Bought a black Schwinn Super Le Tour but can't figure it out. The top horizontal tube has a decal that says Super Le Tour . The front badge is stamped with the number 1481. The bike also has a decal that says its 1020 Xtra lite steel. From that I would assume its a Chicago Schwinn built on the 148th day of 198. But the seat tube at the top has a decal that looks slightly newer than the other decals that says its made in Japan for Schwinn. More clues, the left rear fork has the following number on it: 1H04579. Everything I've read about Schwinn serial numbers doesn't seem to match up with this.

As to the components, its got dia-compe center pull brakes which look original and Sugino cranks which may or may not be original. The rims are UKAI 27 1 1/8. And the final part of the mystery is that the front derailleur is Shimano Altus LT while the rear derailleur is a Suntour! Obviously, something could have been replaced.

Can anyone identify when and where this bike was made. (PS I love the old Schwinns. Had a 1978 Super Le Tour 12.2 which was stolen, and now have a 1979 Traveller III. And if I could figure out how to attach a picture that wasn't more than 100kb, I would do it.)

Sounds like an 81 Super LeTour to me. Does the headbadge say Schwinn Chicago, or does it have Schwinn Approved somewhere on the frame?

The front badge only says Schwinn and Chicago, unlike for example my Traveler III whose front badge says Schwinn Approved Japan. So from the badge and the 1981 date, I assumed made in Chicago in 1981. But for some reason, the decal on the seat tube says "Made in Japan etc." Obviously, someone could have added one or more of the decals later which is why I'm thinking I should trust the front badge. Do you agree? And what about the serial number stamped in the back left fork? Finally, While I've found lost of info on the 1976-79 Schwinns, I can't find the same infor for the 1980 and 1981s. Do you know of a site that has the infor for those bikes? Thank you for responding.

In the 1980s Schwinn generally used headbadges that said Schwinn Chicago 63xxx. This was because the company offices were in Chicago. 63xxx was their Zip code. By about the time your bike was built all bike production had stopped (possibly one year later) in Chicago. Rpger

I believe all le tours from '73 thru '78 were made in Japan. '79 and '80, made in Chicago (the only two years they were made there). '81 and '82, back to Japan. From '83 until about the time the Greenville, Mississippi plant closed in '91, they were made at the Greenville plant.

I've got a black Super le tour also, it was made in Japan, and it's an '82. The "Chicago" headbadge means basically nothing on these bikes, as mentioned Chicago was simply the location of the company's corporate headquarters.

Here's a link to the '81 Super le tour (thanks for all those catalog scans, Scooper!), yours is "black sable."

https://www.trfindley.com/flschwinn_1...90/1981_09.JPG

I thought my SLT 12.2 was an 81, but it's blue with white rim black lettering. Hmmm.,,,,BD

Were the SLT and SLT 12.2 made in different colors?

I don't think there was a Super le tour 12.2 in '81, I think the 12.2's were only available in '76, '77, and '78. Of those three years, there was a "sky blue" color available in '76 and '77, no blue color available in '78. So it seems likely your bike is a '76 or a '77.

Here's a link to the '76 catalog page for the Super le tour 12.2:
https://www.geocities.com/sldbconsume.../76ccpg15b.jpg

And the '77 Super le tour 12.2:
https://www.geocities.com/sldbconsume.../77ccpg13b.jpg

This color doesn't bring to my mind a vision of a blue sky? The seat post bands are also further apart, and rainbow colors. The equipment is a dead on match, but mine has at least a 600 RD. Probably a modification. I got it from the original owners brother in law. A garage queen bike if I ever saw one.,,,,BD

I put the wrong link up for the '77 originally, take a look at that one, I think that might be it.

Thanks for the info. It clears things up. And the website with the info is great. It seems I'm the proud new owner of a 1981 Black Super Le Tour made in Japan which at some point had the rear Altus derailleur replaced with a Suntour Vgt, as all other components match the componentry as noted in the brochure on the website. Thank again to all who helped.

I recently received a Schwinn Traveler III that someone had in their garage for years. The decals say it was manufactured in Japan for Schwinn Chicago but I don't know how old it is. It has a serial number on the back wheel guide that is L729191. Can anyone tell the age from that number?

The Traveler III was made in 1978 & 1979. See this link for the '79 and scroll back to the '78. There should be a four digit number stamped lightly into your headbadge. If the last number is an "8" you have a '78, and a "9" is a '79. Hope this helps.

Nice entry level bikes that last and last. I have an '80 model made in October '79 that I've own now for 28 years and it still is fun to ride. Welcome to C&V.

https://www.geocities.com/sldatabook/...979traveleriii

Itried to use the geocities link but I can't connect.

A few too many http ...

https://www.geocities.com/sldatabook/...979traveleriii

Bob

Opps! Fixed!