# Varsity production by year



## Matt B (Feb 23, 2019)

Does anyone know if there is any info on how many Varsities, Jr Varsities, and other 10spd models they made each year? Does the serial number help any with this?


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## morton (Feb 23, 2019)

I have no idea of actual numbers, but it has to be the highest number of any real bike model ever produced.  Then add it the Continental and Collegiate (sp?) that were basically the same bike.  I'm not including the modern chinamart bikes that are pretty much all the same with different decals.


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## bikemonkey (Feb 23, 2019)

I have it on good authority that Schwinn made one "crap ton" of Varsities each year...

Varsity bicycles will be among the last surviving relics of our civilization after it passes...kinda like shark's teeth.


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## juvela (Feb 23, 2019)

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@Metacortex is sure to enlighten.  

& BTW what was the last year for the eight-speed?

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## bikerbluz (Feb 23, 2019)

Pretty sure the 8 speed was 1960 only with the Varsity.


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## Eric Amlie (Feb 23, 2019)

Speaking of 8 speeds, check out this Traveler.
AFAIK, this was a concept bike that Schwinn never actually made, or at least sold.


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## juvela (Feb 23, 2019)

Eric Amlie said:


> Speaking of 8 speeds, check out this Traveler.
> AFAIK, this was a concept bike that Schwinn never actually made, or at least sold.
> 
> View attachment 953450




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Thanks so much for the response and sharing this advert.  

The seventy-eight dollar price rings a bell.

Recall that at me local AS dealer the Varsity of 1960-61 was seventy-eight and the Continental was eighty-nine.

[for younger readers, minimum wage at this time was ~1.25/hr.]

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## GTs58 (Feb 23, 2019)

bikerbluz said:


> Pretty sure the 8 speed was 1960 only with the Varsity.





The Varsity 8 speed was a 1 1/2 year deal. 1960 until the middle of 1961, then Schwinn modified the Varsity giving it 10 gears and the Continental was upgraded with all Huret equipment and a new decal package.


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## juvela (Feb 23, 2019)

GTs58 said:


> The Varsity 8 speed was a 1 1/2 year deal. 1960 until the middle of 1961, then Schwinn modified the Varsity giving it 10 gears and the Continental was upgraded with all Huret equipment and a new decal package.




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Thanks very much for the clarification.  

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## bikemonkey (Feb 23, 2019)

Is that a Benelux derailleur?


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## Eric Amlie (Feb 23, 2019)

bikemonkey said:


> Is that a Benelux derailleur?



I've only seen a few of the Cyclo 2 & 3 speed converters used with the Sturmey hubs, but all the ones that I've seen did use the Benelux derailleur.
Personally, I'd probably replace it with a Huret Allvit if possible.


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## bikerbluz (Feb 23, 2019)

Sorry about the misinformation. I had forgotten about the Switch in 61 mid year. Should have remembered, I have a 61 Conti with the early decals and shifter.


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## Metacortex (Feb 23, 2019)

The Varsity started out as an 8-speed with Simplex derailleurs for 1960 through the early part of '61. On May 15th 1961 production the Varsity was changed to 10-speeds (still with Simplex derailleurs) while on that same day the Continental was changed from 10-speed Simplex to Huret derailleurs. The Varsity finally changed to the same Huret derailleurs as the Continental near the start of '62 production (Feb. 15th 1962).

As far as Varsity production, Schwinn did not generally publish production figures for individual models, however it did publish figures for the various model types. For example:





Finally Schwinn published an advertisement in 1978 indicating that nearly 3 million Varsities had been produced. Given that the (electro-forged) Varsity remained in production through 1985 it would be nearly certain to say that at least 3 million had been produced over the entire run.


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## Metacortex (Feb 24, 2019)

I wanted to add that 1969 was the first year that Lighweights out-sold Middleweights, and 1970 was the first year Lightweights out-sold Compacts. I believe Schwinn considered 1970 "The year of the Lightweight" in some of the dealer literature at the time.


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## Matt B (Feb 25, 2019)

[QUOTE="Metacortex, 
That chart helps a bit. Probably about as close as we can get. Appears bike manufactures did not track production details like car manufactures. Thanks


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## Metacortex (Feb 25, 2019)

Matt B said:


> Metacortex,
> That chart helps a bit. Probably about as close as we can get. Appears bike manufactures did not track production details like car manufactures. Thanks



I believe Schwinn did track the production of each model in great detail (as evidenced by the ~3 million Varsities ad in '78), however they did not (and were not required) to publish it.


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## Oilit (Mar 4, 2019)

Eric Amlie said:


> Speaking of 8 speeds, check out this Traveler.
> AFAIK, this was a concept bike that Schwinn never actually made, or at least sold.
> 
> View attachment 953450



I wonder if there was a problem with the supply of the hubs? I've heard that the "Schwinn Approved - Made in Austria" hubs replaced the Sturmey-Archer hubs in 1959, possibly because Sturmey-Archer finally decided to abandon the SW hub in favor of the AW, but it may have taken time to get back to full production. I believe 1960 was also the year Tubing Investments bought Raleigh, which owned Sturmey-Archer, so there was a lot going on at this time.


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