Identify this Schwinn frame for me?
 

I need help. More than the obvious help.
I found this http://cgi.ebay.com/Schwinn-Road-bik...QQcmdZViewItem
and was wondering what model Schwinn it is. I like the lug work, and am considering dealing with the stuck parts. Any ideas? I don't remember seeing lugs like that on a Schwinn, but I don't know all that much to begin with.
Thanks for any help.

Don't know for sure, but the red bands on the black seat tube say later Sports Tourer to me. Not the earlier Chicago made fillet brazed 4130 chrome-moly one, but the later Asian one made of 1020 steel.

Edit: After the recent discussion of the Greenville plant, I am thoroughly confused as to which bikes were made where. I have always just called the bikes with the lugged frames Asian imports(except the Paramount of course). The later Sports Tourer may have been a Greenville bike.

The lettering that can be seen on the downtube looks like late '70's, early '80's, which would probably indicate a 1020 frame. The fork on the '82 Super le tour I had looked like the one on this bike, with the chromed crown and tips, but it looks like this bike has chrome on the stays also, which I don't think the '82 Super le tour had. Good luck-

Lugs are more ornate than those on my Traveler, but the traveler had chromed fork tips. I agree with well biked on the lettering, looks pre-82. Did the standard LeTour have chrome in those years? Seller also posted the serial number: D 026526 says it's on the BB.

I looked back at a catalog scan (thanks Scooper), and I think this bike is an '82 Voyageur 11.8. If so, it's a 4130 chromoly frame, and was a nice touring bike.

I think you're right that it's a Voyageur 11.8, but the serial number makes it an '80 model.

http://home.mchsi.com/~lhufford/80voya.jpg

Thanks to Eric ("Sierra") for the image.

Bob Hufford
Springfield, MO

I seem to recall seeing some Voyageurs with the same paint scheme in my travels through the boards and online. Dang and a 58cm too. (Must resist) - wouldn't try to snipe out a BF member anyways. ;)

I agree with you guys; with the chromed stays and fork ends I think it's a Voyageur 11.8....

Here's the 1980 catalog page.

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d7...Voyageur11.jpg

I think you guys nailed it. The '81 catalog shows the bike in black. Bob, can you resize that catalog page to fit on the forum here? I don't have any photo processing software at hand right now. Otherwise I will post it when I get home. Unfortunately, my image of the catalog page is a little blurry.

The Sports Tourer that I was thinking of has a large red panel on the seat tube, and a red head tube. It doesn't have the chromed stay ends, but does have the chromed fork ends.

Eric,

I don't have any software at work to do it either. Here is the link to it though:

http://home.mchsi.com/~lhufford/81voya.jpg

Bob Hufford
Springfield, MO

Aah, great Bob. Thanks! I didn't know that you had anything up on the web later than '79.

Here's the '81 in Sable (black) from Bob's website (thanks, Bob).

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d7...81Voyageur.jpg

The stuck headset (I'm assuming he's talking about the stem) might be due to it being a compression plug instead of the slanted tightener found on most bikes. If that's the case just unscrew the allen bolt a few turns so it's sticking out a tad and knock it a few times straight down with a hammer. Should pop the plug out and free it up.

I don't. I just have a bit of personal web space there that I can cycle some pics in and out of. I don't plan to do anything with the disc of post '79 catalogs that you sent until I "finish" the '60-'79 SLDB site first. Now if someone wants to host a version of the SLDB, 1980 and beyond, don't let me stand in your way. :-)

Bob

You guys rule, as usual. Now at least I know what I bid on, as before I posted, I thought I was bidding on a bike frame that would only go in a straight line. :D

cuda2k, I know you're looking for a frame this size. I just happened upon it last night, and figured I'd try. Thanks for not sniping me ;)

According to the photos, I would say that I will now be searching eBay for a "Team Schwinn" t-shirt, and some snappy white trousers. That's a look. :D And doesn't he look remarkably like Dick Cavett?

Thanks again gentleman. Now just to really get things going, is this one made in Japan, Mississippi, or Chicago?

Hee hee! :)

If the aluminum handlebar stem is stuck, you can throw away the fork.
If the aluminum seatpost is stuck, you can throw away the frame.

I've dealt with enough of these aluminum-bonded-to-steel nightmares to know that it simply ain't worth it to waste a week attempting to cut, smash, and twist a seatpost free of a common frame such as this Voyageur 11.8.

I only bother to do it on 531 and better frames, for I have a very hard time finding these. In comparison, I can buy a handful of the Schwinn 4130s locally, if I cared to do so. It's probably cheaper for you to buy a complete one locally then to have this klonker shipped to you.

I don't even waste my time attempting to get stuck aluminum stems out of a fork, 531 or otherwise. This is, frankly, an impossible task, unless you care to have the remainder of the aluminum machined out of the steer tube. I simply cut the necks off, take the fork out, and trash the fork. Don't think that you can twist the stem out - you'll soon find that the stem will twist the fork out...and about.

-Kurt

If you look at the 1980 catalog page, you'll see "Designed by Schwinn's sophisticated cycle engineers and built to Schwinn's exacting requirements..." That's code for "imported", and suggests it was either built in Japan or Taiwan (Giant). Production in Mississippi didn't start until mid '81, and although they were building Le Tours and Super Le Tours in Chicago in 1979, the "built to Schwinn's exacting requirements" means it wasn't built by Schwinn.

Afraid I've got to go along with cudak888's verdict. I closed a deal on another slightly earlier Voyager frame with the same problem. The guy selling it was honest enough to mention the seat post when he discovered it (the stem was mentioned in the sale), took a day to try and get the seatpost out, sent me back my money. Real honest guy, will happily deal with him again. By the way, I bought it for $39.00 and change, including shipping.

Damned shame - I had one of the opaque blue ones when they were called World Voyagers, was a 15-speed, all top of the line Shimano except brakes, put fenders on it and a couple of carriers and went all over hell's half acre with it.

Syke
Deranged Few M/C

Regarding stuck aluminum seatposts and stems, I have had some success judiciously using a propane torch to heat up the "frozen" area. The reason the seatposts and stems get stuck is because electrolysis takes place between the dissimilar metals. Steel and aluminum have different coefficients of expansion, though, and a torch will sometimes work when all other attempts (twisting, pounding, use of penetrating oil, etc.) have failed.

The problems with using a torch, of course, are the almost certain need to repaint the torched area and the risk of warping the tubing or weakening brazed joints. You really have to use a light touch.

I've got my 58cm frame now. (See the Gazelle thread here in C&V), but a touring frame would probably be next on my list. ;) But not till I have a bigger place, 2 bikes is all I can store for the next couple years.

This was part of the plan, if I get the frame. I have whole shop full of tools that I use daily to un-stuck stuff that is stuck. I look at it as a challenge.

kurt, I appreciate you letting me know about your nightmarish experiences. Hopefully, if I do get the frame, I can salvage it. I hope it isn't REALLY stuck ;)

If you search the archives here there are a few threads that go on about the varied and many ways to separate a frame from it's seatpost. I have failed with this on a few occasions...the most notable is the Hetchins that I bought from coastal Scotland last year. The guy set the post in 1957 and never, ever moved it again. We sliced it with a sawsall seven separate vertical cuts, and couldn't get one strip to come out. It went to the paint shop with the pieces still inside of the seat tube, Jack'll have to ream 'em out.

duane041, as far as the stuck parts, of course you'll just have to hope for the best if you end up buying the bike. But as for the frame/fork, I personally think it's a nice one, assuming it's not too rusted or damaged otherwise. What I find interesting about this Voyageur 11.8 is that it's a 4130 frame, with forged dropouts, at a time when most of the other models still had the 1020 steel frames and stamped dropouts. Clearly it was one of Schwinn's best bikes at the time. I think it could be built up into a nice commuter/tourer, or just a comfortable road bike. By the way, and you probably already know this, but the "11.8" designation comes from the complete bike's weight, in kilograms. Good luck-

I have a 1980 full chrome Voyageur 11.8 that I like very much. It has a very nice feel to it. I re-equipped it with a triple crank for wider gearing and otherwise a full group of Shimano 600 arabesque so it's probably somewhat better than it came from the factory, but I would imagine that the ride quality is not substantially different from stock(I'm sure my wheels are lighter and better though). Bottom line...Nice Bike!

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say the bike was produced by Panasonic(National/Matsu****a) of Japan. "Dopey" on the Schwinn forums says Bridgestone(which he also calls National/Matsu****a) but every other source I have read says Panasonic. Perhaps there was a corporate relationship between the two. Stan, do you have any insight into this?

Eric,

The two Japanese suppliers Schwinn used were Panasonic (Matsu$hita's National Bicycle Company) and Bridgestone Cycle, a unit of the giant tiremaker. As far as I know, there was no corporate relationship between the two. They were competitors.