Hiker16

Ok...so I need a road machine. What I want is a lighterish bike from the eighties...(schwinn???). I've seen all these names...like le tour, world sport, etc... What I want to know is which 80s bike is the one for me. I am looking for a touring/fast commuting type bike. Preferably with rear brazeons for a rack and fenders, water bottle cage mounts, and front rack mounts. I know this might be difficult to find on anything but a dedicated tourer from the time. I have some parts that I could use build up a frame or replace older parts. But yeah, I guess that is it.
Or if anyone could direct me to other threads that perhaps explain the differences between these bikes(mostly schwinn) that would be appreciated.
Thanks,
-J. Smith

alanbikehouston

One of the odd things I've noticed about road bikes from the '80's on E-Bay is that the price depends more on the reputation of the seller and the condition of the bike than on the "quality" of the bike. A top seller can get $100 to $125 for a "like new" Varsity. And, a top of the line bike, such as the Peloton or Voyageur, might only sell for $50 or $75 more.

So, focus on the "best" bikes. For your touring/commuting needs, the best Schwinn was the Voyageur. Some years, the Voyageur was offered in a basic version and a "deluxe" SP version. Some years, front and rear racks were installed at the factory.

Using the 1986 Voyageur as an example, it was likely made by Panasonic in Japan. Columbus frame, Tange fork, Dia-Compe brakes, Sansin hubs, 40 spokes rear, and 36 spokes front, Wolber Super Champion rims, and a weight of around 24 pounds.

This sort of Schwinn was built to last. One that has been well cared for could give you another twenty or thirty years of service. Last week, a clean looking Voyageur sold on E-Bay for around $150.

ridesoldtrek

There will be lots to choose from. This is a great question, I look forward to seeing what other people contribute.

I can't tell you as much on the Schwinn's, but I have ridden a Trek for years. Check out the vintage Trek site, there you can look at catalogs from the 80's and find one that suits you, the then find that frame or bike now. Keep in mind that they sometimes Trek used the same frame for two different models, say the 500 and 520, same frame with different components to be either "sport" or "touring". By the way, the 500 series is a great bike for what you want. The early years used less braze-ons, more in later years.

Beware of some french bikes... the french threaded BB's and headsets are hard to come by these days. Swiss threads are not so easy to get either, I believe Motobecane used Swiss on BB's. English threaded stuff is lots easier to get. But I don't know what year that french bikes stopped using the french thread system. I don't want to mislead you on this. Seek other info, just something to be careful of. Sheldon Brown has lots of info on this topic.

www.vintage-trek.com
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/velos.html

duane041

I loved my Premis (a mid-to upper level Schwinn), but had to give it away because it was a bit too large for me. It was Columbus Tenax, had nice SunTour Accushift components, and rode like a dream. I believe that most of Schwinn's mid to upper level bikes of the 80's were darn good machines.

If you can find one, Ross made a bike called the Signature. It came in three levels, and had wonderful components (my 292S has Shimano 105). The Signature line was originally started around frames designed by Tom Kellogg, and later on used frames designed by Jim Redcay and Bill Stevenson. All well-known frame builders now. And because these are Ross bikes (Ross was best known for department store stuff), they can be had for little cash, if you can find one.