Mid 70s Schwinn World Voyageur - not sure what to do with it.
12-20-13, 09:24 AM
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Mid 70s Schwinn World Voyageur - not sure what to do with it.
Unless you frequent the 50+ sub-forum, I'm probably new to you. I dropped in here because I'm being given a mid 1970's Schwinn World Voyageur by my brother. I'm getting all the original equipment along with upgraded Grand Cru brakes, seat post and crankset. He's had the frame painted black in the 1980s, including the lugs. I remember the original being orange with the chrome lugs unpainted. In any event, I'm not sure what I want to do with it. I'm thinking of two very different directions. I could try to restore it to it's original condition, or.... I could strip the frame down to it's chrome finish and keep the upgrades on it. Leaving it black doesn't appeal to me; at this point it looks pretty beat. So, what are your thoughts? What might you do if you had inherited this particular bike? Since my brother can no longer ride (serious health issues), he wants me to have it. I want to treat it with respect, but I'm just not sure what direction I should go.
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12-20-13, 09:38 AM
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I have stripped a World Voyageur frame down to chrome. It looks pretty good. Not perfect "show" chrome but ok overall. I would strip it and ride it. If you really love it, you can go the route of restoration. I would not drop big $$'s on a bike befoe I knew I loved it. (Learned that the hard way!)
12-20-13, 09:58 AM
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12-20-13, 10:46 AM
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Since you don't like the black, and it's not original, it doesn't hurt to strip it. Takes a bit of elbow grease, but I've used chemical strippers in the past to do it myself for cheap refinish. If it's an all chrome frame under all the paint and in nice shape, you can polish out the whole thing (more elbow grease) and not paint it at all.
A fellow C&Ver Catnap did this with his Centurion Pro Tour with nice results. I wouldn't have any use the for the kind of build he ended up doing with it, but it's pretty darn cool. Here's a link to his bike: https://djcatnap.com/centurion-pro-to...e-650b-townie/
A fellow C&Ver Catnap did this with his Centurion Pro Tour with nice results. I wouldn't have any use the for the kind of build he ended up doing with it, but it's pretty darn cool. Here's a link to his bike: https://djcatnap.com/centurion-pro-to...e-650b-townie/
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● 1971 Grandis SL ● 1972 Lambert Grand Prix frankenbike ● 1972 Raleigh Super Course fixie ● 1973 Nishiki Semi-Pro ● 1979 Motobecane Grand Jubile ●1980 Apollo "Legnano" ● 1984 Peugeot Vagabond ● 1985 Shogun Prairie Breaker ● 1986 Merckx Super Corsa ● 1987 Schwinn Tempo ● 1988 Schwinn Voyageur ● 1989 Bottechia Team ADR replica ● 1990 Cannondale ST600 ● 1993 Technium RT600 ● 1996 Kona Lava Dome ●
● 1971 Grandis SL ● 1972 Lambert Grand Prix frankenbike ● 1972 Raleigh Super Course fixie ● 1973 Nishiki Semi-Pro ● 1979 Motobecane Grand Jubile ●1980 Apollo "Legnano" ● 1984 Peugeot Vagabond ● 1985 Shogun Prairie Breaker ● 1986 Merckx Super Corsa ● 1987 Schwinn Tempo ● 1988 Schwinn Voyageur ● 1989 Bottechia Team ADR replica ● 1990 Cannondale ST600 ● 1993 Technium RT600 ● 1996 Kona Lava Dome ●
12-20-13, 11:02 AM
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Does the frame size fit you? If so I'm another one who would vote for stripping it. If you find the chrome underneath wouldn't be presentable after some elbow grease, you can sell it to me. 
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12-20-13, 11:29 AM
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That would be a '72 or '73. They were Schwinn's 2nd imported bike and were built for Schwinn by Panasonic in Japan. Here are links to the original brochure (complete with parts listing), owner's manual, and a May '73 Bicycling Magazine review.
You can see pics of a couple of stripped World Voyageur bikes/frames here:
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...World-Voyageur
I think they are fantastic bikes, they were 2nd only to the Paramount in the "Schwinn" lineup at the time.
You can see pics of a couple of stripped World Voyageur bikes/frames here:
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...World-Voyageur
I think they are fantastic bikes, they were 2nd only to the Paramount in the "Schwinn" lineup at the time.
Last edited by Metacortex; 04-23-16 at 07:31 PM.
12-20-13, 11:51 AM
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An interesting note in the Bicycling Magazine article mentions it is a lugged frame which is a departure for Schwinn "except their top European-made frames." Was Bicycling Magazine that unfamiliar with Paramounts in the early '70s?
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Last edited by pastorbobnlnh; 12-20-13 at 12:00 PM.
12-20-13, 12:03 PM
#8
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Meta, I was under the impression they were the first Japan imported Schwinn. Was there another model imported from another country at some point? Thanks!
An interesting note in the Bicycling Magazine article mentions it is a lugged frame which is a departure for Schwinn "except their top European-made frames." Was Bicycling Magazine that unfamiliar with Paramounts in the early '70s?
An interesting note in the Bicycling Magazine article mentions it is a lugged frame which is a departure for Schwinn "except their top European-made frames." Was Bicycling Magazine that unfamiliar with Paramounts in the early '70s?
EDIT - Here's an early BF thread:
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...World-Traveler
Last edited by Scooper; 12-20-13 at 12:08 PM.
12-20-13, 12:07 PM
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Can you believe the typo about Paramounts being "European-made?"
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12-20-13, 12:13 PM
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12-20-13, 02:28 PM
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Both of your proposed options, restoration or just stripping to chrome, really begin with stripping to chrome as a first step. So I'd say go for it. You can always determine later whether that was step 1 in a longer restoration process or whether you're just happy with it as is. If you decide to restore, there seem to be places that still have the correct Kool Orange (ahem, International Danger Orange) paint.
12-20-13, 03:03 PM
#12
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Next year Schwinn dealers will have another quality lightweight ten-speed bicycle to supplement their allocation of Schwinn bikes. It's called the World Traveler and is initially being manufactured for Schwinn in Japan by National Bicycle Company, a subsidiary of Matshu****a Electric Trading Company and Bridgestone Cycle Industry Company, Ltd.
Fully six months of cooperative engineering and planning between Schwinn and Bridgestone and Matsu****a (National Bicycle) went into the design of the World Traveler. "So in no way is it an ordinary imported bicycle," said Al Fritz, Schwinn vice-president of engineering. "The World Traveler has been designed and will be built to Schwinn's exacting specifications and standards for quality," Fritz emphasized.
Initial shipments of about 1,800 World Traveler models from Japan are expected to be received by Schwinn sales companies and agents in January, but this quantity will do little more than provide first samples for those Schwinn Dealers who are interested in ordering their first models for inspection. Larger quantities probably will not be available until March or April as our sources go into regular production schedules. When regular shipments of World Traveler models begin, they will be shipped direct to sales company and agent warehouses on an allocation basis. However, these models will not be included in allocation notices sent from the Schwinn factory to Schwinn Dealers. Instead, sales companies and agents will bear the responsibility for allocating models to dealers in their areas.
It must be recognized, of course, that we would have preferred to be in a position to produce adequate quantities of ten-speed models in the Schwinn factory as an obvious first choice. But even though we are adding more factory space and additional manufacturing equipment to raise our production capacity to something like 1.5 million bicycles per year, we will not be able to get the full benefit of the increased capacity in 1972 because some of the new production facilities will not be fully operative until March or April. Therefore, it appears our own production will run around 1.4 million bicycles, or thereabouts, in 1972 – assuming we are able to obtain adequate supplies of components.
This is a new undertaking for Schwinn and for Schwinn Dealers, and one which many of us never expected. However, times change; our markets change, our customers change and we must change with them to keep our position of leadership. I think most Schwinn Dealers will support this program, and that time will prove it to be a good move for Schwinn Dealers and for Schwinn consumers, too.
This was brought on by the bicycle boom and extreme shortages around that time. Another article in the same Reporter was titled "Line Up To Buy Schwinn Bikes":Fully six months of cooperative engineering and planning between Schwinn and Bridgestone and Matsu****a (National Bicycle) went into the design of the World Traveler. "So in no way is it an ordinary imported bicycle," said Al Fritz, Schwinn vice-president of engineering. "The World Traveler has been designed and will be built to Schwinn's exacting specifications and standards for quality," Fritz emphasized.
Initial shipments of about 1,800 World Traveler models from Japan are expected to be received by Schwinn sales companies and agents in January, but this quantity will do little more than provide first samples for those Schwinn Dealers who are interested in ordering their first models for inspection. Larger quantities probably will not be available until March or April as our sources go into regular production schedules. When regular shipments of World Traveler models begin, they will be shipped direct to sales company and agent warehouses on an allocation basis. However, these models will not be included in allocation notices sent from the Schwinn factory to Schwinn Dealers. Instead, sales companies and agents will bear the responsibility for allocating models to dealers in their areas.
It must be recognized, of course, that we would have preferred to be in a position to produce adequate quantities of ten-speed models in the Schwinn factory as an obvious first choice. But even though we are adding more factory space and additional manufacturing equipment to raise our production capacity to something like 1.5 million bicycles per year, we will not be able to get the full benefit of the increased capacity in 1972 because some of the new production facilities will not be fully operative until March or April. Therefore, it appears our own production will run around 1.4 million bicycles, or thereabouts, in 1972 – assuming we are able to obtain adequate supplies of components.
This is a new undertaking for Schwinn and for Schwinn Dealers, and one which many of us never expected. However, times change; our markets change, our customers change and we must change with them to keep our position of leadership. I think most Schwinn Dealers will support this program, and that time will prove it to be a good move for Schwinn Dealers and for Schwinn consumers, too.
The scene at Schwinn Dealer Jim Wagy's cyclery, Russell's Bike Shop, Downey California, was repeated over and over again this past summer at authorized Schwinn dealerships across the country. When customers heard about a shipment of Schwinn bicycles they rushed to the dealerships to stand in line and hope that one of them would be theirs.
That's just what happened at Wagy's Cyclery last August. More than 40 people stood in line for the cyclery to open. Somehow the word had leaked out that Jim Wagy was due for a shipment of Schwinn bicycles and that any bicycles which hadn't been ordered would go on sale on a "first come" basis. Some people, according to a local newspaper report, had "…come from as far away as Las Vegas to make their purchases." The first person in line had been waiting for six and one-half hours!
During the first hour Jim Wagy sold 60 bicycles – that's one a minute. In no time the 75 bicycles that were available had been sold and Wagy's staff went back to attacking the mountain of repair jobs that keeps the cyclery humming when there are no new Schwinns to sell.
It was good to be a Schwinn dealer in the early '70s!
That's just what happened at Wagy's Cyclery last August. More than 40 people stood in line for the cyclery to open. Somehow the word had leaked out that Jim Wagy was due for a shipment of Schwinn bicycles and that any bicycles which hadn't been ordered would go on sale on a "first come" basis. Some people, according to a local newspaper report, had "…come from as far away as Las Vegas to make their purchases." The first person in line had been waiting for six and one-half hours!
During the first hour Jim Wagy sold 60 bicycles – that's one a minute. In no time the 75 bicycles that were available had been sold and Wagy's staff went back to attacking the mountain of repair jobs that keeps the cyclery humming when there are no new Schwinns to sell.
Last edited by Metacortex; 04-23-16 at 07:33 PM.
12-20-13, 04:30 PM
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Both of your proposed options, restoration or just stripping to chrome, really begin with stripping to chrome as a first step. So I'd say go for it. You can always determine later whether that was step 1 in a longer restoration process or whether you're just happy with it as is. If you decide to restore, there seem to be places that still have the correct Kool Orange (ahem, International Danger Orange) paint.
To the others who have responded - Thanks. I think I'll ride it a few times and when the weather breaks in a few months, strip it and go from there. I'm not sure, however, if I'll go back to the stock brakes. The Crane GS and Titleist derailleurs seem to work quite well. So, they may stay in place. The saddle will get swapped out for a Selle Anatomica Titanico.
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Favorite rides in the stable: Indy Fab CJ Ti - Colnago MXL - S-Works Roubaix - Habanero Team Issue - Jamis Eclipse carbon/831
12-20-13, 04:48 PM
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I didn't realise the Traveler was a model year older. A couple of pictures of my Traveler and two Voyagers. To me the Traveler is just a Continental with lugs. Even weighs about the same. The Voyagers on the other hand are much better bikes. Roger
12-20-13, 05:03 PM
#15
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Ray Burch was my dad's boss for thirty years. In the early seventies, Ray was Senior Vice President of marketing. I first met him in the mid-fifties when I was in Jr. high school and accompanied my grandparents to a national Civitan (a civic service club like the Lions, Kiwanis, and Rotary clubs) convention in Chicago. Ray rolled out the red carpet and took me on a four hour long tour of the factory. Back in those days, Schwinn was like a big family, and over the years I met Frankie, Ed, Sr., Al Fritz, Keith Kingbay, Frank Brilando, and lots of other wonderful Schwinn folks.
12-20-13, 05:09 PM
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Roger, you are exactly right. Here is another quote from the Oct. '71 Reporter about the '72 World Traveler:
The initial quantities of ten-speed models will be produced in Japan in accordance with specifications established by Schwinn and will be somewhat similar to our own Schwinn Continental models. Although price levels cannot yet be established because of the existing price freeze and uncertainties about the yet-to-be-announced price guidelines, we expect that the World Traveler models will carry about the same price structure as Continental models.
It was basically being marketed as a lugged Continental. The '72-'73 World Traveler would be replaced by the slightly more upscale "Schwinn Approved" Le Tour in '74. With the "Schwinn Approved" designation also came coverage under the Schwinn "No-Time-Limit" guarantee introduced in 1970, while the "World" bikes were only given a 1-year warranty.
12-20-13, 05:30 PM
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12-20-13, 06:31 PM
#18
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The Crane GS and Titleist derailleurs seem to work quite well. So, they may stay in place.
Right you are, I have the Titlist rear DR on my Dawes and the shifting is smooth. It looks quite nice too !
Right you are, I have the Titlist rear DR on my Dawes and the shifting is smooth. It looks quite nice too !
12-20-13, 08:16 PM
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The Titlist and Crane names were changed and they became Dura Ace and 600 models with little change except for the name. The Crane to Dura Ace name change happened in 1978 and if I remember right the Titlist to 600 happened a year or two before that. The Dura Ace name is still Shimano's top line and 600 is now known as Ultegra. Roger
Last edited by rhenning; 12-21-13 at 08:33 AM.
12-20-13, 08:50 PM
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Next year Schwinn dealers will have another quality lightweight ten-speed bicycle to supplement their allocation of Schwinn bikes. It's called the World Traveler and is initially being manufactured for Schwinn in Japan by National Bicycle Company, a subsidiary of Matshu****a Electric Trading Company and Bridgestone Cycle Industry Company, Ltd.
Fully six months of cooperative engineering and planning between Schwinn and Bridgestone and Matsu****a (National Bicycle) went into the design of the World Traveler. "So in no way is it an ordinary imported bicycle," said Al Fritz, Schwinn vice-president of engineering. "The World Traveler has been designed and will be built to Schwinn's exacting specifications and standards for quality," Fritz emphasized.
Fully six months of cooperative engineering and planning between Schwinn and Bridgestone and Matsu****a (National Bicycle) went into the design of the World Traveler. "So in no way is it an ordinary imported bicycle," said Al Fritz, Schwinn vice-president of engineering. "The World Traveler has been designed and will be built to Schwinn's exacting specifications and standards for quality," Fritz emphasized.
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12-21-13, 11:54 AM
#21
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Looks like his '79 Paramount is for sale! That one must have been built right before the cage was shut down in '79, and looks to be original and unmolested.
12-21-13, 12:27 PM
#22
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I have a Titlist derailleur that I pulled off my wife's Viscount. It is very sturdily made, much nicer than most derailleurs.
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12-21-13, 12:30 PM
#23
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Speaking of Ray Burch, have you seen this?: https://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/bik/4252840691.html
Looks like his '79 Paramount is for sale! That one must have been built right before the cage was shut down in '79, and looks to be original and unmolested.
Looks like his '79 Paramount is for sale! That one must have been built right before the cage was shut down in '79, and looks to be original and unmolested.
Dad, Mom, Ray and Ruthie were a golf foursome. In this 1954 photo introducing the Corvette, Dad is croutching on the far left (in the white socks!); Ray Burch is third from the left. On the far right with the bow tie is Ed Sr., Richard's dad.
I apologize for hijacking the thread with this O.T. detour.
12-21-13, 12:41 PM
#24
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