# Pair of 1972 Suburbans



## Roadkill (Apr 4, 2020)

I recently worked on a pair of chestnut 5 speed Suburbans for a friend, and liked them so much, I bought a pair, in brown, equipped with Schwinn child seats. They were sold by Aurora Cycle in Seattle, Washington. Men's is December 1972, and the ladies is November 1972. I'm gonna go thru them, replace tubes and tires, and ride them, child seats/beer cooler holders and all. This is my first dive into these kind of bikes, other than a 1962 ladies Traveler I got for free. My collection is all 40's and 50's balloon tire bikes, but I'm excited to have picked these up today.
Ride on,
Sean


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## morton (Apr 5, 2020)

Very nice looking bikes.   Don't forget those bearings as the grease is mostly solid by now.


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## PCHiggin (Apr 5, 2020)

Theyre nice riders,I had a pair in green


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## Goldenrod (Apr 5, 2020)

I have a $25 pair in green that I bought from a woman who cried as I put them in my truck.  Her favorite memory was her parents riding them together.  Each time I see a pair, I remember that moment.  I never rode mine with Mama Bear but I will now.  Thanks for posting.


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## Roadkill (Apr 5, 2020)

morton said:


> Very nice looking bikes.   Don't forget those bearings as the grease is mostly solid by now.



Thanks, they are in really nice condition, just filthy. I plan on greasing everything, as it looks like they have been sitting for a long time. 
Ride on,
Sean


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## Roadkill (Apr 5, 2020)

Goldenrod said:


> I have a $25 pair in green that I bought from a woman who cried as I put them in my truck.  Her favorite memory was her parents riding them together.  Each time I see a pair, I remember that moment.  I never rode mine with Mama Bear but I will now.  Thanks for posting.



$25?!? Hell of a deal! And I love when bikes stir up memories. I have no Mama Bear, but when I do, I have a bike for her! Lol. 
Ride on,
Sean


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## schwinnlax (Apr 5, 2020)

Yeah, the Suburbans are the best riding Schwinn lightweights, in my opinion.  I had a pair in green and sold them both as I can't keep everything, but I do miss that smooth ride.


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## Sven (Apr 6, 2020)

A great score!!!
They look to be in excellent shape.
I love mine and use it like an utility vehicle.
Hmmm , that child seat would make a nice beer cooler caddy.


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## Arnold Ziffel (Apr 6, 2020)

The FIVE SPEED Suburbans are the best Schwinn Suburbans.    The reason is simple--------the five speed has the better rear derailleur which was made by Shimano for Schwinn  (GT-100   from 1970 to very early 1974......and GT-120 from 1974 )     
The TEN SPEED Suburban is essentially just a VARSITY in tourist mode with the tubular fork from the Continental.
Same Huret allvit rear derailleur as the Varsity,  same gearing as the Varsity,  same front derailleur. and the same LS 2.4 brakes (side pull brakes) as the Varsity..................although you do get the Conti's   tubular front fork instead of the Varsity's forged blade fork,  the SUBURBAN did not get the centerpull brakes of the Continental.        The Suburban TEN SPEED has the same model F freewheel with the 28-14 five gears  that the Varsity and Continental have.    The front Crankwheels and front derailler are the same as VARSITY/CONTINENTAL (39-52).

The FIVE SPEED Suburban  has  the  Model J  freewheel,  a slightly better design made in Japan by Shimano with 32-14  five gears.
The 32 tooth  lowest (1st) gear  offers  excellent hill climbing capability with the Single 46 tooth front crank wheel.
The Shimano built rear derailleur is  twice as good as the Huret unit on the Varsity, Continental, and 10 speed Suburban.

The FIVE SPEED SUBURBANs   and the 1970 to circa 1977 Schwinn Collegiate five speed  are  perhaps the best ever  basic Schwinns.
The 1964-69 Collegiates do not qualify as they have the same crummy Huret rear derailleur as mentioned above and the French made Model F freewheel with the 28-14 gearing as the Varsity/Conti./10sp.Sub/   and  thus  do not have the  useful gearing of the 1970 and later Collegiate which offers significantly better hill climbing  and the best durability due to Shimano components instead of Huret.
         Circa 1977-1978,  you have the FFS  (forward freewheel system) which  I  thought worked really well,  and it is certainly durable but many people didn't like it because it added weight...................     ......it was good in that it allowed folks a goof-proof way to shift because it did not matter if you were pedalling while shifting.....................   .........the weight factor was really nothing because Schwinns with electro-forged frames and ashtabula one piece cranks already weighed five tons,  so  1/5 th of a pound wasn't gonna matter..............somebody that was concerned about riding a true lightweight bicycle wasn't gonna be riding a Chicago Schwinn,   maybe a  Panasonic Schwinn  but definitely not an electroforged Chicago Schwinn!         They are great durable bicycles that have a great ride if you don't mind riding slow because the WEIGHT will limit your top speed capability versus other makes' that are 30 pounds or less.       Slow is a relative term,  in this context,  it means approximately 17 MPH or less  cruising speed on level pavement.     That is  swift enough for most folks  and that 40 pounds of Chicago electro-forged steel will be good for your daily exercise.    You probably won't find any bicycles that are more durable and simple to repair at any price,  than the 1970 through 1977  FIVE SPEED  Schwinn Suburban   and   1970-1977 five speed Schwinn Collegiate.


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## Roadkill (Apr 6, 2020)

Arnold Ziffel said:


> The FIVE SPEED Suburbans are the best Schwinn Suburbans.    The reason is simple--------the five speed has the better rear derailleur which was made by Shimano for Schwinn  (GT-100   from 1970 to very early 1974......and GT-120 from 1974 )
> The TEN SPEED Suburban is essentially just a VARSITY in tourist mode with the tubular fork from the Continental.
> Same Huret allvit rear derailleur as the Varsity,  same gearing as the Varsity,  same front derailleur. and the same LS 2.4 brakes (side pull brakes) as the Varsity..................although you do get the Conti's   tubular front fork instead of the Varsity's forged blade fork,  the SUBURBAN did not get the centerpull brakes of the Continental.        The Suburban TEN SPEED has the same model F freewheel with the 28-14 five gears  that the Varsity and Continental have.    The front Crankwheels and front derailler are the same as VARSITY/CONTINENTAL (39-52).
> 
> ...



Thank you Arnold for the info. The set of 5 speeds I worked on had the same fork as my 10 speeds. The 5 speeds were 1974 and 1975, and had the GT 120 derailleur, while my 1972 10 speeds have the GT 100 derailleur. Those 5 speed bikes are why I bought these. The ride is really smooth, and they are well made, with parts readily available, if needed. And I couldn't pass up the 2 of them for a little more than the price of a crappy department store bike. Plus the Schwinn child seats that match. The men's will get my full attention this coming weekend, but from what little I've cleaned so far, its gonna be a really nice bike when I'm done. Thanks again for all the info, and for the money, why wouldnt everyone want these?
Ride on,
Sean


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## Roadkill (Apr 6, 2020)

Sven said:


> A great score!!!
> They look to be in excellent shape.
> I love mine and use it like an utility vehicle.
> Hmmm , that child seat would make a nice beer cooler caddy.



I completely agree!!


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## Roadkill (Apr 6, 2020)

schwinnlax said:


> Yeah, the Suburbans are the best riding Schwinn lightweights, in my opinion.  I had a pair in green and sold them both as I can't keep everything, but I do miss that smooth ride.



It's funny how many I've seen advertised in pairs.


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## fattyre (Apr 6, 2020)

Totally agree. Great riding bikes when dialed in.  If you really wanna fly lace up some alloy rims and butted spokes with some quality tires.  Plus you have the benefit of brakes that grip better on the alloy.     

These bike can haul a$$ as long as its flat.

Had a pristine brown Suburban, but made a poor choice and sold it.


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## GTs58 (Apr 6, 2020)

Nice! I had those saved on my CL page. I have a feeling those are actually 1973 models with those late 72 serial numbers. Check the crank when you service them.  

Looks like a nice north west valley area. A Cali Cabe member just move there not quite a year ago.


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## Roadkill (Apr 10, 2020)

GTs58 said:


> Nice! I had those saved on my CL page. I have a feeling those are actually 1973 models with those late 72 serial numbers. Check the crank when you service them.
> 
> Looks like a nice north west valley area. A Cali Cabe member just move there not quite a year ago.



I'm gonna get the men's taken care of this weekend. Is there a date on the crank? 

And yes, I'm in Peoria, and always looking for more people into the hobby. Never know when you are gonna need a part, or have a part for someone. Are you in the Phoenix area too?


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## GTs58 (Apr 10, 2020)

Roadkill said:


> I'm gonna get the men's taken care of this weekend. Is there a date on the crank?
> 
> And yes, I'm in Peoria, and always looking for more people into the hobby. Never know when you are gonna need a part, or have a part for someone. Are you in the Phoenix area too?




Yup, there should be a cast date on the crank. I'm in far East Gilberto by the old Williams Air Force Base.


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