This is crazy....my red Letour just turned 50 this month....code on rear axle told me it was manufactured in Nov 1974....I got it new in early Fall 1975. Every part on it except the brake pads, seat, and rear rim is original, and I still ride it.
To restore such a bike as that to the level you did, not only shows great skill but a good heart. The bike was 2nd tier, IMHO, but I'm 2nd tier compared to your 1st tier. Could never do what you do. You're definitely up there! BTW, I'm a dork disc advocate, lol. But I loved the other two stickers. You should come out with the MOBGA cap. All the best. 😊
A couple years ago I fixed up a Schwinn Super Le Tour 12.2 that a friend had found in the alley. It was in pretty good overall condition. Loved the Shimano Arabesque components. I put on new tires, chain, freewheel, cables and wrapped the bars in Newbaum’s cloth tape. Sold it to another friend for just what I had put into it: about $100. That model was very comparable to the Superior, which was surpassed by only the Paramount. Japanese-built bikes from the 70s were some of the best in the world. Keep up the good work!
Try hitting the stem bolt with a hard dead blow mallet to knock the wedge loose, after flipping it and pouring transmission fluid down the steer tube for a day.
Use penetrating oil to break rusty parts. The longer it sets the better it works or use a hair dryer or heat gun to accelerate the effect. You can make your penetrating oil cheap by mixing 50/50 any transmission fluid/oil with acetone. You can dispense it with a spout oil can.
Um, in the late '70s I built up the very same wheel & hub combination with my hard saved pennies. Campy Nuovo Tipo hubs and Weinmann Concave rims. In the following years I had to rebuild the wheels but was still able to get the concave rims and even though they don't get ridden any more, I still have the same wheel setup on my old Austro Daimler. The hubs are super smooth and even though the wheels are considered heavy, they are very strong and they have a very classic look. Some people didn't like the concave rims as they were hookless long before hookless was a thing.
Those are fun for flat bar fixies or 1x3 with straight cut freewheels. They have plenty of room for mud and debris clearance and if they take 27in wheels, tires are still easy to find.
I had a 1974 red Le Tour that I bought new in 1974, retail price of $149.00. Sadly, mine was stolen in 1979 from my fraternity house in Ann Arbor. I still miss it. Did you save the original handlebars and front brake levers? I may be interested in it. Thanks
I love your work, but I also like dork discs... I think all bike-wrenching people are at least a little bit dorkey, so I see these as a badge of honor... if that makes sense. Also, dork disks separate us from the hard-core, weight-obsessed carbon-everything fanatics, which frankly is a WAY bigger plus for me than any practical dork disk advantages!
@@TheMainCore Literally in the previous video the guy had to replace half the spokes of the rear wheel because they were horrendously mangled, courtesy of a missing dork disk (cheap bike build-off video, go to 15:27)! I agree that for any self-respecting bike lover, badly-adjusted limit screws and/or bent hangers, offer many, MANY obvious warnings... and even then, if it happens just once, it's no huge deal. But not everyone riding these bikes is "a true bike lover". Some people actually need that ugly yellow plastic...
Ive had a couple city bikes made from garbage picked old schwinns. I had one with shiny chrome, charcoal black paint, new tires, twist spoke wheels, and a bmx 180mm crank for 1x6. Some bastard stole it. It was fun while it lasted, especially down hill . 🪨
This is crazy....my red Letour just turned 50 this month....code on rear axle told me it was manufactured in Nov 1974....I got it new in early Fall 1975. Every part on it except the brake pads, seat, and rear rim is original, and I still ride it.
Oh, fun with something a little bit different! Looking forward to this one.
Excellent rescue! Evaporust will save us all.
To restore such a bike as that to the level you did, not only shows great skill but a good heart. The bike was 2nd tier, IMHO, but I'm 2nd tier compared to your 1st tier. Could never do what you do. You're definitely up there!
BTW, I'm a dork disc advocate, lol. But I loved the other two stickers. You should come out with the MOBGA cap.
All the best. 😊
I like the metal ornamental pie plates
Comments like this keep me going! Thanks!
I’ll make an exception for metal dork discs 🙂
Great job! It will ride great and it's "bomb proof"!
A couple years ago I fixed up a Schwinn Super Le Tour 12.2 that a friend had found in the alley. It was in pretty good overall condition. Loved the Shimano Arabesque components. I put on new tires, chain, freewheel, cables and wrapped the bars in Newbaum’s cloth tape. Sold it to another friend for just what I had put into it: about $100. That model was very comparable to the Superior, which was surpassed by only the Paramount. Japanese-built bikes from the 70s were some of the best in the world. Keep up the good work!
Nice restoration! Gotta ❤ free bikes! Keep up the good work 🚲🤌🏽!
looking beautiful!
Try hitting the stem bolt with a hard dead blow mallet to knock the wedge loose, after flipping it and pouring transmission fluid down the steer tube for a day.
Use penetrating oil to break rusty parts. The longer it sets the better it works or use a hair dryer or heat gun to accelerate the effect. You can make your penetrating oil cheap by mixing 50/50 any transmission fluid/oil with acetone. You can dispense it with a spout oil can.
The granny oil/mix is the bomb!
Nice save on an old bike! Dare I mention that the seat is clamped in the post backwards? :)
You are right!
Can you do another cheap bike build off ? I loved your work on the trek antelope
I will definitely do a few more cheap bike builds. I have some others in the works right now, but I will keep an eye out for the next cheap build.
Um, in the late '70s I built up the very same wheel & hub combination with my hard saved pennies. Campy Nuovo Tipo hubs and Weinmann Concave rims. In the following years I had to rebuild the wheels but was still able to get the concave rims and even though they don't get ridden any more, I still have the same wheel setup on my old Austro Daimler. The hubs are super smooth and even though the wheels are considered heavy, they are very strong and they have a very classic look. Some people didn't like the concave rims as they were hookless long before hookless was a thing.
Those are fun for flat bar fixies or 1x3 with straight cut freewheels. They have plenty of room for mud and debris clearance and if they take 27in wheels, tires are still easy to find.
I use the Sheldon brown bb cup tool (big hardware store bolt, nut, stack of lock washers, pb blaster, and an impact wrench).
Thank you for the inspiration. What is the make and model of the handlebars?
I honestly don't know. I pulled them out of my box of old handlebars. They are steel cruiser bars that I've had for more than 5 years.
I had a 1974 red Le Tour that I bought new in 1974, retail price of $149.00. Sadly, mine was stolen in 1979 from my fraternity house in Ann Arbor. I still miss it. Did you save the original handlebars and front brake levers? I may be interested in it. Thanks
Yes, I have the bars and brake levers available.
When are we gonna see some wheelies on this channel 🤔
That would be wheelie good
I'll start practicing!! I have a build on the schedule that will require a ride on a pump track, so that should be a sight!! Haha!
I love your work, but I also like dork discs... I think all bike-wrenching people are at least a little bit dorkey, so I see these as a badge of honor... if that makes sense.
Also, dork disks separate us from the hard-core, weight-obsessed carbon-everything fanatics, which frankly is a WAY bigger plus for me than any practical dork disk advantages!
Nope, that ugly piece of dried up yellow plastic must go, every single time! No dork disc = true bike lover
@@TheMainCore Literally in the previous video the guy had to replace half the spokes of the rear wheel because they were horrendously mangled, courtesy of a missing dork disk (cheap bike build-off video, go to 15:27)! I agree that for any self-respecting bike lover, badly-adjusted limit screws and/or bent hangers, offer many, MANY obvious warnings... and even then, if it happens just once, it's no huge deal. But not everyone riding these bikes is "a true bike lover". Some people actually need that ugly yellow plastic...
Low riders stink, but low rider shops often have b brackets lay back posts and parts that go well on old bikes.
Bee you tee full
Hi I tried to go to your site and it didn’t work
Make sure you use both s' www.depuesshop.com.
you cued in prove the videos by speaking lowder a bit not easy here you speak not being funny
Ive had a couple city bikes made from garbage picked old schwinns. I had one with shiny chrome, charcoal black paint, new tires, twist spoke wheels, and a bmx 180mm crank for 1x6. Some bastard stole it. It was fun while it lasted, especially down hill . 🪨