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1987 Schwinn Prelude 650b Conversion

Got the complete bike relatively cheaply and thought it'd be a good 650b conversion proyect. The bike is too small for me but that's okay, building it up was a lot of fun! I polished many of the components myself. None of the original components from this bike remain, btw... Fun fact: the Araya rims are not actually 650b but rather a rare RM-20 700d discontinued size (ERD is like 683 or something).

Frame:
1987 Schwinn Prelude, Columbus Tenax tubing

Fork/Headset:
Tange Falcon

Crankset/Bottom Bracket:
Sakae SX 170 mm, Shimano (I think, need to double check)

Pedals:
MKS R146

Drivetrain/Cog/Chainring/Chain:
7 speed 14-28 freewheel, early Shimano 105 rear derailleur, 36-46 chainrings off some mtb cranks, Shimano HG chain (need to get a shiny freewheel to match the chain)

Derailleurs/Shifters:
Early Shimano 105, notice the nice upward curve on these

Handlebars/Stem:
Origin8 Classique, unidentified stem but pretty

Saddle/Seatpost:
Mexican Unicanitor knock-off (Lambertini I think), unidentified seatpost but quite nice tbh polished

Brakes:
Tektro long-reach polished, Dia-Compe old style brake levers, vintage Dia-Compe housing

Front Wheel/Hub/Tire:
Early Shimano 105 hub (with oil port and metal ring) laced with Sapim spokes to Araya RM-20 700D rim, Schwalbe tubes and 38c Gravelkings (tried 42 but the fit was way too tight)

Rear Wheel/Hub/Tire:
Same

Accessories:
Nitto M-18 front rack but later I sold it, looks better without it tbh, grips are BL Select Plastiche Cassano, Spurcycle bell

More Info:
I hate the color, really I wanted something a bit darker but I gave the painter a super bad sample so too bad, also I hate the calipers, they're too damn long, but I haven't found anything shorter that will clear the fenders!

Added by flite86. Last updated almost 2 years ago.

2 Comments

oouellette

oouellette says:

I love this build - such a unique take on a classic frame! Thanks for sharing.

Posted almost 2 years ago

flite86

flite86 says:

Thank you! :)

Posted almost 2 years ago