Schwinn Typhoon is Ready to Ride

Jason, the mechanic at Pete's Garage, called a few days ago to report that my Schwinn Typhoon was finished and ready to be picked up. I told him I would be there later in the day, but then I looked outside. Instead of just a cold, damp January day, this was a full on rainy January day. As I would have to put the bike in the back of an open pickup bed to bring it home, I called him back and said I would be there on the first dry day.

After two more days of rain I was finally in the shop looking at my refurbished Typhoon. Jason had said that the tires I bought from Bikemanforu.com would be narrower than the originals, but they looked just the right size once on the bike. The whitewalls contrasted nicely with the new black grips, pedals and seat that Jason ordered for me. After paying the bill I posed outside the shop for a few pictures. Then I carefully placed it in the back of my Toyota Tacoma and brought her home.

I am so happy to have this project completed. The bike sat in my basement in various states for the better part of two years. Once I made the decisions on the wheels, the bars and the sea,t the process moved along quickly. I was fortunate to have gone to Pete's Garage, also. I had no idea how much it would cost to have the work done and was pleasantly surprised at how little I was charged. Another lucky turn was the fact that Jason has his own Typhoon and knows the bike. His is modified much more than mine, but he knew what would fit and what would look good on a Typhoon of this vintage. It is unlikely that I will try to restore another old bicycle, but I am glad that I did this one.

The weather here will not allow me to try out the bike on the road or trail for several months, so for now I'll just admire it and anticipate many happy miles this summer. Here are a couple of pictures of the finished product.