This is John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe. It is new to him and in for a mechanical overhaul. I usually don't post mechanical overhauls but the 1985 version of the Le Tour Luxe is just so cool. The 1985 version of the Le Tour Luxe is a true touring bike with cantilever brakes, Columbus tubing and all the brazes for mounting racks and the like. This version of the Le Tour Luxe is also fairly rare to see. To me it is almost as cool as it gets.
The Le Tour Luxe is in for a mechanical overhaul so not really a restoration with all the polishing and restoring to new but rather a good cleaning along with new bearings, grease, cables, cable housings and a few more things I am forgetting. The suicide levers on the brake levers have been removed so I will also cut off the pieces for those and install new brake lever hoods, it will be so much nicer and more comfortable. I can't wait to see the Luxe overhauled and get a chance to test ride it, I think it has been at least ten years since I have seen this version if not longer.
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul - Bicycle Before |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul - Bicycle Before Brake Lever |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul - Bicycle Before Brake Lever |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul - Bicycle Before Head Tube |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul - Bicycle Before Front Brake |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul - Bicycle Before Front Wheel Hub |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul - Bicycle Before Front Wheel Rim |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul - Bicycle Before Stem |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul - Bicycle Before Headset |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul - Bicycle Before Bottom Bracket |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul - Bicycle Before Crank |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul - Bicycle Before Front Derailleur |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul - Bicycle Before Columbus Decal |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul - Bicycle Before Rear Cable Hanger |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul - Bicycle Before Rear Brake |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul - Bicycle Before Rear Derailleur |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul - Bicycle Before Rear Wheel Hub |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul - Bicycle Before Rear Wheel Rim |
I wasn't going to take so many photos, just enough to show the overhaul but as I started I just liked the Luxe so much I just kept taking photos.
It was also not my intention to do any polishing but when I striped the frame of the components to run them through the parts cleaner and sonic cleaner I saw the frame was in great shape I just had to at least polish the frame.
It was just the right time for the overhaul too. When I first tested the brakes they felt very stiff and a little gritty, partly from old cables but also when I removed the cantilever brakes there was a lot of rust on the studs and the inside of the bushing. You can see the rusted studs in some of the photos below.
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Frame Before - Head Tube |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Frame Before - Head Tube |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Frame Before - Head Tube |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Frame Before - Top Tube |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Frame Before - Down Tube |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Frame Before - Bottom Bracket |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Frame Before - Bottom Bracket |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Frame Before - Bottom Bracket |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Frame Before - Columbus Decal |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Frame Before - Seat Lug |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Frame Before - Seat Lug |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Frame Before - Cantilever Brake Studs Some Rust |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Frame Before - Chain Stays |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Frame Before - Drop Outs |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Frame Before - Fork |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Frame Before - Fork Crown |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Frame Before - Cantilever Studs - Rust |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Frame Before - Fork Blades |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Frame Before - Fork Drop Outs |
As I mentioned before there was suppose to be no polishing just a mechanical overhaul but when I had the frame stripped down I just had to polish the paint. I wanted to see it polished. The frame polished beautifully! The paint is amazing and the color really changed when polished, it is more of a root beer color. I love it!
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Frame Polished |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Frame Polished - Head Tube |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Frame Polished - Head Tube |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Frame Polished - Head Tube |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Frame Polished - Top Tube |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Frame Polished - Down Tube |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Frame Polished - Seat Lug |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Frame Polished - Columbus Decal |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Frame Polished - Bottom Bracket |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Frame Polished - Bottom Bracket |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Frame Polished - Bottom Bracket |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Frame Polished - Seat Stays |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Frame Polished - Chain Stays |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Frame Polished - Drop Outs |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Frame Polished - Fork |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Frame Polished - Fork Crown |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Frame Polished - Fork Crown |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Frame Polished - Cantilever Studs |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Frame Polished - Fork Blades |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Frame Polished - Fork Drop Outs |
From here I put some of the parts into the crock pot for cleaning the rest I ran the components through the parts cleaner and then the sonic cleaners. With the parts clean I lubricated all the areas that needs lubricating. I replaced bearings and packed them in new grease and then installed the components to the frame. The components look better cleaned and function great with new bearings and grease and areas flushed and lubricated. The posted some of the photos through the process below.
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Headset Before |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Headset Cleaned |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Pressing Headset Cups |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Headset Cups - Pressed |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul New Headset Bearings - Packed |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Headset - Complete |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Headset - Complete |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Bottom Bracket Bearings - Packed |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Bottom Bracket - Complete |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Bottom Bracket - Complete |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Headset & Bottom Bracket Complete |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Seat Post Cleaned - Greased & Installed |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Rear Cable Hanger - Installed |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Front Brakes - Greased & Installed |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Rear Brakes - Greased & Installed |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Shift Levers - Installed |
The Sun Tour Mountech derailleurs are so cool!
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul REar Derailleurs - Cleaned - lubricated & Installed |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Crank & Front Derailleur - Installed |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Stem & Handlebars - Before |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Stem & Handlebars - Cleaned & Installed |
Next I started work on overhauling the wheel hubs. I disassembled the wheel hubs and ran all the pieces through the cleaners. I then installed new bearings and packed them in new grease. The wheels could use a good polishing but overall they are great wheels. With the hub overhaul they spin super smooth and they took just a little truing. I like these wheels a lot. John has some Panaracer tires to put on the Luxe which I think are the perfect choice. I also gave the freewheel a good cleaning, a good flushing and then lubricating. It spins great!
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Rear Wheel Before |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Rear Wheel Hub - Before |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Rear Wheel Hub - Before |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Rear Wheel Rim |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Rear Wheel Hub - Old Grease |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Rear Wheel Hub - Cleaned |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Rear Wheel Hub - New Grease & Bearings |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Wheel Hub Pieces - Cleaned |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Rear Wheel - Complete |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Rear Wheel - Complete |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Front Wheel Before |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Front Wheel Hub - Before |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Front Wheel Rim |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Front Wheel Hub - Old Grease |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Front Wheel Hub - Cleaned |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Front Wheel - New Bearings & Grease |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Front Wheel - Complete |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Front Wheel - Complete |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Wheels - Complete |
Now it was time to cut the stud down on the brake lever sand install the new brake lever hoods. I taped up the brake levers to prevent it from being scratched when cut. A little filing and the cut is level and very smooth. I installed the new brake lever hoods. They look great!!
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Brake Lever Stud - Cut |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul New Brake Lever Hoods |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Brake Lever Hoods - Complete |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Brake Levers - Installed |
That completes most of the Le Tour Luxe. More to come.
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Bicycle So Far |
I installed new white cork handlebar tape. The white looks amazing on the Le Tour Luxe. Perfect!
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul White Handlebar Tape - Complete |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Replacement Chain Ring |
That completes the Le Tour Luxe overhaul. The Luxe rides amazing. I rode it roughly 5 miles the other day when it was about 18 degrees and very windy. It road amazing even in the cold. The Le Tour is just so cool.
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Bicycle Complete |
I took a few photos of the Schwinn Le Tour Luxe outside as I was loading it up to take it to Milwaukee to deliver it. Man this is a cool bike!!
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Bicycle Complete |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Bicycle Complete |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Bicycle Complete - Handlebars |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Bicycle Complete - Crank |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Bicycle Complete - Rear Derailleur |
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| John's 1985 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Overhaul Bicycle Complete - Rear Wheel Hub |
John Z.
Great overhaul! Really inspiring! I'm currently working a 1985 Le Tour Luxe as well. Its not as in good of shape as this one and I need to replace the headset completely. Do you know if the cup size is 30.0 or 30.2? Also any recommendation for a complete headset? Thanks!
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