tjspiel

I do not disagree with your assessment of the Dawes lightning (though I don't share the same degree of dislike for aluminum). But even the low end components on the Dawes are better than what's on the Super Sport. It may depend on how you define "better". My definition is that they provide a better riding experience. I would agree that the components on the Schwinn may last longer.

I personally have no interest in a low end road bike from BD and would agree that there are better used bikes to be had for similar money. The problem is finding them, - especially in the size you want. If you're OK with friction shifting it's a little easier.

tjspiel

What do you expect would go wrong? They have some no name parts but a lot of the components are the same thing that everyone else uses. My most used daily commuter is a vintage bike with a BD "flip flop" equipped rear wheel. It's been two years, it's still true and I've had zero issues.

My son has a steel fixed gear from BD. He could ride every day for decades and other than normal consumables (tires, pads, chains, bearing, maybe rims and cogs), I'd expect it would be just fine.

kickstart

Its lots of little things, a scratch or chip gos to bare metal rather than a protective coating, the component alloy, chrome, and hardware already have as much corrosion as my Schwinn's. Many of the support components such as pedals are clearly much lower quality. As to the functionality of brakes and drive line, there probably is more of a difference when compared BDs higher end bikes, but not in their lower end bikes.

It's more about the owner than the bike, BD bikes are great for those who just want to get on a new bike and ride. A classic Schwinn is for those who can do all the little things an older bike will need to be put back into regular service.

Phamilton

Yeah, I don't mind friction shifters located on the stem.

It seems like someone mentioned in a comment something to the extent of "if all that matters is that it lasts another 50 years", but I can't find it now - maybe someone edited their post. At any rate, no it's not all that matters to me and I didn't have a specific number in mind... I guess the way that the comment was phrased made it sound like it was foolish to care about durability more than, say, modern technology. Which somehow is where this whole thread seemed to end up, LOL.

Some keep implying that the one pc crank is low quality but I'm not sure I've ever seen one fail. I understand they are heavy. To me heavy does not equal low quality. Quite frankly if I'm really honest with myself (and I seldom am) I just think a 3 pc crank looks better.

I'd ask anyone with further suggestions about modern tech to try and keep in mind the primary intended purpose of this potential purchase - it will be a commuter. I will not be racing. I will be riding an average of 12.7mph (slightly faster as my fitness level increases) for between 5 and 30 or more miles, on roads, trails, sidewalks, etc, in sunshine, rain, snow (if/when I become brave enough to do so) and want a bike that is going to keep up without a lot of fuss and will be easy to fix and find affordable replacement parts for if they should fail.

The weight of the continental I owned was only a problem carrying it up and down the stairs to my apartment. The SS seems like it would provide around a 10 lb reduction (32-33 lbs total, I would guess).

Since nobody has said "I had a super sport, worst piece of crap I ever owned, and for these reasons..." I'll probably try them out and if one fits be very happy with it. The point of my post was to try and get some idea what to expect since the seller is around 75 miles from me and I wouldn't want to commit to such a trip if common opinion was poor. But since those who contributed responses who (1) seem to be knowledgeable of those bikes and (2) seem to be enthusiastic toward riding in general and (3) seemed to hone in on what is important to me based on my first statement, I am convinced that the overall quality, durability, and comfort of a super sport will be about as good as I could expect to find in my price range.

Thanks.

no motor?

My sister found a very lightly used (100 miles?) Schwinn Suburban a few years ago that I made roadworthy. It was probably a late 70's model, and the whole time I was working on it I kept thinking how cool it was. It's a great bike for the occasional ride around the block for her and would be a great bike for her if she would ride it further than that. It wouldn't get what little use it gets now if she didn't like it and think it was cool, and that says as much about the bike as it does my sister.

Darth Lefty 

There's a thread around recently where @Scooper posted photos of weighed SS parts from his teardown and rebuild. I don't remember the details but I do remember the kickstand was about a pound, and he got the bike down to about 26 lb using modern components.

When I had my SS apart for service I weighed the crankset and pedals together and got 5.5 lb. A fairly conventional square taper 3-piece setup with cage pedals would weigh about 3.5 lb including pedals. A hollow spindle crankset with SPD pedals would be in the neighborhood of 2.5 lb.

That's one example. The freewheel is huge too (1.3 lb), and many of the components are steel, and the frame isn't butted and has big lumps of brass at the corners. It's heavy. Mine came in at 37 lb with commuter accessories.

Here's my vanity thread...
https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vi...per-sport.html

I have enjoyed my Super Sport and it's a great daily bike, well thought out for its time. It's a bike you can get on and ride every day without worrying about getting ready or being in shape... key to its appeal are its low gearing, rando handlebars, smooth ride, pie plate that's actually big enough to keep your laces out of the chain, accessible stem shifters, and kickstand. However, it's not up to modern code, most especially in being very heavy, but also in having no rack mounts, obsolete wheel size, center pull brakes, friction shifting, and awkward shift spacing. I've recently supplanted mine in its niche with a much younger Cannondale cross bike that's a lot lighter and has indexed shifting, and whose canti brakes might get replaced with mini-V's... and my SS will be headed for Craigslist. It was fun to try out, though.

tjspiel

I was the person who made the comment about lasting 50 years. My intention was not to make durability sound like a bad thing. However, I want to ride on the hoods of brake levers that are comfortable (for example). That's something that affects my level of enjoyment every time I ride and has nothing to do with racing. I find modern brake levers to be much better as far as that goes. If it means that I have to replace them in 10 or 20 years instead of 30 to me that is well worth it. I also like crisp shifting. And I do need to carry my bike now and then so weight does matter even if I don't take performance into consideration.

The bike I rode today is 30 years old however, the only thing left of the original bike is the frame, brakes, crankset/bb, and the headset. Though neither are a high priority, I'd prefer it had different brakes and another crankset. A couple of parts I bought new, some I had lying around and others I got used. So my bike is a mix of old and new.

My sense is that in your case it's not strictly a matter of what's the most practical road bike you can get for about $200. You like the uniqueness of that frame and maybe just find vintage bikes appealing in general. There is nothing wrong with that. Every bike I own appeals to me for reasons beyond the just the practical. And there are people that commute all the time on bikes not nearly as nice as the Super Sport.

Buy the Schwinn if it fits. Ride it and enjoy. If you want something different down the road, I don't think you'd have much trouble recouping the costs, - if you can bear to sell it.

bmthom.gis

Weight doesn't matter all too much. As for wheel size, Panaracer Paselas come in 27", and if the OP really wants to he can get a set of 700C wheels. Brake reach my or may not be enough, but if can always change those. Rack mounts may be more problematic, but I'm sure a creative solution, or a clamp on rack can be found.

Phamilton

I ended up buying an opaque green one from him instead. Lovely bike, needs a couple easy tweaks but I took it for a ~12 mi shakedown this morning and so far I like it a lot. Fits and rides how I imagined it would but one surprise is the handling, it feels very nimble. Very fun.

Carron

It is an awesome bike. I recently got a 1986 super sport for 120 $. It came with all the original shimano 600 ex components which are really bullet proof but was very scratched and rusted. After removing all rust, polishing, new cables, drivetrain thorough clean and regrease, and touching up the scratches in the paint it turned out to be an outstanding bike.

Mine, which fits me great at frame size 54 weighs slightly below 23 lbs, which is not bad at all. The frame is Columbus tenax tubing with brazed fillets. I think it is a really good bike and feels smooth. Quality components all around. I would definitely not change it for a new budget to mid level road bike, this bike has a lot of character.

Other than non original saddle and handlebar tape I am using all the original shimano 600 components, which feel really solid. Looks like a bike that can last a lifetime, certainly it will last longer than the latest carbon fiber wonders.

Carron

Here are some pictures of the 1986 Schwinn Super Sport I have been somewhat restoring. I kept the original paint and touched up the scratches and kept as many of the original components as possible. Only non original are the saddle, handlebar tape, toe clip black straps and gum brake lever hoods

Northwestrider

I owned a Super Sport, wish I had it now. You'll like it. How are the tires, rims ?

Carron

I trued the rims on mine and they are very straight now, no dings, It came with new tires 700cc x 25. I think I got lucky for 120$ + 50$ additional spent in upgrades. I can see how I can get hooked on vintage bikes…

Darth Lefty 

Nice find! The 86 is a high-level racing model, much lighter and more focused than the early-70's model we were talking about earlier in this thread.

Carron

It definitely feels high level