Tuesday, July 29, 2014

John H's 1973 Sunset Orange Schwinn Super Sport Restoration

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Bicycle
After

Today began the restoration of John H's Schwinn Super Sport.  For everyone who had a Schwinn Varsity (I would be one of them!) the Super Sport was so sought after.  The Super Sport had the alloy everything, the alloy wheels, the Chrome Molly frame and of course the Brooks B15 saddle.  It made all of us Varsity owners very jealous.  The Super Sport still has a very large following and I have seen some incredible restorations and restomods.  I hope I can do them justice.

John H brought his Super Sport to me from Peoria, Illinois, a fairly long ride.  I am honored he has done so. John has also gotten a new Brooks B17 saddle in aged brown and aged brown handlebar tape to give his Super Sport a slight kick up.  

The Super Sport will be getting a total restoration with new bearings, brake pads, cables, cable housings, new tire and tubes, the new Brooks B17 saddle and new Brooks handlebar wrap.

The Super Sport is in good starting shape, the sunset orange paint is a little dirty and dull but should really pop after polishing.  The bright work is dirty and dull but will shine nice.  With the new bearings and grease the Super Sport should ride fast and smooth.

It has been about 7 years since I restored a Schwinn Super Sport, I am very excited to get to work and see the results.
John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Bicycle Before

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Bicycle Before
Handlebars

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
 Bicycle Before - Head Tube Area

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
 Bicycle Before - Stem

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle Before - Fork Crown

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle Before - Front Brake

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
 Bicycle Before - Fork Star Burst

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Bicycle Before
Front Wheel Hub

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Bicycle Before
Front Wheel Hub

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Bicycle Before
Front Wheel Rim

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Bicycle Before
Super Sport Decal

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Bicycle Before
Original Brooks B15 Saddle

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle Before - Seat Collar

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle Before - Schwinn Logo

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Bicycle Before
Pedals

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
 Bicycle Before - Chrome Molly Decal

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
 Bicycle Before - Crank

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Bicycle Before
Front Derailleur

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Bicycle Before
Front Derailleur

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Bicycle Before
Cable Hanger

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Bicycle Before
Rear Brake

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
 Bicycle Before - Rear Derailleur

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
 Bicycle Before - Rear Derailleur

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Bicycle Before
Rear Wheel Hub

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Bicycle Before
Rear Wheel Rim

I stripped the frame of its components and was pretty happy to see the paint under the dirt.  I did a deep cleaning of the paint and got to polishing.  I started with a course grit then a medium grit then a very fine grit.  The paint looks absolutely fantastic!  This may be the best example of original paint on a Sunset Orange Super Sport in existence. 

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Frame Before

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Frame Before -head Tube

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Frame Before - Seat Lug

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Frame Before
Bottom Bracket

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Frame Before
Bottom Bracket

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Frame Before - Brake Bridge

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Frame Before - Drop Outs

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Frame Before
Chain Stay - Poor Photo & a Cat

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Fork - Before

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Fork Before - Awesome Star Burst

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Fork Before
Chrome Fork Crown

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Fork Before
Drop Outs

Below are the photos of the frame polished, it is stunning.  The last photo is one of my polishing pads and discs, it cuts a very fine layer of paint to make a smooth paint surface to reflect the light and make it shine.  What amazes me is how different the orange on that was cut with the polishing pad is from the actual color of the frame.
John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Frame Polished

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Frame Polished - Head Tube

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Frame Polished - Head Tube

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Frame Polished
Down Tube Decals

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Frame Polished - Seat Lug

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Frame Polished - Schwinn Decal

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Frame Polished
Bottom Bracket

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Frame Polished - Bottom Bracket

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Frame Polished - Brake Bridge

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Frame Polished - Drop Outs

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Fork - Polished

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Fork Polished
Fork Crown

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Fork Polished - Star Burst Decal

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Fork Polished
Drop Outs

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Fork Polished - Star Burst Decal
John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Polishing Pad
The headset and bottom bracket is pretty dirty and dull and the grease is very dry but the most important thing is there is no rust, rust pitting is one thing that can be polished away but there will still be the pitting.

I put the headset and bottom bracket components into the crock pot to loosen the grease.  I then polished the pieces and replaced the bearings in the cages.  Being a one piece crank I had to clean and polish the crank with the bottom bracket to complete the bottom bracket.

The crank has just some very minor rust, cranks like this are dangerous to polish with the power polisher so I did the safe parts with the power polisher and the rest buy hand.  I am extremely happy with the results of the crank it looks fantastic and it spins perfect.

Because of the crank being a one piece crank the photos are out of order below of the actual work but the idea is there.

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Headset
 Bottom Bracket - Before
John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Headset
Bottom Bracket - Polished

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Headset Cups - Pressed

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Headset Bearing Cups - Pressed

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Headset Bearings
Packed
 I grease all the fork steer tubes like this to prevent corrosion I just have not taken a photo of it in quite a while.
John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Fork Greased

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bearing Cup - Installed

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Fork Crown

The shift levers where in pretty good shape, they took a lot of flushing but then polished perfect and with a small dab of grease function very nice.  I have always liked the Schwinn Big Stick shift levers, they have always function very well.  Big Stick is not an official name.

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Shift Levers
Before
John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Schwinn Big Stick Shift Levers - Before
John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Shift Levers
Before
John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Shift Levers
Complete

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Shift Levers
Complete

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Shift Levers
Complete

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Headset Complete

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Headset Complete
The crank polished extremely well as I mentioned above.  The bottom brackets bearings where greased and installed and in the end I am extremely happy with the bottom bracket and crank.

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Crank
Before
John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Crank
Before
John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Crank
Exploded
John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Crank - Polished

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Crank - Complete

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Bottom Bracket
Bearing Cups & Bearings Installed

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Crank - Installed

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Crank - Installed

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Crank - Complete

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Crank - Complete

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Headset & Bottom Bracket
Complete
The stem and handlebars where in pretty good starting shape however the stem had no grease and was rusted to the fork.  With some work the stem removed, you can see the little bit of rust on the stem in the before photo.

The stem and handlebars polished beautifully, very nice.  Some day I am going to paint the Schwinn "S" that is stamped into the stem, I would paint the relief circle an orange red and the "S" white for this Super Sport.  I think painting the "S" would really set it out, I do not remember at this exact moment but i think Schwinn did that in the 1930's.

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Stem & Handlebars
Before

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Stem - Before
John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Stem
Polished

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Stem
Handlebars - Polished

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Stem
and Handlebars - Complete

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Stem & Handlebars - Complete

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Stem & Handlebars - Complete

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Bicycle So Far

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Bicycle So Far

There are a lot of small pieces to the Super Sport, the most pieces I have come across in a bicycle in a long time, because of this I am building the Super Sport up in a little different order then I normally do.  Polishing on power polishers take a lot of strength in the hands and arms and to give my hands and arms a rest i am working on the wheels today.

The wheels are in okay starting shape, a little rough in places and not so rough in others.  I cleaned the wheels and then got on to polishing.  For the outside of the rim I use the power polishers but this is easier on the hands because the size of the wheels allows for good leverage. I then polished the hubs and finished off the rest of the rims.  The polishing turned out fantastic!

With the polishing done I cleaned the axle components and polished the bearing surfaces.  I installed new grease and bearings and assembled the hub.  The wheels spin extremely nice.

With the axles complete I trued the wheels, the wheels took a lot of tuning to get straight but now they are very nice.  I installed the new tubes and Kenda K40 tires and polished the skewers.  The wheels look beautiful and function very nice and look great next to all the chrome and orange paint!


John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Rear Wheel - Before

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Rear Wheel
Before

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Rear Wheel
Hub - Before

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Rear Wheel
Rim - Before

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Rear Wheel Hub
Old Grease

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Rear Wheel Hub
Polished

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Rear Wheel Rim
Polished

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Rear Wheel
New Grease

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Rear Wheel Axle
Componets

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
New Kenda K40 Tires

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Rear Wheel
Complete

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Rear Wheel - Complete

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Front Wheel - Before

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Front Wheel Hub
Before

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Front Wheel Hub
Old Grease

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Front Wheel Rim
Before

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Front Wheel Hub
Polished

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Front Wheel
New Grease & Bearings

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Front Wheel
Compelte

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Front Wheel - Complete
At this time I have had the seat post, seat collar and cable hanger polished I just need to clean the polishing residue off with soapy water and do a quick bugging.  Everything turned out very nice.

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Seat Post
Seat Collar & Cable Hanger - Before

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Seat Post
Seat Collar & Cable Hanger - Polished

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Seat Post & Seat Collar - Installed

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Seat Post Area
& Wheels - Complete
Yesterday  I finished the brake elvers and the brake calipers.  The brake levers cleaned up and polished very nice, I did have to replace one small washer on one lever, it was worn to much.  I installed the levers and I always like the copper color polished against the alloy, such a nice look.

The brake calipers where also completed, the alloy and small pieces polished very nice.  I did need to replace one of the small red plastic bushings to get the rear caliper to work correctly.  I assembled the brake calipers and installed the new Kool Stop Continental salmon colored brake pads.  The brake pads will work very well and have the a pretty close look to the original red Schwinn brake pads.  The brake calipers look fantastic against that sunset orange paint.

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Brake Levers
Before

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Brake Levers
Before
John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Brake Levers
Polished

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Brake Levers
Polished

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Brake Levers
Installed

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Brake Levers
Installed


John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Brake Calipers
Before

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Brake Calipers
Exploded
John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - New Continental
Brake Pads

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Brake Calipers
Polished

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Brake Calipers
Complete

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Front Brake Caliper - Installed

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Rear Brake - Installed
The derailleurs are the Schwinn Approved derailleurs.  The derailleurs where in ok starting shape, the front derailleur a little rougher.  I disassembled all the pieces and got to work on cleaning.  The derailleurs have just about the most small pieces that is possible to come by in this business.

The rear derailleur is one of the better looking rear derailleurs Schwinn made.  The rear derailleur has some brass pieces that when polished are very nice against the chrome.

I polished all the pieces and did the assembly of the derailleurs.  The rear derailleur is built in two assemblies and so far has turned out very nice but by looking at the cage I can tell it will need a good deal of fine tuning on the test ride.  In the potos ou can see the brass and chrome pieces against each other, a beautiful look.

The jockey wheels on the rear derailleur have bearings that they run on.  The old bearings where no good so I greased the bearing tracks and installed new bearings, the wheels spin very smooth.

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Derailleurs
Before

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Front Derailleur
Before

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Rear Derailleur
Before

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Rear Derailleur
Small Parts - Before - Photo to help remember small parts.

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Rear Derailleur
Half Exploded & Reference Photo to Remember Parts

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Derailleurs
Exploded

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Front Derailleur
Exploded
John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Derailleurs
Polished

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Rear Derailleur - Sub Assembly

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Derailleurs
Complete

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Rear Derailleurs
Complete

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Rear Derailleur
Complete

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Rear Derailleur
Brass Pieces

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Rear Derailleur - Installed

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Front Derailleur
Complete

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Front Derailleur
Installed

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Front Derailleur
Installed

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Front Derailleur
Installed
The pedals are rough but functioning well.  I did the best to remove a bend in one of the pedals but only good remove a slight amount of the bend, if I did more work on it I was worried the pedals pieces in that spot would come apart.

I cleaned the pedals and got to polishing, most of the polishing is done by hand on pedals to prevent a splotchy finish.  With the pedals clean I lubricated the pedals and installed them, they turned out pretty descent.

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Pedals
Before
John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Pedals
Polished the best they would.

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Pedals
Installed

The free wheel is in surprisingly good shape for the age, I did some cleaning and lubricating and it spins wonderfully.  I also polished the classic Schwinn pie plate, it cleaned and polished out very nice andinstalled looks fantastic and brand new.

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Pie Plate
Freewheel - Complete

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Pie Plate
Freewheel - Installed
 With the Super Sport this far along it was time to wire the bicycle.  I had a perfect match for the original gray color, I did not have one for the original brake cable housings, the company that made a very close match changed their gray recently and it no longer a match.  I tried some others and found nothing close so I installed brake cable housings that match the derailleur housings and I think it is a very nice look.


John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Cables
Complete

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Cables - Complete

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Cables
Complete

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Cables
Complete

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Cables
Complete

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Cables
Complete
 No comes the really fun part, the installation of the new Brooks saddle.  John chose an aged leather look and it looks fantastic!!  With the Brooks installed the Super Sport is really looking like a bike, I love it!!

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - New Aged Leather
Brooks Saddle

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Brooks Leather Saddle - Installed
The Super Sport is just about finished, if everything goes well tomorrow the Super Sport will be complete.


This morning has gone very well, I started with the chain.  The chain is not original but should be okay, I had to repair one of the links.   With the chain installed i did a rough stand tuning and could tell right away the rear derailleur was going to need work, but that is for the test riding to get it just right.

With the chain installed I got to work on the handlebar tape.  John brought me the Brooks leather handlebar tape and in it is a perfect chose.  Leather handlebar tape takes some care to install but it all went well.  The Brooks leather tape looks fantastic installed, just amazing!

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - New Brooks
Brown Leather Handlebar Wrap

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - One Side
Handlebar Wrap Complete

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - One Side
Handlebar Wrap Complete

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Brooks
Handlebar Wrap - Complete

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Brooks
Handlebar Wrap - Complete

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Brooks
Handlebar Wrap - Complete
 John also brought the matching aged leather Brooks tool bag.  I installed the Brooks bag and it looks incredible installed next the Brooks saddle and handlebar wrap.


John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - New Aged Brooks
Tool Bag

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Brooks Tool
Bag Installed

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Bicycle
Complete

I could not wait to do the test ride.  The first couple of miles it took quite a lot of work to get the rear derailleur worked out and the bicycle tuned.  I have never tried the Kool Stop pads before, I did not expect them to work so well and I almost flipped the bike on the first brake test!  They work really well!!

When I got the Super Sport fine tuned I was amazed with the ride.  There has always been something about the Schwinn Fillet brazed frame, I have never been able to put my finger on the exact thing about them the best description has always been just "Rides Like a Cadillac!"

The ride is just fantastic but the looks are even better, It may be the most amazing Super Sport out there, or at very least the best example of a sunset orange Super Sport!!  The looks are so classic and the aged leather saddle, tool bag and handlebar tape is amazing.  There is something about a classic Schwinn with everything polished and shining and the colors, beautiful!!

I am very proud of the work on the Super Sport, I don't think it could have turned out better!!

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Bicycle Complete

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Bicycle Complete

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle Complete - Front

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Bicycle Complete
Handlebars

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Bicycle Complete
Stem
 I find the photo below of the front brake to be absolutely amazing!!  It really shows how nice the sunset orange paint turned out and all that bright work makes it really pop!!

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle Complete - Front Brake

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Bicycle Complete
Stem & Shift Levers

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle Complete - Star Burst

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Bicycle Complete
Front Wheel

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle Complete - Front Half

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Bicycle Complete
Super Sport Decal

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Bicycle Complete
Brooks Saddle

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle Complete - Schwinn Decal

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Bicycle Complete
Drive Train

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle Complete - Crank

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle Complete - Rear Derailleur

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Bicycle Complete
Brooks Tool Bag

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Bicycle Complete
Rear Brake

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Bicycle Complete
Rear Wheel

John H's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - Bicycle Complete
Messing Around with Photo Angles
Thanks for the interest,
John Z.