Hi everyone, I just inherited my dad’s old schwinn he bought in 77 but the decals have been removed. He says the original handlebar tape was “translucent burnt orange” and matched the frame. I’ve been combing through catalogs from the 70s and can’t narrow down the model. If anyone could help me identify it I would really appreciate it!
by redditerinchief
6 Comments
A few notes: he said he loved this bike as a teenager because it was a unique color, there is no indication of it being a “super lite” (plus she’s heavy), and the serial number suggests it was made in Sep ‘77
That’s a Varsity. There was only one road bike came with 27″ wheels, flat-bladed forks, sidepull brakes, and drop bars. Continental and up had tubular forks, center-pull brakes, and more alloy components (bars and stem notably).
It’s definitely a Varsity. I had one for a short time in about 1972, just before the tsunami of much sexier French/Italian/British bikes swamped the US and I succumbed to the temptation. A testament to the durability of the Schwinn, more of them seem to have survived the ravages of time than most of their European competitors. Except for maybe Raleigh’s and Peugeot’s.
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Great bike. Not going to win any races on it but who cares. Tune it up and it will last another 50 years.
Interesting head tube, it appears as a one piece bonded to the tubes like it was aluminum.