Schwinn Bike Flip is a Flop! - Marketplace Mayhem - 🤬

In today's video I attempt to fix an old Schwinn LeTour Road bike and run into issues right from the start. Sit back, relax, grab your favorite beverage and watch this disaster unfold.
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Light Awash by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommons.org/licenses/...

[@BuffsVintageBikes]

That shifter should give you the option to change it from SIS (click) to Friction. That will solve your problem. If not, simply replace the shifters with any old Shimano friction shifters.

[@TheValueBikeAdvocate]

Thanks for watching. The rear shifter is messed up and I can’t move the lever to friction. I may soak it in oil for a bit and see if it frees up. Thanks!

[@marcusathome]

Yes, the bike looks badly neglected and the previous owner didn't know what he did but the substance seems OK to me. Not too much corrosion, not too much wear and tear, and all parts came off alright - it's worth bringing that bike back to life!
Some suggestions: put on the biggest tyres the frame allows, replace the drop bar with a flat bar and mount MTB shifters and brake levers (watch out for the pull ration of those brake levers, tho). Makes the perfect city beater!

[@TheValueBikeAdvocate]

Thanks for watching! This bike was rode hard and put away wet.. Looks like its last ride was through a mud bog, and put away in a damp shed for years. The chain and rear derailleur were frozen solid. I never thought about putting strait bars on this.🧐 Again, thanks for watching!!

[@owenchase4017]

If that was my bike, I would ditch the downtube shifters entirely and go with drop bar index shifters. I'm using Micronew drop bar shifters and rear derail on a 1970s era Viscount aerospace bike and they work great.

[@TheValueBikeAdvocate]

Thanks for watching. I would put some grifters on but that would price the bike out of the market. I think I have a solution in the works!!

[@timoacker7538]

Why would you ditch the down tube shifters? They're dead simple and they just work

[@Orney]

Becauss you have to take your hands off the bars to shift ​@@timoacker7538

[@filipruml]

@@timoacker7538 But they don't, that's the problem. But replacing it with a new one or a friction shifter would probably be better on a bike like this, rather than STI brifters.

[@owenchase4017]

@@timoacker7538 Why? So I can shift gears without taking my hands if the brake hoods.

[@gavindonnelly7578]

Never fear, the bike man for u is here! I miss his videos so much

[@TheValueBikeAdvocate]

Thanks for watching!! I sure do miss Bart and the gang.

[@parmijo]

Its challenging to rebuild old bikes and price them competitively. (bike acquisition cost+parts cost+time cost). $150 walmart bikes are the competition and customers won't recognize the quality difference.

[@TheValueBikeAdvocate]

Thanks for watching! You hit the nail on the head! I try to make my builds profitable, and for the most part I've done that. The margins can be thin, but my goal is to make CZcams content at a net zero cost to me. When I get a quality bike they tend to sell quickly. When I finish this bike, I hope I can sell it for $100 and make a small profit.

[@jed7644]

That’s a dead match for my 1991. Same color, same graphics, same size (23”), same group set that was on mine when I bought it, etc.
It’s not a new plastique hotrod, but it’s a solid & more or less bomb-proof bike. Yes, a bit of a tank, & an ideal candidate for a restomod approach. It’s not worth much to the market, but updates make it a great daily driver.
I use mine for 3 Zone 2 rides plus a couple of HIIT sessions per week - typically around 300 klicks. I weigh about 220 & It’s tough enough to take it 250 days per yr, year after year after year.
The fun part, I get on a lighter bike like a Paramount or a C/F Specialized Allez, & it feels like I’m on nothing at all.
The LeTour & the Allez are both ‘91s, & they’re my newest bikes. I ride at least as much as anybody else I know, am in my 60s but easily keep up w/ guys half my age, & spend very little on any bike.
There’s no need to.
I say ride the bike you like. What counts is the riding. Whatever minor issues you’re having with a steel frame can be dealt with, & well executed updates could end up costing you next to nothing per mile _if you ride the thing._
… & now I have more oh-dark-thirty varmint’ing to do.

[@TheValueBikeAdvocate]

Thanks for watching! I hope to find the correct bits to get this thing back in the road.

[@chriswright9096]

Not many people have that derrailleur hanger straightening tool. The axle thread from an old wheel also fits in there, and then you can use the wheel to get a sense of the alignment.

[@TheValueBikeAdvocate]

Thanks for watching!! Interesting. I will have to give that a try sometime.

[@drivestowork]

I bought my Schwinn LaTour, w/my own money, in probably 76 or 77.... still have it!
Intend to ride it again one day!
ps. Mine has quick release hubs front and back... never had any problems taking either wheel off!

[@TheValueBikeAdvocate]

Thanks for watching! I’m sure the rear wheel would have come out easier without the kick stand and frozen chain. Get out there and ride your bike!!!

[@danarello2563]

It looks like an 1989 or later Schwinn to me. I have an 87 Super Sport which is a 6 speed and an 89 Tempo which is a 7 speed. Both bikes have the aero brake levers like yours and downtube shifters.

[@TheValueBikeAdvocate]

Thanks for watching!

[@James-cs3hp]

I noticed you didn't cut chain exact length as the original and would that make any difference...idk
Surely there is a after market shifter out there...don't give up !

[@TheValueBikeAdvocate]

Thanks for watching! You don't need the original chain to size it correctly. My method is to put the chain on the small cog in the back and the small cog on the front and make it so the rear jocky wheels miss the cassette in the rear. I've never missed when doing it this way.

[@James-cs3hp]

@@TheValueBikeAdvocate did you ever get back to work on it..?

[@TheValueBikeAdvocate]

I've ordered some parts and will put this bike back in the queue shortly. Just finished a GT Avalanche and am working on one of my personal bikes to get it modified for RAGBRAI in a few weeks. The Schwinn will be after that. I try and have at least 2 or 3 videos in the queue in case I get busy and can't work on bikes. The return of the Schwinn will probably come out in early August or late July

[@James-cs3hp]

@@TheValueBikeAdvocate good to hear...keep up to date..look forward to seeing the Finnishd results...iam swamped in rebuilds and upgrades as well...lol 👍

[@helidude3502]

I decided to rebuild a couple of my old school Bmx bikes.
They have quite a bit of rust, so no real monetary value anymore and not good for hard jumping.
So I ordered enough budget parts to build 2.
Lots of little setbacks along the way.
Got one completely built, but the fork crown race is a goofy size.
So now I have an undersized race that needs a few thousandths sanded to fit and an otherwise complete bike that I can’t ride 🤦🏻
The other one still has the old stem rusted and stuck in the forks.
I have other bikes to ride, so projects for future me.
Or sometime beyond that 🤪
I feel your pain, brother, I feel your pain.

[@TheValueBikeAdvocate]

Thanks for watching. Good luck with your projects!!

[@scottf3456]

I'm just guessing but that may be an early 90's bike.

[@TheValueBikeAdvocate]

Thanks for watching!! That’s my guess too

[@FuchsHorst]

Check the width between the dropouts and the frame alignment with a cord (or tools, if you have them). Looks maybe like a 5-6 gear bike that was incorrectly widened.

[@TheValueBikeAdvocate]

Thanks for watching. I believe stock, this bike was a 7 speed in the rear. The rear shifter is messed up and needs to be replaced. I’m working on a solution.

[@virgilfulton4426]

Yeah... it might be hard to replace the shifter (or shifters). I'd go haunt the local bike coop and hope I get lucky, or Ebay, or possibly plead your case to some online vintage bicycle discussion group. You could also give the Sunrace SLR30 shifters a go, but I don't have any personal experience with Sunrace to old Shimano compatability (though, my guess, is it would work).

[@TheValueBikeAdvocate]

Thanks for watching. I think I will try some friction shifters.

[@zalsentzer]

Late 80s early 90s... Good luck!

[@TheValueBikeAdvocate]

Thanks for watching!!

[@claudiofiero8523]

I probably would have thrown this whole bike away already at the stuck wheel, my patience isn't that great, may some non indexed shifter solve your problem, in case you can't find one like yours?

[@TheValueBikeAdvocate]

Thanks for watching. I think some friction shifters may be the solution!!

[@bobjenkins8558]

I’d get rid of the older shifters and put newer ones on the handle bars they will still work just as good

[@TheValueBikeAdvocate]

Thanks for watching! My goal is to keep costs down as I want to flip this bike for a small profit not a loss.

[@fishyfool]

1989 to 1993 on those blaze cranks, and all the other parts have date codes.
If you're having trouble with anything but a stuck seatpost, it's time to find another game."
OY, watching you try to remove that wheel is painful to me and a far greater effort than required.

[@TheValueBikeAdvocate]

Thanks for watching! That wheel sucked. The chain was frozen and the derailleur jockey wheels were also frozen in place. This bike will be saved, and I’ve already ordered the parts to continue.