Anyone ever heard of a Schwinn Mesa Runner? I just saw an old bike at a junk store and wondered if it was some sort of knock off or a real Schwinn.

It was either rattle can brown or primer brown and had shifters on the stem, and had center pull brakes. At this store it is quite likely that the parts came from something the owner found in the trash so I didn't look further.

Hopefully it wasn't a one off that is worth a ton of money.

Thanks.

Yes, I owned one briefly. Its an early, Schwinn, mountain bike, probably from the mid 80s. It had center pull, not cantilever, brakes. It had friction shifters and was maroon. If the paint is faded, it would appear to be primer in color, but it's not. I bought it for parts, but after cleaning it up and fixing the broken derailer, it was an amazingly good, solid bike. The shifters are friction, not index.
If it's cheap and all there, buy it if you need a good beater or, IMHO, the best beach cruiser ever made.
EDIT: I purchased mine used at a Garage Sale. If anyone owned a new Mesa Runner from the early or mid 80's, their info will be more accurate than mine.

I had one that was a very nice bike. I believe it was 4130 Chromo. I ended up using the frame and some of the parts to make a homemade tandem.

Thanks for all the information.