My lil bro picked up this 1993(?) Schwinn CrossFit for free from the local bike co op. Ive been thinking about it for the last month since I’ve been traveling, and just got to look at it today.It’s got a Shimano 105 front derailleur on it, and a 300 LX crankset on it already. This will be my second build, but I’m still looking for some advice on how to go about this. I’m thinking end goal for this is to put on some gravel drops, keep the 3x, put on some knobby 700c tires, fenders, and a rack, and call it a day. Considering painting it as well since it will be a while before I can get all the parts. I was originally thinking about swapping out the components on the bike for a more complete 3x groupset (something from Microshift maybe), but it seems the parts on there are in decent shape and pretty good quality as well already. Any general advice is appreciated!
by Wakadooia
3 Comments
Personally I wouldn’t repaint it as you’d lose all that character.
I think you have the right idea and perspective for this build. The only things I’d add to the list would be to look around for a decent condition Shimano LX/XT rear derailleur and an 8 or 9 speed wheelset, compressionless shift cable housing, and a decent saddle. I like Selle Anatomica, but they’re not the cheapest. I find Brooks saddles to be fairly comfortable so long as you get the adjustment on them right (a slight nose-upward position), but not everyone does. I’ve heard good things about the WTB Volt, but I have yet to try one.
Very first thing is to remove and discard the Biopace chainrings! We can argue about whether oval chainrings are useful at all. What we can’t argue about is that the Biopace is what happens if you get them and mount them 90deg from how they’re supposed to be mounted – it actively makes things worse.