Schwinn Experts...

I just got a Schwinn Superior...with a serial number of GJ 80898 which puts the bike from July of 1973...but Schwinn did not make Superiors in 1973...at least they are not in the catalogs.

Serial number was on the head tube.

Help!

I believe Superior frames were "left over" Super Sport/Sport Tourer frames from a few years earlier that weren't used by Schwinn. I have a '73 Super Sport with a serial number that begins with CJ...

Those more steeped in Schwinn knowledge will be able to provide more info...😃

Schwinn often kept either full fillet-brazed frames or stamped headtubes around for years before building them into bikes. Since a Superior with a GJ (July '73) frame would have been actually painted and built up in '76 or later it should have a 4-digit stamp on the headbadge (assuming the badge is original) which will date the assembly of the bike to the ordinal day and year. I have documented Superiors with over 6 years difference between the frame and bike build dates. Post some pics of the bike and a close-up of the 4-digit number on the headbadge.

I do not see a number on the head badge...checked it before I posted...

Look close, they are small and often very hard to read, especially if the badge is dirty. If the badge is not original (or for some strange reason not stamped) we can still tell the vintage from the other components. Most of the original parts would be date coded on these including the deraillers, shifters, hubs, rims, crank arms, freewheel, brake calipers, saddle, stem, handlebar, and more.

Wow...this one was almost impossible to see...and I have really good lighting in my shop...so...the number on the head badge is 6458...so that is a 1976, correct?

Please post a close-up pic of the number, as so far the first digit doesn't make sense. It could be either a 0, 1, 2, or 3 and of those I'll guess it is either 0458 (Tues. Feb. 14, 1978) or 3458 (Mon. Dec. 11, 1978). Either way that makes it a '78 model. For reference here is a pic of a '76 Superior badge stamped 2106, which means the bike was built on Wed. July 28, 1976:

Boy did I misread it...0426...

Ok, now I know...thanks everyone...

0426 = Wed. Feb. 11, 1976, making it a very early '76 model as the first day of production that year was Jan. 19th.

Please post a pic of the Nervar crank arms on the bike, I'm trying to determine when those changed from the 1st to the 2nd style. So far all I know is that it was very early in '76.

These are the 1st style arms (also used on the '71-'75 Sports Tourer):



These are the 2nd style arms:



If anybody reading this has a '76 Superior with the 1st style Nervar crank arms, please let me know the frame and badge numbers. Thanks!

Per your request...

[MENTION=226065]Metacortex[/MENTION]

Posted the picture you wanted...thought about it afterwards, should have notified you...

Thanks! This means that the 1st style arms must have been used up before your bike was built.