Hello everyone,

This one popped up on CL when I ran a search for Schwinn. It's not local to me, but it's priced at the "mechanic's special" level. Looks like some TLC would bring it back to life, and leave the paint as/is to attract less notice from thieves. I've looked through the catalogs from the mid-70s and am not finding a definite match. This one appears to have shifters mounted on the handlebar tube and no provision for downtube shifters. But the color doesn't match up with the lower end bikes, either. Maybe Silver Mist, but not sure.




There were other photos, but these seemed to be the most useful.

Thank you,
-William

LeTour model, made in Japan.

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frame size is 23" nominal - 23" measured c-t-t


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I'm starting to think it's a 1980 or later. Le Tour first shows up as a model in 1974. Changes came starting in '76, but any of them that had stem-mounted shifters didn't come in silver.
In 1980, the Le Tour came in Frosty Silver with 10-speeds, torch brazed lug 1020 steel, and stem mounted shifters. The catalog that year says it's "Schwinn-built," which makes me think it's a Chicago model rather than one of the Japanese-built frames.

The serial number on the dropout is SE045549, if that makes a difference.

This might be worth the drive tomorrow if it's still available.

I think 1980 is correct for the 1020 steel, silver paint and stem shifters. In 1983, the frame changed to 4130.

A mechanics special is sometimes no bargain. A lot depends on the initial cost, how much expertise you have, and how much in parts are needed. This bike has more than a little rust and it's on the low end. Unless its really cheap, I'd pass and even if its cheap, I'd still likely pass.

Ok, the serial number looks like it's stamped on the right side dropout, so it *might* be a Japanese-built Schwinn Le Tour from May 1980, which would make some sense. Not sure which manufacturer built it. Just odd that the catalog lists it as a Schwinn-built rather than Schwinn-approved. Not only that, but the catalog say it's an American-built, brazed-lug frame!

So which is it??

Someone tried to ding me for discussing money on here yesterday. My response was that I wasn't asking for an appraisal, just putting things into a framework that most of us could understand.

If it were local, I might be more inclined to get it, but it's at least an hour away. I'd rather go hiking tomorrow morning... As far as expertise goes, I can do some basic maintenance like cleaning and degreasing bearings and recabling the shifters and brakes.

They're asking $60.

If I get any bikes this weekend, might stick to the original plan to grab the early Le Tour if it's still available.

Thank you,
-William

The format and location of the serial number is not Japanese. This is a Schwinn built frame from 1980. Most of these where Le Tour of some sort.

https://thirtythree.org/projects-unco...n%20Frames.pdf

Schwinn Bulletin 23 describes serial number locations and formats for this time period.

Isn't this around the time they briefly made the Le Tour in USA?

Is there a 4-digit number stamped on the head badge? It's small, and usually vertical, you may need a magnifier or loupe to find it.

1981 LeTour and my advice is, don't do it. They're common as dirt and not worth much more than $60 in ride ready condition. This one is a long way from ride ready.

https://bikehistory.org/catalogs/1981.html#letour

Thanks for your reply. That bike's about a two-hour drive from me, so it's not practical for several reasons. Had it been local, it might have been a "maybe," but odds are I would have looked at it and decided it was too much to take on. I'm gonna try and hold out for a fillet-brazed Schwinn if I can find one near me.

If you have your heart set on a Schwinn and it doesn't have to be a "Chicago" made bike I highly recommend the mid-80's Preludes, Tempos, Super Sports, LeTours, etc. Especially any of them with Tange Champion No. 2 or Tenax tubing.

My initial purchase price on this '86 Prelude was $30, it was a little small so I added a Technomic stem amd longer seat post. It had Tenax tubing, I believe it was made in their short lived Greenville, MS plant. Oh, was that a sweet riding bike! I probably shouldn't have sold it but it went to a good home.



I bought this '87 Super Sport last Fall for $75. lots of rust in the nooks and crannies but it has full Shimano 600 Tri-Color components. The were going on a taller '86 Super Sport frame I bought off another BF member 2 or 3 years ago but now I'm not so sure. I may rebuild this one and repaint it with a retro Scwhinn paint scheme and graphics. As I get older I'm finding it easier to get comfy on a smaller frame.



Point is with the mid-80's Schwinns you can get a LOT of bike for little money if you're willing to buy one of the higher end Greenville or Japanese bikes.

I would prefer to get a Chicago or Greenville-built bike, just because to me, that era was when Schwinn was still mostly Schwinn.

The mid-80's bikes seem a little thin on the ground here, just like how I haven't yet had any success finding a fillet-brazed model. Here are a couple that are about two hours to the south of me:

The asking price and saying "my loss, your gain" makes me wonder how much he paid for it:
https://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/b...317200041.html

Looks like an '88 model in a 21" frame, but I can't quite tell. I might have a better experience with a 23". Also, this doesn't look like a fixie to me. Maybe something's wrong with the shifters and RD?
https://atlanta.craigslist.org/eat/b...329563985.html

Maybe from the same seller:
https://atlanta.craigslist.org/eat/b...328730398.html

This sort of thing seems to be happening far more than it should:
https://huntsville.craigslist.org/bi...316030968.html

Thank you,
-William

That would also match the center pull brakes which Schwinn stopped using in 81 so a 80/81 bike doesn't matter as said not a great bike. Also pretty common bike they can they can be found easily on CL in most cities for fairly low prices.