John's Bicycle Restorations: 1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Bicycle After Restoration

Some of you know I have not been feeling the greatest through winter but it seems I have finally kicked it all and back up to my full of energy self. It is so nice to be able to just work all out again. The Schwinn Circuit restoration was kind a of a celebration to me for finally feeling better, it is from my era and one of the cool ones from my era. I would even say maybe one of the last really nice bikes Schwinn made that did not come from PDG. I think it is so cool but this one has a few quarks.

The Circuit appears to have been repainted. It is a matte black color which was actually an option for colors for the Circuit but I think this one was originally the famous Schwinn Pink color. The fork is showing a lot of that pink but the rest of the frame does not show any pink. I say that the frame was repainted to and not just a pink replacement for is the masking lines are rough and the decals feel like replacement decals. However I am 100% sure it is a Circuit because of the chrome stays.

The Circuit is going to receive a restoration along with new tires, tire tubes, cables, cable housings and handlebar tape. The Circuit is a little rough but should come back beautifully. I really can't wait to ride the Circuit, it comes from my mid teens era and I remember these bikes so well. I love it!

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Bicycle Before

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Bicycle Before - Handlebars

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Bicycle Before - Stem

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Bicycle Before - Head Tube

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Bicycle Before - Front Brake

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Bicycle Before - Front Wheel Hub

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Bicycle Before - Front Wheel Rim

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Bicycle Before - Brake Lever

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Bicycle Before - Stem

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Bicycle Before - Fork

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Bicycle Before - Top Tube

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Bicycle Before - Shift Levers

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Bicycle Before - Saddle

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Bicycle Before - Seat Tube

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Bicycle Before - Drive Train

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Bicycle Before - Crank

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Bicycle Before - Front Derailleur

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Bicycle Before - Seat Lug

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Bicycle Before - Rear Brake

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Bicycle Before - Rear Derailleur

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Bicycle Before - Rear Wheel Hub

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Bicycle Before - Chain Stay

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Bicycle Before - Seat Stays

I thought the frame was a matte finish but after a good cleaning it seems to be in between a satin and semi gloss finish. This points to another reason why the frame was probably repainted and not the original matte finish. I did not know what the best way to go on the frame, either polish and see where it came out or let it be. I thought it looked good letting it be and not knowing how polish would affect it.

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Frame Before

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Frame Before - Head Tube

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Frame Before - Top Tube

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Frame Before - Down Tube

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Frame Before - Top Tube

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Frame Before - Seat Lug

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Frame Before - Seat Tube

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Frame Before - Columbus Decal

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Frame Before - Bottom Bracket

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Frame Before - Seat Lug

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Frame Before - Chain Stays

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Frame Before - Chrome Stays

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Frame Before - Chain Stays

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Frame Before - Drop Outs

The frame cleaned it has a sating to semi gloss finish. I like the way it is and I don't know how polishing will affect how it looks so I am going to leave it. I like it a lot.

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Frame Cleaned

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Frame Cleaned - Head Tube

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Frame Cleaned - Top Tube

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Frame Cleaned - Seat Lug

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Frame Cleaned - Seat Tube

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Frame Cleaned - Bottom Bracket

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Frame Cleaned - Seat Stays

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Frame Cleaned - Chain Stays

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Frame Cleaned - Drop Outs

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Frame Cleaned - Chrome Stays

You can see the pink on the fork and fork tube. It needs to be painted so I will do that.

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Fork Before

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Fork Before - Crown

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Fork Before - Blades

I sanded all the loose paint and smoothed out all the chips and scratches. It should prime and paint nicely.

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Fork Sanded Smooth

I am very happy with the way the fork paint turned out. Its very smooth and I chose satin. It blends in with the frame very nicely, so much better then pink showing through. I love this stuff!

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Fork Painted

The headset was very very stiff on the Circuit. It took a ton of force to move just a little bit. I opened the headset and found the grease to be rock solid. I cleaned everything through the crock pot. The headset Shimano 600 decals where already peeling of and wiped off almost instantly. I polished all the pieces and packed the bearings in new grease. The headset and bottom bracket spin perfect and look fantastic now!

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Headset & Bottom Bracket - Before

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Headset Decals Pealing

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Headset & Bottom Bracket - Polished

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Headset Cups Pressing

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Headset Cups Pressed

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Headset Bearings Packed

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Headset Complete

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Bottom Bracket Complete

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Headset & Bottom Bracket Complete

The stem took a little muscle to remove. By the looks of the end of the stem it was definitely time to remove it. I broke ever thing down and gave everything a good cleaning. Some time on the polishing wheels and the stem and handlebars look fantastic!!

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Handlebars & Stem Before

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Stem Before

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Corrosion on Somewhat Stuck Stem.

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Handlebars & Stem Before

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Handlebars Before

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Stem Before

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Stem Corrosion

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Stem Exploded

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Handlebars & Stem Polished

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Handlebars Polished

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Stem Polished

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Stem Complete

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Stem & Handlebars Complete

I like Shimano 600 brake levers a lot. I gave these a good cleaning and lubricating and a little time on the polishing wheels. The brake levers turned out great!

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Brake Levers Before

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Brake Levers Polished

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Brake Levers Installed

I love the Shimano 600 crank even with the Biopace chain ring. Most know I don't mind Biopace chain rings I just don't like the extreme egg shape ones. These you can hardly tell they are Biopace. The crank cleaned and polished beautifully and looks great installed. That is why I like the Shimano 600 cranks so much.

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Crank Before

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Crank Exploded

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Crank Polished

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Crank Complete

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Crank Installed

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Crank Complete

The derailleurs are very nice. The rear is a Shimano 600 derailleur and one of my all time favorites. The derailleurs took a good deal of work to clean but when clean the derailleurs polished beautifully! I love this stuff!

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Derailleurs Before

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Front Derailleur Exploded

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Front Derailleur Polished

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Front Derailleur Complete

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Rear Derailleur Exploded View

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Rear Derailleur Polished

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Rear Derailleur Complete

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Rear Derailleur Installed

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Derailleurs Complete

The brake calipers are Shimano 600 and very nice calipers. They are kind of the beginnings of what led to duel pivot calipers. The brake calipers polished beautifully and installed look amazing.

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Brake Calipers Before

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Brake Calipers Exploded View

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Brake Calipers Polished

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Front Brake Calipers Installed

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Rear Brake Caliper Installed

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Brake Calipers Complete

Pedals take a beating but these are in descent shape. I lubricated the pedals and gave them a polish. They turned out nice.

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Pedals Before

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Pedals Polished

They seat post looked rough but after a good cleaning and time on the polishing wheels the seat post looks amazing.

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Seat Post Before

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Seat Post Polished

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Seat Post Installed

The Shimano 600 shift levers are great shift levers and are index shifting on the rear. I cleaned and lubricated the shift levers and worked through the polishing wheels. The shift elvers turned out like little jewels.

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Shift Levers Before

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Shift Levers Polished

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Shift Levers Installed

The wheels are a little rough. They have seen some use. I broke down the wheels and cleaned out all the old grease and grime. The wheels hubs polished beautifully and the spokes turne dout great. The rims cleaned up very nice but have seen a good deal of use. The rear wheel was a little egg shaped but I was able to pull it a long ways back. New Panaracer tires finishes the look. Over all I am very happy with the wheels.

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Rear Wheel Before

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Rear Wheel Hub Before

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Rear Wheel Rim Before

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Rear Wheel Hub Old Grease

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Rear Wheel Hub Polished

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Rear Wheel Complete

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Front Wheel Before

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Front Wheel Hub Before

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Front Wheel Rim Before

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Front Wheel Hub Old Grease

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Front Wheel Hub Polished

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Front Wheel Hub Bearings Packed

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Front Wheel Complete

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Wheels Complete

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
New Panaracer Tires

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Front Tire Installed

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Rear Tire Installed

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Tires Complete

New cables in dark gray housings and white handlebar tape finish the look of the Circuit. I like the look very much.

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
New Cables & Housings

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
New Handlebar Tape

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Handlebar Tape & Cables Complete

The freewheel has a narrow range and was very nasty. The freewheel turned out very nicely and I actually like a narrow range freewheel.

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Freewheel Before

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Freewheel Complete

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Freewheel & New Chain Installed

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Drive Train Complete

I think the saddle is original, I gave it a good cleaning. It is a San Marco so kind of cool.

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Saddle Installed

1986 Schwinn Circuit Restoration
Bicycle Complete

I got to test ride the Circuit today. It road beautifully and it helps that we have a 60 degree day in February. This has been one strange February. The Circuit road very smooth and is very quick and nimble. Exactly how I thought it would be!

I love how the Circuit turned out! I love how it looks. The paint doesn't shine but it has a mean look to it. The chrome seat stays and chain stays where rough to start but turned out beautifully! I am also a sucker for chrome stays. The gum walls look perfect for the Circuit, I think they actually make it look more ean then if they where all black. Over all I love this bike and was happy to work on it!!