Ben's Schwinn Voyager

Way back when, before the days of Bassi, Rivendell, Soma, Tanglefoot, and other shiny frames we build up these days, C&L and its predecessor Vélo Villeneuve specialized in putting together bikes with used, pre-loved, or vintage frames. We still get the opportunity to do so these days, and they always end up being special projects with sentimental value. That was very much the case for Ben, who had a very clear direction with a Schwinn Voyageur frame he’d been hunting down for years and finally got his hands on in his size. A deep dive Bike Forums user’s build was used as the starting point and inspiration.

The frame was clean, but Ben needed some eyelets added for a front rack that’d meet his needs. A framebuilder in Portland, Oregon, Mark Gugielmana took care of those, and made him a beautiful custom rack to boot! We then had the fork powdercoated as close as possible to the frame, and the result is a stunning and unique front end.

A build of this class needed all the right bits to hearken its 80s rando greatness. We set Ben up with non-aero drillium levers from Dia-Compe, friction micro-ratchet bar-end shifting courtesy of Rivendell’s Suntour-via-Dia-Compe Silver2 project, a wide range of gearing using their crankset and nearly new-old-stock Shimano Deore derailleurs, a powerful polished silver dynamo headlight, the B&M IQ-XS, cotton bartape, and Honjo aluminium fenders.

We’re thrilled with the result, and we think Ben is too! This frame is 37 years old, and with this thoughtful rebuild we expect it to carry on for at least another 37 more!

Build Spec

• 1987 Schwinn Voyageur Frame & Fork, Emerald Green, 25”
• Tange Levin Headset, Steel
• IRD Tenacity Bottom Bracket
• Rivendell Silver Triple Crank
• Wipperman 808 Chain
• NOS Shimano 600 Rear Hub
• Shutter Precision Front Hub
• H Plus Son TB14 Rims
• Rene Herse Bon Jon Pass Tires
• Dia-Compe DC202H Brake Levers
• Dia-Compe 980EX Cantilever Brakes
• Rivendell Silver2 Shifters mounted to Bar-End Pods
• NOS Shimano Deore Derailers
• Nitto Grand Rando Handlebar
• Nitto Technomic Stem
• Newbaum’s Cushioned Cotton Bartape
• Brooks B17 Special Saddle
• Honjo H1 Fenders
• Nitto x Rivendell 33R Big Back Rack
• B&M IQ-XS Headlight

Photos by Troy Biliski