Classic & Vintage - Schwinn Voyageur (Long Winded yet maybe fun Tale)

(I ALSO POSTED THIS IN THE TOURING FORUM!!!!)


So....here's a long drawn out story for all of you.

Last summer, my friend was about to go on a tour of Europe. Thing is, he doesn't have a lot of money and his old 10 speed was kinda beat to hell. So I go into my local thrift store and I see a decked out dark green Schwinn Voyageur, for $15. It has Shimano BioPace chainrings (bleh) and a Campagnolo rear derailleur. Now I wanted a dark green touring bike sooooo bad. And this was a cream of the crop bike and I knew that. But I figured, hey, I'll buy it for Chris and sell it to him. Anyway, I go to call him but it turns out he was able to hook up a raleigh (us Delaware kids one the frame in the Richmond Cycle Slaughterama). Anyway here's where **** gets stupid on my part.

My friend, who's car is crap is in desperate need of a bike. Now, instead of keeping this amazing touring frame and giving him a Nishiki 10 speed, I decide I like the 10 speed and sell him the touring bike. He rides it a little but hes not really a bike person, at least not "posting on a bike forum" type bike person. So anyway it kind of lingers in his basement and eventually he has to give our friend the front wheel (as he ran over our friend's bikes front wheel). So anyway it lingers in his basement more and more and I slowly regret it more and more. I've been working on turning an old Schwinn MTB into a touring frame. Then a few days ago I ask about it and he says maybe I can get it. Then he manages to lose one of my books so I offer an ultimatum. I say, instead of repurchasing that book for me, I'll trade you that book, and this red 80's trek road frame I have for that Schwinn Voyageur. Well I trade it to him and now I have the Voyageur back, and my huge regret is reversed.

So for a question:

How much do you think this Schwinn Voyageur is actually worth?

It has:

A blackburn rack
Shimano BioPace triple (to be replaced)
Campagnolo Rear Derailleur (5 speed, Indexed)
Wolber Super Champion 27" rims (only the back one now but it had 2 to begin with)

and all the trimmings like front and rear rack mounts and fender mounts and three bottle cage bosses. I think I'm going to replace it with a decent MTB triple crankset (probably 48-38-28), some old barcon shifters, and a new freewheel.

You'll get some pictures when I get batteries for my camera.

I'll let Bob Hufford or Scooper give you their opinion on the worth. I'd comment that a lot of worth depends on the condition of the bike - something I don't see mentioned. It doesn't sound like everything is original, so collectors wouldn't likely go into a bidding frenzy over it.

I'll admit my attention span's not what it used to be, so you lost me a little with the story. ;) I love bikes like this, but as for its value, I can assure you it's worth much more if you just ride it than if you try and put a monetary value on it. That's just the nature of '70's/'80's Schwinns. Good luck- :)

It sounds like an '85 model:

http://home.mchsi.com/~lhufford/85voya.jpg
http://home.mchsi.com/~lhufford/85specs.jpg

The rear derailleur was originally a Shimano long-cage unit. It's hard to put a value to this, but I'd guess around $150 w/o the wheel if in nice shape. Don't hold me to it though ... :)

Bob Hufford
Springfield, MO

What is a bike worth?

Well, you might find this exact bike in good condition at Goodwill for $25. Or, you might find it at a good bike shop, restored and tuned up, for $250 bucks. You might also ask, "what is the price of a 2006 touring bike with a steel frame and steel fork?" I doubt many 2006 Tourers are available from a good LBS in the USA for under $1,000 or more.

By the way, I've got biopace cranks on four or five bikes. I can't feel the difference between them and any other crank set of comparable quality and size. Shimano "oversold" the advantages of biopace. Folks who claim not to like biopace usually are those folks who have not spent a couple of years riding with them.

I agree with alanbikehouston, I had Biopace cranks on a mountain bike once, and I liked them quite a bit. I think they get a bad rap sometimes-

It's definatly the '85, thanks for that info. I definitly don't want to sell it because I'm going to tour on it, it was a steal at $15 and I've really wanted a dark green touring bike and it is indeed a beautiful ride. Not too long ago I was considering a Surly LHT but now I don't have to worry about that. I've rode around using the biopace before and it's okay but I think I like the feel of regular chainrings better. also mine had a brooks saddle on it, which I took off before giving it to a friend so it's definatly a really hooked up bike. Best I can figure is it ended up donated to a thrift store because the original owner passed away (which is why lots of the nicer things that could go on eBay or somewhere end up there)

thanks for the info guys!