I can shed a little light on the bike in general; likely a low- to mid-tier roadbike from what’s known as the bike boom in the 1970s. The sticker that says Tange Hi-Ten Plain Gauge means the frame was made from hi-tensile steelindtead of fancier steel alloys (like chromium-molybednium, aka Cro-Mo). Plain Gauge means the tubing is the same thickness all the way through the tube. Lighter tubing is “butted” (or double- or triple-butted, hehe) which means when it’s drawn at the factory it is thinned in the middle to save weight and possibly add some springiness (in exchange for some strength/durability).
I would recommend a good cleaning and then replace all cables and housings, lubricate the pivot points in the brakes and see where it’s at.
Going deeper, you’ll want to service all the spinny bits by re-greasing the bottom bracket, headset, and wheel hubs.
Also, make sure you can adjust the seatpost and the handlebar stem. The seatpost in particular can become seized into the seat tube, so check this early to see if it will be worth the effort elsewhere.
Most folks will tell you not to invest too much $$ in this bike, as that money is better saved for a nicer frame. This is true, but this is a great first vintage bike to learn on and figure out what you like, what you don’t, and if you like working on your own bike.
Ride on!
tegularius_the_elder on
I have a similar bike (’77 Schwinn Traveler) and I converted it to a single speed. I recommend finding a back wheel with a flip flop hub (single speed freewheel on one side and a fixed gear cog on the other). I find single speed much more casual to ride, fixed gear is intense and requires practice and a very different headspace (at least at first). With a flip flop you can choose and switch between the two.
Going single speed/fixed is a great mod for a bike like this: you’re not “desecrating” a primo vintage ride and you’ll end up making it a lot lighter (low grade components are heavy). And you learn a lot about maintaining a nice straight chainline, which is a good learning experience, picking a gear ratio for your area, etc.
2 Comments
I can shed a little light on the bike in general; likely a low- to mid-tier roadbike from what’s known as the bike boom in the 1970s. The sticker that says Tange Hi-Ten Plain Gauge means the frame was made from hi-tensile steelindtead of fancier steel alloys (like chromium-molybednium, aka Cro-Mo). Plain Gauge means the tubing is the same thickness all the way through the tube. Lighter tubing is “butted” (or double- or triple-butted, hehe) which means when it’s drawn at the factory it is thinned in the middle to save weight and possibly add some springiness (in exchange for some strength/durability).
I would recommend a good cleaning and then replace all cables and housings, lubricate the pivot points in the brakes and see where it’s at.
Going deeper, you’ll want to service all the spinny bits by re-greasing the bottom bracket, headset, and wheel hubs.
Also, make sure you can adjust the seatpost and the handlebar stem. The seatpost in particular can become seized into the seat tube, so check this early to see if it will be worth the effort elsewhere.
[Sheldon Brown’s website is a godsend](http://www.sheldonbrown.com) and [RJ the Bike Guy (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/c/RJTheBikeGuy) is a big help with step by step demonstrations of all of the maintenance you’ll need.
Most folks will tell you not to invest too much $$ in this bike, as that money is better saved for a nicer frame. This is true, but this is a great first vintage bike to learn on and figure out what you like, what you don’t, and if you like working on your own bike.
Ride on!
I have a similar bike (’77 Schwinn Traveler) and I converted it to a single speed. I recommend finding a back wheel with a flip flop hub (single speed freewheel on one side and a fixed gear cog on the other). I find single speed much more casual to ride, fixed gear is intense and requires practice and a very different headspace (at least at first). With a flip flop you can choose and switch between the two.
Going single speed/fixed is a great mod for a bike like this: you’re not “desecrating” a primo vintage ride and you’ll end up making it a lot lighter (low grade components are heavy). And you learn a lot about maintaining a nice straight chainline, which is a good learning experience, picking a gear ratio for your area, etc.