Saturday, June 20, 2009

Return of the Schwinn Suburban 10 speed



A while back I restored a Mans Schwinn Surburban 10 Speed with the Shimano FF Intiger System. When I stripped the bike I removed everything except the hard-wire shift cable to the rear derailleur. This was for two reasons. First was "fear of the unknown" and second was, it was functioning perfectly. So why go looking for trouble? Well eventually I sold the bike to a fellow named Matt. And he loved the bike (and still does). But after about week I get a call from Matt. He informs me that the wire cable to the rear derailleur has snapped! Wow! The only part I did not remove for polishing or cleaning or replacement is now broke. I tell Matt "We will have to try to locate a cable for a "Shimano Intiger FF System". As luck would have it I have been real busy the last two weeks. So I asked Matt if He could try to locate a replacement. Also asked him to measure the existing hard wire cable for a good match. Fortunately Matt was able to locate an old "but new" hard wire replacement cable. It was for a 5 speed but everything else(lever,wire,spring,cover) appeared to be a perfect match. Way To Go Matt! So we set up an approximate date for Matt to drop off the bike. It is still ride-able,(Thank God) So I have time to finish the "Boat-House from Hell" that I have been doing some maintenance work on with a friend of mine. So a few days or so latter, I get another call from Matt. It seems the back tire has blown. But it is the tube, the tire looks fine.(Thank God again). I tell him no big deal, "I have plenty of tubes laying around I`m sure I can find a good one to replace it with" (for free). Also He tells me that he has purchased some after-market chrome fenders. And that he is having trouble mounting them on the bike. And would I be interested in installing them? Well what the hell, He has been a good sport about the cable and the flat. So sure I will install them, but that I will have to charge him something for that. But the other stuff will be "no charge" So today I was finally able to work on the bike. The "Bicycle Gods" must have been watching over me, because the hard-wire cable went on without any serious problems. And the tube replacement went well. I got the tire seated on the rim real good. So hopefully no more blow-outs. Now it is time for the one size fits all touring bicycle fenders. Well I think the "Bicycle Gods" got called away..LOL. It did not go as smooth as I would have liked. Lots of fitting and cutting and a little bending.Also My garage faces west, and by about 3:30 pm it is about 150 degrees in there! OK about 95, But very humid! And the heat and the fenders were taking turns kick`n my ass. But when I finally got the fenders mounted the way I wanted them I think they looked pretty damn good. So tomorrow Matt will pick-up his bike. And hopefully I will get some work done on the Fuji Gran Tourer. And get an order in for parts and tires. But first thing in the morn I will load my MotoBecane into the back seat area of my truck. And take a leisurely ride through the park. Maybe I will see some more deer. By the way, two deer crossed the path about 25 feet in front of me this morning on my ride. Now that`s a good way to start a day! Ride Safe and remember to RESCUE-RESTORE & RECYCLE
Cheers,Hugh

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