Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome Restoration and Mod

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Bicycle - After

I am starting work on Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 chrome.  Readers know how much I love the Schwinn Voyageur 11.8's and how great they are.  Shelly has some very cool ideas for her Schwinn 11.8 and I really like that.  It makes my job a lot easier when the customer has an image in there head they are working for.

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur is going to receive a total restoration plus some very nice modifications.  The idea is to be more of a randonneur bicycle or porter like bicycle.  I think the Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 is the perfect candidate for this type of build.  Shelly's Voyageur 11.8 will have a Brooks B67 saddle, new fenders, a new set of handlebars like albatross or porter, new cables, tires, tubes, handlebar tape and maybe something more I am missing in there.

I can not wait for the results, may be the coolest Voyageur 11.8 ever.

The Voyageur is in good starting condition, the frame is dull and has a few rough spots in the lacquer but no rust.  The alloy is dull and dirty but will come back perfect, all the components seem to be in descent starting condition.

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Bicycle Before

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Bicycle Before
Handlebars

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Bicycle Before
Stem

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Bicycle Before
Brake Levers

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Bicycle Before
Brake Lever

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Bicycle Before
Front Brake

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Bicycle Before
Front Wheel

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome
Bicycle Before - Stem

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Bicycle Before
Shift Levers

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Bicycle Before
Saddle

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Bicycle Before
Head Badge

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Bicycle Before
Schwinn Decal

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome
Bicycle Before - Crank

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Bicycle Before
Front Derailleur

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Bicycle Before
4130 Decal

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Bicycle Before
Rear Brake

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome
Bicycle Before - Rear Derailleur

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Bicycle Before
Rear Wheel

The frame is surprisingly light with the components removed.  The frame is dirty and dull but in good shape.  There was a sticky goop around the bottom bracket but I was able to remove it with Goo Gone.

I cleaned the frame and started polishing the lacquer that protects the chrome.  There are a few very small spots where the lacquer flaked off but over all it is in good shape.  With the lacquer polished the frame is very stunning, he chrome is very bright, an awesome effect!

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Frame - Before

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome
Frame Before - Head Tube

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Frame Before
Down Tube

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Frame Before
Seat Lug

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Frame Before
Seat Tube

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Frame Before
Bottom Bracket

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Frame Before
Seat Lug

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Frame Before
Brake Bridge

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Frame Before
Drop Out

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome
Frame Before -Drop Out

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome
Fork - Before

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Fork Before
Fork Crown

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Frame Polished

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome
Head Tube - Polished

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Frame Polished
Top Tube

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Frame Polished
Down Tube

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Frame Polished
Seat Lug

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Frame Polished
Bottom Bracket

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Frame Polished
Brake Bridge

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome
Frame Polished - Drop Outs

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome
Frame Polished - Fork

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Frame Polished
Fork Crown

It took a lot to get the stem removed, it was frozen just like Ben S's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 but this one was not as bad.  In the photo below you can see how rusty the stem was.  I am glad it finally removed.

I put the headset and the bottom bracket in the crock pot for cleaning.

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Headset & Bottom Bracket
Before

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome
Headset Cups - Pressed

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - New Headset Bearings

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome
Headset - Complete

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Bottom Bracket
New Bearings

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome
Bottom Bracket - Complete

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Headset & Bottom Bracket
Complete

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Stem Before
Bad Rust

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Stem & Handlebars
Before

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Stem - Before

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Stem - Polished

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome
Stem - Installed

We are going to try some different handlebars to see what works the best.  Shelly is looking for the best possible comfort for long rides and would like to try city, sway back or albatross bars.  I like the idea a lot.  I ride with albatross handlebars on my Rivendell like build and I really like them.

The first option are Velo Orange city flay handlebars, flat meaning no rise.

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Velo Orange
Flat Handlebars

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Velo Orange
Flat Handlebars

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Velo Orange
Flat Handlebars

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Velo Orange
Flat Handlebars

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Velo Orange
Flat Handlebars

The next handlebars are Velo Orange Porter Handlebars.  These handlebars have a slight rise to them, here I installed the handlebars rise down, Shelly would like to try handlebars down to help with comfort in the wrist, I think that might help.

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Velo Orange
Porter Handlebars

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Velo Orange
Porter Handlebars

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Velo Orange
Porter Handlebars

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Velo Orange
Porter Handlebars

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Velo Orange
Porter Handlebars

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Velo Orange
Porter Handlebars

The next set are my Nitto Albatross handlebars.  Ignore the Barcone shift lever and handlebar grip, I did not want to remove both sides.  I installed these both rise up and rise down because the rise is more pronounced.

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Nitto
Albatross Handlebars

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Nitto
Albatross Handlebars

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Nitto
Albatross Handlebars

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Nitto
Albatross Handlebars

Next are the Nitto Albatross handlebars riser down.

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Nitto
Albatross Handlebars - Riser Down

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Nitto
Albatross Handlebars - Riser Down

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Nitto
Albatross Handlebars - Riser Down

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Nitto
Albatross Handlebars

The crank is a Sugino Super Maxy, an absolutely beautiful and very light crank.  I disassembled the crank and cleaned the pieces.  I then used three courses of polishing compounds and a light hand polishing.  It turned out perfect, it can not be any better!

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Crank - Before

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Crank - Exploded

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Crank Polished

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Crank Complete

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome
Crank - Installed

he brake calipers are nice Die-Comp G's, I like Die-Comp G's very much, they have a great look and they work well.  Die-Comp G's have a textured finish to the caliper arms that prevents a mirror like polish but i like the textured finish when it is clean and polished for the texture.  I reassembled the brake calipers with grease in all the right spots and added the new brake pads.  The calipers look fantastic and have such a nice classic look o them.  I am very happy with the results!

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Brakes - Before

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Brakes - Exploded

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Brakes - Polished

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Brakes - Compelte

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Front Brake - Installed

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Rear Brake - Installed

I like the shift levers they are Altus like the derailleurs.  I cleaned the shift elvers and cable bracket and then flushed the shift elvers a lot.  I then went to the buffing wheel and then flushed and lubricated the shift levers again.  The shift levers and cable bracket turned out very nice.

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Shift Levers - Before

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Shift Levers -Polished

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Shift Levers - Installed

The derailleurs are in fine shape but they are covered in grease and grime and are taking a few days of flushing.  you can see in the before photo below all of the grease and grit.  The front derailleur came along faster then the rear.  I polished and lubricated and then installed the front derailleur and it looks great and functions great.  The rear derailleur is going to take another day of flushing.

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Derailleurs - Before

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Derailleurs
Heavy Old Grease

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Derailleurs
Exploded

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Front Derailleur
Polished

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Front Derailleur
Installed

The brake levers are nice Die-Comps with the hoods in descent starting shape.  i am not sure they are going to work for the set up but I cleaned and polished them any way.  I cleaned the hood with just soap and water and really did not expect the hoods to look like this under the dirt, they are a little more dry and faded then it looked.  The alloy polished very nice.  We will see if they are used.

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Brake Levers
Before

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Brake Levers
Complete

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Faded Dry
Brake Lever Hoods

Today I will be starting the wheels.  The wheels are in okay starting shape.  I like the wheels on the Voyageurs 11.8's a lot.  These wheels have a lot of grease and grime and very stick gummed up hub components.  The components are soaking now.

The wheels really need to soak, I used a good amount of WD-40 to remove the hard grease.  A wire brush would have removed it quickly but I did not want to scratch the alloy.  After the wheels where clean I got to polishing.  The hubs polished beautifully and the rims just as nice.  The wheels turned out fantastic and spin great also, there is so much bright work that this Voyageur might be blinding in the sun.  I love the wheels polished against all the other components polished, it is an amazing look.

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome
Front Wheel - Before

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Front Wheel Hub
Before

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Front Wheel Rim
Before

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Front Wheel
Old Grease

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Front Wheel Hub
Polished

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Front Wheel
New Grease & Bearings

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Front Wheel - Compelte

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Front Wheel Rim
Polished

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome
Rear Wheel - Before

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Early Cassette - Before

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Rear Wheel Hub
Before

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Rear Wheel Hub
Before

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Rear Wheel Rim - Before

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Rear Wheel
Old Grease

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Rear wheel - Old Grease

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Rear Wheel
New Grease & Bearings

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Rear Wheel
Complete

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Rear Wheel Rim
Polished

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Wheels Installed

At this point I am waiting for something to show up in the mail or UPS.  The Panaracer tires, the fenders, the brake levers and the saddle.  I am hoping they come today or tomorrow because I have to travel for a wedding Thursday.

Look at that photo above of the wheels installed, just amazing this bicycle!!


Today is a big day in a build, the Brooks saddle has arrived.  This Brooks saddle is no exception, it is a B67 and looks perfect installed.  The Voyageur is coming along amazingly, it will give Alex Singer bicycle a run for there money in looks.

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - New Brooks B67 in Honey

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Seat Post Polished

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Brooks B67 Installed

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Brooks B67 Installed

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Brooks B67 Installed

The Panasonic Pasela 27" x 1 1/4" tires showed up in the mail early this evening.  I installed them quickly, I think its the perfect tire for the type of riding Shelly does and the perfect look.  They really look good, I just wish the fenders and brake levers would show up.  I need the fenders to install first as the front rack will be drilled and screwed into the front fender for good fit.

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - New Panaracer Pasela Tires

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Tires Installed

I have really been frustrated waiting on the fenders.  I have been lied to by the company and the time they will get here.

Over the weekend I got the Voyageur all wired, brake levers installed, cassette overhauled and rear derailleur installed.  I also went ahead and fine tuned the Voyageur 11.8 even though I wanted the fenders installed before fine tuning.

The cassette turned out very nice and took flushing and lubricating well.  It spins smooth.  The rear derailleur as mentioned above took a ton of flushing and lubricating to get working smoothly but it now works great and looks great.

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Cassette
Complete

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome
Rear Derailleur - Installed

The new brake levers are inverse Die-Comp Gran Compe levers.  They are very nice levers and look great with the style of the Voyageur 11.8.  I had to modify the levers slightly to get them to fit properly into the handlebars.

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Die-Comp
Gran Compe Inverse Levers

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Brake Levers
Installed

 With the brake levers installed it was time to run the cable housings and cables.  The cable housing is a grey color to be a little more subtle against the chrome and honey colors in the saddle.

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - New Cables
New Cable Housings

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Cables Run
Handlebars

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome
Front Cables Run

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Rear Cable Run

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Rear Cables Run

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Bicycle Stand Tuned

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Old Pedals

I installed pedals, I need to take photos of them or maybe a different pair but I put pedals on so I could do the test rising and fine tuning.  I test rode the Voyageur, it is very small and with the inverse handlebars very difficult for me to ride, my knees would hit the handlebars, but I road the Voyageur roughly 8 miles in all the fine tuning.  The rear shifting took a lot to get to shift correctly because the rear shift lever is spring loaded and takes some dialing in.

The bike is very difficult for me to ride but even with that and the bicycle fine tuned it rides fantastic, so very smooth and tracks like it is on rails.  The Voyageur 11.8 is also very and very surprisingly light!!  I could not be happier with the ride.

With the Voyageur 11.8 out in the sun today it really is a stunning bicycle.  The chrome is not over powering at all, the saddle and gray color cable housings complement the chrome perfectly.  I will install some handlebar tape after the fenders are installed but Shelly has ordered the Velo-Orange Elk Hide handlebar covers that will really complete the look of the bicycle.  Those will be a weekend project that she is going to have fun with.

Check back and maybe tomorrow the fenders will be here and I can install them along with the front rack, fingers crossed.

Fenders are never easy to install, fenders are designed for the most middle of the road sizes and they require a lot of modification.  The Voyageur has less clearance then it looks and a lot less for the 27 inch wheel size from the era.  I need to modify the rear fender by reshaping the area that fits into the chainstays bridge.  I also need to drill small holes into the fender just below the rear brake to allow for the rear brake springs to function and fit.

The fenders come with pretty standard sized hardware which is rarely the size needed.  I needed to use thinner nuts to connect the fenders to the struts and a smaller bolt to connect the fender to the chain stay bridge.

Eventually I got enough clearance for the rear fender to fit with enough space for the tires, I just wish the fender line was little better at the rear brake area.

The front fender also needed some work.  The Sheldon Brown fender bolt did not work for there is very little clearance under the fork I needed to use the standard bracket.

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - New Velo-Orange
Hammered Fenders

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Rear Fender
Installed

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Rear Fender
Complete

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Front Fender
Installed

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Front Fender
Complete

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Fenders - Complete

A Velo-Orange rack is going to be installed on the Voyageur.  The Front rack is the perfect look for the Voyageur.  I needed to drill a new hole and reshape the fork bracket and install it to the front brake.  The hardware to connect the fenders and rack to the fork drop outs required bolts double the size and a spacer.

I normally connect the front rack to the front fender but with the tight clearance of the fender is to tight to do this.  Also if I did this the rack would not be level and I do not like an unlevel rack at all it does not look right at all.  Over all I am very happy with the rack installation and the look of the fenders also.  The fenders and rack are perfect for the Voyageur.

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome
New Velo-Orange Front Rack

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Front Rack - Complete

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Front Rack - Complete

Shelly has ordered Velo-Orange Elk Hide handlebar wrap and will have a very fun weekend project. I wish I had some brown synthetic leather wrap on hand but I am out and it takes a week to get it, I also have a few colors in gel handlebar wrap but that is not the correct look for the Voyageur so I went with black.  The black is not the perfect look to go with the Brooks B67 but the Elk Hide will be perfect.

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Handlebar Tape
Installed

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Handlebar Tape
Installed

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Bicycle - Complete

Words are not my strong suite as readers know but I hope it comes through how much a truly love what I do.  I hope it also comes through how much I love this Voyageur.  My favorite bicycles come from the 1920's, 1930's, 1940's, 1950's and 1960's and this Voyageur fits right in with them.  I love ronndeuring bicycles and this voyageur has ronndeuring bicycles in its blood or should I say grease and ball bearings!  My other favorite bicycle I have done in this style is my Raleigh Sprite that I built for myself and put in shows and of course ride a lot this Voyageur is equal to it, I could not be more happy with the Voyageur.

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Bicycle Complete

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Bicycle Complete

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome
Bicycle Complete - Front

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Bicycle Complete
Stem & Handlebars

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome
Bicycle Complete - Front Head Badge

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Bicycle Complete
Front Brake

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Bicycle Complete
Front Wheel

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Bicycle Complete
Front Rim

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Bicycle Complete
Stem

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Bicycle Complete
Shift Levers

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome
Bicycle Complete - Front Half

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Bicycle Complete
Brooks B67

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Bicycle Complete
Drive Train

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome
Bicycle Complete - Crank

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Bicycle Complete
Rear Brake

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Bicycle Complete
Rear Wheel

Shelly's Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome - Bicycle Complete
Rear

Thank you to everyone for all the interest and support,
John Z.