Classic & Vintage - Differences in Schwinn Superior, Sports Tourer, and Super Sport?

Looking to buy a Schwinn Superior, Sports Tourer, or Super Sport (older Chicago made only), but not sure what the differences are? I currently commute to work on a '71 and '72 Continental, but would like to try out one of the brazed models. Anyone know what the weight differnces are from the brazed models and the Continental? Also, what should I expect to pay?

Thanks!

I paid $250 for my 1971 Schwinn Super Sports. Its styled like the ubiquitous Varsity but its fillet-brazed straight-gauge cro-moly rather than the electro-forged steel used in the rest of the Chicago Schwinn line. Its going to be a few pounds lighter. The models came with the Brooks B-15 standard. Mine now has a Brooks B-66. Its a lighter version of the single speed kool lemon Speedster I had as a child.

In a general sense you could say that the late '60s Super Sport evolved into the Sports Tourer in the early '70s (although they overlap for a few years), and then the Sports Tourer became the Superior (and a very limited number of Sport Limited) by the late '70s. By 1980 there were no more Schwinn fillet brazed frames.

In terms of availability, you will find there are more Super Sports and fewer Superiors.

In terms of component quality and performance, the Super Sport was less refined and the Superior more highly refined. Also, the Super Sports weighed the most, and the Superior the least.

Here are some big differences:

Super Sport: Heavy steel Astubula 1 piece crank, steel kickstand, stem shifters, RD & FD, seatpost, collar, and a Brooks B-15. Most '70s SS also had stamped dropouts.

Sports Tourer: Lighter 3 piece crankset, better RD, forged dropouts, steel kickstand, stem shifters, seatpost, collar, and a Brooks B-15.

Superior: Same as ST but, downtube shifters, no kickstand, better RD and FD (I think), possibly an alloy seatpost, and a leather over plastic saddle. As you can see the Superior lived up to its name.

Now with all this said, the frames were identical in geometry, the only difference being the dropouts and the larger BB shell on the SS. Basically they all ride with a similar tight and lively responsiveness. My SS turns on a dime yet descends at high speed like it has double the wheel base.

Best of luck on your decision.

...the only difference being the dropouts and the larger BB shell on the SS....

Great post, PB, one small point: Older Super Sports from the 60's have the same Huret dropouts as the Sports Tourer have. I think Schwinn went to the cheaper dropouts on the Super Sport the same year they introduced the Sports Tourer.

The Surly Long Haul Trucker and the Sports Tourer/Super Sport geometeries are nearly the same. Schwinn has the built in kickstand :love:

Good luck finding a Superior. It is the best bike by far in this comparison, but relatively difficult to find (at least around here). If you already have one in mind, I would buy it before someone else grabs it.

Thanks all. I think I'll look for a Superior or Sports Tourer. Would the effort required to ride these be noticable compared to my existing Continentals?

I own a '62 Continental which handles differently then any Schwinn I've ever ridden. The SP-ST is a fantastic handling bike and you should be able to see a big difference. I would not hesitate to buy a Superior or a ST, but as wrk101 mentions, finding either an early '60s or late '70s Superior is not an easy task. Best of luck.

Is this the differences between the frames of 70's Super Sports, Sports Tourers and Superiors?

Super Sport frame (70's) has no derailliuer hanger on the dropout, big BB and kickstand, otherwise same frame as Superior.

Sport Tourer has kickstand, otherwise same frame as Superior.

Late model (70's series) Superior is same frame as Sports Tourer, except they removed the kickstand bracket/chainstay bridge and replaced it with a standard chainstay bridge. Also deleted the upper cable stops on the downtube.

So the Superior lacks the built in kickstand which makes it about 1lbs less than the Sports Tourer solely due to lack of kickstand? Only other difference is the downtube shifters?

I have a Sports Tourer that is available, 21" frame.

See here:
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=572242

It rides nicely with a 700C wheelset. I switched mainly for increased tire choices. And the lighter alloy wheels roll smooth and fast too. The Super Sports is a dream ride!

I ride a '72 sports tourer every day and love it!!! Not sure what it will run you - mine was found for a total of $0 - free for the taking in very good original shape by my mother-in-law... I have since added barcons, aero brake levers and new tape job along with a replacement wheel-set. Get one - you will not be disappointed. Here is mine in all its commuter glory.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3471/3770244319_7a3d72b04a.jpg

The Superior and the S/T also came stock with alloy wheels while the S/S had steel. Easy to fix. The S/T was available with bar-con shifters. I don't know if these were available on the S/Ss.

The Superior and the S/T also came stock with alloy wheels while the S/S had steel.
I dunno. Here's the spec sheet for the '71 Super Sport specifying Weinmann aluminum alloy rims, and the '73 Super Sport I just bought on eBay appears to be completely original and has alloy rims.

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d7/k4drd/Bicycles/1971SuperSportspecs.jpg

The '71 Super Sport I found at the dump two years ago had the Weinmann aluminum wheels. They had really been neglected and needed a major rehab (spokes, polish, cleaning, new bearings, etc.).

Barend shifters would have been option, especially since SSs and STs came with brazed on cable stops on the down tube. I had Dr.Deltron grind the ones off of Sporty in order to add the Campagnolo shifters.

http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p71/pastorbobnlnh/Super%20Sports/Sporty%20Aug%202008/DecalsbyJR-1.jpg

He added a clever shift band stop he custom fashioned by cutting a cross into it. A little detail that's hard to see.

http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p71/pastorbobnlnh/Super%20Sports/Sporty%20Aug%202008/FlowersFront1.jpg

Super Sport always had aluminum rims, even in the 60's.

The steel Ashtabula one piece crankset on the Super Sport weighs (gasp!) 4.01 pounds.

I'm not sure what the 3-piece alloy crankset on the Sports Tourer weighs, but I'd bet a pretty good chunk of the weight difference between the SS and ST is in the weight of the cranks.

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d7/k4drd/Bicycles/1973%20Super%20Sport%20CJ809208/AshtabulaCrankWeightsm.jpg

Mine has alloy rims, no Brooks, and a reflector mount that Pastorbob covets ( is that a damned in hell, forever sin? Coveting, I mean?).

I'd really rather it went to an enthusiast, than striped and flipped to a U of M grad student, no matter how hip he/she is.

...a reflector mount that Pastorbob covets ( is that a damned in hell, forever sin? Coveting, I mean?).

No, not a damned to hell forever sin, just something to work on, like cussing.

The sin you must avoid is "brazeonphemy!" Do that and create a hipster fixie and you'll suffer the consequences!

BTW, any of you C&Vers seen this You Tube gem, "Performance." Cudak888 has some competition! I promise it has a C&V tie in.

***********************************************&feature=channel

Put a modern crank on that Super Sports and you get a sweet-handling bike. The Ashtabula one piece crank is ugly. If you lighten the components, the bike's quality can be "hopped up" in performance. That was one place Schwinn cut corners to sell what is really a very nice frameset.

Hm. I was wrong. It happened once before. Can't let that happen again.
Reflector mount?

I usually take forever to buy something, but I came accross this and bought it http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170370566647&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT From what I was told in this thread, and from the lack of sale history that I could or couldn't find on ebay or CL, I figured I better jump on it. Hope it make a good commuter, we'll see when it arrives. Any thoughts?

You did very well. It looks a bit nicked up, but in otherwise respectable shape! It might be the largest fillet brazed Schwinn I've ever seen.

I usually take forever to buy something, but I came accross this and bought it http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170370566647&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT From what I was told in this thread, and from the lack of sale history that I could or couldn't find on ebay or CL, I figured I better jump on it. Hope it make a good commuter, we'll see when it arrives. Any thoughts?
You scored big time! That's an example of the last and best of the fillet brazed Schwinns. Although the EK serial number dates the frame to 1974, it's a '76 bike. Here's the 1976 catalog page.

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d7/k4drd/Bicycles/1976Superior-1.jpg

I just sold my Superior on Craigslist for $100.00. All I had in it was a new chain. The bike had been given to me by a guy on his way to the dump.

http://www.pacfit.com/sup1.jpg

...That's an example of the last and best of the fillet brazed Schwinns....
What makes it the "best"? The frames were made at the same time all the others, only component differences are the brake levers and shifters....It's missing the brazed on kickstand :cry:

The lighter materials used. The new fangled steels that made their debut in the 1970s came too late to save Schwinn. But the EF and filet-brazed Chicago Schwinns are a rolling monument to the hey day of American manufacturing.

It's different tubing on a Superior compared to Sports Tourers and Super Sports?

Get a 1975 coupled tube Sprint and sit back and enjoy the conversation when folks ask "is your seat tube supposed to be bent?"

It's different tubing on a Superior compared to Sports Tourers and Super Sports?
No, but as a package the '76 Superior is lighter. The 1976 Superior catalog weight is 28.5 pounds, while the '75 Sports Tourer catalog weight is 31 - 33 pounds. Schwinn was pretty good about publishing realistic weights.

You did very well. It looks a bit nicked up, but in otherwise respectable shape! It might be the largest fillet brazed Schwinn I've ever seen.

I does seem big. My current bike is 24" with a 33.25" standover height, this Superior has a standover height of 34.5". Hopefully not too big for me, I'm 5'11".


...Scooper, Thanks for the date and advertisement info.

I does seem big. My current bike is 24" with a 33.25" standover height, this Superior has a standover height of 34.5". Hopefully not too big for me, I'm 5'11".


...Scooper, Thanks for the date and advertisement info.

Good luck with the size. I'm 6'5" and ride a 26" inch Sports Tourer. Not only is it a tall bike, but it is also very long. If yours is too big, you can always get close to your money back from a craigslist sale.

No, but as a package the '76 Superior is lighter. The 1976 Superior catalog weight is 28.5 pounds, while the '75 Sports Tourer catalog weight is 31 - 33 pounds. Schwinn was pretty good about publishing realistic weights.

If everything is the same except the shifters, brake levers and kickstand, how does that account for 2.5lbs?

I does seem big. My current bike is 24" with a 33.25" standover height, this Superior has a standover height of 34.5". Hopefully not too big for me, I'm 5'11"....

I'm almost 6-3, I didn't bid on that bike, too big for me. If it was a 24". it would have gone for ~$400.

From what I was told in this thread, and from the lack of sale history that I could or couldn't find on ebay or CL, I figured I better jump on it. Hope it make a good commuter, we'll see when it arrives. Any thoughts?
These rarely surface, and I was "watching" the item, right up to the last when you punched in your winning bid. Congratulations.

My interest was for value, I have one that is near identical to yours, but IMHO, mine has better paint, but poorer chrome - http://i333.photobucket.com/albums/m394/GLVander/Superior%2076/IMGP1553-1.jpg
http://i333.photobucket.com/albums/m394/GLVander/Superior%2076/IMGP1564.jpg
http://i333.photobucket.com/albums/m394/GLVander/Superior%2076/IMGP1562.jpg
http://i333.photobucket.com/albums/m394/GLVander/Superior%2076/IMGP1560.jpg

I have not completed the restore, still undecided to keep the Huret down tubes or convert to Bar Ends. I did locate NOS left brake handle and new hoods.

You will also find that the Superior's rear stays are spread wider than a Sports Tourer, 128 mm instead of the standard 120 mm of the ST or SS, or even your Continental.


Looking to buy a Schwinn Superior, Sports Tourer, or Super Sport (older Chicago made only), but not sure what the differences are? I currently commute to work on a '71 and '72 Continental, but would like to try out one of the brazed models. Anyone know what the weight differnces are from the brazed models and the Continental?
I added alloy rims to my Continental (1980), it now weighs in at 34 lbs, with a Brooks and empty seat bag.
My 1973 Super Sport weighs the same stock.

The BIG difference between the Chro-Moly of the Filet-Brazed frames and the elctro-forge frames on your conti, will be smoothness. The Conti transmit every bump and crack on the road surface, the Super Sport is likely riding on a full suspension frame. (IMHO:D)

If everything is the same except the shifters, brake levers and kickstand, how does that account for 2.5lbs?

The steel kickstand, beefy kickstand bracket, Brooks B-15 saddle, steel seatpost, and steel shifters, probably account for 90% of this weight difference on the Sports Tourer. I would also imagine that the wheels were somewhat lighter on the Superior.

If everything is the same except the shifters, brake levers and kickstand, how does that account for 2.5lbs?
No kick stand, no safety levers, no bracket for stem shifters, or the tall left and right shift levers, cloth instead of plastic bar wrap, all weigh about the 2.5 lbs for the difference.

My 26" Superior, with heavier nylon tires and yet covered in grime, weighs less than 29 lbs. (compared it to my 73 Super Sport shortly after arriving home).


I does seem big. My current bike is 24" with a 33.25" standover height, this Superior has a standover height of 34.5". Hopefully not too big for me, I'm 5'11".
Hopefully you have real long legs. I am 6'4", with 34" inseam, still must tilt to side for mount and dismount, but I must have that top tube length for proper stretch of the upper body.

This is a tall bike, bigger yet than other comparable 25" frames (with 3 piece cranks).