Upright Riding Conversion

My guy purchased an steel 80's Schwinn Voyageur this fall, however, it needs some modifications to make it better suited for his riding style.

 

As long as I can get the seatpost of my guy's bike unstuck, I'd also like to see what could be done to make it more upright.  Shortly after he purchased the bike, he had an accident which put him off of riding.  He wants to be able to ride upright so he doesn't have to worry about keeping his head up while riding.

 

Is this something that is even feasible to do?

 

I'm thinking about getting riser or even cruiser handle bars for the bike so he'd be in more of a sitting up position.  The bike has downtube shifting, but I'm assuming that i'll also have to get new brake levers as well.

 

If I were rich, I'd like to get him a new bike for the holidays, but I'm not so, I'm thinking that I could afford to get this bike in more in line with his riding style.

 

Thanks in advance! 

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Permalink Reply by Michael A on December 14, 2010 at 10:41am

First thing would be to replace the stem with quill adapter and modern stem, this will allow him a much higher bar height then stock, 

 

http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/ST307E00-Dimension+Quill+Ste...

 

After that he can go with any modern bar stem combo he wants

Permalink Reply by BalloonBiker on December 14, 2010 at 10:48am

It has downtube shifting, so I don't think I need to change those.  His only has a double chain ring, so it might not be the best tourer anyway.  Voyageurs are so confusing as they gave so many different bikes the same name.

 

I'll admit that I wouldnt' have wanted to change it, but for him, I think it might be best.  He ran into the back of a parked car at full speed because he was looking down while riding.  I don't want that to happen again.

 

Cameron Puetz said:

My Miyata 1000LT, which was in direct competition with the Voyageur, and my Raleigh Sport, which pretty much defines a cruiser upright riding style, have almost identical frame geometries. Therefore what you’re talking about is definitely possible. However you looking at a lot of component swap outs. At a minimum, you would need new bars, brake levers, and shift levers. That said, please don’t hurt the Voyageur. They’re such great touring bikes it seems a shame to mod one into a cruiser.

Permalink Reply by Barry Niel Stuart on December 14, 2010 at 11:25am

When it comes to shifting, you can get some downtube adapters with adjustment barrels through your local bike shop.  I don't know if his bike has index (click) or friction shifting.  If friction, you might be able to use some old mountain bike thumbshifters, if index, you might be able to find Grip-Shifts or trigger shifts for his bike's systems.  Count the number of cogs in back to get the proper index system.  Also, what brand of derailleurs/shifters was it spec'd with?  Try to get a shifter set that works with the derailleurs.  Some Grip-Shifts work with Shimano derailleurs.  Others work only with Sachs/SRAM.

If there's any buckling of the frame near the head tube, take it to the shop to see if the frame is too severely weakened to be safely ridden. 

Permalink Reply by Moc Artsy on December 14, 2010 at 12:31pm

I recently purchased and then returned a Nitto Dynamic II stem at Robert's Cycle in Roger's Park. It's a 90 degree quill stem, which will give you the same angle as a contemporary threadless headset stem without needing an adapter. I'm sure the stem will still be there, and it's only $10. This will raise the drop bars high enough to change the riding profile completely. It was way too elevated a position for me.

Permalink Reply by Liz on December 14, 2010 at 12:37pm

I keep the stem on my voyaguer (which is my primary commuter) up fairly high relative to my seat height, even with the drop bar.  If you are able to scavange some a parts bin at working bikes or west town bikes for a stem that would allow higher adjustment than whats on there. I keep my handle bars fairly high compared to my road bike, which is at the same height as my seat so I can see what's ahead. 

 

My voyaguer also came with a double, that I swapped back out for a biopace.  From '85-'89 the bike weight came in a 24 lbs, not bad for a steel touring bike.

 

80s Schwinn Voyageurs

Permalink Reply by BalloonBiker on December 14, 2010 at 3:07pm

Thanks for the chart, Liz!

 

He has the scarlet flame 1980 11.8, and now that I have the seatpost unstuck, I guess, I'm ready to proceed with this project.

 

While I was i the basement, I also noticed his old three speed Schwinn Collegiate.  That bike has kind of a messed up wheel and doesn't shift.  I was thinking that I could scavenge the handlebars, stem and brake levers from that bike for this conversion. They look the same to me, but I didn't measure it. 

 

Would it be so bad to just leave the downtube shifters as is?

 

Otherwise, Moc Artsy's tip about the Nitto Stem is pretty useful.

 

Would it be bad form to bring both bikes in and ask for this and to get the bike tuned up?

 

I could bring this into West Town bikes, but I think I'd feel kind of guilty about driving there.

Permalink Reply by Liz on December 15, 2010 at 8:49am

I rarely actually look at my shifters when I'm shifting with the down tubes anymore, but I would be cautious if you're changing out the handle bars, since the wider cruiser style bars may lead to some weaving when one hand comes off and reaches down to the top tube to shift.  I know that I have to do some compensation when I shift with road style bar, and I tend to keep my hands close to the stem.  So keeping the down tube shifter with the cruiser bars could make the bike less safe.  I would say, trying a longer stem raised up with the road style bars is a good start, even an extra inch could raise his head up enough that looking ahead is much more comfortable. As for the fit of the stem, the road style and cruiser style I believe are different widths, but The expert knows more about what stems might fit than I do 

 

Ebay may also be a good source for stems that are the correct reach and height to keep your man comfy SR Alloy stems

jamimaria said:

Thanks for the chart, Liz!

 

He has the scarlet flame 1980 11.8, and now that I have the seatpost unstuck, I guess, I'm ready to proceed with this project.

 

While I was i the basement, I also noticed his old three speed Schwinn Collegiate.  That bike has kind of a messed up wheel and doesn't shift.  I was thinking that I could scavenge the handlebars, stem and brake levers from that bike for this conversion. They look the same to me, but I didn't measure it. 

 

Would it be so bad to just leave the downtube shifters as is?

 

Otherwise, Moc Artsy's tip about the Nitto Stem is pretty useful.

 

Would it be bad form to bring both bikes in and ask for this and to get the bike tuned up?

 

I could bring this into West Town bikes, but I think I'd feel kind of guilty about driving there.

Permalink Reply by Liz on December 15, 2010 at 8:57am

Also good tips on handlebar height

 

"

Most stems have a "minimum insertion" mark that shows how high it may safely be set. If you can see this mark, the stem is too high. If your stem doesn't have such a mark, a good rule of thumb is that there should be at least 2 inches/50 mm of stem inside the fork."

 

Do you know how much is remaining on the stem right now?

 

There's also a chart on stem compatability in that article.

 

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