shelbycobra

I own 2- Schwinn LeTours from 1980. Both in Cardinal Red. 1-Mens and 1-Ladies, both in great condition.
The Ladies still has the original tires on it. The Mens has newer Gumwalls, otherwise they are original.
My wife and I bought these in August, 1980 from Bike Line in Allentown, Pa. We still have the Sales Catalog from 1980, and the "Schwinn Approved " Cardinal Red, touch-up paint bottle. My wifes probably
has less than 10-Miles and mine has no more than 50-Miles. Both of these bikes have been hanging from our garage wall for all these years. Occasionally, I take them down and wipe them off and put a coat of wax on them. They have some minor rust pitting on the chrome wheels etc. otherwise they are in really nice condition. I am assuming these 2-bikes have some value. Does anyone have any idea what they may
be worth ?? Thanks for your help !!

moxfyre

I've seen several Letours for sale around the DC area for $30-80. I haven't seen yours but I'd guess the men's bike is worth $60 or so and the lady's somewhat less. If the wheels are rusting, a knowledgeable buyer would know they need replacing, since rusty steel wheels are obsolete and unsafe.

KrisPistofferson

Neither Japanese bikes or non-paramount Schwinns are fondly remembered by collectors, unfortunately. I'd say 250-300 would be pushing it to the max, if you're patient, and the frames are spotless. I love Le Tours, it's a pity they're not appreciated for the good bikes they were.

moxfyre

I love the old Schwinns too... they seem to sell really cheap around here, at least on craigslist.

KrisPistofferson

Yeah, I've seen plenty in the paper for cheaper than 50 bucks, but I've seen people pay 300 too. E-bay might be a better option than the newspaper. Someone who specifically wants a Le Tour will probably be on e-bay with cash to burn.

Mr. Shadow

Let the fixed-gear crowd know...they make excellent conversions and most will replace the wheels anyway.

moxfyre

Oh man... I'd kill for a nice Schwinn fixie.

alanbikehouston

There are two different markets for bikes such as your LeTours. The "need a cheap bike to ride" market, and the dedicated Schwinn collector's market. The CBTR market value of your bikes is probably around $50 each, and that sort of buyer is a "local" buyer, as the price of shipping exceeds what they are willing to pay for the bike.

The dedicated Schwinn collectors market is different. Collectors look for bikes that are "unique", and the 1980 LeTour WAS unique. LeTours were imported from Japan from 1974 to 1978. Those LeTours were reportedly made by National/Panasonic and were the first "affordable" lugged frame Schwinn bikes.

During 1979 and 1980, Schwinn made "save the company" sort of experiment. Schwinn attempted to make affordable LUGGED frame road bikes in its Chicago factory, using assembly line methods that would permit competing with imported bikes on price and quality.

The two bikes used for the experiment were the 1979 and 1980 "Super LeTour" and the "LeTour".

The 1980 road bike line-up from Schwinn was headed by the:

-Paramount - Made in USA

-Voyageuer 11.8 - Imported from Asia $333 List DB 4130 Cro-Mo main frame 25.5 pounds

-Super LeTour - Made in Chicago $290 List 1020 Carbon steel frame 26.5 pounds

-LeTour - Made in Chicago $220 List 1020 Carbon steel frame 30.0 pounds


The two LeTour models shared the same frame, but the lower price version had steel rims, some steel components, and a "kickstand" which raised its weight to 30 pounds. (About 8 pounds lighter than the best-selling Schwinn Varsity model).

The first goal of the "experiment" was met. The $220 price of the LeTour was similar to the price of entry level Asian-made lugged steel road bikes. However, by 1980, road bike buyers had become VERY weight conscious, and the Asian competition weighed between 23 pounds and 28 pounds, and many imported models had double-butted chro-mo frames. A straight gauge 1020 "hi-ten" steel frame that was ALMOST as light as "cro-mo" did not succeed in a marketplace where younger buyers had begun to obsess about fractions of an ounce.

Due to the high costs of building bikes in Chicago, Schwinn soon phased out the Chicago plant. Giant in Taiwan began making the models that had been made in Chicago, as well as newer models. (But, the Giant versions were different...the "Giant" Suburban got a "lugged" frame). Closing the Chicago plant led to temporary profits, but it was the beginning of the end of Schwinn in America. Today, "Schwinn" is just a decal slapped on bikes made in Asia.

So, an avid Schwinn collector might be quite interested in getting a "matching pair" of "almost new" Chicago-made LeTours. You would need a detailed E-Bay ad with large, sharp photos. The ad should also make clear that these were among the "limited run" of Chicago-made lugged frame LeTours. You would need to use a bike shop in your neighborhood to pack the bikes in very compact boxes. That would allow you to advertise a maximum shipping charge to 48 States of $45 each (shipping from your bike shop to a bike shop near the customer).

I'm guessing that a "hard core" collector would pay $300 to $400 for the pair, plus $90 for shipping, bringing the total price for the pair to around $400 to $500. The "sharp" photos are essential, as it is the "almost new" condition of these two bikes that sets them apart from the $20 bikes sold as Goodwill.

If these were MY bikes, I would ride them. I always feel younger, taller, and better looking while riding on a bright red Schwinn bike.

And, if these were MY bikes, I would ask my LBS about rebuilding the wheels using 700c alloy rims and stainless spokes and replacing the seatpost with a light alloy post. Then, add some Continental tires. The result would be 26 pound bikes that ride as nicely as any "new" road bikes currently available for less than $500 today.

KrisPistofferson

I concur. Very informative. I'd always heard the entire run of Le Tours was from Panasonic, at least that's what I inferred from Sheldon Brown.

IMCrazyQuick

I bought a brand new black Schwinn Super Le Tour II back in 1980 and I remember it cost me about $400+ back then. It was a Chicago made bike and the advertised weight was under 20lbs. I gave the bike to a neighbor last year ago and now wish I would have kept it. The bike had the Cro-Moly X-tra Lite frame and it was one of the nicer bikes for its time. My brother rode a Fuji and the Schwinn Super Le Tour II was every bit as nice a bike as my brother's Fuji.

treebound 

I think we needs pics of these bikes.

Skylar

Also, some models of Le Tour like the Super 12.2 were 4130 Cromo.

rhenning

I doubt it was under 20 pounds because Schwinn made a big deal with the LeTour 12.2 and its weight. The 12.2 means 12.2 kilograms or a bit over 25 pounds. Roger

Scooper

The 1979 Super Le Tour II frame was 18 gauge 1020 carbon steel, was advertised as weighing 28 pounds, and cost $249.95.

The 1980 Super LeTour frame was straight gauge (18 ga.) 1020 carbon steel, and was advertised as weighing 28 pounds. $296.95.

The 1981 Super Le Tour frame was also 1020 carbon steel, and was advertised as weighing 27 pounds. $319.95.

The only 20 pound Schwinn adult bike back then was the P14-0 Track Paramount which had a Reynolds 531 frame.

DavidW56

I am very appreciative of the detailed story of the LeTour! Especially since I bought a yellow one from the thrift store last week. All I know about it so far is it says "Made In Japan" on it.

cb400bill

It's not yellow. It's Kool Lemon.

IMCrazyQuick

Excuse me if this photo doesn't up load. I am new at this. I am trying to attach an old photo of my Super Le tour II. My black bike was equipped with alloy rims and crank set. The yellow one in the photo seems to have steel rims and crank. As I said, the price on my bike was over $400.00 back in 1980 so I don’t know if it is the same bike that you are talking about. This was almost 30 years ago and I no longer have the bike to confirm the weight.

cb400bill

That yellow bike is a 1974.

This bike is a 1980, which looks to me just like your bike.





Here is the spec sheet for that 1980. As you can read, it has alloy bars, stem, cranks, wheels, and hubs.

wrk101

On the plus side:
1. Three piece alloy crank
2. Alloy bars and stem.
3. Great condition.

On the big negative side:
1. High ten steel frame.
2. Steel rims
3. Stem mounted shifters.

That would cap those bikes at about $100 each around here. Once you move to a cromoly frame and alloy rims, the pricing improves quite a bit.

Make sure the seat post is not frozen.

Good luck!

aureliajulia

I love this post and have to thank everyone for it. I grew up on a 1980 silver Schwinn Le Tour. I took that bike on RAGBRAI in 1981 and 1982, and I rode it for years all over the place until my parents gave it away after I left (grrrr). I just got back in to riding last August: bought a beautiful Cannondale Synapse Feminine 5 with 105 components and an all-carbon frame, and I still long for that fabulous, smooth-riding Schwinn.

Ah, I want....

big chainring 

I just sold a Schwinn LeTour a couple weeks ago on Chicago Craigslist for $125. They are very nice bikes. I would think one in really nice original condition would fetch between $125 and $150. Wait a couple weeks till Spring kicks in and I think you will have no problem selling them.

Nighteyez

There is a Schwinn Le Tour III for sale in the Fresno Craigslist for $75.

https://fresno.craigslist.org/bik/1186777637.html

mstrpete

+1. Well put!

scottredd

I love my 1976 Schwinn Le Tour II. I bought it for $65, replaced the tires, overhauled the hubs, and rode in original condition for several months.

Later, I changed the wheelset to 700C/25mm and converted it to single speed/fixie and dressed it up with Brooks saddle, Tektro 556 brakes, new brake levers, Velo Orange fenders and a nifty Soma rear facing bullet light. My LBS did quite a lot of the actual conversion, but they let me help out with the wrenching.

I have a cross bike that I use on some road and gravel rides, and a hybrid for hauling stuff, but the Le Tour is my daily commuter and "show off" bike. These old steel road bikes are a lot of fun to play with, and swapping components and tuning it up has taught me a lot about basic bike mechanics.



I was thinking of powder coating it to make it look new, but I think now I'll leave the frame as-is, scratches, scuffs and all, to preserve the "old bike" look.

Here's a link to my blog describing the recent configuration:
https://redd-shift.blogspot.com/2009/...-phase-35.html

And a link to the single speed conversion:
https://redd-shift.blogspot.com/2009/...n-phase-3.html

If you can get your hands on an old Le Tour in good shape, I'm sure you'll have as much fun with it as I do.

Regards,

Scott
https://redd-shift.blogspot.com/

Randy T

I bought a new 1975 Kool Lemon LeTour when I was in high school with money I earned helping my dad in his wallpaper business. It was the first really nice bike I ever had and I rode it throughout my college years and loved it. Alas, I sold it a few years later when I was broke and desperate ( and had "moved up" to 4 wheels)

I just started riding again this year with a 1985 Schwinn World Sport I bought from my brother a dozen years ago or so. It is probably a nicer bike, but I sure miss that Le Tour. I thought my wife might enjoy riding with me, so I just bought her a 1981 Le Tour Mixte from CL for $50 a few weeks ago. All both of them needed was new tires and some maintenance like repacking all the bearings etc. I have really enjoyed working on them and reading these forums.