I had a World Voyageur find me and follow me home today.

It's an Orange and chrome lugged frame, it has been (poorly, unfortunately) touched up, but it seems that this is the original color. Straight and rust free, teeth look near new, rims are true and the tubes are even holding air....I couldn't pass it up. It seems the bike is chrome underneath the Orange paint though. No wonder it has so many chips

Anyway, it has no date on the front badge or tube, it does have a serial number stamped on the bottom of the BB. 2G4935 I have been researching in between tearing it down but, of the sites that are up, I couldn't find exact info. It' looking to be a '73 model. Looks very much like this one https://www.geocities.com/sldbdealer/1973/73dlsbv1b.jpg

Any info appreciated. I'm sure it's nothing too special, but would I get attacked by purists if I were to update it a little? Mostly looking for a "fun" bike, my Trek is turning more into a utility bike every day.

Nice catch!

The World Voyageur was made in 1973 only, and it came with some of the early Dura Ace parts (crank and Crane R/D). The only models above it in Schwinn's lineup for that year were the Paramounts! Very nice catch for $10. But,

A quick pic before I started digging in. I had intended to edit it into the original post, but you people are too quick .

A few more here

https://s233.photobucket.com/albums/e...afilter=images

This site may be helpful, www.geocities.com/sldbdealer/1973/73dlsbv1.html

Whaddya mean, nothing special? What you've got is probably the second best (after the Paramount) bike Schwinn ever sold.

Add mudguards, front and rear racks, and your comfortable saddle of choice, and you've got one of, if not the, best mass market touring bike made in the 70's.

What would a new double butted cro-mo frame with chrome lugs cost? I think at $10 you stole it, with a bonus of any good componets it still has. Even if you have to spend $$ to repaint it

$10 was a steal for sure. They price them at $9.99 if there is anything beyond tires that seems wrong. The chain was hanging down on it so I got a heck of a deal. Kinda sad that there were Roadmasters and 16" Huffys going for twice the price...
luckily I don't live downtown where all the hipsters would have snapped it up before it made it out of the donation drop-off. It shined its chrome butting at me while I was sitting in traffic and I knew it was something fairly nice.

Oh, the chain was coming off if the crank was spun backwards because the rear tensioner malfunctioning, it seems. I applied a little tension and oil to the upper pivot and it seems 100%. Should probably do cables considering almost everything looks original but too eager to go for a ride.

Now I need to figure out this silly seat design and how I am going to make some more room between me and the bars.

Almost spit coffee on my screen. I love when sellers don't know what they have.

I own one (actually because of a tip from someone here on BF)
and it among my favorites. It is pretty common for them to go over $200 on
ebay and I swear some have gone over $400. Never see them on Boston Craig's List.

OK I'll go as high as $12.50 that should make some more room between you and the bars.
cool bike. why can't I find deals like this?

Nice find....if I had been the lucky guy that found it, I'd keep it as original as possible. It is a page of Schwinn history...and a good bike to ride as well.

Nice! It looks all original except maybe the seat and the bar tape. I wouldn't change a thing!

Schweet

Excellent!

I saw two recently, one at a LBS hanging as wall art and another outside a coffee shop.
The guy riding it said he bought it new in '73.

For comparison, this one sold for $365:
https://cgi.ebay.com/Schwinn-World-Vo...QQcmdZViewItem

I don't know if I would use that as an example of worth. That auction seems really fishy to me with the top two bidders with zero feedback. Oh wait, the winner now has 1 feedback from that auction.

Thanks for the info everyone. I think it would have to be worth more than the above prices for me to sell.

I can't wait for the first real ride. Should have it back together tomorrow. I can already tell i won't like this seat or it's position. Probably need a set back seat post too. Taking it to my LBS to get fitment advice.

Man, what a different bike than my Trek. I knew it would be, but it is just a different animal all together.
I hate to say it, but I didn't like it very much. Feels very twitchy. Not sure what to do to change it, or if I might just get used to it.

Not having built any bikes road-style bikes, I'm not sure what the issue is. I have spent a very small amount time on drop bar bikes. I have never been 100% confident with them as I am with flats, but this seemed excessive. Can different drops help (they feel narrow and funky)? Is it just the geometry? Can it be because the curved fork put the wheel centerline ahead (maybe exaggerating steering input)?

I have 3 routes I am deciding between. Get the drive train 100% sorted and keep it mostly stock, go single speed/fixed or sell it and get something I feel more comfortable with.

It is a road bike so it is obviously going to be a little more "twitchy" than a hybrid. However, this bike should be more stable than a modern road bike. If you don't have a lot of experience on road bikes, it may well be that you just need to get used to it. On the other hand, there may be a problem with the frame or fork being bent. I doubt this is the case however. Take it over to Freewheeling on 24th. They can take a look at it.
Does the photo represent your present set up? If so, I would recommend you try adjusting the bars, so the bottom is horizontal. That might make them more comfortable. On the other hand, your saddle appears to be a little low. It might be that is bike is a little too big for you. How tall are you and what size is the bike.

Ok, what did you put on to attract that bike? I must be using the wrong type of grease because nothing that fancy finds me.

It's a 23" frame...I was hoping it wouldn't matter much being too big in that regard. I have the seat post up about an 1.5" higher than in the above photo, my legs/the pedaling feel fine. Haven't played with the bar angles. I'm right at 6 ft. 32.5-33" inseam.

I guess I need to think harder about selling it. I really like the chrome lugged frame though. I had been scouting for a while and don't have much confidence in finding another deal like this.

What did I put on? Well, i had just cut myself pretty good, hopefully it wasn't the smell of blood that attracted it .

Great find. Good luck with it.

That would appear to be the right size then. I don't know what to tell you.

Would a 21" frame not suit me better? that's closer to what the online calculators give me...

I'm really hoping i can put some new wider and better angled bars on it to help. I can only use 2 of the 4 standard positions on these...