Originally Posted by
Metacortex
Unless the headbadge was replaced the 2208 number indicates that the bike was built on
Tuesday August 8th, 1978. Note that Schwinn stamped bare head tubes in batches before they were even brazed into the frames. I've seen head tube stamps on fillet brazed models that were up to 6 years earlier than the bikes were built suggesting that Schwinn kept pre-stamped head tubes in inventory and used them at random (i.e. not in numbered order) to build frames (and bikes) as necessary.
That's interesting, only the stamped head tubes. I assumed entire frames were pulled from existing old stock.
Have you ever seen a 78 model year bike with the kickstand/fender mount with an earlier head tube stamp?
Nothing to base it on except a couple bikes I've seen, but it appears the old stock was used up sometime in 1977.