IdahoBrett

So doing my daily craigslist bike viewing I came across a 1972 Schwinn Varsity. I’m out of space for yet another bike and I have a waiting list for projects.

But the green Varsity brought back memories from before I had a drivers license. A cousin and I would spend time at our Grandparents together back in the early 1980’s. An Aunt bought a couple of bikes at a yard sale for us to ride when we were there. One was a green Varsity. My cousin and I pedaled many a mile. The bikes brought us to many places along the Lake Superior shoreline. We explored hidden coves and water worn bluffs. Book stores and movie theaters were another set of destinations. Memories of topless girls in the hidden coves and popular science fiction books of the day come to mind with the green Varsity.

The bike turned out to be big enough for me and isn’t in terrible shape. The tires hold air and even though the chain and cogs are bone dry it shifts. A basic service, brake pads and cable replacement is all that I plan on doing to the Varsity. It’s heavier than I remember. After doing some reading before I “just looked” at the bike I noticed it has a GT 100 RD.

It was the nostalgia that made me buy it. There are better models of Schwinn that I could get. But this one has the age of my yoot attached to it. Enjoy and flame away…

repechage

“Boy, I like my Schwinn Bike, Schwinn is the finest bike!”

as heard watching Captain Kangaroo in 1964.

pushing Typhoon’s and that new sensation, the Sting-Ray.

zookster 

Nice find. I really like my '75 Continental in all it's electro-forged glory! Yes, it is heavy compared to modern bikes, but a Schwinn is what we wanted as kids but couldn't afford.

IdahoBrett

So true. And the kids that had them were perceived of as rich kids. If they were brand new ones. Used ones weren’t that common from my fuzzy recollection. I wasn’t an envious type kid. I was grateful for the Coast King branded Huffy 12 speed that I had. Having the one to use that was parked in Grandpa’s garage was a treat.

Browsing ebay for derailleur cables it seems inner cables are somewhat plentiful. But expensive. I’ve read the Bell 600 Pitcrew set is an economical option. If it’s functional, I’m ok with that.

sd5782 

For your shifter inner cables, Jagwire sells one with the flat disk type Huret end for a reasonable price. Actually it is double ended with the usual Shimano end that you cut off. These work fine on the Schwinn Twin Stick shifters. Pleasant memories of youth are priceless with your Varsity. It actually looks to be in pretty good condition and should clean up nicely.

IdahoBrett

Would’ve Mr. Green Jeans approved of Campus Green?

Chuck M 

Nostalgia has made me pay more for a couple of bikes than the bike snobs that would flame a post like this would think sane. And I don't regret those purchases.

Western Auto and OTASCO were the only sources for new bicycles in my little town and my parents could afford few new bicycles for me. But seeing them advertised while watching the Captain made me think they must be the greatest bikes in the world and I did have one neighbor kid with a Stingray. I never thought I'd have a Schwinn, but I have a step through Suburban that I need to find the time to finish one of these days.

repechage

for myself, the sky blue metallic or the coppertone gold were the best Sting-Ray colors.
‘I had a coppertone example, stolen.
‘by the time I had saved enough to buy a replacement, the campus green was the better color.
‘they appeared to have two colors per model year and changed one or both year to year.

repechage

Christmas 1966 was my big gift, a 3 speed stick shift Sting-Ray. When brought home it was the sensation of the apartment complex. Every Adult wanted to ride it.
we had gone shopping as a family, other bikes would not do. Coppertone gold with a leopard print banana seat. I did not like the white.

Wildwood

As a rider, consider the Varsity flamed.
As a matter of nostalgia, 10 out of 10.

IdahoBrett

I might be a tad younger (55) than a couple of ya’ll. I remember the Stingray’s that my brother (5 years older) longed for. My brother had a Coast-to-Coast branded “banana bike”. Which had the wide slick out back and a orange flag with a road runner (not the cartoon character) on it. My age group was starting to migrate to the bmx style of bike. In fact when I inherited my brothers bike I installed a knobby tire and bmx handlebars. Of course on Saturday’s after an Evel Kneviel performance on tv, every kid in the neighborhood rode whatever they had over the improvised jumps we built.

This thread is starting to dust off the cob webs in my head and I’m recalling bike adventures I’d forgotten about. Is this what it means to be a “grown up”? Nahh! I still don’t know what I want to be, so I can’t be a grown up yet….

alcjphil

Strange, Schwinn bikes have no nostalgic value in Canada. They were not sold here during their heyday. As an enthusiastic cyclist in the early 1970's I had of course heard of the Paramont, but my cycling desires completely bypassed the Stingray style of bicycle. There were some bikes like that here, the Raleigh Chopper being one, but i never had any desire to own one. By the time that Schwinns were being sold here, they were department store bikes
You would have great difficulty finding a Varsity here

Chuck M 

My BMX bike was one of the few new bikes I got growing up and was an OTASCO el cheapo. Last last night I came across this with the yellow fenders on facebook marketplace. But I'm not nostalgic enough to drag it home. Seller wants $100 each for about 8 heaping piles like this.

IdahoBrett

I seem to recall plastic fender-ed bmx bikes. I think they were Huffy’s.

TiHabanero

Where I grew up it was middle class and rich kids. Rich kids rode Raleighs, Batavas, Puch, and other euro brands. The rest of us rode Schwinns because they were a very good bike for the money, ie a good value. Purely middle class bikes.

IdahoBrett

A bit of time was spent on spit n polish today. It’s rideable but the brake pads are scary hard, so I kept it under 10 mph.

John E

After my Schwinn American 2-speed, I rode European and Japanese bicycles exclusively and didn't think much of Schwinns. (I did briefly use a Varsity for train-station-to-office commuting for a couple of years, but then switched to a UO-8.) Buying the Project KOM-10 mountain bike in 1993 gave me a new appreciation for Schwinns, particularly the older Paramounts.

Chuck M 

Your rich kids were wealthier than the rich kids in my area. Where I grew up, we believed from watching Breaking Away that Italian bikes were for super heroes, but we never thought we would see one.

bikingshearer 

How could anyone flame your Varsity? After the thermonuclear holocaust, the surviving cockroaches (meaning most of them) will be eating Twinkies, driving Volvos and riding Varsinentals.

Some years back, there was a thread either in C&V or Foo asking what kind of bike you would want in the zombie apocalypse. I said a Varsinental on the theory that it would ride over anything and keep going. The bicycle equivalent of what John Cameron Swayze used to say about Timex watches ' "It takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'."

IdahoBrett

The lore of the Varsinentals being indestructible bikingshearer has not escaped the search function here on BF. This Varsity is a testament to that end.

As bad as the cables look they still work. The chain must be made from special steel. I used a scotchbrite pad and hydraulic oil and it cleaned up nicely. Unlike other rusty chains I’ve encountered. The brake pads aren’t OEM. Had they been I wonder if just sanding a layer would’ve made them usable.

This is the oldest bike in my inventory and it needs the least amount of component replacement. I’ve yet to check the various bearings though…

charlesNC

Looks just like the Varsity I had after moving up from a Stingray. Lived over a mile from a paved road, so it saw a lot of gravel. Pretty indestructible. Does that make it an early gravel bike?

dddd

There's the where, and there's the when.

halb

My first "adult" bike was a Varsity. Replaced with a Frejus. Now that was a change.
While riding the Frejus started hanging out at the shop of Al Stiller in Chicago.
He was a Schwinn and Bianchi dealer. He had a picture of himself with Captain Kangaroo
and personal cards from Peter Post. Now there's a contrast.
Al had won lots of races, but had turned pro to ride in 6 day races, which burned your
amateur bridges on those days. His Paramount was geared 52,54 rings and straight block 13-18.

Kabuki12

I had a Varsity , Root Beer brown . I rode that tank everywhere , jumping curbs as I hated to slow down to get off the sidewalk or cross a street. I can’t remember what year , but I was in high school (1968-1972)and that Varsity was my transportation . My family couldn’t afford a car and I had mowed a lot of lawns to buy that bike ….used. Right after I graduated, my friend , who had a Continental , and I rode up to Santa Barbara from Oxnard. That was the last time I rode that bike! It was not ideal for long distance riding. I gave it to a friend and bought a lightweight racing bike. I have no desire to have one now , but the memories of riding all over Oxnard on that bike are priceless.

SirMike1983 

I have fond memories of riding around town on my grandfather's 1936 Schwinn Henderson balloon tire bike. Today, vintage three speed Schwinn touring bikes are a big part of my collection (along with old school Raleigh 3 speeds). Some people never outgrow this stuff.