bikemike73 

Time to thin the heard

1973 WV
All original .
​23 inch frame
Brooks saddle
KOOL ORANGE color !!!!
Beautiful Chrome !!!
Purchased from original owner

This was a one year only bike, although there are a few 1972 around.
Made in Japan for Schwinn.
Smooth and Stable ride.
$600.00
Pick up preferred
Shipping at buyers expense

bikemike73 

Bump

sbarner

I was wrenching at a Schwinn shop when this bike was new. At the time, I consciously refused to admit what was obvious--that the Voyager was a better bike than the Paramount, and not just in value.

polymorphself 

We're gonna need you to elaborate (I'd otherwise feel like I'm derailing the thread but this anecdote works in favor of the OP, and I love these orange world voyageurs so im curious.)

sbarner

The Voyager featured excellent workmanship, in some respects crisper and cleaner than the Paramounts. It was built with double-butted chrome-moly, and it was hard to argue that 531 was better, especially for touring. While the Campy components would generally provide long-lasting service and were very well made, the Dura Ace stuff that Shimano was coming out with was its equal in finish and bearing quality and the derailleurs shifted better. Over time we would realize that DA cranks would rarely break, unlike Campy, and the 39 inner ring was only three teeth larger than the inside ring of a Campy triple. The Voyager went up against the P10 touring model which came with the Nuovo Record rear derailleur, while the WV had the same Shimano Crane (albeit rebranded) as the P15, the derailleur that would later be rebadged as Dura Ace. While the Titlist front derailleur seemed designed in the Brutalist style, it did require a whole lot less trimming than the Campy Record. I'll give Campy the edge on the hubs which were not Dura Ace on the WV, but were beefy, had decent bearings, and were well suited for touring. The pedals were definitely a solid step down on the Voyager, but it came with barcon shifters, which were very popular with tourists. The Voyager was only available in a couple of sizes, but it was clearly a sign that, if you were looking primarily at suitability for the task, that task being touring in this case, the Japanese could compete. It was a heckuva bike and only about 3/4 the price of the model it was challenging. National was sending the message to Schwinn that "We could make your top bicycle for you," and they made their point well.

polymorphself 

Thanks for that! This one is my size and I’ve been eyeing them for years. Today is not the day but I hope it finds a good home.

bikemike73 

Thanks for al; the kind comments. I have to somewhat agree with sbarner. I have an all original 1973 Paramount LEMON YELLOW !!!!!

It's a great bike and on my wall as " Art". I rode it for about 10 minutes. Nice ride.....BUT the WV is a BETTER riding bike....at least for me.

Still....the Paramount is one of the most iconic bikes ever made

bikemig 

I'm glad this bike is not local to me. Is this 23 center to center or center to top?

polymorphself 

Local or not, when you start asking questions...

bikemig 

I asked the question simply to help someone else buy the bike . . .

bikemike73 

23 inch size

Thank you for asking


Road Trip **********

polymorphself 

Oh apologies it was a joke like “you think it not being local to you will stop ya but when you start asking questions it’s easy for us to get sucked in further and next thing we know, BAM we bought it.”

The humorous insinuation was lost to internet tone Im thinkin.

At least we’re keeping OPs post at the top

bikemig 

Is that center to center or center to top? It would matter to me if I did something crazy like buy this and it might matter to someone else . . .

Absolutely. It's a gorgeous bike. This thread needs to stay on top until someone else buys it. My response was meant to be humorous as well. But yeah tone is completely lost on the internet unless you use an emoji and even then it doesn't always translate well.

bikemike73 

JUST measured

23 C- T

Someone's going to get a VERY RARE bike

In VERY rare condition

Thanks for you interest and question bikemig

I also have it listed on the bay...of course for more money
Would rather have it go to a REAL bike enthusiast