# Years of Schwinn Spitfire 5 and single speed Spitfire



## blue6218

Hi There, I am curious as to what years Schwinn made the Spitfire 5.  Was it 1977, 1978, and 1979?  Or was it just 1979?  I am also curious what years the single speed coaster brake Spitfire was made...Thanks for any information you can pass along....John


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## rhenning

The original coaster brake Spitfires were made in the 1950s/60s.  I did some more research and the CB Spitfires were all three of your years 1977,78 and 79.  I found a reference for the 5 speed in 1979 but the book I looked at didn't have good references for 1978.  If you are looking at a specific bike look and the head badge number and that would be the most correct way to know.  The catalogs were made long before the bikes so they are not 100% correct anyway.  I will seel what else I can find.  Roger


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## blue6218

*thanks for reasearching and looking...*

I appreciate you looking into the newer spitfires and specifically the spitfire 5.  I have a spitfire 5 black in color with a head badge build date of may 9 1979.  I am curious if my spitfire 5 was a one year build (1979) or the spitfire 5 was built in 1977 and 1978.  Thanks again for looking into it...John


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## rhenning

There were Spitfire 5s made in late 1978 (Nov-Dec)  but they were all called 1979 models.  Schwinn did model change over in the Fall for the Xmas season so the kids that got new bikes for Xmas were getting the coming years model.  If you want to find the rarest of this type of bike try to find a Klunker 5 which is what these bikes were originally called.  They were changed to Spitfire because some other company owned the Klunker name.  Roger


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## blue6218

*Thanks For the Info*

Thanks Roger for taking the time to answer my question, much appreciated, keep the rubber side down!!!!  John


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## blue6218

*question about spitfire 5*

I have another question, is the spitfire 5 considered a heavyweight or middleweight?  My bike serial number starts with CQ and has S-2 wheels with the atom rear brake.  Would the bike having S-2 wheels designate it as a heavyweight?  Thanks for any info you can pass along....John


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## vincev

I have a Klunker 5 and it is HEAVY! It should be classified as a heavyweight.lol


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## GTs58

blue6218 said:


> I have another question, is the spitfire 5 considered a heavyweight or middleweight?  My bike serial number starts with CQ and has S-2 wheels with the atom rear brake.  Would the bike having S-2 wheels designate it as a heavyweight?  Thanks for any info you can pass along....John




The Spitfire 5 is a ballooner. No such thing as a heavyweight in Schwinns vocabulary and it was the general public, not the bike manufacturers that came up with the word heavyweight. Kind of like a carpenter being called a wood butcher.   The weight of the bike has nothing to do with the classifications, it was the tire size. The old day Schwinn  classifications were:

Lightweight
Middleweight
balloon


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## blue6218

*Thanks for the Info*

Thanks for the information!  I have never owned a schwinn balloon tire bike, only middleweights and lightweights....Thanks again for taking the time to respond to my thread....John


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## Andrew Gorman

Did all Spitfire 5's come with a rear drum brake or was that an option?


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## GTs58

I believe all the late 70's and early 80's Cruiser 5 speeds had both rear brake options.


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## cyberpaull

*1978 Schwinn Klunker 5*


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## blue6218

*Great Looking Bike*

Thanks to all for the posts and information regarding the schwinn spitfire 5.  I really like my 1979 Scwinn Spitfire 5 with an atom rear brake and it is quickly becoming one of my favorites.  Good looking Klunker 5, thanks for the pic.


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