Was talking to a co-worker about BMX and he mentions that he still has his bike hanging in his Parents garage. Asked if he wanted to sell but he wants to keep it for his kids. I talk him into bringing it in so I can take a look, I then volunteer to take it home and clean it up for him. So these are the pics of it, not much on my Sting history or even if these parts are rare. He does say this is exactly how he bought it 1979 from Thornberry Schwinn in Louisville. All it really needs is some TLC.

wow, that does look original.
BTW-Don't do the oxalic bath on that beauty, it'll destroy the decals.

I think if I had it this far, I wouldnt give it back, lol.

What on earth are his kids going to do with it?

On a bike that light they'll be the best bunnyhoppers in their 'hood, fo sure.

Whats the date stamp on the headtube badge?

That Brute stem is beautiful.

Sweet bike! for his kids?? Tell him....ummm I'm sorry sir but this is not a toy and I will be unable to return it to you at this time.LOL

The kids that get to ride that may never know how lucky they are. That bike is a bone stock beauty. If If I ever come across a Sting like that, I may retire from collecting.
I watched CHiPs enough to know that Ponch always does the right thing and the right thing to do is to give it back, but it would be hard. It's pretty cool of you to clean it up. Can we at least see it right before you give it back?

That is funny, since my first Sting came from the Louisville/Lexington area, and it too, had a Redline Brute stem. Even crazier, was the fact the owner told me he took off the original bars and threw them away because he did not like the look, and put on some cheezy bars. DOH!!!!

The owner said his parents took him the bike shop and it was hanging on a display on top of the counter, sale price $424.00. He said he may still have the receipt. I think his may have the original bars, they have a slight downward curve at each end. I'll try to get some better pics, my camera battery was going dead yesterday.

About the acid dip, I thought it was okay to dip with the stickers? I have about a pound of acid and a big plastic tote all ready.

And the Ponch thing to do would be show how to ride the bike safely, follow all traffic laws, wear a helmet, show him how to do Kar-a-te, and then race his bike in the annual police BMX race with Arlen as my mechanic.

I have a 79 Sting that suffered that fate. there is something in the sticker material that deteriorates. Ted Carl knows of the frame I own so you can ask him for clarification.
A repop set of decals is around 80 bucks, if you can even find one, so beware.

LMAO at Ponch. That's funny stuff. So if you win the big Police benefit race with Arlen's help, does that mean Officer Bonnie Clark is waiting for you at the finish?(I'm done hijacking this thread...sorry).

[ May 16, 2007, 11:54 AM: Message edited by: Nichols Pl8ted ]

You should offer to buy the kids a new bike and keep that one as a survivor.

That is a damn nice ride!...^exactly..buy his kid a new Mirraco bike or whatever(what he wants anyway)it isnt cool to be the kid on the old bmx bike.Plus,schwinn lost their street cred years ago.

Then keep that baby locked up!

the 2hip playboi is mouthwatering to the kiddies that ride street. few hundred bucks complete

I've got a 16" Hoffman pit bike thats real nice. Maybe I should offer up a trade.
To be honest if I was able to buy it I would probably sell it in about 6 months and whoever bought it would part it out. I don't want to see that happen. When I give it back to the owner I will let him know how valuable it is. Maybe that will keep his kids from thrashing it on the streets.

Alright lets continue with the CHiP's episode,

At the finish line the local BMX punks that have been taunting the kid are now cheering as I cross the line in first. I then turn and give them that famous smile with some great saying about staying off the streets and getting back in school.

Then Ponch and John ride off on their motorcycles that are attached to a trailer. You ever notice when they are talking as they are riding, when going around a curve neither bike leans?

I remember one just like that at my lbs in about 79-80. It had all the best parts on it for the time , all blue. It was displayed on a stand in the middle of the showroom. I think it was about $500. I remember because that was a lot for the time. It sat there for years.

How's the cleanup progressing?

I like to visit the Sting posts just to see if Ted Carl is lurking.... Ted, were the hell ya been????

I picked up a mini last week (w/o wheels) want it to go with that one? do not plan on keeping it... anyone???? Z

Okay I finally got my computer going again and I can post the updated pics. It came out real nice except I had a matching comp III cheng shin tire but the weineman rims would not work with 1.75 tires. They kept coming off the sidewalls whenever I rode it. So I gave him an old tire that I had just so he could ride it. Heree are the pics. I only charged him the cost of the parts that I put on, around 30.00 bucks. He was really thankful and loved the way it looked. Still didn't want to sell yet, but it is only a matter of time before it is mine.

That looks to be a very early Sting complete. Let the Sting guys guys decode the serial number. The Weinmann Hoops, Scwinn freewheel, MKS ratraps, and Black Weinmann brakes were all early trademarks of the very first Sting Completes. They also had the old Sugino/Raleigh style double bump stem, Oury grips, and a Suntour stamped seat clamp rathger than stamped Schwinn. That may be a 78 model....pretty rare!

Lurking? Me? ....As a shark lurks to chum ........lol. Nicely done!

Love to see the Survivor bikes. That one needs a blue or red brake - I have two NOS blue Weinmann brakes and levers, it also needs Schwinn stem and some pads. Ginny has the stem pad and the H-Bar pad in blue and I have a NOS Schwinn cap (blue) for a Suntour / Schwinn double hump... There is also a NOS Team Schwinn seat in blue on eBay right now - I wish I had that seat when I built mne. Get that dude on here and spread the sickness.

Very nice job on that one. I think cleaning up originals is more fun than restoring it back to mint!

The only thing not original to the bike are the grips, stem, and tires, according to owner. He also has the matching blue pad set but I took them off for the pics. With Christmas right around the corner I think if I waved 200 in front of him he would sell it.

Ted,
Thanks for acid bath tips, I dipped it in but wrapped the decals with saran wrap and they survived.

Hurray! awesome cleanup.

Sweet ride!! I just picked up a 79 Sting frame that I cant wait to build. Remember that posession is 9/10ths of the law!!!

Nice bike, the original owner has taste and enough sense or good memories to hold onto it for 30 years,...maybe his kids will appreciate it as well and have many more years of enjoyment down to the grandkids..."supervised"

10-4, 7 Mary 3 - this is Grossman, I can see Bonnie's rack!!!

lol


NICE!

That Brute stem is sweet!!!

Are you sure the 1.75 tyre does not fit those rims?

I tried two different tires, 1 kenda comp III and a cheng shin comp III. When installling the tire they both just easily went on the rim, to easily. So I aired both up and they both blew off the rim after 50 yards of riding. The kenda was used and they cheng shin was brand new. They both fit fine on my araya rims, not sure what is up.

[ To be honest if I was able to buy it I would probably sell it in about 6 months and whoever bought it would part it out. I don't want to see that happen. When I give it back to the owner I will let him know how valuable it is. Maybe that will keep his kids from thrashing it on the streets.

No Schwinn collector in his right mind would part that thing out. I've been looking for one for years just to restore and hang on the wall.
If it goes up for grabs just drop me a line.