I miss my varsity

I don't know. It looks pretty much to be a carbon copy of mine which dates to 1973. I'd be surprised if it was more than two years off from that.

Doohickie - You're right - I was reading the "S" but I have a "K" Doh!

I can't find it on any list ...

K803410

My '73 Varsity has serial number CJ526842. Yours has K803410. It's the J that makes mine a '73; my guess is that yours is a '74 by virtue of the K, and for whatever reason the month letter that should appear before the K didn't stamp properly. I would call it a '74 until you get some better information.

I'll look around on mine and see if there are any other date codes on components, etc., and let you know where to look.

https://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...69/schwinn.png

this is worth seeing! and how do you put pictures on here? i cant figure out the code or whatever it is.

With Photobucket it can be done easily.

1.Select and then view your picture up on your PB page.
2.To the left of your image you should see a box titled "Share This Image".
3. Left click on the box to the right of IMG CODE. The text in the box should start with something like https://i115.photobucket.com/albums/....
4. Right click and paste that text into your post.

Nice graffiti.

If I am recalling this correctly, the 2 letter code started with "AA" in 1965. The first letter denotes the Month, the second denotes the Year. Prior to 1965 they used a single letter for the month, and the first digit was the last digit of the year.

So here's my theory... K803410 is a Varsity manufactured in October 1958, sold as a '59 Varsity. The first year of the Schwinn Varsity.

**edit**

I see jamesl came to the same conclusion as me 10 posts ago.

so yeah... +1 to that

You have a Merckx and miss your Varsity?

Tow a kiddie trailer with 100LBs in it, and put some steel wheels on the Merckx, and you'll be close.

Toss a worn chain and cassette on there, and you'll be closer still.

Gee, isn't that great? Still miss it?

What size are you, I'll sell you one for way too much $$$.


PS---Don't mind me, I am so sick of Varsinental threads, that I am thinking of going away from C&V for good.

They were POS's when made, they are still POS's.

The cockroach of bikes, I'll give them that. After Armageddon, they will still be here, if you can find tires.

OFG, don't be so hard on the Varsity bikes and their kin. Like them for what they are. Many riders had them in their youth and now are looking at them thru Campus Green glasses.

Jeebus!

I have to go make some popcorn!

Perfect!

I'll be right back.

I just spent two weeks with OFG. Somebody send me a Purple Heart.

b21

https://www.flickr.com/photos/7837283...in/photostream

Well, it's a 77 Sportabout...( Varsabout?) Varsities first cousin.

I just switched to the upright bars and added a little basket...

I know where there is a purple Varsity for sale...

You had better prepare the State, CB, he's coming back to MI soon.

b21

Wow, sold the year I was born! A brother from a different mother!

Here's my # JK803410

The J has a weak bottom hook, but I can't imagine it being any other letter.

Making it a September 1974 build -- a lot more likely than October '58, which was pretty hard to believe....

Hey James! THANK YOU!

The bike has such a nice ride. I tore it up coming to work this morning.

sounds like someone needs a happy ending sundae and a xanax

https://www.friendlys.com/images/whats_new/img3.png

I find that such a humorous post. As if there aren't 15 other active threads at any given moment in C&V.

But if just one of them is the wrong topic I am so outta here.

I think I said something similar in my blog before reading those remarks. Ah, here it is: It's hard to believe Schwinn sold millions of these functional but clunky bikes. It's even more amazing to think that it still works well after all these years.

But I still love my Varsity.

I always wanted a Schwinn ten speed when I was a kid but never got one.

Now I have one...

Same here actually.

I guess I had one during college, but that was just a tool to get me from point A to point B; I never really thought much about the bike itself. In fact I don't even know what happened to it; I probably sold it when I graduated, or maybe even just gave it away. My longest mileage in one day was on that bike though... I think. I did 60 miles if I remember it correctly; I did close to that on New Years Eve this year, but not quite. Here is that bike and I think this is from that day of the long ride.

I find it amusing that a poster with less than 2 months on the site and a nickname that is less than proper would comment.

I stand by my comments.

yes, don't post until you are here for at least 6 months.


don't ask why, that is the arbitrary commandment we follow here.