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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Sport Tourer After Restoration |
A couple of days ago I started work on this 1973 Schwinn Sports Tourer Restoration while I waited for other project parts to be shipped. The Sports Tourer is a very interesting bicycle. It is the classic Schwinn fillet brazed frame with some very nice french components. It was a pretty high end touring bike in its day. I have a soft spot in m heart for the Schwinn Superior so I am very excited to see the results and to work on the Sports Tourer.
This Schwinn Superior is in rough starting shape but the paint is probably;y pretty good under there. The wheels barley spin,the bottom bracket is almost frozen and the headset grinds. he good thing is nothing is frozen in place like the stem or seat post. The alloy is dull and a little corroded but should come back to new. The chrome has some pitting in the front derailleur but over all good shape. The sports Tourer should come back to pretty close to new.
The frame is in great shape and the paint is in descent shape under the dirt and dullness when I cut a layer off.. The filet brazed Schwinn frames are not light but the sports Tourer is made with Chromoly so that helps. The thing about the Schwinn Filet brazed frames is they ride extremely nice, "Like a Cadillac" is the usual description and if you are in the saddle all day that is a very nice characteristic.
On dis-assembly I ran into the french TA crank that needs a special crank puller. I have only need this crank puller once about 12 years ago. I looked for one on the internet and a specialty made one runs about $60 all in. I emailed my friend Darrell to see if he had one and luckily he did. I drove down to his house the next day and he pulled the crank for me. Thank you Darrell!! The crank is a beautiful crank!!
The Schwinn sports Tourer will receive a complete restoration with new cables, tires, tubes, cables housings and handlebar tape. The red color I think is really going to pop especially with the white decals.
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Bicycle Before |
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Bicycle Before - Handlebars |
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1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Bicycle Before
Brake Levers |
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Bicycle Before - Handlebars |
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1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Bicycle Before
Stem & Shift Levers |
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Bicycle Before - Front Brake |
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Bicycle Before - Fork Crown |
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Bicycle Before - Front Wheel |
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1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Bicycle Before
Sport Tourer Decal |
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1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Bicycle Before
TA Crank |
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1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Bicycle Before
Front Derailleur |
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1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Bicycle Before
Chromoley Decal |
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Bicycle Before - Rear Brake |
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Bicycle Before - Generator |
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1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Bicycle Before
Rear Derailleur |
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Bicycle Before - Rear Wheel Hub |
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Bicycle Before - Rear Wheel Hub |
With the Sports Tourer broken down tot he frame I see the frame is in okay shape. The decals are dirty and yellowed, there are some chips and scratches and the paint has a rough surface.
The bottom bracket was also in pretty good shape under the grease. It is a TA bottom bracket to go with the TA crank.
I polished all the pieces tot he headset, bottom bracket, stem, shift levers and handlebars. They all polished very nice. A nice thing about Schwinns from this era is the chrome is thick and comes back nice. The headset and bottom bracket both look very nice and spin great.
The shift levers polished very nice and look great installed next to the polished stem. The handlebars also polished very nice. All that shine looks fantastic installed against the polished red paint. All the chrome and polished alloy is what i think of when I think of a classic bicycles and this Sports Tourer is turning out to be a fantastic example.
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Headset - Before |
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Shift Levers - Before |
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Stem - Before |
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1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Stem & Handlebars
Before |
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Brake Levers - Before |
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1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Headset, Bottom Bracket &
Shift Levers - Polished |
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Headset Cups = Pressed |
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1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Headset Cups
Pressed |
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Headset Bearings - Packed |
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1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Headset Race
Installed |
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1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Shift Levers
Installed |
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Headset Complete |
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1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Bottom Bracket Bearings
Packed |
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1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Bottom Bracket
Complete |
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Stem - Polished |
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Stem & Handlebars - Polished |
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Stem &Handlebars - Complete |
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Stem - Complete |
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Stem & Handlebars - Complete |
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1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Headset & Bottom Bracket
Complete |
The crank is a beautiful TA crank made in France. This crank is pretty rare with the chain guard built in. The crank does have 49 parts not counting the TA bottom bracket. The crank requires a special sized crank puller. I am lucky my friend Darrell had one that fit and was kind and removed it for me.
All those chain ring bolts and nuts where pretty stuck and made of soft metal so it was a pain in the but to get apart. I sprayed all the pieces with penetrating oil and let it soak for a day, that helped a lot.
All the pieces polished beautifully and assembled looks fantastic, I love it, this might be my favorite crank ever and is pretty rare. I could not be happier.
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Crank - Before |
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Crank - Exploded |
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Crank - Polished |
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Crank - Complete |
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Crank - Installed |
The brake levers where in pretty good shape to start, i cleaned and flushed the levers and then polished them. They polished very nice and I love how the copper release tap turned out, such a nice contrast. The brake levers look great and fill out the cockpit area.
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Brake Levers - Polished |
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Brake Levers - Installed |
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Brake Levers - Installed |
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Brake Levers - Installed |
The brake calipers are the Schwinn approved center pull Whinneman calipers. I like the center pull calipers, the are the better working calipers from the era and always polish very nice. These calipers where no different and polished very nice. For the Schwinn Sports Tourer the rear brake has a longer reach then the front brake. The calipers turned out very nice.
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Brakes - Before |
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Brakes - Exploded |
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Brakes - Polished |
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Brakes - Complete |
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1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Front Brake
Installed |
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1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Rear Brake
Installed |
The derailleurs where pretty rough. The front derailleur is a Schwinn Approved derailleur and the rear is a Le Tour derailleur. I love the rear derailleur, it looks beautiful and I love the detail and the drilled holes in the cage, it is also very light.
I disassembled the derailleurs and cleaned and flushed them many times. After polishing the front derailleur turned out pretty nice and the rear derailleur turned out fantastic. Again, I love the rear derailleur, I wish I had one for myself.
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Derailleurs - Before |
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Derailleurs - Exploded |
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Derailleurs - Polished |
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Derailleurs - Complete |
For how much I like the Schwinn fillet brazed frames in the Sports Tourer and Superior models I wish they did a little better on the seat binder clamp, it is heavy and clunky. I polished the binder clamp and the cable hanger and they turned out very nice and look good installed.
I also cleaned and polished the seat post and this time, it is alloy but is also kind of light, I am happy with how it polished and how it feels.
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1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Seat Clamp & Cable Hanger
Before |
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Seat Post - Before |
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1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Seat Post & Seat Clamp
Polished |
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1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Seat Post
& Seat Clamp - Complete |
The main body components turned out very nice and so far the bicycle is truly beautiful. I love it!
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Main Components - Complete |
The Sport Tourer's wheels where in extremely rough shape, the wheels took every ounce of my skill to bring back and I am very proud of the results. The Sports Tourer wheels could have been easily replaced or even relaced to new rims and spokes but I really think the Sports Tourer deserved the original wheels in their original make up.
The spokes took a lot of work and I did actually had to replace a few of the spokes and a few more spoke nipples. The original spokes are very nice and very light butted spokes. The wheel hubs took a good deal of cleaning and a lot of polishing but they turned out fantastic!! I love high flange hubs, I think these are Normandy hubs with the Schwinn Approved made in France logos but I am probably wrong on that. I do not really know the Sports Tourer history very well.
I polished and trued the rims and considering where they started the turned out beautiful! I then installed the new Kenda Gum walls and gave them a spin, Perfect!!
I included a photo of the wheel skewers before and need to yet take an after photo, they are very pretty and ornate for a wheel skewer when they are all polished out.
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1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Rear Wheel
Before |
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Rear Wheel - Before |
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Rear Wheel Hub - Before |
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Rear Wheel Rim - Before |
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Freewheel - Before |
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Rear Wheel - Old Grease |
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Rear Wheel Hub - Polished |
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Rear Hub Bearings Packed |
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1974 Sports Touer Restoration - New Kenda K35
Gum Wall Tires |
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Rear Wheel - Complete |
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1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Front Wheel
Before |
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1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Front Wheel Hub
Before |
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1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Front Wheel Rim
Before |
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Front Wheel - Old Grease |
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1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Front Wheel Hub
Polished |
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Front Wheel - Complete |
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Wheel Skewers - Before |
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Wheels - Complete |
I took some before photos but forgot to take a few after photos of the Sports Tourer wired and the handlebar tape installed. I was to excited to get the Sports Tourer out in the sun.
The owner of the Sports Touer supplied new pedals for it but I did not think through it at the time that the pedal threads would be French threads for the French crank. I restored the old pedals the best I could, they turned out just okay but they where extremely rough to start.
I wired the Sports Tourer and installed a synthetic leather black handlebar tape. The cable housings are white and the handlebar tape is black on purpose, the white highlights the Schwinn Sports Tourer decals and the black contrasts the decals and housings, I think a very nice look.
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Pedals - Complete |
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1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Original Schwinn Saddle
Installed |
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - New Cables & Cable Hosuings |
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1974 Sports Touer Restoration - New Handlebar
Tape |
The original rear rack is not in he greatest shape but I think it deserves a chance to clean up some and be installed. Its original and just fits. I cleaned it the best it would and then did some minor polishing with ally polish and some 0000 fine steel whole. The rack turned out pretty nice and looks great installed. Again I forgot after in shop photos, it looks good in the final photos.
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Rear Rack - Before |
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1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Rear Rack
Before |
I was super excited to get the Sports Tourer out in the sun and for a test ride. Here is a good tip if you do a total restoration, check to make sure all bolts are tight especially the stem and handlebar bolt. I check all bolts a couple of times but I must have missed this a bolt because i took off and the handlebars rotated down, a little awkward but no major problems.
With the handlebars back in order the test ride went very well, just some slight adjustment to the brakes. The Schwinn Sports Tourer Surprised me that it is a lot lighter then I was expecting and road fantastic. The ride was very good but did not feel anything like I was expecting, it is surprisingly nimble and quick. I guess it is a sports touring bicycle so that would explain it.
In the final photos it can be seen how truely stunning the Sports Tourer is, the red pops, the decals pop and the black synthetic black handlebar tape and black saddle are perfect. The bright works shines bright and that TA crank is beautiful. I love this bike, wish it was about 10 cm larger!
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Bicycle Complete |
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| 1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Bicycle Complete |
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1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Bicycle Complete
Front |
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1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Bicycle Complete
Handlebars |
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1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Bicycle Complete
Stem |
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1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Bicycle Complete
Front Brake |
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1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Bicycle Complete
Front Wheel |
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1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Bicycle Complete
Stem |
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1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Bicycle Complete
Front Half |
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1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Bicycle Complete
Saddle & Rear Rack |
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1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Bicycle Complete
Drive Train |
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1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Bicycle Complete
Crank |
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1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Bicycle Complete
Rear |
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1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Bicycle Complete
Rear Wheel |
I had my bag I used to use to commute to work with handy and I wanted to see how it looked on the Sports Touer as it is a sports touring bicycle, I should have put my canvas saddle bag on but still looks good with a bag.
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1974 Sports Touer Restoration - Bicycle Complete
Saddle Bag |
I really enjoyed the Sports Touer and it was a heck of a challenge, I am proud of the results, thanks for the interest.
John Z.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHi Thomas,
DeleteThanks for the information on the year of the Sports Tourer. I am not real familiar with the Sports Tourer history the information is appreciated. I hope you enjoyed the post and the completed bike.
Thank you for your interest,
John Z.
My dad has a red Schwinn Sports Tourer that looks just like this. Needs a polish and cleaning. I'm an avid cyclist with a nice carbon bike, and was contemplating putting a little work into the old Schwinn. Seeing your pictures and work makes me second guess the idea.
ReplyDeleteNicely done. A lot of work to be sure! Me? I bought a ST back in ’72 when I was 18 … Before that a Continental… have had it ever since, and I’ve stayed true blue, no other bicycle either … Did a major overhaul on it about 2 years back . Replaced everything having ball bearings … WHAT a difference!!! New wheels with Shimano XT hubs , Velocity Dyad rims, and bought a spoke tensioner, created an Excel spreadsheet recording each and every spoke’s tensions and brought the spokes into proper tension between 110kgf and 130kgf. while entering into a Zen state doing so.. ��
ReplyDeleteBB replaced with Shimano, got the Shimano XT long cage rear derailer, spread the rear seat stays to 165mm for about 2 hours, released tension and presto … proper width for the 130mm rear hub and 11 gear Shimano 11-46 cassette.
Qt:
Anyone still reading this post??
Anyone know if a new fork can be mounted onto this beast?
I currently am running 32mm tires … would like wider …
Yea, I know, why don’t I just buy a wider tire bike? I suppose it’s emotional … I get all teary eyed over it … ��
Nice work, beautiful and classy bicycle. Love those T.A. cranks!
ReplyDeletethank you for this lovely and detailed post. you do great work! I just acquired an ST for my kid brother. I know that over the next year will will ride, prepare, and then fully restore this bike. I bookmarked this page to help guide us along.
ReplyDeleteThank-you for keeping this valuable journal online, John. Your Sports Tourer looks absolutely fantastic!
ReplyDeleteI am about to start on the restoration of a 1972 (built in late '71) Sports Tourer. It is in the (evidently) rare Opaque Green color. I've never seen anything like that color before or since.
I have never ridden my ST. The reason for this is that I never purchased the ST, rather it was given to me. Originally, I found it in an old garage of a house I was renting. I always assumed that the owner would come along to pick up his stuff, but it never happened. I asked my landlord about the bike and he tried to find the owner, but failed. After about a year, he said "It's yours. Keep it." That was nearly 30 years ago.
I've never ridden the ST as I've had a wonderful 1974 Raleigh Gran Prix since it was new. The Raleigh was always roadworthy and the ST was questionable. I did recognize the quality of the ST and didn't want to damage bearings, etc., that might need maintenance. So the bike sat, unused.
Fast forward to now (2021) and it's come time to refurb my old Raleigh, too. I've dragged the ST all over the country with me, but never got around to working on it. I got both bikes out and started giving the ST a closer eye. Nowadays, there is a lot of info available that wasn't available 30 years ago and the more I learn about the ST, the more excited I am to get it on the road.
While I'm not positive, I'm inclined to refurb the ST first. It needs no parts of which I'm aware, while the old Raleigh may well be needing a rear derailleur.
But, whenever I do go through the Sport Tourer, this blog post will be most helpful!
I want that Opaque green ST!
DeleteExcellent work! I recently finished my '71 ST in Sierra brown. Nut and bolt resto. New stainless spokes on original rims. Original B-15 saddle. Puchased the Stein crank puller for the TA cranks. What a fun project and she gets the looks!
ReplyDelete