bigwoo

Sorry about the title misprint... Voyageur SP that is...
1983 to be exact.....
I have seen good feedback on Voyageur's in general..........Wondering if anybody has ever done an extensive tour on a Voy SP, Tange Champion 2, Sunshine Pro Master hubs, etc....

Thanks in advance

Rustyoldbikes

I've never seen a Voyageur except in catalogs. They were generally quite a bit more expensive than Schwinn's "best selling" bikes, so I suspect most years Schwinn may have been selling hundreds, not thousands of Voyageurs. Based on the catalog descriptions, the Voyageur's were well designed for touring and used high quality components. I have a 1984 touring bike that uses components similar to the Voyageurs of that era. All of the components on my bike are the originals, and after 25 years on the road, all of them continue to work well.

bassogap

i've got an '85 I've had since new...i bought it to commute,not to tour. It has been a fantastic bike I've put tens of thousands of miles on...it's as comfortable as a LaZ-Boy...

Sangetsu

I've had two of them (sadly, both were stolen), and I can't say enough good about them. I wish I could find another, I'd pick it up in a heartbeat.

cb400bill

https://grandrapids.craigslist.org/bik/1173616823.html

brockd15 

I just picked up a 1983 Voyageur SP on Saturday. Haven't had a chance a to do anything yet, but I'm still really impressed with it. Mine is the silver(ish) with blue head tube.

banjo_mole 

pics?

bigwoo

Well, I've got to make a major decision...

I was initally very stoked about building up a classic Tange Prestige Stumpjumper, handmade in Japan....Then I found a sweet 1984 Trek 830 w/ Reynolds 501 that would make a very fine touring rig, and which is possibly more unique, collectible, and pleasing to ride IMHO....

But NOW, a tall guy from MTBR C&V is dying to have that '84 Trek and offers me this, exactly my size and one of the finest touring rigs ever:

https://

https://

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bigwoo

I've never tried one of these Internal/Closed Superbe's but have a feeling I would be very pleased w/ it... And I already know that I love the wheelset; Sunshine Pro Master hubs.....

https://

As much as I love rigid vintage Stumpy's and Trek's, I think that the Voyageur SP is about as high-end as I could hope for to use on my Tour of The Rockies and a CA coastal tour....
It's rough, but can easily be saved/restored....

https://

https://

krems81 

Oof! The beauty just poked me in the gut. I'm having trouble breathing, give me a moment...

bassogap

I always assumed the "SP" stood for Columbus SP tubing....That's what my Voyager SP is made of....But someone's posted an older SP made with other tubing...

cuda2k

She's a beauty, a bit long in the tooth and showing a bit of patina, but nothing a little TLC can't take the edge off of. Looks like a winner for a touring rig. Do some research on that Suntour Tech, I've heard mixed things about it from what I can remember. Something about being overly complicated and prone to issues, but I may be mistaken on the derailleur in question. Just something to look into before taking her on a long road trip.

Old Fat Guy

I have a Columbus tubed Voyageur SP that I'm hoping to turn into a trail/dirt road bike this Summer. if Redneckwes gives it back to me.

I have all the parts collected to make it an all rounder bike, which I intend to bring to AZ to ride the forest roads with.

I'm planning on using the original crank and brakes, but run 700c cross tubulars w/Suntour barcons an a NOS Suntour Cylcone derailleur setup I've saved. I'm hoping to equipe it with full racks and panniers, maybe do an overnight with it out in the wilds of AZ.

It's my Summer project when I get back to MI.

Redneckwes, where are you?

bigwoo

krems81, Thanks for the compliments...

bassogap, I too am wondering what it stands for.... Hopefully Bob H or Scooper will chime in on what "SP" denotes...
Your Columbus SP is from a year or 2 later, when the Voyageur was really pushing the envelope of high-end touring rigs....

Cuda, Good to know on the rear D.... I'm such a sucker for Superbe that I have just got to try it out in the Mtn's before passing judgement....But I will do some research on it and try to find the potential pitfalls of this one....

OFG, That sounds excellent! I am planning on throwing on some Riv Mustaches with Suntour bar-end's... Other than that, I like everything else about this bike... Except all of the rusty bolts/nuts/washers I'm going to have to replace...

cuda2k

bigwoo - your other two frames that you mentioned above sound like just what I was on the hunt for recently as well. I just posted a thread what I ended up picking up. Not quite on the same vein, but probably better for the task it will fulfill anyways. Look forward to seeing the write up on the Specalized and the Trek when they hit the road.

brockd15 

Just took a few pics. Haven't done a thing to it since picking it up.

bigwoo

Cuda,
Mrs Bigwoo almost killed me when I said "I found this vintage Trek that will work better for me than the Stumpy"....
So I took them both out for a ride around the same course and decided that the Trek felt much better, and I let go of the Stumpy to a guy who wanted to build a city commuter.
And I haven't even told her yet about the Yoyageur and why it is a better choice... She's going to brain me.... There is a very unpleasant new
"0 Tolerance for new/vintage bikes" thing going on in our home....

bigwoo

Dang brockd15

It's freekin GORGEOUS ! How about some input re: the rear derailleur? Yours is much more ready for the road right now than mine is... Are you looking for racks yet?

Iowegian

+1

Mine is older (82 I think) with sidepulls, 4130 DB top and down tubes, Schwinn hubs, etc. but it rides like a dream. I always thought of it as like riding on a train but the LaZ-Boy comment fits as well. I've only used it for commuting so far but something about the bike just wants to keep going. Maybe not as fast as some other bikes but definately for the long haul. I've put panniers in front and back even in our strong Colorado winds and it handled it all in stride. I've been very pleased with mine, hope you like yours as much.

cuda2k

bigwoo - I was ready for a fight when I mentioned "honey, I want to get another bike that will be better to ride with you on." Didn't think the last part was going to sugar coat the first part at all. Amazingly, and to my still amazement, she simply said she thought that would be nice. I think I blinked for a full 15 seconds before saying anything more. I guess she's really happy with the huge kitchen in the house I just bought. Hell, the pantry is 2/3 the size of some of the bedrooms.

brockd15 

Thanks!
I had been looking for a touring bike for a while and got lucky to find this one. I've got a couple black racks but I'm looking for some in silver...not sure which ones I'll go with yet.