# 1954 Varsity



## Bicyclelegends (Jan 5, 2011)

A friend called me and asked about his 1954 Varsity he said people he has talked to say they have never seen one and arent sure they made them. He also wanted to know a value. If you know anything about these bikes let me know and what you think a #9 bike would be worth roughly. Thanks


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## kccomet (Jan 5, 2011)

Bicyclelegends said:


> A friend called me and asked about his 1954 Varsity he said people he has talked to say they have never seen one and arent sure they made them. He also wanted to know a value. If you know anything about these bikes let me know and what you think a #9 bike would be worth roughly. Thanks




i dont think the varsity was built in 54 could be wrong i would be interested got any pics


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## sam (Jan 5, 2011)

Yes , schwinn did make the Varsity in 54
Link to 54 cat
http://www.trfindley.com/flschwinn_1951_1960/1954_02.html
shows it also in 53---not sure when the varsity first came out.


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## sailorbenjamin (Jan 5, 2011)

The Varsity we know and love came out in '59 and was a mass produced electroforged bike.  Schwinn also made a few handcrafted fillet brazed high end bikes on the side and they used both the Varsity and the Continental name very early on.  They're rare enough that most people don't even know them when they see them.  Being uncommon, they don't have much of an established value.  They're worth more than the later Varsities but less than the ubiquitous tank bikes.  Here's 3 articles worth reading;
http://sheldonbrown.com/chicago-schwinns.html
http://sheldonbrown.com/schwinn-braze.html
http://sheldonbrown.com/varsity.html
Do show us some pictures,


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## schwinnderella (Jan 28, 2011)

Here is my 50's varsity with wrong bars and seat.The changes were made many years ago and I decided to leave it as is.


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## sailorbenjamin (Jan 29, 2011)

Pretty.  Needs a leather saddle but pretty.


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## Adamtinkerer (Jan 29, 2011)

The Varsity is on the 1953 price list too, that's the oldest page in the book I have. Basically another version of the Traveler, a 3 speed touring bike. I'd thought the 8 speed version came out in 1960, but perhaps it was 59.


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## sailorbenjamin (Jan 29, 2011)

Yeah, i think you're right.  Maybe it was the EF process that got geared up in '59.  Maybe I'm just getting senile.


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## pakman2 (Jan 31, 2011)

When did Schwinn start making bikes using the EF process? Did they then phase out fillet brazing to redo it later on the super sports/sporttourer superior bikes? Were the middleweight and heavyweight bicycles all made by EF ?


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## sm2501 (Jan 31, 2011)

Here's the bike that Mark was speaking of. It showed up at the St Louis swap this weekend, and I was lucky enough to score it (thanks Josh for selling it to me and thanks Mark for storing it for me untill the MLC meet in April).


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## sailorbenjamin (Jan 31, 2011)

sweet.  Really sweet.


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## sm2501 (Feb 1, 2011)

It looks even better in person.


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## Bendix (Feb 2, 2011)

i know the late 40's contis used a 3 piece crank and some higher end bits like the 2 piece stem but how does that varsity differ from the brazed travellers? just wonderin'......

neat bike- i love that style of graphics!


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## PCHiggin (Feb 11, 2011)

Bendix said:


> i know the late 40's contis used a 3 piece crank and some higher end bits like the 2 piece stem but how does that varsity differ from the brazed travellers? just wonderin'......
> 
> neat bike- i love that style of graphics!




The 50's and 60's Travelers weren't brazed they were electro forged just like the Varsitys.They were basically the same during that era (50's) but the Traveler had some nicer parts,seat, fenders,pedals and a travel bag.That gold Varsity is sweet.

Pat


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## Bendix (Feb 11, 2011)

PCHiggin said:


> The 50's and 60's Travelers weren't brazed they were electro forged just like the Varsitys.They were basically the same during that era (50's) but the Traveler had some nicer parts,seat, fenders,pedals and a travel bag.That gold Varsity is sweet.
> 
> Pat




ahhh.......well they're still cool!


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## Adamtinkerer (Feb 13, 2011)

Wow, great bike Scott!


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## PCHiggin (Feb 15, 2011)

*Absolutely!*



Bendix said:


> ahhh.......well they're still cool!




Wish I could find an affordable one locally. I ran across a couple of nice 50's girls Travs. last summer,but no boys. Here's an ad from '52

http://www.trfindley.com/flschwinn_1951_1960/1952_09.html

Pat


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## sailorbenjamin (Feb 15, 2011)

This guy's got a decent looking one for sale cheap;
http://www.ratrodbikes.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=35853


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## Jon.612 (Nov 4, 2011)

*1954 Schwinn Varsity 3 speed - My daughter's going to love this one*

I've always loved the classic black Raleigh 3 speed. I found this old Schwinn version - it's a work in progress, but cleaning up nicely. Schwinn's chrome was the best available - even under 58 years of grime and rust, it's shining up. The frame is scratched and the decals are in rough shape, but will make a trusty rider when complete.


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## sailorbenjamin (Nov 4, 2011)

Mmm.  That's the good kind.  What size are the tires?  is that a coaster hub or a freewheel hub in back?
Looks like an English rack.  Worth a little if it's not too rusty.


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