For about a year now, I have been searching for a Schwinn Superior, but have had a difficult time finding one at a price that I felt comfortable paying or one that was my size. For a few months, there had been a Superior listed locally on craigslist at a fairly high price, but I figured I'd call the seller and shoot them an offer. The seller turned out to be a very nice younger teenage kid and was willing to take my offer, which was substantially lower than the asking price.
The bike was not completely original and there were a few issues with it. At some point, the Campagnolo seat post was swapped for an SR post. The front wheel was also replaced with a cheap generic wheel. The seller told me the wheel was lost, but later found by his brother, and they threw it away since they had already put a new wheel on the bike. After bringing the bike home, tearing it down, and further inspecting it, I noticed a few more issues. The left side pedal was broken, there is a small ding in the top tube, an adjustment screw on the rear derailleur is broken, and there is a slight crack in the bolt-on cable guide. I don't think the ding will affect anything structurally, and I had already planned on swapping the components with a Super Record group I had laying around anyways. The only negative with the damaged original components would be that it would affect selling them to recoup expenses on the build.
The serial on the rear drop out is 20616 and the serial on the head badge is 2422, so the bike was built towards the end of 1982. The color is the gun metal gray, which is seen in the 1983 add; but, unlike the add, my frame has Nervex lugs. The fork appears to be original, but is Tange, not Reynolds 531, like the rest of the frame. It also does not have Campagnolo drop-outs like the rear.
Here are a few pictures of how the bike looked when I brought it home. I will post more pictures as the build progresses.

Nice!

I've always loved the understated elegance of the Superior. Holding out for a gold 57....

Great bicycle,
I have an 81 superior and it runs like a dream. Rides really nice. I had a hard time finding mine as well. I wanted the 23 inch size (23.5 actual size) and it took years. Keep in mind that by 83 they were using some left over parts according to my buddy that worked at Schwinn here in Chicago those days. So the seat post and sometimes the handle bar and stem would be changed depending on what they had in stock.

You said you are putting Super Record on it. Are you changing the brakes? you may have reach issues. I believe that this bike has regular reach brakes and most Super record are short reach. You may want to check that out.

I kept mine stock except I put large flange Tipo Hubs and a Nuovo Record Rear derailleur on it. Its weird having a paramount frame and a rear derailleur with a steel cage on it so I had to upgrade it. I have a fairly large stable of bicycles and this is my favorite bike!

If you have a chance, drop Kurt at the Headbadge a line and add it to his registry. Nice find!

I've seen your Superior posted on the site and it looks incredible, that orange really pops! There's no question as to why it would be your favorite bike.
I read a few posts stating that these were built with a number of left-over parts, so that would make sense with the SR seat post. I have a Campy seat post that fits perfectly and a Cinelli stem and set of bars that will be taking the place of the originals. The original stem is a tad shorter than I prefer, so I figure a little upgrade is due.
I plan on swapping the brakes as well, but I'm not sure which to use at this time.

Bob,
I sent Kurt an email with the information on this bike, so he can add it to his registry. He certainly is a great resource and wealth of knowledge.

There is a Superior on my wish list too. The 23.5 would be a perfect fit.

welcome to the family. I've got an 82 in orange; had a gun metal as well, but sold it. The Tange fork is the correct fork for your bike; Superior's didn't come with 531 forks. Enjoy!

Here's a quick update of the build. In the future, I plan on putting on some new tires and a freewheel with a few more teeth.

What a great job you did! I love the honey saddle and bar tape.

Many, if not most, of the early eighties Superior framesets were built by Don Mainland in Racine, Wisconsin, using 531 tubing and Nervex Professional lugs from inventory left over from Chicago Paramount production after Ed Schwinn closed down the Chicago cage and moved Paramount production to Waterford.

Don had built many of the early seventies Paramounts under a production contract with Schwinn. His brazing skills were superb, and any sloppy lug shorelines or file marks stand out like a sore thumb on chrome plated frames, so most of the framesets destined to be fully chromed were brazed by him.

Congratulations.

Very nice!

I'm with scooper, I like the honey Brooks with the silver Superior.

Speaking of Baby Paramount Superiors, have you seen the current one on ebay. The seller claims he is selling it for a retired Schwinn Executive.

Schwinn Blue Superior Baby Paramount Schwinn Executive Owned not Ridden | eBay

Beautiful, but take a look at the caps on the seat stays. Never seen "spoon" ones like those on a Superior before.

That one appears to be a Super Le Tour with Superior decals. Some of the other bikes listed (and sold) by that seller were also incorrectly described, such as the Cimarron for example.

It certainly looks fishy with those lugs, decals, and the concave seat stay caps that Pastor Bob mentioned. I wonder who the Schwinn executive is.

I do too. In this case I think they are just going by the information they've been provided by the previous owner, which is most likely a family member of the executive and not directly knowlegeable about the bikes.

The location of the shifters is a little strange as well; I don't think I have ever seen a Superior with braze-on shifter bosses, especially in the center. The bottom bracket cable guides are also brazed to the frame, another possible discrepancy.

"Never ridden"...tires look awfully road weary!

First time I have seen one with Nervex Pro lugs, interesting.

I like that Cimarron- but it looks like a stock 1987 Cimarron to me.

I've always wanted one- Fillet brazed in the front, lugged in the back. All business.


In some way, it shocks me that no one has bid on the Voyageur SP. In another way it doesn't. I think people see VOYAGEUR and ignore the SP. Those last two years of the Voyageur SP were REALLY special bikes, not just a slight component upgrade- the whole bike from the frame to components was a singularly dominant bike- really on par with any other company's flagship tourer.

It's an '86. Definitely not an '87, they changed a lot of components between those years.