vonfilm 

The touch up of the original Red/White fade paint of my 87 Super Sport frame has not been satisfactory for me. I plan to have the frame media blasted and powder coated by a local firm. They tell me that they can do a good job of matching the Red/White fade for about a third more than a solid color.

If I could get replacement decals I would be all for that. Velocals will no longer make Schwinn decals for some reason or another. In any case I will get a replacement Tenax tubing decal from them for it. Should I go for the original Red/White fade in hopes of getting some decals some day or save some money with a solid color?

The Golden Boy 

Someone should make crappy Schwinn decals- like a 4th grader with crayons. A whole fleet of Schwinns with crayon decals. Maybe that'll convince Pacific Cycles to rethink their position on allowing proper Schwinn decals to be made and distributed.

Scooper

If it were my bike I'd pay 1/3 more to get the red/white fade. IMHO, it'll look better than a solid color and if/when you're able to get the decals the bike will be ready for them.

Hudson308 

Sez the guy who had HIS Super Sport shot Ferrari red.

3speedslow

IMO, It is the frame material and craftsmanship that makes this Schwinn remarkable. Paint it as you see fit. Get the Tenax decal and put the headbadge back on. Build and ride .

thenomad

While I like the red-white fade (and it was original) I really like the Red and black of the next year better. The blue and black fade looks good and I bet a more unique red and black fade would look great too.







Rides Gone By - Schwinn Super Sport

Scooper

vonfilm 

I have seen early 70's Super Sport decals available on Ebay. Would it be wrong to use those on the 87 ?

turky lurkey

I've been lusting after this one for quite some time. This is a pic from a Craigslist ad that has been popping up occasionally over the last year or so. The guy has been asking $300.00 and it hasn't moved. A few weeks ago I actually offered him a trade for a nice modernnhybrid bike that I have which I think is realistically worth about $175. He said he would think about it, but he wanted me to include some cash. Everything is original on this Super Sport, including tires, handlebar tape, cables etc. so I have to figure another hundred or so just to get the bike back into proper condition. I sure want it, but it's just a little too expensive, I thought my trade offer was fair. I might break down pretty soon and offer a little cash with my hybrid trade even though I will be breaking my rule of never investing more in a bike than I can resell it for.

thenomad

for you, if you've been riding it, the hybrid has paid for itself so its free, what's $50 for a great bike you want.

Steve Whitlatch 

$300 for a beautiful red & white Super Sport. I would buy it.

3alarmer 

...If I count my time as worth anything (and I do), there is not one bike in
my garage right now that follows your rule. So I would have nothing on which to ride.

oddjob2

Having bought 2 SS, a Tempo, Voyageur, and a Panasonic DX-3000, during 2013, $300 is a LARGE number for a SS needing a full overhaul. Your target may have better paint, but none of mine need a repaint.

You can probably do better if you sold the hybrid for $175 and have the SS seller smell the cash in your hand!

3alarmer 

...we mention this from time to time here, but pricing for stuff like this varies with location and season.

Certainly this is now the off season (more of a buyer's market), but in my location here in NorCal, 300 bucks
for one of these in all original, good to excellent paint is not particularly unreasonable.

Maybe it's different where you are, but it's not all that unusual to see ads for $150-200 Varsities around here.

oddjob2

I don't know where Turkey Lurkey is lurking, but the bikes I mentioned were bought in upstate NY, Grand Rapids, and Detroit, mostly during the warmer half of the year.

rccardr 

In the DC area, $300 for a keeper Tenax in that condition (assuming it looks as good in person as it does in pics) is a good deal.

turky lurkey

I think your right, and I will probably put the hybrid up for sale along with a few other bikes when I get home, I am on vacation visiting family for the couple weeks. The Super Sport is definitely a sweet bike but the fact is it's priced a little high for the market it's in, as evidenced by the fact that it hasn't sold and it's been listed for a long time. Gotta give the guy credit for being patient, he only posts it occasionally and hasn't lowered his price.


This is true, and I actually hardly count my time, my rule mainly applies to monetary investment though I do appreciate it if I can get a small return on my time (couple dollars an hour), if I needed to get a decent hourly wage I would be done with restoring bikes. The unfortunate truth is that due lack of storage space and finances I have to sell a bike for everyone I buy, and I like to ride and work on a lot of different bikes just like everyone else here so I try to make purchases that make financial sense. I guess I've become a bit a bike flipper out of necessity for my hobby (though chances are I would keep the SS for quite awhile, possibly permanently which is why I am considering breaking my rule).

Markets definitely vary, my market in Colorado Springs has been incredibly slow from a sellers viewpoint, lately there have been lots of deals, and I have now acquired to many bikes. For Some reason prices always seem a little lower here than other parts of the country. Not sure why because there are many cyclists here, it may be because there are so many cyclists there are lots of used bikes, and people around here are really into having the latest athletic gear so they probably like to by new stuff. I would have a very hard time selling a varsity for $150 here.

acoffin 

It's only going to be original once, decals or not. If your dead set on a repaint, paint it a color you have always wanted. Unless of course you find the red and white fade to be the cat's pajamas. I think the red/white fade is one of the less attractive color schemes Schwinn offered on the SS. And this is coming from a St Louis Cardinals fan.

Flog00

Powder coat and new decals.

This Tempo had the green/red/white fade but the paint was toast.


IMG_9324 by flog00, on Flickr

vonfilm 

I dropped the Super Sport off at the powder coaters this morning. I had them do the Red/White fade so that it would look like a 87 Super Sport. If anyone has a line on decals please PM me.
It should be ready next Thursday. Now I will have to decide what components to hang on it.

3speedslow

Whichever decision you made, it was the right one. It's your bike. I stand by what I posted earlier and I do quite like the red/white fade scheme on my 87 SS. I would just as easily snapped up the magenta version too !

Soon there will be another Schwinn in the stable !

CroMo Mike 

Local sign shops can create and laser-cut vinyl stick-on lettering. The machine they use is similar to an inkjet printer. We do it all the time for our radio controlled model gas race boats. I've also hand-cut vinyls from Monocote vinyl trim sheets (something sold in RC hobby shops) for race boats. Hand-cutting is a little time-consuming but there are a few tricks that make it easier than you would think. The trick with vinyl lettering is that the entire lettering set is held together on a single backing sheet, which is peeled off after they are adhered to the bike tube, so the letter spacing is correct. Some shops are reluctant to make anything which might get them in copyright trouble, so mum's the word when you go in to see them.

Hudson308 

I've had labels made this way, and I've also used Monokote. Personally I think both of these mediums are a bit too thick for bicycle frame graphics. What's frustrating is that I was buying quality Schwinn decals (both waterslide and "peel and stick" type) just a year ago. Now I guess the lawyers have all but dried up the supply. I still have a set of the white waterslide (DT and Fork) "Schwinn" decals as shown on the top and bottom bikes in post 6 above, that I'd be willing to peddle or trade. Unfortunately they're a wee bit off-white, and wouldn't work for the white DT portion of your fade, however. I've also got the matching "underlined" style LeTour script that would be wrong for your bike. I bought them directly from a local Schwinn store, so I guess that means they're "authorized" whatever that means.