Derailleurs for Schwinn Varsity Rebuild
 

I'm doing up a Schwinn Varsity for my mom, and I'm looking for new derailleurs. There's nothing really wrong with the "Scwhinn Approved" ones that were on there, but I figure they are pretty low-end considering its original equipment on a Varsity. It seems like I'm a bit limited in my front derailleur choices since I need to get a 1" clamp.

I've found 2 some Suntour 7 FD's and a "Schwinn Approved" GT290 FD, which will fit and look good...

Here's the "Schwinn Approved"
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...ayphotohosting

What would be the matching Rear Derailleur's for either of these? Any suggestions for a different/better choice?

well, from my experience with my varsity'(s) they are "low end" but that doesn't mean they perform poorly, and remember, a vintage low end der, IMO be much more solid than todays low end. They dont build em like they used to... I have put miles and miles on my old schwinn deraillers, and never found a reason to upgrade. It *is* an old schwinn.

Or if you go with Sheldon's recommendations, any of the cheap new models works better than the old models. You could pick up a Alvio or Deore for pretty cheap -- it would most likely be lighter too.

If you are going vintage, I would recommend the common and nice Suntour Vx over a 7.

Suntour 7 is not very high up the Suntour pecking order. That said, mine works flawlessly.

That's the thing about SunTour. Their whole product line, top to bottom, worked great.

The "Schwinn Approved" GT290 FD the OP asks about is most likely a Huret. I have one just like it but it says Huret instead of "Schwinn Approved". If the OP is interested in mine, give me a PM, mine is NOS with 1" band.

That eBay derailleur is way overpriced, perfect for a Rivendell restoration indeed. Do you have a local co-op or something you could check? As for the rear, the steel SunTour derailleurs (depending on model) have the same geometry as nicer alloy versions, so they shift fine but weigh a ton. I personally would never pay more than a dollar for one, I've got a drawer full of them I use for spare small parts. I'd offer to give you one but realistically they are so ubiquitous I'm sure you could find one faster and not have to pay for shipping.

Yeah the text on that Ebay listing is pretty *******.

Thanks for the ideas folks, I've got a Suntour Vx RD sitting around that would work well now that I consider it.

I found a Suntour 7 FD and a Suntour Spirt FD, both are in similarly nice condition... The 7 is higher up the product line in the late 70's correct?

I believe so. A couple of things to watch: 1) you'll need a shim because of the Varsity's skinny seat tube; 2) the 7 and the Spirt both feature a normal-high (reverse) shift pattern, which is OK if you like it. (The benefit is that high gear is both levers all the way forward. The drawback is that there is no minimum-tension setting for both derailleurs simultaneously.)

we always used to put Shimano Eagles on the varsities. The average college kid owned Varsity was a single speed given the wimpyness of that Huret derailleur. The eagle was a brick, but it shifted well.

I don't know what I was thinking, but I recently bought the low end Shimano derailleur thinking it would at least shift ok. It doesn't, the chain falls off the pulley.