OMG! Schwinn Score-Chicago Porn!
 

I was looking for an old bike with a Brooks saddle on it, so I could flip the bike and put the Brooks on the old Fuji. That's all. Honest. I found one on the local CL for less than a new saddle, so I went to check it out. And look what I found:

http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y87...red%20schwinn/

This frame is the same size as the Fuji (23" BB to TT), and just about the same weight. Looks almost all original, except for the rear derailleur and skewer. Rear wheel is bent, chain is bone-dry, doesn't shift great, but-it's a clean Chicago frame. Wow. Oh yeah, the Brooks is a B-15, nicely broken in. I'd rather be lucky than good!

nice bike!

Interesting Photobucket username...

Not bad...Nice saddle...Now ditch the dork disc, slap on a hyperglide freewheel if you can and a new chian you'll be good to go. Or ride her as is!

I love a red Continental

I wasn't planning on keeping it-until I got a good look at it. Now I'm a little torn. The Brooks is still going on the Fuji, as that's my daily summer ride, but what to do with this tasty red morsel that's in my size and on my porch? BTW, the s/n is under the headbadge and it's KG105243. There are numbers on the BB, but they're under some dumb sticker and I don't want to screw up the paint by rushing that sticker off.

KG = November 1971

Thanks for that. I swapped the Brooks over to the Fuji and it feels wonderful. It's also lighter than the saddle it replaces, which is an unexpected bonus.

Nice catch.

I saw that on CL and wondered to self, how did they possibly bend that bulletproof steel rim?

Yeah, it's not out of true so much as out of round. I didn't get a detailed story about the wheel. Apparently the bike was a prize for a Tacoma newsboy, back when there were such people. It has not been ridden much at all. The gear teeth are all nice and square, and the little odometer on the front fork is at 747.7/8. I could use the front chainrings as a shaving mirror, but I won't.

Yeah, they're nice, but this is a burgundy Super Sport...even nicer! ;)

Nice Super Sport!!!
 

I'd like to get a Brooks saddle for the '75 Continental I just picked up, but I doubt I'd get as lucky as you with a donor bike!

The bike was advertised on CL as a Varsity. So is Super Sport a level of Varsity (like Chevy does, e.g. Impala SS), or is it another model entirely? As you can see in the pics, the decals have been removed. All I can tell for sure is that it's a Chicago Schwinn.

Those with more knowledge than me would know better, but I believe the oval Schwinn headbadge would indicate it's a Varsity/Continental...as Super Sports and higher level Schwinns have the round headbadge. Also, the design on the side of the fork is the same as on my Continental (don't know if other Schwinn models used this same design or not, I believe the Varsity's is different). But, I know Super Sports came with Brooks saddles, while Varisty/Continentals didn't (although maybe they did at some point).

The biggest difference would be in the frame, the Super Sports were fillet brazed, the Continental/Varsitys were electroforged. Those with more knowledge than me will know for sure.

Switch to aluminum rims, KoolStop brake pads, and a 7-speed freewheel (probably requires removing the spoke protector). Replace the TwinStiks with barcons. Keep the saddle. :)

It is not a Super Sport. Looks like a Continental/Varsity with a "Super Sport Like" set up. It would have an oval headbadge and a seat tube sticke denoting 4130 cromoly frame if it were a Super Sport. Nice bike though.:)

Yes, I missed the oval headbadge. I was looking at the tops of the seat stays where they join the seat tube. Can you show us a better photo of those. From what I can see they look like the bullet shaped tops that the fillet brazed chrome-moly frames have. I can't see them very well though. Also, if you have a caliper, measure the diameter of the seat tube. This will tell for sure whether it's an electroforged gaspipe frame or a fillet brazed chrome-moly frame.

You have me puzzled here - aren't some of the earlier (or later?) Super Sports supposed to come with oval headbadges as this example has? Wasn't the Sports Tourer the first in the lineup to have the round badge and round badge only?

In regards to frame construction, you do have a fillet-brazed machine here. One look at the seattube (the diameter difference can easily be spotted by eye if you've practiced to differentiate the models on sight) and the taper of the seatpost gives it away as a 4130 machine as opposed to electroforged. Considering the Ashtabula BB (the Sports Tourer, next in the lineup, was equipped with a "proper" three-piece BB setup), I wouldn't hesitate to say this is a Super Sport.

I wouldn't find it unusual that it doesn't have a 4130 decal on it though - why should it, if the downtube decals are missing as well?

-Kurt

P.S.: I've never seen a Continental or Varsity with conventional braze-on cable housing stops on the top and down tubes.

GOOD GOD, MAN! That is a fillet-brazed super sport, made with butted cro-mo tubing, in beautiful shape. You can tell by the bullet-point seat stays and the tubular brake bridge in your photo (the EF schwinns had round-end seat stays and the bridge was made from rolled and folded sheet steel).

http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y87...t=190_9046.jpg

You put that brooks back where it belongs!! You have a sweet prize. I've been searching for one for years.

Perhaps the headbadge was replaced at some point...I went and looked at several examples of '71, '72, '73 Super Sports, and all had the round, silver and red Schwinn headbadge. But, if those who know much more than I say Super Sport...then, Super Sport it is...:)

And if this doesn't convince you, find a properly labelled varsity or conti of the same era and similar size and pick one up with your right hand and the other with your left. Then you'll know.

Actually, of course, you can do as you like with the saddle. I just got a little overexcited there.:o

I just rechecked the pics, and it IS a Super Sport. The pic of the seat cluster is conclusive: seat tube diameter, brake bridge, fillet brazes, and I can see the rear rim is a Weinmann alloy.

Now, how it got an oval headbadge is a puzzle. The badge mounting points aren't remotely similar; the oval badge mounts at top and bottom, the round badge at either side. I was just comparing examples of both badges I have lying about, and the oval badge would mask the holes for the round one. I wonder if the extra holes are under there. If they are, that would suggest an owner replaced it. If not, it suggests somebody in Chicago drilled and tapped the headtube with the wrong template, which makes it an interesting conversation piece.

In any case, you got a much bigger bargain than you first thought.

Yup, that's another detail I had forgotten about.
This is definitely a Super Sport.
I don't know what's up with the headbadge though. Considering that, and the missing decals, maybe it's like then story that Sheldon Brown told of the Paramount he saw that was decaled and made up to look like a Varsity.

An odd one indeed.

Doesn't look like it's got an integral derailleur hanger on the rear dropout. It does have a welded-on kickstand however.

The Super Sport lost the forged Huret dropouts w/integral derailleur hanger in '71 with the introduction of the Sports Tourer. The ST got them then. The Super Sport then got the plain stamped dropouts that the lower level bikes had.