The difference between a SUBURBAN 5 speed and a 1970 - 1977 Schwinn COLLEGIATE is that the Collegiate has 37-597mm tires (26 x 1 3 /8 ) on the S5/S6 597mm (26 inch SCHWINN WHEELS).
The COLLEGIATE has perhaps even more of a Rolls-Royce/'65-'76 big Cadillac Sedan Deville type ride, ASSUMING THAT THE Kenda 597mm tires are seated evenly!
The 1964 - 1969 Collegiate IS NOT NEARLY AS GOOD OF A BICYCLE AS THE 1970 on COLLEGIATE or the 1970 on SUBURBAN five speed!!!
Why? The gearing on the 1964-1969 is not nearly as useable, particularly in Hill Climbing. The rear derailleur is French (Huret Allvit) and the freewheel is French made on the 1964-1969. In fact it is the same freewheel and derailleur that the mid sixties thru the seventies era VARSITY/10speed SUB/Continental employed...the 28-14 with Allvit. Now as you know, the sixties era Collegiates and mid sixties and all seventies era Varsity/Continentals are excellent durable bicycles, but they are not the quality of the 1970 and later Collegiates & 5 speed Suburbans because those 1970 and later 5 speed Collegiates and 5 speed Suburbans came with an even better quality Model J , 32-14 freewheel built in Japan by Shimano for SCHWINN, and a Shimano built for Schwinn rear derailleur that could shift that large 32 cog first gear.
****the 1970 COLLEGIATE & the 1970 SUBURBAN 5 speed was the first time that SCHWINN engineers had collaborated with SHIMANO on a project. This also gave Shimano additional national recognition and publicity as the March 1970 Bicycling Magazine technical editors found that the new made for Schwinn shimano built GT-100 rear derailleur was the most durable and reliable rear derailleur that Bicycling Magazine had ever tested. Columbia was already employing the relatively new Shimano Lark rear derailleur on its Columbia Tourist V by 1969 or 1968. ( Columbia's Tourist V model bicycle was exactly like the Schwinn Collegiate 5 speed, except that the Columbia Tourist V employed ordinary-common 590mm 26 x 1 3/8 wheels-tires............the Columbia Tourist V had been in production since at least the 1966 model year, but Columbia switched from European rear derailleur to the superior Japanese made Shimano Lark soon not long after the Lark arrived around 1967) My guess is that Schwinn saw that Columbia's "Collegiate Clone" was employing a much much better rear derailleur(Shimano Lark) so they(Schwinn engineering) sought out Shimano to build Schwinn a Lark with Schwinn engineer input design for cable saver and a massive protective bashguard and nearly bombproof-indestructible materials....thus the GT-100 was born, which was essentially a Lark with the high and low limit screws done completely different, the end result looked like part schwinn approvedAllvit and part Lark. *** In case anyone cares, re: COLLEGIATE clones: COLUMBIA made the TOURIST V from 1966 or so......... MURRAY made the Murray Alpine (I remember this being on the market by at least 1971 -1972).................HUFFY made the HUFFY TOURISTER ( on the market by 1971-1972)........... AMF had one also, I can't recall now what the name of AMF's collegiate clone was. The AMF model had the worst frame of all of them, though the mechanicals were decent and you had shimano rear derailleur.
ROSS made the Eurotour, they may have also used a different name prior to Eurotour. I seem to recall that John Deere and Browning also made models that were clones circa 1972-1974. I probably haven't seen one in person since about 1977, I might be wrong in my recollection but I seem to recall that the Deere and Browning models were on par with the AMF model which was far below the Columbia/Murray/Huffy/Ross clones of pre 1976. The Browning one probably had an OK frame but AMF's frame construction was poorly done.....area nearest the rear dropouts shows that............ All are simple and dependable enough if the frames are poorly assembled-joined-welded on a couple of those collegiateCLONES. Most of the lesser quality ones have long since made their way to the dump-landfill, metal recycler.
Thats pretty much it for the collegiateCLONES (with ONE PIECE Ashtabula cranks..."american style bottom brackets" hanger sets FIVE SPEED derailleur tourist bikes).
RALEIGH made an excellent bike called the SPRITE that was a five speed, that though not near the quality of a Collegiate/Suburban 5 speed or the best years of the Columbia Tourist V and maybe the Murray/Huffy/Ross 5 speeds' best years. The Raleigh SPRITE 5 speed from late sixties on is available in several frame sizes and very understated but classic colors that look great. The 3 piece crank and the Huret Allvit are the only minor let downs on the SPRITE, though the ancient Columbia Tourist V has a smoother, cushier, nicer ride than the very very nice Raleigh Sprite which does ride nice.
...........BACK to SUBURBAN 5 speed vs COLLEGIATE 5 speed DIFFERENCES:
** as has been mentioned, SUBURBAN has the tubular front fork from the Continental, the COLLEGIATE has the forged Ashtabula blade fork, common to Varsity and most all the electroforged variant models.
Okay just so you have the perspective on the GEARING for the 1970 and later COLLEGIATE & SUBURBAN 5 speeds:
*************Did You Know that the 1970 and later COLLEGIATE 5 speed has SUPERIOR HILL CLIMBING ABILITY than does the ten speed VARSITY/CONTINENTAL???
Yes, it sure does.
1970 onward COLLEGIATE has (37 GEAR) first gear while the mid sixties through the seventies era VARSITY/CONTINENTAL/10spSUBURBAN has (38 GEAR)1st.
How is that possible? 1970 onward Collegiate has 46 teeth in front and 32 teeth in rear when in 1st(LOW) gear..............
.................VARSITY-CONTI-10spSUB has 39 teeth in front on small chainwheel and 28 teeth in rear when in 1st (LOW) gear.....
The MATH does not lie.
front sprocket is NUMERATOR
rear sprocket is DENOMINATOR
front DIVIDED by rear = "result"
Take that "result" and MULTIPLY IT BY THE DIAMETER OF THE WHEEL (use 27 for wheel diameter if 630mm-27" & 700C-622mm.....USE 26 if 597mm/590mm/559)
"result" X DIAMETER OF THE WHEEL = GEAR Number
example:
45 teeth on front
15 teeth on rear
bicycle has 27" wheel
45 divided by 15 = "result"
45 divided by 15 = 3
3 X 27 = 81 GEAR
That is the simple math.................simple but highly useful, and very meaningful when comparing similar bicycles.........certainly it is simple math that doesn't account for minor variances in tire tread circumference among different tire brands and tire models within brands, but that is largely meaningless if the bicycles being compared are very similar.
Okay here is how the math computations play out in the calculations as published in Schwinn GEAR Charts back in the day:
1970 and later COLLEGIATE with 46 TEETH in front and model J freewheel with 32-26-21-17-14 with the S5/S6 597mm 26 x 1 3/8 wheel
so to compute 1st(LOW GEAR)....... 46 divided by 32 =1.4375.....................1.4375 X 26 = 37.375 ........37.375 rounded to nearest whole number = 37
so you see how the 37 GEAR Number was calculated for 1st gear of the 1970 and later COLLEGIATE
here is the VARSITY/CONTINENTAL/10 speed SUBURBAN.......39 TEETH in front(on small chainring) and model F freewheel with 28-24-20-16-14 with 27 x 1 1/4 ,630mm
so to compute 1st(LOW GEAR).........39 divided by 28 =1.3928571..................1.3928571 X 27 = 37.607141.........rounded to nearest whole number =38
so you see how the 38 GEAR Number was calculated for 1st gear of the mid sixties thru the seventies era VARSITY/CONTINENTAL/10speedSUBURBAN.
****Now obviously, you can see the calculations are so close, that they are less than half a GEAR NUMBER point apart, though the rounding to 37 and 38 appears as if they are farther apart.
My guess is that SCHWINN engineers knew that bringing on the 32 tooth cog, model J, shimano built freewheel WOULD TRANSFORM THE Collegiate into a great bicycle with all of the useful-practical gearing of the TEN SPEED Varsity/Continental. They knew that nobody else had anything that useful-practical in a 5 speed at that point in time at the end of the sixties. The NEW for 1970 SUBURBAN models would be in 10 speed version, the Varsity tourist REPLACEMENT (Varsity Tourist model's final year was 1969).....you also had a NEW for 1970 3 speed SUBURBAN (essentially a 27"-630mm wheeled three speed)....*****3 speed SUBURBAN was available in 1970 and 1971.......the three speed SUBURBAN did not return in 1972...........................You Also had the NEW for 1970, FIVE SPEED SUBURBAN, which essentially was a 27" 630mm collegiate-copy with more subdued, conservative, less flashy colors, and paint color fenders aimed to capture more adult(25 to 40 year old) riders.
All the Suburbans took the tubular front fork of the CONTINENTAL, but other than that and that the Varsity/Continental/Collegiate got better colors and graphics, the ELECTROFORGED frames are exactly the same. Yes the 5 speed Suburbans & 5 speed Collegiates have a round eye hole on top of crank hanger(bottom bracket portion) part of the frame to bolt the stamped steel Schwinn Chainguard that all single speeds/three speeds/5 speeds would typically have. THE 10 speed's ELECTROFORGED FRAME does not have the round eye hole mount for bolting the front portion of the ordinary stamped steel Schwinn Chainguard.
Now for folks that are entertaining the possibility of using a 10 Speed VARSITY/Continental/10speed Suburban electroforged frame as a single speed, 5 speed, 3 speed, 7 speed....whatever, but do wish to use the full ordinary stamped steel Schwinn Chainguard................all you gotta do is go to HOME DEPOT/LOWES/TRACTOR SUPPLY/ACE HARDWARE etc, and purchase an Eyebolt of the same approx round size as what the size of the Eyehole on non ten speed Schwinns........drill/tap a hole in the hanger set housing(top of bottom bracket housing) and apply J.B. WELD as you screw the Eyebolt in, and be sure to orient the eyehole as needed...wait a day for the JB WELD to set....and you are all set......paint the eyebolt a near match to the frame color.....TESTORS model paint comes in tiny bottles in a huge number of colors for about $2 at Hobby Lobby and other such stores etc.
**** Now your BLUE 1976 SUBURBAN five speed EXAMPLE ABOVE is one of the best LOOKING factory graphics and colors that the SUBURBAN ever received!!
The 1976 SUBURBAN graphics were much improved over what the SUBURBAN received from 1970 - 1973. What happens with the 1970 - 1973 SUBURBANS is that the colors Schwinn employed for the graphics/decals.....they are muted and after a few years, the graphics/decals would ghost out......blending in with the factory paint on many of Schwinn's best Suburban colors of those eras. The CAMPUS GREEN Suburbans have beautiful paint but the graphics/decals though physically undamaged would seem to ghost out, as they were never really bold to begin with. This is also true for the BROWN Suburbans.
1974 in particular brought out some UGLY color offerings for the SUBURBAN, in particular, that opaque sky blue. The SUBURBAN deserved better.
1974 was the only year that the SUBURBAN five speed ditched the Schwinn SINGLE STIK and received the shimano Thumb Shifter.
My guess is that Schwinn did this to further distinguish the Suburban from the Collegiate, and maybe appear more upscale, but it was not well received, and in practical terms, the Schwinn Single STIK on the stem worked a helluva lot better than the Thumb Shifter, so for 1975 model the SCHWINN Single STIK stem shifter returned to the five speed SUBURBAN.
.....Anyway your 1976 BLUE SUBURBAN is among the best looking of all the SUBURBANS offered.
It isn't that Schwinn didn't offer some very nice colors early on, because they did but the coordinated graphics/decal colors, and decal designs, looked mostly like dew dew compared to those colors and decal colors seen on COLLEGIATES/BREEZE/SPEEDSTER during the early seventies, or the VARSITY and non electroforged SUPER SPORT, SPORTS TOURER etc...
Did you ever notice how ugly (or understated..depending on your viewpoint) that the SUBURBAN's Chainguard decal and front fork decals are? Dullsville.
Yeah, these are minor points but compared to other Schwinns of 1970 - 1975, it took Schwinn a really long time to give the SUBURBAN coordinated decal colors and graphics that looked almost as nice as their other bicycles did.
Several pals of ours that have added a Suburban to their collection, followed my wife's example. Years ago, she ordered a reproduction Seventies era SPEEDSTER chainguard decal and installed that on to her custom painted regal PURPLE Suburban, a color Prince seemed to like on most everything. She liked the way the block SPEEDSTER chainguard decal looked. The fenders are purple also but instead of pinstripes, she has a center gold painted single fat stripe down the middle.....think how the NY Giants helmet stripe is, or Penn State or Alabama's helmet stripe is. So her bike has the classic mid sixties thru mid seventies Schwinn frame decals, similar to the Collegiate & Varsity etc, except she took a repro early seventies Schwinn SUPER SPORT decal set for the frame with the seventies era SPEEDSTER chainguard decal on her purple painted Suburban. It looks neat, as her '72 Suburban has that factory headbadge that isn't white and black.
NOW HERE IS WHY THAT YOU WANT TO CONCENTRATE ON FINDING 1970 and LATER SCHWINN COLLEGIATES instead of 1964-1969 models:
........As I mentioned before the '64 thru '69 has 28-24-20-16-14 at REAR and 46TEETH in FRONT
................The 1970 onward has 32-26-21-17-14 at REAR and 46TEETH in FRONT
...........you already know that the 1970 and later COLLEGIATE produces a very useful 37 GEAR number for 1st gear low gear Hill Climbing
Here is the math on how the 1964 thru 1969 COLLEGIATE calculates out for 1st gear low gear Hill Climbing:
46 divided by 28 =1.6428571 .......... 1.6428571 X 26 = 42.714284 it gets rounded to 43 GEAR
..................AS YOU CAN SEE 37 GEAR is a helluva lot better than 43 GEAR when it comes to a useable low gear on a 5 speed bicycle that will help to climb hills.
..................Lastly, Here is the SUBURBAN Five Speed's calculation for its 1st gear:
as stated earlier, the Suburban five speed has the exact same freewheel and 46T front as the 1970 and later Collegiate.. Collegiate benefits from smaller 26(597mm)wheel
Suburban five speed has 32-26-21-17-14 at rear and 46 T at front
46 divided by 32 =1.4375 .......... 1.4375 X 27 = 38.8125 it gets rounded to 39 GEAR
So you see that the SUBURBAN five speed is a helluva lot better than the 1964-1969 COLLEGIATE as far as having a rideable, practical useable 1st gear for climbing hills
THE SUBURBAN 5 speed's 1st gear is very close to that of the TEN SPEED Varsity/Continental/10speedSuburban .....39 GEAR versus 38 GEAR of the 10 speeds
The 1970 and later COLLEGIATE is slightly better than the TEN SPEEDS with 37 GEAR versus 38 GEAR of the 10 speeds, and versus 39 GEAR of Suburban 5 speed.
*****the reason the '70 on Collegiate bests is because the smaller 26 inch (597mm) wheel gives it effectively better overall gearing as far as low gear is concerned, although it has the exact same freewheel as the SUBURBAN five speed. Do the calculation for the top-end and you'll see that the SUBURBAN five speed will best the Collegiate on top end.................89 GEAR for Suburban five speed versus 85 GEAR for Collegiate five speeds.
Summary:
SUBURBAN five speed has overall gear range from 39 GEAR to 89 GEAR
1970 onward Collegiate five speed has range from 37 GEAR to 85 GEAR
1964-1969 Collegiate five speed has range from 43 GEAR to 85 GEAR
Varsity/Conti/Sub ten speed have range from 38 GEAR to 100 GEAR (this applies to all mid sixties thru the seventies VARSITY/CONTINENTALS)
1971 PARAMOUNT has an overall range from 55 GEAR to 100 GEAR ('71 Paramount has freewheel of 24-21-18-16-14 at rear and 52/49 at front)
1971 SPORTS TOURER has overall range from 28 GEAR to 104 GEAR ('71 Sports Tourer has freewheel of 34-28-22-17-14 at rear and 54/36 at front)
1971 SUPER SPORT has overall range from 33 GEAR to 100 GEAR ('71 Super Sport has freewheel of 32-26-21-17-14 at rear and 52/39 at front)
******That should give you some perspective............you should know that after 1971 the SPORTS TOURER reduced its overall range as the smaller front of 36 was dropped, and a larger smaller front was installed for 1972 on the SPORTS TOURER.)
+++++++++++++ Suburbans are great bicycles. It is great that so many people are taking notice today of just how good these old Schwinns are if your aim is for leisurely, relaxed (slow by road biker standards) riding. You cannot beat the comfort of an old COLLEGIATE, converted to upright tourist ridin' CONTI/VARSITY, or a SUBURBAN. They are the same electroforged frames. THE S5/S6 597mm 26 inch 26 x 1 3/8 wheeled COLLEGIATE rides even better than the 27" (630mm) SUBURBANS/CONTINENTALS & VARSITIES, ****IF THE Kenda 597mm tire is MOUNTED EVENLY and the wheels are relatively round !!! ****
Now you land of the giants folks should know that the 24 inch FRAME size was the largest offered in the SUBURBANS & COLLEGIATES but there were plenty of huge VARSITY & CONTINENTAL FRAMES made between about 1973 and 1977, so in addition to the 24 INCH FRAME, you have some 25 INCH, and 26 INCH FRAMES that aren't too hard to find because folks under 6 foot 3 find it difficult at best to ride a 25 INCH Schwinn FRAME and almost impossible to ride a 26 INCH Schwinn FRAME.
There are a tremendous number of frame sizes both step through and diamond frame that will fit MEN that are 5' 10 to 6'1........................the (19) womens and the (21) womens, as well as the (20) mens, (22) mens, and (24) mens.
All of the above are way bigger than the largest frames that are offered in your TARGET/WALLYWORLD/DICKS SPORTING GOODS...box store bikes!!
There are also the smaller (17) womens and (18) mens that are probably larger than most of the mens and womens offerings at the big box stores today.
These ancient SCHWINNS will have a much longer wheelbase (probably +1.25") than those current offerings too.
Yep, they are heavy, but the ride is smooth...........you'll get a workout if you've gotta carry the old Schwinn up five flights of stairs, but I'm certain yall's fitness level is sufficient to roll them into your house up maybe eight stairs or so, and to lift it when loading your truck or car.
..................Stay Thin, Ride A Schwinn...................you'll get a better workout within fewer miles, and you'll enjoy the ride.......Don't be tempted to ride NO HANDED because it isn't 1972 when emergency room visits didn't cost anything and your Blue Cross policy covered everything.............also to old farts that lived life in '72, remember that old bones don't heal so well, and remember you don't have to impress the pretty girl in the halter top and cut-off blue jeans.....you married her in '76 and she'd rather not see you break your hip, ribs or clavicle..........the old I've fallen and can't get up was comical until you have come of age that it becomes a realistic possibility if you were to do something really stupid like try to ride NO HANDED. Too many old boomers, getting on and riding such an ancient Schwinn for the first time since the Seventies, all seem to say: "uh ya know that I could ride these things no handed..". Ya don't wanna be the person that says that and then goes uh, oh no boom splat, owww oww..... Just don't do it, no matter how tempted that you might be to show off, to ride the Schwinn no handed like you did when Nixon was President.