Old Ten Speed Gallery

Rounding off this stellar Week Of Schwinns is this mint, one owner, 1979 Schwinn Le Tour sent in by Dennis in Indiana.  Happy Schwinn Week to all–see ya Monday.

Serial No. S1987515  1680–Head badge  I am the original owner-please don’t kick the tires!

A few months ago, I wrote a post about a gentleman named Hugh in Michigan who was fixing up an old Schwinn Traveler to sell. In the post, I picked on Hugh a bit for his brake lever positioning and cable routing—all in good fun of course. Then, a few weeks later I received an Owner Submitted from another gentleman named Hugh. I could tell from the pictures he sent that this was likely the same Hugh as a few weeks before, and I assumed he must have stumbled upon the OTSG while looking for other OTS to fix up or something. An email to him confirmed my suspicions. And since then, Hugh has been a friend of the gallery and several of his OTS now adorn these hallowed halls. As if this wasn’t small-worldly enough, Monday I received this(is it pink or is it purple) Schinn Le Tour from a young woman in Detroit named Kelli. Kelli apparently purchased this very bike from our old friend Hugh last year and just happened to come across the OTSG while surfing. Wow, is it getting small-worldly in here or is it just me.

I bought this Le Tour last year — from this guy:
http://oldtenspeedgallery.com/for-sale/southeast-michigans-source-for-old-10-speeds/
And yes, it was in great shape. I ventured into the world of road bikes because of a triathlon I did last summer — it was pretty great to ride this oldie but goodie amongst all the fancy tri bikes!
This year, I replaced the saddle with almost exactly the same one it came with, just one that was in better condition and replaced the grip tape…she is lookin’ sharp!

From a second email:

Also, I spotted the female version of my bike chained to a light pole here in Detroit — no camera. I wonder if Hugh sold that one too?

Last story, I swear…I actually own a bike shop, just opened it here about a month ago. I was at a friend’s last week with the Le Tour and my daily rider — a Bianchi Avenue — and some dude goes, “Don’t you own a bike shop? Aren’t you supposed to have like all the bells and whistles?” I laughed.

I just found your site today and have enjoyed it.
Kelli, Detroit

Thanks Kelli

There is a lot of buzz in the old bike scene these days — spurred on by high gas prices, going green do-gooders(not there is anything wrong with that), the fixed gear phenomenon, the fixed gear backlash, the old 10-speed scene, the old 10-speed backlash and so on — it seems every time you turnaround there is something new with old bikes. One such development is a site called Re-Cycle.com. Re-Cycle is not really a new site(registered in 2004), but I don’t remember seeing the current incarnation until a couple of months ago. Essentially, it is like craigslist and Ebay combined but only features bikes. What’s really cool is that you can register with the site and open up your very own bike shop. Once registered, you can list bikes and bike related merchandise for sale, look down your nose at your customers and be as overpriced as you like — it’s up to you, after all it is your shop. Cities listed so far are: Boston, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, Phoenix, San Diego and San Fransisco. Below, I have saved you some work and found the the best of the best from Re-Cycle.com

San Francisco
NOS Centurion Elite $450

New York
Schwinn Letour $120

Minneapolis
Sanwa 110 $250

Maruishi Road Ace $300

Los Angeles
Ross Eurosport $80

Hosteler $90

Houston
Schwinn Sprint $85

Chicago
Raleigh Super Grand Prix $150

Boston
Miyata $175

Thanks to Re-Cycle.com, anyone can be a smug bike shop owner!

Bob and his herd of Schwinn’s has struck the Gallery once again. This time, his 1974 Schwinn Le Tour is the object of our gaze. Great looking bike–April is officially Schwinn Month here at the OTSG. Thanks for another great entry Bob.

Hi Cameron,

Here’s my 1974 Schwinn LeTour. It rides great, holding up very well.

Thanks,
Bob