While I had the roll of Adox HR-50 in my Olympus OM-1, I made a series of photos of my bicycle. Some years ago I bought a 1986 Schwinn Collegiate from a Craigslist seller, had it overhauled, and have been riding it ever since. I like its springy seat and upright riding position. The bike has a few dents and the paint is chipped here and there, but it rides well.
The 50mm f/1.8 F.Zuiko lens and the Adox HR-50 came together to render my bike in ways that pleased me deeply. These photos show a rich range of tones, and the selective focus adds dimension and depth. They could be a little sharper, but I’m not sure I’ve fully dialed in my scanning and sharpening settings yet.
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And the 3 speed, even! On flat terrain that would be a nice ride.
Yes, for most toodling around on flat terrain, 3 is all you need.
Great photos and a nice bike I have a 1974 Schwinn Collegiate and ride it all the time!
Thank you! These were hardy bikes.
For some reason, these photos provided a nice sense of normalcy on another crazy Covid Friday–perfect timing Jim. Thank you!
You’re very welcome!
Nice tones 👍 I must look out for that film.
It’s surprisingly good! Especially in HR-DEV.
Nice film and a beautiful bicycle. I prefer the sitting-upright bicycles, but this area is hilly and I need as many gears as I can get. Unfortunately, that means having to ride a bicycle that forces you to be hunched over. Hard on the neck, especially if there is a camera hanging around it.
Indiana is pretty flat. I wouldn’t mind having five speeds. Ten would be a little more than I need but I’d still take it. I don’t want more. But above all I need the upright position and the springy seat.
Depending on the bike, you can swap out upright bars. This would mean having to get different brake levers and possible gear shifters, but it is doable.
I like ’em as original as I can keep ’em. The rear reflector broke off mine recently and now I’ve got a saved eBay search looking for a Cat Eye RR 260 WM. So far I’ve yet to find one for under $25, which seems steep.
For that price, you might as well get a Spanninga Pixeo fender-mount tail light. At least it does something!
https://www.benscycle.com/spanninga-pixeo-xbaauto-fender-mount-rear-tail-light/taillight_spanninga__852-102_852-102/product
Otherwise, if you can make it into a bike shop, they probably have a box of random reflectors. Something in it should work.
Good call on just visiting a bike shop.
Being a fan of old cameras and old bicycles this post is a surefire winner! Great work Jim.
You know my dream bike is an old Raleigh 3 speed right? In green? Man, do I hope to own one someday.
You mean something like…this? :-D
https://www.flickr.com/photos/urbanadventureleaguepdx/50101860497/
Now that’s what I’m talking about!
Love it! I owned a three speed Schwinn Collegiate exactly like this for a few years in the early aughts. It’s what got me in love with three speed bicycles in the first place. A three speed has amazingly good range for what it is, and is more capable than what many people think. They’re sort of like zone-focus cameras: It doesn’t have the adjustability of focus like a rangefinder or SLR, but gets the job done.
Every once in a while I wish I had one more gear above 3. But otherwise, for the leisure riding I do an upright 3 speed is perfect! My 3-speed hub likes to slip out of adjustment, but it’s quick to fix that while on the road.
As a teen I had an AMF Nimble, a humble 3 speed I bought new for $110 at a sporting goods store. I think I got it early in high school, which would have been about 1982. I sold in the mid 1990s when I bought a new Schwinn mountain bike. That Schwinn was a mistake; I should have kept the Nimble. I wish I still had it. Even though it wasn’t a major make, it was a great bike for me. Here’s a photo I made of it when it was about new, it’s in the background behind my friend’s bike. I made this with my Kodak Duaflex II on whatever the Kodak consumer color film was at the time.
How smoothly do those old thumb shifters work? That looks like a great bike!
Easy. You can shift while pedaling and even when stopped. Just click the lever with your thumb.
I miss using my bicycle. I have three, but the recent weather and a bad knee have stopped me using them. Maybe I need to try this type of series to get me thinking of using them again. These are great photos and show a love you have for the bike, a classic.
I hope you can push through your knee issues and wait out the weather!
Such a cool bike! Thanks for sharing 🤗
I do enjoy it! Put 7 miles on it just yesterday.
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These photos are very nice, Jim. They’re definitely among my recent favorites of yours. Well done.
Thank you! They please me greatly as well.