The last missing piece of the puzzle may finally be found...

[Bikes42]

Congratulations, Jim! I'll cross the saddle off my list of things to look for at Copake in two weeks.

Can't wait to see the finished pictures. I love that color. Perhaps I should say, "colour"! 

Tad

[Schwinndemonium]

This text post is also on the Euro Classified thread, about looking for a Brooks Embossed mattress saddle wanted.

Seat has arrived, and is now on the bike. The bike looks GORGEOUS, now that it is 100% correct in appearances, now. A comprehensive "final" photo shoot is in order for this upcoming weekend for the completed project! It really was not in all that bad of shape in the first place!

Jim.

[Schwinndemonium]

I've decided that I'm against parting out my Record to convert my Sprite into a 10 speed model, as the Record is in very good shape itself. They, in and of themselves seem to me a less common bike than the Sprite. So no need to worry! The Record while I still have it will stay intact. Would still like to convert my Sprite, if possible if I can find a basket case 10 speed Sprite or Record to do this.

Jim.

[Schwinndemonium]

Here are new pictures of the "completed" bike from today's photo shoot. I took about 48 pictures. These nine are the only ones I have prepped so far for posting. There are more, but I have to go through them as some photos are kind of redundant. Trying to capture the beauty of this bike's color with this camera is difficult, but I think it somewhat does the job. the color is almost a combination of a tomato color pearlescent red to a dark blood or wine red if you will, it is that rich of a color. What Raleigh calls their "Carmine Red"

Parts of the frame on this bike were really scratched up. Especially the top tube around the "Sprite" script. But the Testors Ruby red metallic bottle paint is an exact dead on touchup color for this bike, and it blended in nicely and smoothed out as it dried. you now really have to struggle to see where this thing was scratched now, the paint repairs are that good. I'm really pleased with how it came out. Using touchup paint on a bike can really make or break the whole project, so to speak. In this case, the Testors color works wonderfully.

My bike is complete, now except for a couple of decals that need replaced, and there is a guy on eBay who sells vinyl reproductions of all the decals that are on the Sprite, so that won't be as much of a problem as tracking down a correct seats for these venerable bikes. The seats on these mid 1970's Sprites seem to be unique to ONLY these bikes and nothing else had the exact seat. Years to come, as supplies dwindle, it is going to be a bear to find these to correctly restore these bikes. The self adjusting brake lever assemblies are another odd thing about them.

1975 is now 40 years ago, this year, and so I believe we are nearing the end of the time where it will be easy to find and restore any relics from this year, as the era recedes further back in history. Now is the time to get and restore that memory from the past before it is too late!

Jim.

[Schwinndemonium]

Image #1379 shows what the paint looked like over most of the frame before I touched it up. The subsequent images are from today. the paint repairs are not perfect, but they make the bike look alot better than it did when I first got the thing.

The last picture here is a closeup of the "self adjusting" brake lever assembly. This one here is jammed, and I did not get it freed up yet to work. The little cog wheel on the assembly is there, also so that you can adjust the thing manually while on the fly, so to speak.

Jim.

[Schwinndemonium]

Submitted an image of it in the photo gallery.

#1448 is my pick.

http://www.schwinnbikeforum.com/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;pic=716

Jim.

[Bikes42]

That really looks nice, Jim. You did a great job.

I really love that red.

Tad

[JenniferC]

Bike looks real nice Jim. Your Gallery picture is now approved. I won't tell anyone that Pletscher rack came off a Peugeot mountain bike. Ooops, I let it slip out. 

[Schwinndemonium]

I just took the Sprite out on it's maiden flight, and it rode horribly. Let me explain. The bike is in perfect working order, but Raleigh really screwed up on these 5 speed Sprites. Look at a 5 speed Schwinn Suburban. On that bike the rear gear cluster is a wider range ratio group than it is on the 10 speed Suburban. On the Sprite, both the 5 speed and 10 speed models use the exact same narrow range cluster. The chainring on the front, for only having 5 speeds is slightly too big, as the low gears on the  thing are not low enough. For example, third gear feels more like forth than the middle or cruising gear. Second gear feels like the middle cruising gear on this bike. First gear feels like second or halfway to third. I do not know how else to describe it. High gears are fine, but with this set up, first gear is still too hard to pedal. The 5 speed sprite setup is the same as the 10 speed setup with the chain on the large chainring. There is no difference.  In my opinion, there is not enough low gear range the way it is set up, now.

I need to find all the hardware from either a wrecked period 10 speed Sprite or Record to rob the front chainring assembly, front derailleur, Huret twin stick shifters and cable stops to convert this thing. The frame does have the lower down tube front derailleur cable stop brazed on it even though it is unused in the 5 speed application it is set up for right now. So everything would just swap out and bolt on. I don't think I would have to do anything to the chain at all, meaning lengthening it and whatnot.

Jim.

[Schwinndemonium]

Most likely, this will be the very last bike  that I ever rebuild/ restore.
For the foreseeable future.

Jim.