sideshow

i'm looking for a vintage nice long distance bike, i have a schwinn s-30 mountain bike, but its a full suspension and not suitable for the long rides on flat streets, i have a bianchi sport sx, a ross signiture,1985 and a womans tsunoda sport bike has a 1977 license so its at least that old. I like vintage stuff over the latest and greatest, and if they have a story to tell, even better (special feature, famous owner, extreamly rare etc.) as for a mountain bike i'm prety sold on my schwinn the original bikeshop verson with the sweet spot, not from walmart cheapo. my other three bikes i'll sell or trade I'm looking for a bike to do long distance riding on, and i'm also looking for good quality unicycles and clown bikes as well.

Scooper

Since you seem to be a Schwinn fan, the late eighties/early nineties Paramounts and Circuits would be good candidates IMHO.

redneckwes

80's (Mississippi built) LeTours and Travelers are pretty nice too.

a77impala

My early Treks are great long distance bikes, lugged steel for a nice ride, all the fender,rack mounts you need and upgradeable to modern components. 1976 was Treks first year so that is as vintage as they will get.
There are usually available at reasonable prices, check ebay and craigslist.

Road Fan

How vintage do you want? The famous and pricey Alex Singers and Rene Herses are probably still among the best models for high quality lightweight distance bikes.

My 1984 Trek 610 is pretty good, but I think it needs more low-speed stability. I also have a Woodrup Giro that has the same problem, but has excellent stability at cruising speed. It wants to go in a straight line when I'm tired and distracted. Both of these bikes have a tendency to shimmy when descending, the flexy Woodrup worse than the stiffer Trek. In contrast, a true road race bike like my Mondonico (early -80s) is not showing any of these characteristics. Which is better for long distance? I'm doing my century training on the Mondonico.

If you look in the Long Distance Cycling forum, you'll find a sticky on bikes for audax and other very long distance events. Those who actually do it are making choices over a wide range of bikes.

Road Fan

Old Fat Guy

How long a distance? A Schwinn Voyageur SP comes to mind.

Mooo

Back when those were new there were a couple of years I owned both a touring bike and a sporty road bike. I found longer distances much more comfortable on a longer wheelbase bike with wider tires. By far.

To the extent that I'd have picked a LeTour or Traveler ('75 & up) over a Paramount for a century (New England, Nebraska, Colorado, whereever) unless I'd logged a couple thousand miles in the season.

That said, there's absolutely nothing wrong with a Ross Signature. It might be a little tighter than I'd like, but it should be fine for metric & imperial century distances.

My preference would include eyelets for a rack, because I've known the weather to change when I was 40 miles from home.

Six jours

Just about anything marketed as a "sport-touring" bike in the 80s is going to have geometry a lot like the current Rivendells, etc.

Were I looking for a comfortable and fast "vintage" LD bike on a budget, I would start with one of those.

If budget is not a consideration, then as Road Fan points out the French randonneuring bikes of the 40s, 50s, and 60s are probably still the best bikes ever made for LD. Prices start at around $5000...

USAZorro

If you want a bike actually designed for touring, as opposed to longish day rides - Trek 520s and 720s, Miyata 210s, 610s and 1000s, Fuji made a couple - not sure of the models, Raleigh Portage & Alyeska, and there are definitely others.

If you're just looking for an all-day rider, just about any sport-tourer that fits you well ought to work.

Scooper

While I agree that a bike with a longer wheelbase and longer trail will be more comfortable than one with a shorter wheelbase and less trail, I'm not sure there is a big distinction in either between a late eighties Paramount and a late eighties Le Tour or Traveler. The wheelbase for my 62cm '87 Paramount is 1000mm, and the wheelbase for both the '89 Le Tour and '89 Traveler (23 inch, or 58.4cm frame) is also 1000mm. By comparison, the '89 Voyageur wheelbase for a 23 inch frame is 1049mm.

A 61cm '72 Touring Paramount (P15-9) has a wheelbase of 1040mm, which approaches the wheelbase of the '89 Voyageur.

The difference in geometry between the '72 touring Paramount and the '87 Paramount "Standard" is mostly in the steeper seat tube angle of the '87 (74° vs. 72°) and the shorter chainstay of the '87 (410mm vs. 440mm).

I'm very comfortable on either the '72 or the '87 for 100 mile rides.

All that having been said, when I had a custom bike built last year intended primarily for long rides, I chose a geometry very similar to the '72 touring Paramount. The new bike has a 1030mm wheelbase, 72° STA, and 433mm chainstay length.

The red bike is the '87 Paramount (1000mm wheelbase, 410mm chainstay) and the chrome bike is the '72 touring Paramount (1040mm wheelbase, 440mm chainstay).

sideshow

its not thati'm a schwinn fan, but i love the design of my s-30 and its a production full suspension bike with decent part, not top of the line but great entry level that can be upgraded. i would get a first generation mountain bike, if they were full suspension bikes. as for a long distance bike i want something of great quality, and very unique, i hate looking like everyone else. i guess thats why i have a 61 buick hearse instead of a camaro or mustang. with that said i want my bike to be dependable and to perform well. i wouldn't exspect it to be as great as a titanium or carbon fiber latest and greates, but it should be leaps and bounds from a walmart huffy. i don't want a show bike i'm to afraid to get dirty or scratched that i don't use it.

Bikedued

I'm a huge Mississippi Schwinn fan. Their work was pretty impressive for mass produced frames! I have a Tempo, Prelude, and Le Tour. All are well made, and nicely tapered lugs. Two are Columbus Tenax, and the Le Tour is True Temper. The Tempo has the nicest frame of them all. Upper seat stays are wrapped onto the seat cluster, simply beautiful work IMHO. A Schwinn Voyageur SP would be a great choice in my eyes. A true touring bike, that would also make a comfortable unloaded commuter. Canti brakes can't be beat in my opinion. The late 80's to early 90's Schwinns are both underrated and under priced for the moment. Very affordable.,,,,BD

An Awesome catalog scan, courtesy of trfindley's site. That site is getting better and better!

https://www.trfindley.com/flschwinn_1...1984Ltwt08.JPG

redneckwes

If this one had been 23" Instead of 25" ir would be in my rotation.

Bikedued

Still have it??,,,,BD

redneckwes

I have the frameset... Parts migrated to other builds Interested?

Evoracer

+1.

I have a Circuit and it is a very nice frame. Have a Premis as well but am unclear as to it's origin but another nice one as well.