1983 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe
 

I've aquired a dark blue 1983 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe.

Serial# SF305398

Head Badge# 1793

I need information on where to get a "schwinn sized" modern seat post?

Is it worth restoring as it needs new decals?

Anyone know where to have Schwinn restoration done here in Maryland?

Any other technical or historical information about this bicycle will also be greatly appreciated. . .

http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/2...rail003lq0.jpg

I've got the same bike, given to me by younger sister, who only rode it once or twice. She gave it to me when it was about a year old. At the time, I had a '79 Traveler that I dearly loved, so the le tour luxe sat and collected dust. It eventually became a basket case of frame, fork, and miscellaneous parts. A little over a year ago, after having become a long-time mountain biker (after the Traveler, I moved on to the new "fad," mountain biking), I decided I wanted to build up a road bike. I looked no further than the old le tour luxe frame and fork.............they're really nice bikes, of 4130 chromoly steel, with decent componentry. There's not a lot of monetary value there, so my advice is to do with it what you like, with the idea that the most value you will get from it will be as a rider...............The bike was almost certainly built at the Schwinn plant in Greenville, Mississippi. The original seatpost, if I'm not mistaken, was installed with a shim. If you want a new post, there's really nothing "Schwinn" about it, you'll need a 26.4mm post. In the upper part of the seat tube on these bikes, where the seat lug is joined, there will be a noticeable hump inside the seat tube, and to get a non-shimmed post into the seat tube without a lot of difficulty you'll need to either sand the seatpost some or file away the hump inside the seat tube......Good luck with it, you've got a nice bike there-:) Btw, are you sure the serial number doesn't start with "SF" instead of "F"?

I don't know how much of a collectors item it would be.

If you want a nice gentle riding bike then that Schwinn should perform well.

Speaking for myself, I didn't want to spend much cash on the 1982 Le Tour frame I saved from the trashman. I used a chemical stripper and removed the old paint (there was no rust) from the frame and fork.

I didn't buy any components for this bike save the tires and new grease. Instead, I used parts from the multi-tiered shelf I keep in the garage for sorting/storing bike parts that I pick-up on yard cleanup days, garage sales, and donations from friends feeding my sickness.

Here's my Frankenstein Schwinn LeTour that I am now riding as my commuter/city bike:

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j7...dt/letoura.jpg

Yeah, you are correct there is an S at the beginning of the serial number.

My plan is to use it to ride around the city and lock it up when necessary without to much worry of theft. That is to have a nice ride in disguise ;)

Thank You,

Jim

As far as the serial number, mine starts with "SF" also, and my headbadge # is 1653. This would indicate our frames were manufactured in the same month of '83, I believe (F=June), and the bikes were assembled exactly two weeks apart, with mine on the 165th day of the year, and yours on the 179th day.

well biked, I tried to log onto the Schwinn forum, but I forgot my password, its been a while since I owned a Schwinn. I briefly owned a garage sale, 1983 LeTour Luxe that is now owned by BF member TimCuprey. You might want to PM him to see what he's done with the bike. I beleive he's completed some improvements to this somewhat abused Le Tour. There's no doubt this bike was on it's way to the dumpster when I bought it. I took some pictures which I will post here for your information/amusement. If it is important, I can try to get back on the Schwinn forum where I posted the serial number.

roccobike, thanks. Actually, Tim communicated with me via PM's quite a bit as he was working on that bike, it did sound like he was doing a nice overhaul on it........Of the parts on mine, the frame, fork, handlebar, headset, and centerpull brakes are original, everything else I've redone to my liking. I use it as a commuter/tourer/whatever else bike, and I've put a 3 x 9 drivetrain on it, with rear-indexed barcons. I've got a crazy-high stem on it, Laprade seatpost, Brooks saddle, aero levers, racks front and rear, fenders, 700c wheels (36 spoke Sun M-13 II's with Shimano hubs) and Panaracer Pasela TG's (700c x 32). It's my everyday rider, and is the most comfortable bike I've ever ridden. I keep building up these old bikes in my basement,but the truth is, none of'em ride as nice as this old le tour luxe in its current state. :)

I've had mine built-up for just a couple of weeks but I wholeheartedly agree that it is a sweet riding bike.

My first ride on the Schwinn Le Tour Luxe. She showing her age but the ride excellent.

http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/6...e1024x7680.jpg

http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/9...e1024x7681.jpg

Wildjim, what is it about the middle of the downtube, right where the 'Schwinn' decal is located. My Le Tour Luxe had the same decal/rust pattern as yours. I would guess the bottle holder is the culprit, but on my other road bikes the water and condensate all fall well below the bottle cage.

There doesn't seem to be any noticable rust anywhere but the decals are deteriorated; maybe from exposure to sun light?

It rides nice(smooth) and fits me perfectly. It has a slower steering response and cushy ride. I guess because of the touring frame geometry. Most of my other bicycles are designed for racing and have very steep angles.

Say that's a nice bike.

I found two guys working out of their garages selling old bicycles and parts across the street from each other.

They sold me two schwinns and a peugeot for $15

As they don't care about newer bicycles they are looking for really old stuff from the 30's - 50's

I stripped two of bikes for parts as the frames were to large for me and ended with one nice schwinn. The schwinn is fully functional as you can see.

Nice bike, wildjim!