Over the summer Shannon and I went bike hunting through Wisconsin one Saturday afternoon and evening. We picked up a Schwinn city bike in Fort Atkinson and this very rough Schwinn Prelude in I want to say Mayville. It was a great day exploring and a we found a really cool restaurant called the Mine Shaft in Hartford or maybe Heartland.
The Schwinn Prelude was extremely rough, it was left in a damp place for quite a while. When we got to Mayville and I saw the bike I almost past on it even at a really good price but maybe it wasn't a really good price when you consider the shape. But we explored all that way I decided to take a flyer. The guy I dealt with was really nice and had an amazing garage for working on hot rods, that was cool to see.
I really like the mid 1980's Preludes. They are very light and nimble steel bicycles made with Columbus tubing. They have a great component set with a Suntour Cyclone drive train and really nice wheels. They have a great look and a great fast ride. The only thing is I don't understand why they named it the Prelude, it is a much nicer bike then a introduction, introduction being the definition of Prelude.
Now comes the scary part, the Prelude is so rough, the paint is shot with a lot of rust. The components look rough and are very stiff and gritty. I am not worried about the components however because I am confident they will restore beautifully and function great in the end. The stem was frozen in place but thank god the seat post was free. I heated the stem up with a torch making sure the heat went in to the fork steer tube. With the stem and steer tube warmed up I had my dad carefully pour cold water on the stem just trying to get the stem and not the fork tube. This makes the stem cool of and shrink much faster then the fork tube. The stem broke free very easy doing this. The rest of the bike took some work to disassemble but nothing to hard.
The Prelude frame will be getting some work along with a new powder coat paint job and new decals. The headset and bottom bracket will be replaced. I have not picked the bottom bracket yet but I do have a nice new Velo Orange headset for the Prelude. The Schwinn Prelude will get all new cables and cable housings, new brake pads, new brake lever hoods, new handlebar tape, all new bearings, new tires and tubes and have not decided on a saddle yet.
This Prelude has been a very long process and finally just finishing up the paint. I can't wait to ride the Prelude and see the results. I would really like to see some results as I have been working on the Prelude on and off for so long.
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Bicycle Before |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Bicycle Before |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Bicycle Before Handlebars |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Bicycle Before Brake Levers |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Bicycle Before Stem |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Bicycle Before Head Tube |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Bicycle Before Front Brake Caliper |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Bicycle Before Front Wheel Hub |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Bicycle Before Front Wheel Rim |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Bicycle Before Stem |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Bicycle Before Headset |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Bicycle Before Head Tube |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Bicycle Before Front Wheel Hub |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Bicycle Before Shift Levers |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Bicycle Before Shift Levers |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Bicycle Before Top Tube Rust |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Bicycle Before Top Tube Rust |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Bicycle Before Top Tube Rust |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Bicycle Before Seat Tube Decal |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Bicycle Before Down Tube |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Bicycle Before Seat Tube |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Bicycle Before Crank |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Bicycle Before Front Derailleur |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Bicycle Before Front Derailleur |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Bicycle Before Front Derailleur |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Bicycle Before Pedal |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Bicycle Before Bottom Bracket |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Bicycle Before Seat Lug |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Bicycle Before Rear Brake Caliper |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Bicycle Before Rear Derailleur |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Bicycle Before Rear Wheel Hub |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Bicycle Before Rear Wheel Rim |
Besides the stem the rest of the bike tore down fairly easy considering. The frame is rough. There is some heavy rust in places. After close inspection I found no cracks or dents either. I still think the frame is worth saving.
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Frame Before |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Frame Before Head Tube |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Frame Before Head Tube |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Frame Before Top Tube Cable Bracket |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Frame Before Down Tube |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Frame Before Top Tube |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Frame Before Cable Bracket |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Frame Before Top Tube Rust |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Frame Before Seat Lug Area |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Frame Before Down Tube |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Frame Before Seat Tube |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Frame Before Columbus Decal |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Frame Before Bottom Bracket |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Frame Before Bottom Bracket |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Frame Before Seat Stays |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Frame Before Chain Stays |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Frame Before Drop Outs |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Frame Before Fork |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Frame Before Fork Crown |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Frame Before Fork Crown |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Frame Before Fork Blades |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Frame Before Drop Outs |
I was pleasantly surprised when a lot of the rest brushed off with a wire brush, some was as bad as it looked some definitely was not as bad as it looked. Next I hit the rough spots with a wire wheel in a grinder to see how bad it was. The rust went a way and there was spots where there was pitting. One of the top tube cable brackets was bad.
I am not sure at want point I took the photos below. I know its before I gave the light pass in the media blaster for powder coating. I replaced two of the top tube cable brackets. I also brazed a little braze into a few of the rougher rust pitting spots and smoothed it out. I did leave to small spots on the top tube and bottom bracket where I did not want to remove a lot of metal. Over all I am very happy with how the frame came back and how it looks in its raw form. It is a beautifully built frame. I love the seat lug shape and the binder bolt recess, that s awesome!
I am a little frustrated in finding all the photos since I have been working on the frame slowly for the last six months, I will post more as I find them.
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Frame Getting Close to Powder Coat |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Frame Getting Close to Powder Coat Head Tube |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Frame Getting Close to Powder Coat Seat Lug |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Frame Getting Close to Powder Coat Down Tube |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Frame Getting Close to Powder Coat Drop Outs |
This week I finally got to the powder coating. I have a vision in my head of a slight metallic blue with a silver head tube, silver cut outs in the fork crown and silver or blue flutes in the seat post.
The metallic blue really turned out nice!! I believe it is called Crystal Lake Blue or Lake Crystal Blue. The photos don't show the slight metallic flake but it is really nice in person, just the right amount. I also like the darkness of the blue, its not to electric blue and its not navy blue either. I am very happy with the results!! Just a slight unsmoothness (probably a made up word) in the slightly rough spot on the top tube.
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Frame Powder Coated |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Frame Powder Coated Head Tube |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Frame Powder Coated Head Tube |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Frame Powder Coated Top Tube |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Frame Powder Coated Rough Spot Top Tube |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Frame Powder Coated Seat Lug |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Frame Powder Coated Bottom Bracket |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Frame Powder Coated Seat Lug |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Frame Powder Coated Seat Stays |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Frame Powder Coated Drop Outs |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Frame Powder Coated Fork |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Frame Powder Coated Fork |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Frame Powder Coated Fork Crown |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Frame Powder Coated Fork Crown |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Frame Powder Coated Fork Crown Cut Outs |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration - Frame Powder Coated Fork Drop Outs |
To help set the frame on the paint table to paint the head tube I installed the Velo Orange headset plus I just wanted to see the headset installed! Velo Orange are my favorite headsets, they look great and are a great value.
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Pressing Headset Cups |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Headset Cups Pressed |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Headset - Complete |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Headset - Complete |
This morning I taped off the head tube for painting. Now that I have it taped off I am kind of questioning the choice of a silver head tube. I am kind of thinking black now like Marks Team Miyata restoration from last year or maybe even white. I am going to sleep on it. But right now I am thinking black.
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Head Tube Masked for Paint |
So after going back and fourth for a night I chose Silver. I wasn't sure on the silver so I left it masked for a day encase I changed my mind. As Shannon told me it looks great just pull the tape. I did and it turned out fantastic! I am very very happy with the silver against the blue!!
I then installed the head badge and it looks even better!! I wish the head badge was in a little better condition, actually its in pretty good condition, just one small spot that I wish was better. I have been keeping an eye out for another but the original head badge should be on the bike with the original born on date.
From Here all the components have been done for a while but now it is time to install them. First was the stem and handlebars. You can see on the bottom of the stem where it was frozen in place. I was very lucky it broke free with not much trouble. The stem and handlebars polished very nice, I couldn't be happier considering where they started. Installed they look fantastic!
I think the photos and the order I installed things is a little off but the overall idea is there. The brake calipers looked a little rough but they could have not restored better, just beautiful! I love this stuff! Installed the brake calipers are amazing against the silver and blue!
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Debating on pulling the tape! |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Tape Pulling! |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Tape Pulled - Awesome!! |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Head Tube Painted |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Head Tube Painted |
I then installed the head badge and it looks even better!! I wish the head badge was in a little better condition, actually its in pretty good condition, just one small spot that I wish was better. I have been keeping an eye out for another but the original head badge should be on the bike with the original born on date.
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Head Badge Installed |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Head Badge Installed |
From Here all the components have been done for a while but now it is time to install them. First was the stem and handlebars. You can see on the bottom of the stem where it was frozen in place. I was very lucky it broke free with not much trouble. The stem and handlebars polished very nice, I couldn't be happier considering where they started. Installed they look fantastic!
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Stem & Handlebars - Before |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Handlebars - Before |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Stem - Before |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Stem - Before |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Stem - Before |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Stem & Handlebars - Polished |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Handlebars - Polished |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Stem - Polished |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Stem & Handlebars - Installed |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Stem & Handlebars - Installed |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Stem & Handlebars - Installed |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Stem & Handlebars - Installed - I Love this Stuff!! |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Stem & Handlebars - Installed |
I think the photos and the order I installed things is a little off but the overall idea is there. The brake calipers looked a little rough but they could have not restored better, just beautiful! I love this stuff! Installed the brake calipers are amazing against the silver and blue!
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Brake Calipers - Before |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Brake Calipers - Exploded |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Brake Calipers - Polished |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Brake Calipers - Complete |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Front Brake Caliper - Installed |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Rear Brake Caliper - Installed |
I have not decided on a saddle yet, the original saddle is cool and in descent shape, I just haven't decided. The seat post and hardware cleaned and polished beautifully, they look great next to that new blue!
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Seat Post - Before |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Seat Post - Before |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Seat Post - Polished |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Seat Post - Installed |
The brake levers cleaned, polished and lubricated very nice! They look like new! The brake lever hoods where shot, they pretty much crumbled off, they will be replaced, Installed the brake levers look great, I can't wait to see them with new hoods and handlebar tape!
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Brake Levers - Before |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Brake Levers - Polished |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Brake Levers - Installed |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Brake Levers - Installed |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Shift Levers - Before |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Shift Levers - Exploded |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Shift Levers - Polished |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Shift Levers - Installed |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Shift Levers - Installed |
I was worried about the crank, it looked rough and I was not sure it would come back as far as I wanted. i broke the crank down and polished all the small piece, the small pieces turned out great. I then started on the big pieces. It took a lot of time but the crank arms and rings really turned out nice. Overall I am very happy with the crank considering where it started. The crank looks fantastic with the new blue paint!
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Crank - Before |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Crank - Exploded |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Crank - Polished |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Crank - Complete |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration New Modern Bottom Bracket |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Bottom Bracket - Installed |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Crank - Installed |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Crank - Installed |
The derailleurs are very nice Suntour Cyclone. They look rough but restored beautifully! I wish I had a replacement decal for the rear derailleur. The rear derailleur functions perfectly and looks great installed! The front derailleur restored beautifully, after a good amount of flushing and lubricating the front derailleur is working well. The front derailleur is still a little stiff, with a little more work it should loosen up perfectly. If not i will replace the front derailleur but I don't think it will get to that.
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Rear Derailleur - Before |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Rear Derailleur - Before |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Rear Derailleur - Before |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Rear Derailleur - Exploded |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Rear Derailleur - Complete |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Rear Derailleur - Installed |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Front Derailleur - Before |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Front Derailleur - Before |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Front Derailleur - Complete |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Front Derailleur - Installed - Awesome!! |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Bicycle main body complete. |
At this time installed the new brake lever hoods and wired the Prelude. The brake lever hoods look great and of course I chose the dark ice gray cable housings to go with that blue!
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration New Brake Lever Hoods |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Brake Lever Hoods - Installed |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration New Cables |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Prelude Wired |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Prelude Wired |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Prelude Wired |
I broke down the hubs and started working through the polishing grits. The hubs polished just beautiful! Better then the factory would have polished the hubs! I love the look of a polished wheel hub!
I then worked through the axle pieces, I replaced a few washer spacers and the bearings. Assembled the wheel hubs look absolutely fantastic! Best of all the wheel hubs spin so smooth!
The wheel rims polished beautifully on the polishing wheels, I still need to take photos of the rims and lace the wheels when the spoke nipples get here, but so far so good!
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Wheel Hubs - Before |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Wheel Hubs Broken Down |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Wheel Rims - Before |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Wheel Rims - Before |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Rear Wheel Hub - Polished |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Rear Wheel Hub - Polished |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Rear Wheel Axle Pieces Ready |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Rear Wheel Hub - Complete |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Rear Wheel Hub - Complete |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Front Wheel Hub - Polished |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Front Wheel Hub - Polished |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Front Wheel Hub Axle Pieces Ready |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Front Wheel Hub - Complete |
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| 1986 Schwinn Prelude Restoration Front Wheel Hub - Complete |
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