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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Bicycle After Restoration |
I think the Schwinns from the 1970's like the 5 speed Collegiate, the Schwinn Suburban, the Schwinn World Tourist, and the Schwinn 3 Speeds like the Breeze and Racer are fantastic bicycles. The are heavier bicycles but they also are not meant for racing. They are meant for a very comfortable riding position, a very smooth and vibration free ride. They are meant for riding around town carrying a basket full of groceries. They are meant for running errands. They are meant for riding and touring at a slow speed for an afternoon of site seeing. They are durable, comfortable work horses!
You can usually find these types of bicycles in the $40-$75 range and with a little more invested and some work they come out fantastic and are way better then any Walmart bike or the ridiculously expensive new city bikes that the Bicycle Industry is pushing today.
Rob's daughter's bicycle is in a little bit of rough starting shape but nothing that will stop it from coming back beautifully. The Schwinn Collegiate will receive a restoration along with new tires and tier tubes, new cables, new cable housings, new bearings and new brake pads. I can't wait to see the Campus Green polished and all the chrome shining!!
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Bicycle Before |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Bicycle Before Handlebars |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Bicycle Before Head Lamp |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Bicycle Before Head Badge |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Bicycle Before Front Brake Caliper |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Bicycle Before Front Wheel Hub |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Bicycle Before Front Wheel Rim |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Bicycle Before Stem |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Bicycle Before Fork Crown |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Bicycle Before Shift Levers |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Bicycle Before Front Fender |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Bicycle Before Down Tube Decal |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Bicycle Before Bottom Bracket |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Bicycle Before Chain Guard |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Bicycle Before Crank |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Bicycle Before Rear Brake Caliper |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Bicycle Before Generator |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Bicycle Before Rear Derailleur |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Bicycle Before Rear Wheel Hub |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Bicycle Before Rear Fender |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Bicycle Before Rear Fender |
I disassembled the Schwinn Collegiate. The components where stiff, dirty and a little difficult to break down at times but there where no surprises. The green paint has some chips and scratches here and there but not bad at all. The paint is very dirty and dull but it should come back very nice.
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Frame Before |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Frame Before Head Tube |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Frame Before Head Tube |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Frame Before Head Tube |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Frame Before Down Tube |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Frame Before Bottom Bracket |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Frame Before Bottom Bracket |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Frame Before Bottom Bracket |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Frame Before Seat Tube |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Frame Before Rear Drop Outs |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Frame Before Fork |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Frame Before Fork Crown |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Frame Before Fork Crown |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Frame Before Fork Crown |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Frame Before Fork Blades |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Frame Before Fork Drop Outs |
I gave the frame a deep cleaning and then started working through the polishing grits. The frame polished fantastic! I could not be happier with the results!! The Campus Green paint just shines with a deep luster. The decals are not the brightest but they are not bad either. There are the chips and scratches but they do not show up to much against the green. I have applied clear over the paint chips for protection, the campus green is a color that is impossible to match correctly and looks horrible when mismatched. Its better to go with the chips as they fade into the back ground. I really like this frame polished! I think I will remove the old blue & yellow bike shop decal before the protecting wax.
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Frame Polished |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Frame Polished Head Tube |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Frame Polished Head Tube |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Frame Polished Head Tube |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Frame Polished Down Tube & Decal |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Frame Polished Seat Post & Chicago Decal |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Frame Polished Bike Shop Decal |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Frame Polished Bottom Bracket |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Frame Polished Bottom Bracket |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Frame Polished Bottom Bracket |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Frame Polished Seat Stays |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Frame Polished Drop Outs |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Frame Polished Fork |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Frame Polished Fork Crown |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Frame Polished Fork Crown |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Frame Polished Fork Blade |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Frame Polished Fork Drop Outs |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Frame Before Chain Guard |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Frame Before Chain Guard Decal |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Frame Polished Chain Guard |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Frame Polished Chain Guard |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Frame Polished Chain Guard |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Frame Polished Chain Guard |
With the frame polished it is time to start with the components. I started by cleaning the headset in the crock pot and polished the pieces along with the shift lever. Headset functions and looks great and te shift levers look fantastic. I am happy with the results of the headset and shit levers.
With the headset complete it is time to install the bottom bracket & crank. The bottom bracket took a while in the crock pot to clean, the grease was very stubborn. The crank also had a lot of stubborn grease. When the grease was removed I polished the bottom bracket pieces and then hand polished the crank. The bottom bracket polished beautifully and the crank really polished nice. The crank looks fantastic installed! I love this stuff!
With the headset & bottom bracket complete it is time for the handlebars and stem. The stem has the very cool head lamp attached but we will get to the head lamp later. The whole generator and lighting system is in rough shape now and the wires are rotted. I will get to the head lamp latter. The stem and handlebars are in good starting shape. After some cleaning and polishing the handlebars and stem look fantastic. Installed they really pop against the polished Campus Green paint and polished headset. I am very happy with the results of the handlebars and stem.
With the handlebars complete they are ready for the brake levers. The brake levers polished very nice but these type of brake levers always do. Installed the levers look great and complete the look of the stem & handlebars.
The brake calipers are fine calipers. I disassembled the calipers and cleaned all the pieces. With all the pieces cleaned I worked through the polishing. The brake calipers polished beautifully and with all the pivot points greased they function fantastic. New brake pads complete the calipers and will give the Collegiate nice stopping power. I am extremely happy with the results of the brake calipers. They look fantastic installed on the frame.
The Collegiate has only one derailleur being a five speed. The derailleur is in rough shape and it is caked in heavy dirty dry grease. I was actually a little worried about the derailleur before I got to work on it. I disassembled the derailleur and soaked all the pieces in heavy degreaser for a long time. With the pieces cleaned I worked on the polishing. All the pieces polished very nice. I assembled the derailleur with all the proper places greased. The derailleur turned out very very nice and works great. I am very happy with the rear derailleur. I was worried before but now am happy with it. I also like that the jockey wheels are a hard steel instead of the regular nylon, a sign that the Collegiate is older then most.
The saddle is a newer saddle that is a little rough. The seat post was actually put in upside down to accommodate the saddle and the seat collar it requires. I am not sure how to handle that yet. For now I polished the seat post, seat binder collar and the seat collar. Everything polished very ncie and it all looks great installed.
Last for now is the chain guard. The chain guard polished very nice and the chain guard hardware also polished very nice. Installed the chain guard look great. The Collegiate is really coming along now.
The wheels are a little rough in spots and pretty good in others. They should restore nicely. I broke down the hubs and cleaned out the old grease. Once cleaned I started the polishing process. The wheel hubs and rims polished very nice, I am very happy the way things polished. With everything polished I packed the bearings and installed the wheels to the frame. The wheels look great installed and spin very fast and smooth. I would have installed the gum wall tires but they are taking a long time to get here. I will install them the moment they arrive. So far I am thrilled with the wheels.
The fenders are rough but the chrome is good. The fenders have a lot of dents and bends but I should be able to pound them out, at least some. The fender struts are very rough so I will just repaint the struts silver. Painting the struts makes a huge difference instead of trying to make whats there looking good. I removed the front strut because it is barley hanging from the rivet. I will reattach the rivet probably with a pan head screw and nut. The fender chrome cleaned up really nice and then I masked off parts for painting.
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Headset & Shift Levers Before |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Shift Lever - Before |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Shift Lever - Before |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Headset & Shift Lever Polished |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Shift Lever - Polished |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Pressing Headset Cups |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Headset Cups - Pressed |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Headset Bearings Packed |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Headset - Complete |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Headset - Complete |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Bottom Bracket & Crank - Before |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Bottom Bracket Before |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Crank Before |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Crank - Before |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Crank - Polished |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Bottom Bracket Complete |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Pressing Bottom Bracket Cups |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Bottom Bracket Cups Pressed |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Bottom Bracket Bearings Packed |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Crank Complete |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Crank Complete |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Crank Complete |
With the headset & bottom bracket complete it is time for the handlebars and stem. The stem has the very cool head lamp attached but we will get to the head lamp later. The whole generator and lighting system is in rough shape now and the wires are rotted. I will get to the head lamp latter. The stem and handlebars are in good starting shape. After some cleaning and polishing the handlebars and stem look fantastic. Installed they really pop against the polished Campus Green paint and polished headset. I am very happy with the results of the handlebars and stem.
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Handlebars & Stem Before |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Handlebars & Stem Before |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Stem Before |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Handlebars & Stem Before |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Stem - Exploded |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Handlebars & Stem Polished - Beautiful!! |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Stem & Handlebars - Complete |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Stem & Handlebars Complete |
With the handlebars complete they are ready for the brake levers. The brake levers polished very nice but these type of brake levers always do. Installed the levers look great and complete the look of the stem & handlebars.
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Brake Levers Before |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Brake Levers Polished |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Brake Levers Polished |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Brake Levers Complete |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Brake Levers Complete |
The brake calipers are fine calipers. I disassembled the calipers and cleaned all the pieces. With all the pieces cleaned I worked through the polishing. The brake calipers polished beautifully and with all the pivot points greased they function fantastic. New brake pads complete the calipers and will give the Collegiate nice stopping power. I am extremely happy with the results of the brake calipers. They look fantastic installed on the frame.
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Brake Calipers Before |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Brake Calipers Exploded |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Brake Calipers Polished |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Brake Calipers Complete |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Front Brake Caliper - Installed |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Rear Brake Caliper - Installed |
The Collegiate has only one derailleur being a five speed. The derailleur is in rough shape and it is caked in heavy dirty dry grease. I was actually a little worried about the derailleur before I got to work on it. I disassembled the derailleur and soaked all the pieces in heavy degreaser for a long time. With the pieces cleaned I worked on the polishing. All the pieces polished very nice. I assembled the derailleur with all the proper places greased. The derailleur turned out very very nice and works great. I am very happy with the rear derailleur. I was worried before but now am happy with it. I also like that the jockey wheels are a hard steel instead of the regular nylon, a sign that the Collegiate is older then most.
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Rear Derailleur Before |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Rear Derailleur Before |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Rear Derailleur Before |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Rear Derailleur Exploded |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Rear Derailleur Polished |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Rear Derailleur Complete |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Rear Derailleur - Complete |
The saddle is a newer saddle that is a little rough. The seat post was actually put in upside down to accommodate the saddle and the seat collar it requires. I am not sure how to handle that yet. For now I polished the seat post, seat binder collar and the seat collar. Everything polished very ncie and it all looks great installed.
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Seat Post & Saddle Before |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Seat Post & Collar Before |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Seat Binder Collar Before |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Seat Post - Seat Collar & Seat Binder Collar - Polished |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Seat Post Installed |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Chain Guard & Hardware - Polished |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Chain Guard Complete |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Chain Guard Hardware |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Chain Guard Hardware |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration - Chain Guard Complete |
The wheels are a little rough in spots and pretty good in others. They should restore nicely. I broke down the hubs and cleaned out the old grease. Once cleaned I started the polishing process. The wheel hubs and rims polished very nice, I am very happy the way things polished. With everything polished I packed the bearings and installed the wheels to the frame. The wheels look great installed and spin very fast and smooth. I would have installed the gum wall tires but they are taking a long time to get here. I will install them the moment they arrive. So far I am thrilled with the wheels.
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Front Wheel - Before |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Front Wheel Hub - Before |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Front Wheel Rim - Before |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Front Wheel Hub - Before |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Front Wheel Hub - Polished |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Front Wheel Rim - Polished |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Front Wheel Bearings - Packed |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Axle Pieces - Ready |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Front Wheel - Complete |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Front Wheel Rim - After |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Rear Wheel - Before |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Rear Wheel Hub - Before |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Rear Wheel Hub - Before |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Rear Wheel Rim - Before |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Rear Wheel Hub - Old Grease |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Rear Wheel Hub - Polished |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Rear Wheel Rim - Polished |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Rear Wheel Bearings - Packed |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Rear Wheel - Complete |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Rear Wheel Rim - After |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Wheels - Complete |
The fenders are rough but the chrome is good. The fenders have a lot of dents and bends but I should be able to pound them out, at least some. The fender struts are very rough so I will just repaint the struts silver. Painting the struts makes a huge difference instead of trying to make whats there looking good. I removed the front strut because it is barley hanging from the rivet. I will reattach the rivet probably with a pan head screw and nut. The fender chrome cleaned up really nice and then I masked off parts for painting.
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Front Fender - Before |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Front Fender Strut - Before |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Front Fender - Before |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Front Fender - Before - Dents & Twists |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Front Fender Before - Dents & Twists |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Front Fender Strut Rivet |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Front Fender - Before Pounding |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Front Fender - Before Pounding |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Front Fender - Before |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Rear Fender - Before |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Rear Fender Struts - Before |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Rear Fender - Before |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Rear Fender - Before |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Rear Fender - Before |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Rear Fender - Before |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Rear Fender - Before |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Rear Fender - Before |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Ready For Painting |
The painting of the fender struts went very well. The struts look great and the fender polished beautifully. I attached the front fender to the strut with new hardware. Installed the fenders look fantastic! They would look even better with tires installed. I really love this stuff. Something simple like painting the fender struts can transform the restoration.
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Front Fender Strut - Painted |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Front Fender Strut - Installed |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Front Fender - Complete |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Front Fender Strut - Complete |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Front Fender - Complete |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Front Fender - Complete |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Rear Fender Struts - Painted |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Rear Fender Struts - Painted |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Rear Fender - Polished |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Rear Fender - Polished |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Rear Fender - Polished |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Rear Fender - Complete |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Rear Fender Struts - Complete |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Rear Fender - Complete |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Rear Fender - Complete |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Fenders - Complete |
With the fenders complete I installed the cables and cable housings. The dark Ice Gray color is the perfect color for the Campus Green color. Now looking at the photos below I think I wired the Collegiate first and then installed the fenders, I remember it the other way around. The cables look fantastic installed with the dark gray.
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration New Cables & Cable Housings |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Cables - Compelte |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Cables - Complete |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Cables - Complete |
Today I cleaned and installed the saddle. The saddle is a little rough but it cleaned well. It is actually pretty comfortable. In the future Rob can pick a new one if needed. I don't really like to choose saddles for people because they are a very personal thing. Just got to get on one and try it.
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Saddle - Cleaned |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Saddle - Installed |
Next i worked on the pedals. The pedals are rough but all pedals are rough because they take a beating. The good thing is the pedals still spin good. I gave the pedals a good cleaning and then polished the best I could on the polishing wheels. The pedals turned out very nice, I am actually thrilled with the results! The rubber blocks look great and the metal polished very nice. Awesome!!
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Pedals - Before |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Pedals - Cleaned & Polished |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Pedals - Installed |
The correct size tires arrived this morning. I quickly installed the tires and they look great. Gum wall tires are so classic and just bring the whole bike together. I love the look! Being 26 x 1 3/8 inch tires they supply a very smooth and cushy ride. I also installed the freewheel, pie plate and chain at this time.
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration New Tires |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Front Wheel - Complete |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Rear Wheel - Complete |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Freewheel & Chain - Complete |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Wheels - Complete |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Test Ride |
It was a nice day out today so I actually worked on the head lamp, generator and rear light outside on the porch with my beagle Haily.
The wiring for the generator is rotten and broken all around. Everything will be wired new. Today I polished all the pieces and removed the old wiring. The head lamp has a lot of rust pitting but after polishing it turned out pretty nice. It is not perfect but a lot better then before. The head lamp lens was very cloudy and dirty. After a little cleaning and a little plastic polish and it is crystal clear. I am very happy about that!
The generator polished very nice. The rear light bulb I think is loose in the light. It rattles around all over. I have actually not figured out how to open it up yet. The plastic of the light and all the pieces are very brittle and have not figured out how to get around that yet with out breaking everything,
Tomorrow is wiring and that rear light bulb. With the bike with the head lamp installed and the rear generator installed looks amazing. When I look at the photos below all I can think is "Damn, that is a classy bike!!".
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Head Lamp & Generator - Before |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Head Lamp Pieces - Polished |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Head Lamp - Complete |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Head Lamp - Installed |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Head Lamp - Installed - I like all the bright work in this photo a lot! |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Head Lamp - Installed - Love this photo! |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Generator Pieces - Polished |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Generator - Installed |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Bicycle Waiting for Generator Wiring |
With the lights working I gave the Collegiate one more test ride and it rides great! A truly classic and wonderful riding bicycle. I wonder all the time why more people don't go for a bike like this. The only reason I can think of is most of the bicycles like this Collegiate have been sitting in garages or basements for 25 years and look beyond repair. This Schwinn Collegiate shows the diamonds all these bikes are laying in the rough!
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Bicycle Complete |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Bicycle Complete |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Bicycle Complete - Handlebars |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Bicycle Complete - Handlebars & Head Lamp |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Bicycle Complete - Head Tube |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Bicycle Complete - Front Brake |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Bicycle Complete - Front Wheel Hub |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Bicycle Complete - Front Wheel Rim |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Bicycle Complete - Handlebars |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Bicycle Complete - Stem & Shift Levers |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Bicycle Complete - Head Tube |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Bicycle Complete - Front Half |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Bicycle Complete - Down Tube |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Bicycle Complete - Saddle |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Bicycle Complete - Chicago Decal |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Bicycle Complete - Drive Train |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Bicycle Complete - Crank |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Bicycle Complete - Chain Guard |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Bicycle Complete - Derailleur |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Bicycle Complete - Rear Brake Caliper |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Bicycle Complete - Generator |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Bicycle Complete - Rear Wheel Hub |
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| Rob's Schwinn Collegiate 5 Speed Restoration Bicycle Complete |
John Z.
