Schwinn 4-Banger & Giant ATX950-Worth keeping?

GSB

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Hello all... I'm a newcomer to your forums, but in my defense, my bike wasn't actually retro the last time I rode it...

Thought I'd post up a couple of pics of a pair of bikes I own at present, and canvass for a couple of opinions... Whilst not quite old enough to be really "retro" there seems to be enough knowledge here that someone might know something about them.

Basically, I'm toying with the idea of getting rid of them and updating to newer bikes. But I wondered if either of them would be of interest to anyone who collects this sort of thing, or if they are simply fodder for a the sub £50 section on a card in the local shop window.

Both bikes were bought new by me, in 2000 or 2001, and have been used very sparingly since, hence, apart from a few scratches here and there, they are both immaculate (no dents or cracks either), and both pretty much original. They even still have the original chains and rings on them, and I'm embarrassed to say they have planty of life left in them. (I changed the bars on both for more comfort, and the Schwinn now has an air shocker on the back - all the original parts and the shock are still kicking about in the garage somewhere though.)

Both bikes were subject to a complete stripdown, total clean, and rebuild with all new bearings in 2009, and they have only been ridden once since. The Schwinn was a pain in this respect, as that rear end contains 8 seperate ball bearings, all of which had to be pressed out and pressed back in... Soooooo comfortable though...

I'd be interested in any history on the types, what they might be worth (if anything), and whether or not you think its worth replacing them or keeping them. Has the technology moved on far enough to make the investment worthwhile?

The Schwinn in particular seems to be an interesting bike, as I have never seen that rear end on anything else. Technological dead end perhaps, but from my point of view, its a brilliant piece of engineering. Much better than the old Marin I used to have.

Thanks.

The Schwinn four banger, last year.
photo.jpg


The Giant, mid rebuild.
photo5.jpg
 
keep them
why sarifice something that is now quite rare and different for a generic (modern mass produced) frame which will have similar qualities when you already have some decent kit in your hands

not that these werent mass produced but theyre less common now
the 4 bangers are quite sought after i believe
i dont think the frame tech has advanced far enough to be sufficient to replace these, although you may find parts like shocks and brakes etc. have improved a fair bit in the past decade

welcome!
 
I always hankered after the Schwinn..

Sadly that one looks a little big for me, else I would be making an offer..
 
Is that a carbon swingarm on the Schwinn? Very cool.

I think you'd be looking at big bucks to replace them with something modern of equivalent quality.
 
Yup, the upper swimgarm is carbon fibre. The lower swing arm or the dropouts are (I think) a mix of of aluminium and magnesium. According the interwebz (and the badges on the lower arms)it's a Lawwill rear end as seen on various Yeti DH rigs

Looks like it might be an idea to keep them then. Damn, I fancied a new toy too.

I may just get a new fork (one of the fournales forks I saw on this site would match the back end perfectly),brakes and wheelset then. The brakes are Hayes hydraulic disks, but with odd fittings. The bike has IS mounts, so there are adapters on it to convert to a post mount caliper on the front, and a very odd 22mm fixing caliper at the back. By replacing them I can lose weight, and add simplicity.
 
yes didnt the straight 8s ? have lawill rear ends too

bet they cost an arm a leg a finger an ear and the other foot back in the day :shock:
save up for a new toy, ride teh hell out of these :cool:
is that the same mount as a certain model of klein had?
i think big eck HAD a set of these brakes
 
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