Women’s 10 Speed - $30

Philadelphia - 1982 Schwinn Sprint - $50

Youngstown - Yellow Free Spirit - $30

Toledo - Pacer Mixte 10-Speed - $69

Canton - Huffy Strider - $30

Shawn in Utah sent in the first of several Schwinns I received last weekend. I’m not sure why, but I always seem to get Schwinns in bursts of 3 or 4 at a time. Let me tell you, the next few post are a must see for any Schwinn fan. Not just great looking bikes, but nicely photographed as well.

Which brings me to today’s entry. I’m not sure if he intended or realized it at the time, but Shawn setup the feature shot of his Le Tour perfectly. It appears he took this picture either dawn or dusk—often referred to as sweet light—which gives the photo all that gorgeous warmth and vibrancy. As you can see from alternate full view shot, Shawn also had the bike positioned directly in front of his garage door which acted as a big reflector giving detail to the shadow areas and a nice consistent tone to the paint as well as the chrome and aluminum components. The only thing Shawn could have done to make this a little better shot would be to have moved the hose reel from out of the background. Nevertheless, great looking shot.

I would also like to know how Shawn, or his dad, maintain such a perfect driveway and turf edge! I mean come on, that concrete doesn’t look like it’s seen a blade of grass—much less an entire car—in its entire life!

This is my dad’s old Schwinn Le Tour IV that I have resurrected from the wall of his garage. I love the chromed fork and the sapphire blue paint. I just wish that the decals had survived a bit better. I have named him Stefano, partially inspired by the movie The Science of Sleep.

Thanks Shawn