bigwoo

I'm sorry for not having any photos....

Based on Bob Hufford's SLDB, I thought this may be a SLT 12.2, but am not sure if it could be one of the other Japanese models...

Has the fancy head lugs with those big, beautiful (to me anyways) round/circular cutouts. I thought that the SLT did not have these, but the 12.2 did...correct ??

Black paint with red lettering, model name on top tube is completely worn off except for 2 or 3 little spots of red.

Round head badge (which I could not get to because it's burried by construction equip), the standard "Made in Japan..." on seat tube, a very small (silver or white?) "4130" on the bottom of the seat tube, "Schwinn" on the downtube.

Could this be anything but a SLT 12.2 and what should I offer the guy for the bike which is filthy, but appears to be mostly original, overall decent condition and should tune up nicely...??

roccobike

I had a 83 SLT that I flipped earlier this year. The frame was one size too large and the paint was badly faded. I lubed the hubs, cleaned the chain and put new 105 PSI Forte tires in it. That was one sweet riding bike, VERY responsive. It was light too, about 24-25 lbs. The guy who bought it wanted a beater for college and was thrilled with it.
If the downtube logo says "Double Butted, Chromoly, Made in USA" and it's your size, I'd try for cheap, like $20, but would go as high as $50, maybe a little higher.
If its not double butted, $30 or $40 tops.

bigwoo

Thanks Rocco,
This is definitely one of the Panasonic-made Schwinn's from Japan.... No way he'll let it go for $50

I thought that SLT 12.2's were going for at least $120 on the Bay, but I haven't seen one in a while.

roccobike

I see your point. I rode 240 miles round trip to pay $75 for a Nishiki Prestige with Tange 2 frameset. It needs A LOT of cleaning and lubing.
If this bike is your size and you want it, $100 is not unreasonable as long as the frame is not damaged. Certainly Schwinn Panasonic LeTours have acquired a good reputation. If it's your size and you want it, go for it. If the price gets up over $150, I don't think you'll be able to recover your investment, but I've been there with bikes I really wanted and don't regret it one minute. My point was you are safe at the $50+ range, above $100, I'd make sure the stem and seat post are moving freely. Good luck, hope you get it.

bigwoo

Will do and thanks!
I sort of fell in love with those headlugs the moment I laid eyes on Old Fat Guys' chrome SLT 12.2 in this thread (half way down the page): https://bikeforums.net/showthread.php...uper+tour+12.2
To me, these are almost as attractive as Nervex Pro's... I don't know who made those lugs, but they are beauties...

McDave

'80 to '82 Voyageur 11.8s fit that description too.

bigwoo

No Freekin' way! I've never had the opportunity to ride a Voyageur....They came in black w/ red lettering?
Umm, could you give me a few specs to look for as that would be beyond the SLDB timeline..??

EDIT:
I just found an old thread from Scooper... I will look for the chrome stays in the rear!

McDave

They have chrome on the fork ends too. Check the Voyageurs in my sig.

Edit: Note, they both originally came with downtube shifters.

McDave

Here's the specs... https://buggytexas.com/images/198004.jpg

bigwoo

Thanks McD!
I've noticed in the past that you guys all really seem to like the feel of the Voyageurs. I've never seen one in person....They seem to have lots of positive feedback though. I've drooled over yours many times....

I'll post some photos as soon as I find something out!

ilikebikes

Dude, I get a lot more than that for a regular Le Tour.

roccobike

I'm sure you did, as I have, After you cleaned it, lubed it, and repaired whatever needs correction. The question is, what would you pay for one in the raw.

ilikebikes

A Le Tour? around $40.00-$50.00, a Super Le Tour? Don't really know as I've never come across one EDIT: Forgot to mention I always FG or ss them as they ALWAY sell faster and its cheaper for me to get it back to riding condition

roccobike

ILB There is no doubt I mis-calculated with my recommendation. I should have determined what bigwoo intended to do with the bike. I should have recognized this is not a casual purchase or for flipping, this is a bike he's been searching for.
BTW, I wonder if he got it.

alanbikehouston

The LeTour name was used on a wide variety of Schwinns for fifteen or twenty years, ranging from the lower end of the price scale to the upper-middle of the price scale. The 12.2 was one of the nicest "mid-range" road bikes of its day, but it is not a match for the best Japanese Panasonic-made Schwinn road bikes of the 1987 to 1990 era which have the advantage of having some of the best brake levers, brake calipers and downtube shifters ever made.

You can sometimes find an 1988ish Schwinn in "like-new" condition for around $200 or $300 at a bike shop, or for just $50 at Goodwill. That makes a "like new" 12.2 expensive if it is selling for more than $125 or $150 or so.

due ruote 

I almost bought one last week for around $125 but it was too far out of my way. (It was on Indy CL btw and appeared to be pretty clean.) In Chicago someone would turn it into a ss or fg and sell it for about $350.

bigwoo

Well, I'm a flipping junkie, that's how I've built and refined my entire collection. But, despite the fact that I'm trying to spend more time riding and less time working on bikes this year, I've been wanting a Schwinn with those lugs for a while. If McDave is on to something and it is an 11.8 Voyageur, I'm keeping that bad boy for my personal stable. A 12.2 will depend I guess......I promised the Lady that for every 1 that came in, 2 would go and she's staying off my back as long as I stick to it (Plus, she will appreciate the Dbl-Butted 11.8 more at that price)....

Either model makes a great fixie, but this one would be restored and would sit along side my Moto Grand Touring for Rocky Mountain trips/weekends...

I'm going to have a look directly from work on Fri...

GT2005

Good luck looking the bike over on Friday. What frame size are you looking at? -GT2005

Bikedued

I have both a Voyageur 11.8 (chrome) and an SLT 12.2 The only differences I've found so far are as follows. The shifting components, If they're original. The voyageur will have an Altus LT RD, and the SLT will have the big logo 600. Almost like arabesque, but more plain. The FD's match the RD's. I'm not sure why the SLT was heavier? it's not much though, so nothing to fret about. The SLT also has a different fork. The Voyageur, think early Trek MTB. Slightly sloping lugged crown. The SLT has a flat top
style like a lot of bikes from the era, with the pointed raised designs on top. The handlebars...Voyageur will be a Randonneur style, while the SLT is a standard style drop. Please someone correct me if I'm wrong, I don't mean to mislead anyone.

From what I can see, (and I looked very closely) I cannot find ANY different at all between the basic frames?

bigwoo

Thanks GT,
I vary my frame sizes based on application. For full blown racing geometry, serious/challenging riding around Boulder,Denver, or the switchbacks in the mountains I like a very tight cockpit at 56.5cm, but for my daily commute, pleasure riding, touring, or fixed gear runs to the cafe/grocery I prefer 57cm up to a 58cm......It's just a personal preference thing...And it hasn't seemed to harm my spinal column/neck/or shoulders yet...

And thanks for the info BD,
I'll post photos if he'll work w/ me on price...

bigwoo

Well, I'd like to thank all of you guys for the help. Unfortunately, this day didn't quite go the way I'd hoped...Once we pulled all of the crap out of the way, which took nearly 2 hours, it was clearly a bit big for me. Nothing appears damaged other than the drops, but I am not sure if the bike would work out for me size-wise.....The top tube is short enough to be comfortable for me (The geometry is unique), but w/ air in the tires it really would be more appropriate for a guy closer to 6'3-ish.....

Man, I really would like a Voyageur though.....

It's a 1980 11.8 just like McDave said.....

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bigwoo

This one is exactly my size and I'm in a big jam right now as I found this. If Mrs Bigwoo sees that I brought home another full blown, expensive project, my *ss is grass....Seriously

I promised that I would spend most of my time riding in the Rockies w/ her this year, and spend far less time flipping....

The word "Competition" is clearly visible on the top tube, and the Nervex lugs should put it at around '74 right??

The truth is that I wanted the Schwinn more.... Today was a real test of self control and not "impulse" buying another bike I don't need....I'm an idiot.....

I'm going to go drown my sorrows w/ a beer and a nice Fri night Fish Fry now.... I can't believe I passed on the Schwinn for a basket case Raleigh....I'm not a big Raleigh fan, but I'll give it some love and try to make you folks proud.

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Bikedued

Wow, both cool finds. Now,,,, Could you please find me a Competition the size of the Voyageur?,,,,BD

DavidW56

There is a Super Le Tour 12.2 offered on the Detroit CL for $100. The seller says the only problem with it is the seat tube is stuck, and he doesn't want to apply muscle to it for fear of damaging it. From the discussion above, would you all say that $100 is too much, given the seat tube could be stuck? The seller's location is just distant enough from me to make it half a day's project to go there and back.

https://detroit.craigslist.org/bik/851473089.html

Scooper

Personally, I don't think I'd pay $100 for a SLT 12.2 with a stuck seat post. If it's really stuck, you'd be throwing your money away.

You can read Saint Sheldon's article "Fifteen Ways to Unstick a Seatpost" and see if you want to take a chance.

From the photos, it looks pretty clean and is probably in decent shape. If it didn't have the stuck seatpost, I'd say it's probably worth the $100 asking price.