# Opaque Red 1974 Schwinn Sports Tourer



## kostnerave (Sep 26, 2020)

Hi everyone. Here are some pictures of my latest project, a 1974 Schwinn Sports Tourer finished in Opaque Red. I spotted this bike on ebay, listed for a lot of money. The price convinced me to pass, but I kept coming back to it to see if it had sold. Finally, I contacted the seller to see if he was flexible on his price. A day or two later, he came back with an offer quite a bit lower and I committed to buy it. The bicycle was originally purchased from John's bicycles in Pasadena, Ca. The original owner had the dealership install fenders and replace the Brooks B-15 with a mattress saddle. The bike came with it's original owners manual and a service stub from John's stating that it was a special order. The overall condition of the bike was beautiful, showing little, if any, wear. Of course, all of the grease was dried out and the original LeTour tires were hard as a rock. I completely disassembled the bike and carefully polished, detailed and serviced everything. I installed new tubes, tires, an era correct n.o.s. Schwinn bag and a Park bag holder. This bike, more than any other Schwinn I've worked on, fascinated me with the range of components Schwinn chose for this model. Parts are present from many countries including The United States, France, Germany, Belgium, Japan, Switzerland and Great Britian. The Opaque Red paint definitely dates this bike as a 1974 model, but the frame is date coded 1972. Some research on the Cabe shows that this happened frequently with Schwinn's fillet brazed frames. I have limited space, but I'll clear a spot for this one. I hope everyone enjoys the pictures and thank you for looking.


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## juvela (Sep 26, 2020)

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WOW!     

"Prolly were no that shiny the moment she came out the shipping carton."

Interesting to see that it came with a T.A. chainset.  Was thinking that beginning with the 1974 model year they came through with NERVAR chainsets.  Or was 1974 perhaps a transition year where some examples received T.A. and some NERVAR?

wrt serial on head tube -

member @Metacortex has posted about this in the past stating that those head tubes were made up in quantity years advance so they do not represent reliable dating aids.

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## kostnerave (Sep 26, 2020)

Hi juvela, The serial number is: MH024153. It is a good, clear stamp located at the bottom right hand side of the head tube.


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## Eric Amlie (Sep 27, 2020)

Fresh off the dealer's shop floor!


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## geosbike (Sep 27, 2020)

very nice


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## Oilit (Sep 27, 2020)

That's about as nice as I would ever hope to see! I recently picked up a 1947 (approx.) New World that also came from John's, but it's not nearly as clean. Does anybody know when this shop closed?


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## HARPO (Sep 30, 2020)

BEAUTIFUL job!! Be proud of what you did!


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## kostnerave (Sep 30, 2020)

Wow, Thank you for all of the nice comments and good vibes! The CABE is the coolest vintage bicycle site, ever. period.


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## Tim s (Sep 30, 2020)

Wow, what a beautiful bike! The sports tourers are a challenging bike to detail with all their bright work. They are also nice riding bikes with their long wheelbase. I don’t think I would ride yours, it is too nice,. That belongs front and center in your collection. Here is a pic of mine in the same color but not nearly as nice. Tim


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## olderthandirt (Sep 30, 2020)

great find  i would ride the wheels off of it ! thats what they were made for !.got to love the red color  unsure what shes worth but she was worth every cent you paid ! bikes this nice dont come along all that often ,i see your from texas i have some family from texas myself  in all honestly enjoy your bike  its not too nice to ride ,if you feel like it ride her up to pilot mountain ill put you up for a week to rest for your return trip home  ,thats a good way to bond with her ! best wishes if you decide to head up to see me i will send you contact information so we can talk on your way in  regards mike


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## Quakertownrich (Nov 12, 2021)

Beautiful! Great job on the restore!


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## kostnerave (Nov 12, 2021)

Thank you, Quakertownrich. There should be some pictures lurking on this site which show the bike with a red Brooks saddle. I was able to purchase it from a fellow Caber, and I thought it looked better with a B17 instead of the dealer installed mattress saddle. This is one of the few Sports Tourers I've seen with factory ordered fenders.


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## SirMike1983 (Nov 12, 2021)

That's a very, very clean road bike. These were well-made bikes in the upper-middle range for Schwinn. I'm not a huge fan of stem shifters or turkey wings, but if' they're correct for the bike, one can't really argue with them. I had a Super Sport at one time, and it too had the turkey wings and stem shifters. It's kind of funny because the other equipment on the Sports Tourer was really good for that time period. It was a fairly serious road bike. That red bike is one of the nicest Sports Tourers I've ever seen.


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## toco (Jan 16, 2022)

Just to keep the opaque red thread going. ser.# 1973, although 74 was the first year offered.


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## Tim s (Jan 16, 2022)

Beautiful Voyageur 2! I have been looking for one of these for a while but it is hard to find them in similar condition to yours. Tim


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## toco (Jan 16, 2022)

Tim s said:


> Beautiful Voyageur 2! I have been looking for one of these for a while but it is hard to find them in similar condition to yours. Tim



Thank you, I bought it at Saline several years ago as a frame +and have been chasing pieces. Its nice not perfect. Someone stripped the R chainstay and seat lug. I club ride it. She looks good amongst the Madones and Roubiaxs. It rides as well as a Columbus SL or Reynolds 531. 
Tom


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