Fillet brazed Schwinn praise
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Fillet brazed Schwinn praise
I’ve long had an affliction for these chrome molybdenum dreams. i searches to no avail for a thread dedicated to them, if you’ve got em, let’s see em! Super Sport , Sports tourer, Superior
i recently updated/resto-modded/hot rodded this 1970 for the Mrs.
It came to us completely original, and rode fine, but I had the idea to modernize the drivetrain among other thing.
Ditching the original 1piece crank and steel chainring set shaved 1.5lbs or so with another 1lb shaved in the wheels.
Changes included
700c wheel swap with 38mm Paselas
SR apex cranks
Hyperglide cassette/chain (what an upgrade!!)
Schwinn Approved sidepulls




Huret dropout conversion done by stealing a hanger stop from a Shimano M700 rear derailer. This moved the stop into a suitable position for a modern Shimano unit.
i recently updated/resto-modded/hot rodded this 1970 for the Mrs.
It came to us completely original, and rode fine, but I had the idea to modernize the drivetrain among other thing.
Ditching the original 1piece crank and steel chainring set shaved 1.5lbs or so with another 1lb shaved in the wheels.
Changes included
700c wheel swap with 38mm Paselas
SR apex cranks
Hyperglide cassette/chain (what an upgrade!!)
Schwinn Approved sidepulls




Huret dropout conversion done by stealing a hanger stop from a Shimano M700 rear derailer. This moved the stop into a suitable position for a modern Shimano unit.

Last edited by 4funbikes; 12-19-20 at 05:41 PM. Reason: type-o!
#2
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Might that be a '69, rather than a '79?
My '64 has the Huret hanger and chrome forks, and lacks the built in kickstand,
My '72 has stamped dropouts, painted forks, and brazed in kickstand.
My '64 has the Huret hanger and chrome forks, and lacks the built in kickstand,
My '72 has stamped dropouts, painted forks, and brazed in kickstand.
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That's a very sweet-looking ladies Super Sport...I love the yellow!
Searching for specific fillet-brazed Schwinns, like the Super Sport, Superior, and Sports Tourer, will produce a variety of results. For instance...
Here is a thread I started years ago, after I modified two Super Sports...one for me and one for my son-in-law.
This thread is a long one, including discussion of the BB conversion, and is found here.
Several great Super Sport pics are found in this thread.
Searching for specific fillet-brazed Schwinns, like the Super Sport, Superior, and Sports Tourer, will produce a variety of results. For instance...
Here is a thread I started years ago, after I modified two Super Sports...one for me and one for my son-in-law.
This thread is a long one, including discussion of the BB conversion, and is found here.
Several great Super Sport pics are found in this thread.
#4
Death fork? Naaaah!!


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You know it's going to be a good day when the stem and seatpost come right out.
(looking for a picture and not seeing it? Thank the Photobucket fiasco.PM me and I'll link it up.)
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#6
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No pics but... My son has my old mid 70's Super Sport at his current base on the east coast. It's been in the family since my older brother bought it new from Matthews Bicycle Mart in Indianapolis. Gottlieb was the salesman. My brother gave it to me in the 80's. It was my commuter and trailer pulling bike when the kids were small. I gave it to my son at his first base in Texas. He took it to S Korea and Turkey, then back to the US. In S Korea he had the headset worked on and they hacked together something with wrong parts and spacers. I fixed that a couple years ago. He's headed to Germany next year, and i don't think the bike is going with him, since he has a new road bike. I can't see paying bike shipping to the west coast, so it will be the end on a 40+ year era.
Edit: found a partial pic. Painted orange in the 80's, which i now regret. Frameset, stem, bars, and brakes are all that's original. Maybe RD is original. FD is gone.
Edit: found a partial pic. Painted orange in the 80's, which i now regret. Frameset, stem, bars, and brakes are all that's original. Maybe RD is original. FD is gone.

Last edited by downtube42; 12-19-20 at 06:16 PM.
#7
Mr. Anachronism
Certainly the old workhorse is worth fifty bucks to ya? It's not so hard to pack em up, either. Pool noodles are your friend.

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Last edited by Hudson308; 12-19-20 at 10:23 PM. Reason: added links
#8
Insane Bicycle Mechanic
Count me as a fillet-brazed Schwinn enthusiast too. (Hmmm... strange syntax but what the heck.) I had a Flamboyant Red Superior back in the early '80's which I enjoyed a whole bunch. I was working at the local Schwinn shop so I spent a lot of time tinkering on it. I eventually sold it when I bought a first-year Cannondale touring bike.
Fast forward 30 years and I have a stable life, stable marriage, and a stable of bikes in the garage. I start thinking about the old Superior and I find a green one online. I got infected with project-itis, bought it, and reworked it as a restomod:
Green Schwinn Superior
All the photos are on Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ohpv/a...57642470085394
While I was in the process of building that bike, a local Craigslist ad lead me to a Super Sport. It was missing a wheel so I got it cheap. Then I had fun with it, turning it into a 3-speed town bike:
Schwinn Super Sport resto-mod 3-speed
Photos on Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ohpv/a...57670249022375
Fast forward 30 years and I have a stable life, stable marriage, and a stable of bikes in the garage. I start thinking about the old Superior and I find a green one online. I got infected with project-itis, bought it, and reworked it as a restomod:
Green Schwinn Superior
All the photos are on Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ohpv/a...57642470085394
While I was in the process of building that bike, a local Craigslist ad lead me to a Super Sport. It was missing a wheel so I got it cheap. Then I had fun with it, turning it into a 3-speed town bike:
Schwinn Super Sport resto-mod 3-speed
Photos on Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ohpv/a...57670249022375
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#9
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I’ve got a 71 Sports Tourer, originally opaque green, that I kind of hot rodded. Since this pic was taken, went to swept bars and fenders.
Tim

1971 Schwinn Sports Tourer
Tim

1971 Schwinn Sports Tourer
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My 78 Superior that I bought new in 79, and still have it.



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I love that color with the white decals... for whatever reason, it reminds me of my neighbor's old 68 GTO.
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I know it really doesn't count, but it sorta does... My 1987 Schwinn High Sierra with the fillet brazed head tube (rest of the joins are TIG welded)
High Sierra Fillet Brazed by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr
1987 Schwinn High Sierra by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr


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Commence to jigglin’ huh?!?!
"But hey, always love to hear from opinionated amateurs." -says some guy to Mr. Marshall.
Commence to jigglin’ huh?!?!
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I know it really doesn't count, but it sorta does... My 1987 Schwinn High Sierra with the fillet brazed head tube (rest of the joins are TIG welded)
High Sierra Fillet Brazed by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr
1987 Schwinn High Sierra by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr


Thanks! Picked the color out of their PPG catalog, but Yellow Jersey in Arlington WI did the paint job, and sourced an original set of decals. Yeah it counts, nice bike!
Last edited by tkamd73; 12-20-20 at 12:16 PM.
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#21
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Count me as a fillet-brazed fan, as well. You may be surprised at how reasonably you can ship a bike through Bikeflights or Shipbikes.
Certainly the old workhorse is worth fifty bucks to ya? It's not so hard to pack em up, either. Pool noodles are your friend.
Certainly the old workhorse is worth fifty bucks to ya? It's not so hard to pack em up, either. Pool noodles are your friend.

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#23
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PCed and modified with an 8 Speed Shimano IGH

Modified with lots of Campagnolo and custom paint by Dr. Deltron
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4funbikes' beautiful yellow Schwinn (see 12-19-20 post)...... So 4funbikes saved 1.5 pounds by swapping out the one piece crank assembly.....well that early Seventies factory seat from the Suburban model probably weighs more than four pounds...........weight saving can be more efficiently maximized by swapping the seat......even some seat off the shelf today at Target or Walmart for $21 would probably weigh about 2 to 2.75 pounds less than that mattress saddle from the Suburbans.
Saving weight is highly overrated. That super heavy mattress springer saddle common to all the 1970 -1977 SUBURBANS is very comfortable for upright tourist style riding such that you can go and ride all day in comfort. There is certainly something practical in the steel spings and steel seat pan and the covering.....it all just works as intended...... You'll have a difficult time finding a lightweight saddle that is just half as comfortable as that black mattress seat from the Schwinn SUBURBANS. They are very comfortable. The Black rubberlike vinyl Schwinn approved spring saddle of the seventies era COLLEGIATE is the only seat that is more comfortable. Both the seventies era SUBURBAN mattress seat and the COLLEGIATE's black rubberlike spring saddle both weigh a ton but they are extremely comfortable. Saving three pounds but gaining a pain in the ass is just does not make sense on an upright tourist style bicycle. Leave the weight saving measures for the bikes that you'll compete on. One thing to never discount is that some of those "heavy" items that Schwinn chose were practical from a durability and reliabilty standpoint. I doubt that you'll ever break any ASHTABULA one piece crank. They are also super-simple to service and re-grease and/or change the #64 caged crank bearings. One only needs a large Crescent wrench, a flathead screwdriver, and what else, oh the 15mm wrench to remove the Left Pedal. Sure todays' cartridge BB are sealed and nearly flawless (much better than anything from the seventies or eighties) and such conversion parts today are relatively inexpensive but still you're not gonna break the one piece crank............you're much more likely that if something occurs on a 3 piece unit, it is gonna be with the crank arms loosening, or something fracturing from long term use...............still todays' 3 piece conversion stuff is also nearly bulletproof, unlike the 3 piece technology of forty years ago....................still there is something to be said for the ashtabula one piece set up that any 11 year old kid or any idiot adult who is mechanically challenged can learn to master on their first attempt within twenty minutes............it really is that simple....large Crescent wrench and flathead screwdriver........................Yep, the one piece-Ashtabula does not look cool or upscale and it weighs nearly two pounds more but it is a super simple mechanical marvel that is as bulletproof as the most expensive high tech solution that you can find. The lower level ELECTROFORGED Schwinn "lightweights" are also almost indestructible from a frame construction point of view..............yes they are weighty but you aren't ever gonna experience frame cracks unless you do your best Evil Knievel jumping or you get hit by a car........... Don't forget that oh yes, the old electroforged Schwinn frames in all their gaspipe glory are also marvellous comfortable riding frames that with their somewhat slack geometry allowed for early seventies teenagers to ride long distances, unicycle style, without any hands. The lowly electroforged Varsity/Continental/Suburban/Collegiate, and variants are all superb bicycles for anyone wanting an Upright Tourist Style Bike. It is extremely simple to convert an existing VARSITY or CONTINENTAL from the drop bars/racing saddle -to- the upright tourist style with the 7881 bars and tourist brake levers of the SUBURBAN/Collegiate. The Fillet brazed Schwinn bikes such as the SUPER SPORT are certainly not more comfortable than the electroforged Vars/Conti/Suburb/Collegiate. Yes, they are a bit more responsive to maneuvers than are the electroforged Schwinns. That can make them more twitchy (their handling) in certain conditions. The Varsity/Suburban/Continental/Collegiate are much more neutral and stable for folks without significant riding experience. The Super Sport and the Sports Tourer are great bicycles but for a general purpose upright tourist style cruiser, one just cannot beat the largely unloved electroforged "lightweight" Schwinns. The geometry of the electroforged frame is more suited to upright tourist cruising than the geometry of the fillet brazed models.
Hey if you're ashamed to ever be seen on a Varsity, do remember that one can buy exact reproduction licensed waterslide decals for the SUPER SPORT for approx $20 and you can disguise your electroforged Varsity/Conti/Suburban..........................remember that you can also do the hip three piece conversion on the Varsity etc. just like what was done with the yellow Super Sport seen above in the 12-19-20 post above.
Stay thin, ride a Schwinn!
Saving weight is highly overrated. That super heavy mattress springer saddle common to all the 1970 -1977 SUBURBANS is very comfortable for upright tourist style riding such that you can go and ride all day in comfort. There is certainly something practical in the steel spings and steel seat pan and the covering.....it all just works as intended...... You'll have a difficult time finding a lightweight saddle that is just half as comfortable as that black mattress seat from the Schwinn SUBURBANS. They are very comfortable. The Black rubberlike vinyl Schwinn approved spring saddle of the seventies era COLLEGIATE is the only seat that is more comfortable. Both the seventies era SUBURBAN mattress seat and the COLLEGIATE's black rubberlike spring saddle both weigh a ton but they are extremely comfortable. Saving three pounds but gaining a pain in the ass is just does not make sense on an upright tourist style bicycle. Leave the weight saving measures for the bikes that you'll compete on. One thing to never discount is that some of those "heavy" items that Schwinn chose were practical from a durability and reliabilty standpoint. I doubt that you'll ever break any ASHTABULA one piece crank. They are also super-simple to service and re-grease and/or change the #64 caged crank bearings. One only needs a large Crescent wrench, a flathead screwdriver, and what else, oh the 15mm wrench to remove the Left Pedal. Sure todays' cartridge BB are sealed and nearly flawless (much better than anything from the seventies or eighties) and such conversion parts today are relatively inexpensive but still you're not gonna break the one piece crank............you're much more likely that if something occurs on a 3 piece unit, it is gonna be with the crank arms loosening, or something fracturing from long term use...............still todays' 3 piece conversion stuff is also nearly bulletproof, unlike the 3 piece technology of forty years ago....................still there is something to be said for the ashtabula one piece set up that any 11 year old kid or any idiot adult who is mechanically challenged can learn to master on their first attempt within twenty minutes............it really is that simple....large Crescent wrench and flathead screwdriver........................Yep, the one piece-Ashtabula does not look cool or upscale and it weighs nearly two pounds more but it is a super simple mechanical marvel that is as bulletproof as the most expensive high tech solution that you can find. The lower level ELECTROFORGED Schwinn "lightweights" are also almost indestructible from a frame construction point of view..............yes they are weighty but you aren't ever gonna experience frame cracks unless you do your best Evil Knievel jumping or you get hit by a car........... Don't forget that oh yes, the old electroforged Schwinn frames in all their gaspipe glory are also marvellous comfortable riding frames that with their somewhat slack geometry allowed for early seventies teenagers to ride long distances, unicycle style, without any hands. The lowly electroforged Varsity/Continental/Suburban/Collegiate, and variants are all superb bicycles for anyone wanting an Upright Tourist Style Bike. It is extremely simple to convert an existing VARSITY or CONTINENTAL from the drop bars/racing saddle -to- the upright tourist style with the 7881 bars and tourist brake levers of the SUBURBAN/Collegiate. The Fillet brazed Schwinn bikes such as the SUPER SPORT are certainly not more comfortable than the electroforged Vars/Conti/Suburb/Collegiate. Yes, they are a bit more responsive to maneuvers than are the electroforged Schwinns. That can make them more twitchy (their handling) in certain conditions. The Varsity/Suburban/Continental/Collegiate are much more neutral and stable for folks without significant riding experience. The Super Sport and the Sports Tourer are great bicycles but for a general purpose upright tourist style cruiser, one just cannot beat the largely unloved electroforged "lightweight" Schwinns. The geometry of the electroforged frame is more suited to upright tourist cruising than the geometry of the fillet brazed models.
Hey if you're ashamed to ever be seen on a Varsity, do remember that one can buy exact reproduction licensed waterslide decals for the SUPER SPORT for approx $20 and you can disguise your electroforged Varsity/Conti/Suburban..........................remember that you can also do the hip three piece conversion on the Varsity etc. just like what was done with the yellow Super Sport seen above in the 12-19-20 post above.
Stay thin, ride a Schwinn!