luker

my wife is still bitter because i traded her voyager sp off shortly after we were married for a bike that fit her. I''ve offered several times to replace it (with the appropriate size), but after gaining some perspective, I realize that she needs the incident to beat me every now and again. Anyway, it was a really nice bike. And very pretty. Look for the Schwinn Lightweight Data Book on the web. It'll have everything you need.

skidmarx

Luker,
Been there...the data book only goes to '79. (Unless there's another chapter I can't find)
Thanks,
Take the beating and love it.

kerk

Damn that dyslexia!

kerk

skid - I believe the SP stands for Sport. What year is your Voyageur?

guami007

We'll see what seller says about some money back on it. I can probably live w/the dents but as you cite, seller should have disclosed that. Caveat emptor I guess?

So is this the Voyager SP model then? There were stickers on it at one point but those are gone.

BobHufford

Skid,

Eric (Sierra) will correct me if I'm wrong, but the SP comes from the use of Columbus SP tubing used in the frame.

Bob Hufford
Springfield, MO

Sierra

Bob, I never thought of that, and it seems true for the '84 & '85 models, but it may not be true for the previous two years.

The Voyageur SP was offered from '82 through '85. The catalogs list the frame materials as follows;

'82 Voyageur 11.8 - 4130 Chrome-moly. Double butted top & down tubes.
'82 Voyageur SP - Same

'83 Voyageur - Tange Champion #2 Chrome-moly. Double butted
'83 Voyageur SP - Same

'84 Voyageur - Champion #2 Extra Chrome-moly, custom blend, double butted.
'84 Voyageur SP - Columbus SL & SP mix. Double butted.

'85 Voyageur Columbus Tenax chrome-moly custom blend. Double butted main tubes.
'85 Voyageur SP - Same as '84 model(vertical dropouts though)

BobHufford

Eric,

Thanks for correcting that. Is the SP more of a sport touring model that the "plain" Voyageur (different geometry, and/or lighter tubing, etc.) or just just a component upgrade? These '80s models are past my cutoff date.

Bob

Sierra

It looks like in '82 the SP is more a full touring bike than the 11.8 which is sport touring. The difference is in the components though(SP has a triple) as the frame geometries are the same.

In '83 both models are full touring bikes. The SP has cantilever brakes though while the Voyageur has side pull. Geometry is the same for both. SP components are higher end in general.

In '84 the SP costs $200 more than the Voyageur and weighs 2 lbs. less. Geometry is the same and both have cantilever brakes. SP has more braze-ons and again, generally higher end components.

In '85 the bikes are very similar. Same weight, same geometry. Again, both are full touring bikes. Price is not listed. Higher end components on the SP.

skidmarx

Hey,
You guys are great...thanks for all this info. Kerk, I don't know for sure what year my bike is. I've yet to do the code inspection that I just discovered here, and she's still with the powder coat guys. Sierra, my SP came with side pull Dia-comps but I'm not the original owner. She does have the triple and extra brazings for racks and very rugged looking Weinman rims that are a concave design rather than convex. I also have a '76 Schwinn Super LeTour 12.2. The two frames appear to be identical in all aspects other than the extra brazings on the front fork and also the SP fork is more "square shouldered".

Sierra

With side pull brakes and a triple, it is probably an '82 model.

skidmarx

Finally had time to retrieve my new powder coated frame Voyageur SP. She's a beautiful steel blue with the chrome stays intact. I've never had anything powder coated before. If you could call a paint job bomb proof, then this is it, cause it certainly looks that way.
Anyway, thanks for the code info. My head badge says this is a Chicago frame with #3501 stamped. Close enough to be an '82, Sierra.
There is another difference between this and the Super LeTour besides the extra front fork brazing since the rear stays also have small brazings above the brakes.
Can't wait to get this baby completed and on the road.

skidmarx

The front forks are stamped "Tange". I did a quick search found some info on Tange. Was this an upgrade or just generic buy or both? Thanks

dougb

I'm trying to date my recent CL find and found this thread. I appreciate your help. Serial number is stamped into the bottom lug of the head tube: 3F03511. The components on this Voyageur date to 1983 and it has Tange Champion #2 tubing. I'm not sure if it's an '83 or an '84. I don't know if its an SP or not. I'll post photos once Flickr comes back online.
It has braze-on for three bottles and fork crown braze-ons for panniers. Here's the rest.
Crank - Sugino AT triple
Front der. - Suntour Mountech
Rear der. - Suntrour AG
Brake calipers - Dia Compe cantilever
Brake levers - Weinmann (Schwinn approved)
Stem - CB
Post - Avocet
Shift levers - Suntour
Rims - Araya
Bar - SR World Custom

McDave

You should be able to find your bike here...
https://www.trfindley.com/flschwinn_1980_1990/

We would also like to see photos of your bike. The Voyageur touring bikes were sweet!

kerk

Sounds like an SP. What are the headbadge numbers? They will tell you the date.

dougb

3F03511
Finally found my way to the correct catalog. It's an SP, 1983.... 19 1/2" frame. Is it typical for bikes of this size to have a sloping top tube? This one does.
I don't think the rack is original....on the hunt for original racks, front and back.