DC8

I recently refurbished my very first 10-speed (bought New in 1974) a 26-inch Schwinn Varsity. Somehow I kept it through the decades and, though worn, it was largely intact in in reasonably good shape (had been garage-stored.)

Got me to thinking about ANOTHER bicycle on my property that I inherited. My dad bought it from a homeless guy at a supermarket parking lot in 1986 for $15. He was told it was a Schwinn lightweight/Race bike.

At the time I saw it, I thought my dad got taken, as the poor condition, missing parts, etc, was apparent, but $15 wasn't much, so oh well.

As I looked it over (then and now), I saw "Schwinn" parts (seat, caliper-brakes, rear-wheel) but it had "Suntour" derailleurs, lacked decals and the head-badge.

Decided to look it over several days ago, see if it had rotted away and if there were salvageable parts perhaps. You see, it has been stored outdoors, fully exposed to the elements, since 1986. Still, perhaps due to our mild California weather and a bit of luck, it looks to be surprisingly salvageable.

I have looked and looked for serial-numbers on the left-drop-out, head-tube and crank areas, but unless they are ground-off or heavily painted-over, no serial-numbers.

I have compared it to lots of photographs and it looks very similar to a "Paramount" or "Sports Tourer." Looks like the frame is fully chrome-plated but painted-over. Even where the paint is bare, there is chrome beneath.

Considering the "Suntour" derailleurs and one steel/one alloy wheel, etc, had me wondering if it could be a Panasonic/Japanese-Built Schwinn.

Whatever it is, how else might I go about identifying it? Need Help please.

Thank You,
DC

FreddyV

You could try running some sandpaper over the bottom bracket, see if any numbering still shows up.

Could you post some pictures, to see if we can trace it to a certain model?

pastorbobnlnh 

Welcome to C&V.

Paramounts and Sports Tourers from the '70s look very different at their joints in that the first has lugs and the second will have rounded joints like your Varsity, only bigger (and under the paint, a very different process). The first picture is of the lug on a '66 Paramount. Most the '70s looked the same.


The second picture is of the same area on a Super Sport (Sport Tourer type of joint).


As you can see there is quite a difference. A Schwinn with paint over chrome could be as rare as a Volare ('77-78 "Japanese Paramount"), or a '70s Voyageur 11.8, or Super Le Tour 12.2 (came in all chrome and someone rattle canned the paint over it). Or one other possibility is the '73 World Voyageur which had chrome lugs. Best of luck and let's see some pictures of your Varsity and mystery Schwinn.

DC8

Thank You for the replies and information. Appreciate your help on narrowing it down.

The "Mystery" Schwinn is built with Tube-and-Lug construction. It was painted / re-painted with rattle-can black paint by that earlier owner. The Schwinn seat has longitudinal-support-springs under the seat-cover. Don't know if that points in any particular direction as to what model.

I'll do what I can toward taking/posting some photos ASAP.

Thank You,
DC

wrk101

The Japanese Schwinns commonly had lugged frames and Suntour components. And all of those components have date codes which you can look up on the vintage Trek site, which will tell you the age of the components (from there you infer the age of the bike).

DC8

Thanks Bill. I'll check that out too.

DC

Scooper

Since it has a lugged frame that's all chrome under the paint, it could be a Voyageur 11.8 or Super Le Tour 12.2. These are late seventies/early eighties Schwinn models, made in Japan, and available with optional all chrome plated frame and fork. I'm not sure which years/models had Sun Tour and which had Shimano, but that info is in the on-line Schwinn catalogs.

DC8

Thanks Stan.

Unfortunately, looks like I was wrong about the chrome-plating of the entire frame. Upon closer inspection, only the Forks look to be fully Chromed under the paint.

The Lugs on my "Mystery" bike (though similar) are more plain and simple, not as ornate as the ones in the Paramount photos posted by "pastorbobnlnh" above.

Also, there are these two Heart-Shaped protrusions on the upper surface down-tube and either a "M" or a "W" stamped into the bottom of the Bottom-Bracket-Shell / crank-tube.

I'm trying to disassemble and do some preliminary cleaning and condition-assessment. Also, I loaned out my digital-camera and it won't be returned soon, so I will need to (instead) try a poor resolution tiny camera or cell-phone camera on Saturday (I hope.)

I'll try to find similar photo's of other bikes on the web to attach (if I can, until I can take photos.)

I'll also clean/scrub and get the numbers off the derailleurs, etc, to see what that might yield.

Appreciate all the help so far.

DC

rhenning

You would get an answer to what it is if you showed some pictures. What you are asking now is the equal to asking I have a Chevy. What is it. Roger

DC8

As I said, I will post photos as soon as I am able.

I cleaned the rear derailleur (a Suntour Vista GT) and with the help of the "Vintage Trek" website's "Component Dates (of manufacture)" link (thanks to Thrifty Bill, AKA: "wrk101,") both Front and Rear derailleurs (stamped with same date-code "OE", and S/N 4532) decodes to "O" = 1972 and "E" = May, for year and month of manufacturer.

It is Really looking to me like this is a "1972, 26-inch Panasonic Sport 10-Speed," road bike (manufactured for and sold/distributed through Schwinn Dealerships.)

I found this very similar bike on EBay, and with the exception of the numerous "circular holes" around the perimeters of the front chain-wheel chainguard and the rear wheel spoke-protector (and the color of course, mine is rattle-can "Black" over what looks to have originally been "Metallic-Copper") other than that, the details look very nearly identical.

https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=380094060242



(Funny thing, my 1974 Schwinn Varsity is that same shade of blue as the item on EBay.)

With a little luck I should be able to post some photos of mine sometime Sunday.

Thanks,
DC

wrk101

If it has a cottered crank like the Panasonic, then it is a low end entry level bike, one of the Japanese built ones.

Ditto steel rims (versus alloy). Even just one or two bikes up the pecking order and the cottered crank would be gone and the bike would have alloy rims.

There are a lot of on-line Schwinn catalogs, do a search on this site, and you will find your bike if it is a Schwinn.

Suntour made a lot of levels of components, from bottom end to top end. My high ten steel Raleigh, bottom end bike with cottered crank, has all Suntour components.

DC8

Thanks Bill.

No Cotter-Crank here, it has a 3-piece "Maxy" alloy Crank. The rear-wheel is Schwinn Steel. The seat and brakes are Schwinn. Derailleurs and shifters are Suntour, "Compe" neck, and "Champion" handlebar.

I stayed up 'til 2 AM researching, trying to locate information and photos of this bike.

Appreciate your help.

Thanks,
DC