Need a year for vintage steel

[cudarider1]

OK Don I know your looking so I need your help along with any other vintage steel lovers. I posted a pic of my first mountain bike in another post, well I was able to get most of it back from the buddy that I sold it too years ago. I always thought it was an 84 but I can't findy any pictures that look like mine. I want to figure out exactly what year it is so I can figure out what size the seat post is since it's missing. It's kind of a bronze gold color and is 4130 cromo

[neo_pop_71]

Hey Cudarider,

I'd have to say 1986 Schwinn Sierra "black chrome" model.

Here's one, the pic from the ad matches (included):

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/dak/b ... 82119.html

Reference the parts on yours against MOMBAT's Schwinn specs page:

http://www.mombat.org/Schwinn_Specs.htm

Not too many models and years got the 4130 frame with the black chrome finish. Nice bike!

Peace,

-DON-

[cudarider1]

I knew you'd have the answer Neo. I don't see the seatpost size on mombat but at least I know the year now. Thanks again.

[neo_pop_71]

Good morning Cudarider,

I may have another bit of info for you...

I had a 1980's Schwinn Cimarron, the one with the fillet brazing, I recall it had a 26.? seat post. I just checked Sheldon Brown's seat post database, (here's the link)

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/seatpost-sizes-m-z.html

he list a Mid-80's Schwinn Sierra as using a 26.4 seat post. I've always found the Harris Cycles/Sheldon Brown site to be very accurate. I had the pleasure of speaking with Sheldon a few times, he was such a generous man, he would take cycling questions from complete strangers and do his best to get the correct answer. God rest his soul, cycling lost a great statesman when Sheldon passed 3 years ago!

You could always hit up your LBS, take the frame in as they should have a seat post micrometer, that'll tell you an exact measurement to the 1,000ths of an meter. That's what I did with my A2L, the previous owner butchered the bottom of the Barracuda (logo) seat post. They measured the ID of the seat tube as 29.394mm, so a 29.4 seat post was the one.

Good luck!

-D-

[manbeer]

Indeed. I had an early 90s sierra and it was 26.4

[cudarider1]

Thanks for the help guys. I have to break it down clean everything and reassemble but today I pulled the wheel off my wifes bike, threw the cranks I had on my cuda tuned the derailers and took it for a quick spin. the cassette on the wheel that was on it was sliding in and out so I'll have to pull that off and see what's goin on there. I was glad that my wifes bike is a 7spd as well, I was dying to just take it for a quick ride.

[cudarider1]

I recieved the A2E frame from Will today, I was expecting the seatpost to be 26.4 which I figured would be good because I could make sure the sierra was the same size before buying one for that bike. Well the A2E seatpost was 26.0 so I tried to slide it into the sierra but it wouldn't fit so It must be smaller than 26.0. Any other ideas what size it could be?

[Mark]

What year?

[cudarider1]

96 A2E and 86 Schwinn Sierra. Any thoughts?

[neo_pop_71]

Good morning Cuda,

I raced BMX for years, almost always the standard was 25.4mm (aka 1.0 inch) for all seat posts. That was the beauty of BMX, if you wasted your frame, it was never a total loss because all your parts would swap straight over to the new frame. We used to jokingly mess with a guy's bike by swapping the the 1" quill "gooseneck" and bars with the 1" seat post... crazy ugly way to screw with someone right before a race! If those seat posts are less than 26.0mm, I'd lay a bet that they are 25.4. I only saw a couple of oddball seat posts that were 25.6 and 25.8 and those were on Italian race bikes back when I raced in the 80's.

Hit up your LBS, they should help you out with hesitation (if they're worth anything).

Good luck!

-DON-