Hey all, I just bought a 1974 Schwinn Varsity Sport. I am looking to upgrade the derailleurs and make it a downtube shifter. Any suggestions on what will work and what will not?

Thanks James

What gears are on the freewheel? The derailleur you need will be determined by the number of teeth (size) of the largest rear sprocket. It is probably a 28 or 32 tooth but just go and count the teeth.

James,

This will become a big project that you could sink $$$ into but will never be able to recover in the end. If you realize this and it doesn't matter, then go for it. Here are my tips.

Downtube shifters are problematic because of the cable stops welded onto the tube. You will either need to grind them off, or find shifters which will work above or below them. The other challenge is the tube diameter. They are smaller than the standard size (1 inch as opposed to 1.25). You will need to shim the shifter band. I've used a bronze bushing from ACE, cut to fit the tubes.

The same is true for the FD. A replacement will need to be shimmed.

The RD will need a hanger for mounting.

Best of luck on your project!

I would suggest swapping out the rear derailleur since that is where you would see the biggest improvement. The unit that was used on the Varsity model worked well enough but was REALLY heavy and in my experience a bit sluggish.

Have you considered bar end shifters instead of down tube shifters?

Which cassette do I count to find the tooth count? I have a friend who has an 80's schwinn and there is just something about the downtube shifters that is sexy to me

I'm in the same boat with my World Sport. I think I may end up going with barend shifters.

The rear. Unless it's been modified, the freewheel is 28-14. As another poster mentioned, you are getting into some bucks and a lot of work and may end up with a bike that is worth about the same as, or less than, what you paid for it (if you start chopping cable guides).

If you love downtube shifters on a Varsity, maybe look for an earlier model. They had DTs in the 60's.

As for derailleurs, just about anything is an improvement on the rear. Short cage is fine but a long cage will work too and allow you to use a lower geared freewheel (32 or 34) if you want.

Yes, yes they are! Good luck with the conversion. I did it with a SubMariner, worked fine, and all I did was switch out the levers from "suicide" to downtube.