# Schwinn cruiser identity help



## Eisele1 (Jun 9, 2019)

Hello, I'm hoping someone can help me determine the year and/or model of what i have hear. According to the serial number tool it is a 72' but I'm not sure how accurate that is. Some of the parts line right up with that but obviously some things have been changed (I think), but what has me confused is the frame itself, where the top tube and down tube meet at the steering tube it looks different than the other cruisers of that era. Also the head badge seems it would be incorrect yet it is threaded so I guess its factory? 




























Unless this is a different model then what I have investigated so far. Thanks for the help!


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## Eisele1 (Jun 9, 2019)




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## Buz (Jun 9, 2019)

https://bikehistory.org/serial-number.html


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## Buz (Jun 9, 2019)

https://bikehistory.org/serial-number.html


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## Eisele1 (Jun 9, 2019)

Yes the tool says it's a 72' but that's what I'm confused on. It doesn't seem to match up with the other cruisers from 72'.


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## Buz (Jun 9, 2019)

Your bike frame is an original Chicago Schwinn.
*Built: AUGUST of 1972.*


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## Buz (Jun 9, 2019)

Eisele1 said:


> Yes the tool says it's a 72' but that's what I'm confused on. It doesn't seem to match up with the other cruisers from 72'.



Sorry I couldn’t help more. I’m having a bit of trouble navigating this website.


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## Rusty Klunker (Jun 9, 2019)

72 the SN would be on the head tube. The SN tools wont work on this bike, its to new. The fork and stem say late 80's early 90's Looking at the number on your head badge I'd say its a 90.


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## Eisele1 (Jun 9, 2019)

Ok that's what I saw as well, I'm assuming it's just the model that makes it different. But just to show you what it is I'm looking at that is throwing me off, heres a pic of a 74' frame vs. This one, granted they are two totally different frames, the 74' frames top and bottom tubes mold into the head tube  and the 72' is different. But most of the bikes I've came across have the design like the 74' as apposed to the 72's style.


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## Buz (Jun 9, 2019)

I think Rusty Klunker is correct!


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## Buz (Jun 9, 2019)

Found this on a search for “1990 Schwinn Catalog” and the small round head badge is on this one.


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## Buz (Jun 9, 2019)

Eisele1 said:


> Ok that's what I saw as well, I'm assuming it's just the model that makes it different. But just to show you what it is I'm looking at that is throwing me off, heres a pic of a 74' frame vs. This one, granted they are two totally different frames, the 74' frames top and bottom tubes mold into the head tube  and the 72' is different. But most of the bikes I've came across have the design like the 74' as apposed to the 72's style.View attachment 1012570
> 
> View attachment 1012571



Nothing like the quality of old Schwinn construction! Ah, the good ol’ days!


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## Eisele1 (Jun 9, 2019)

Yeah that is kinda what I was thinking, the forks seemed to be from a more modern bike. The only part about the head badge  is when I found the bike, the head badge was mounted upside down, so either it had just been removed and replaced wrong or it's not the original, I would say they removed it to paint it but I believe the original color is under the badge and they obviously painted right over the badge when the previous owner did paint it.


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## Eisele1 (Jun 9, 2019)

Cool thanks buz! I couldn't find one with the round badge, looks like we got it figured out! Thanks again!


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## GTs58 (Jun 9, 2019)

The OP's bike definitely doesn't look like a 1990 to me. Note the rear chain guard mounting tabs, the Taiwan bikes picture in that 90 catalog image above had the mounting tab welded to the seat stay, not the chain stay. Schwinn welded them to the chain stay and this one is new being integrated into the drop out. Not your typical Schmurray job or the early Taiwanese bikes I'm used to seeing. That frame looks likes crap, just look at the BB chain stay joints! Good gawd!  I had a 90 Taiwan Cruiser 5 with those ugly decals and the frame didn't look like this one. I really don't think that head badge is original to that frame, UNLESS they made this frame/bike in 2000. That Red Cruiser pictured above doesn't look 1990 either. Not sure if the 92 model had the drop out incorporated rear guard mount, but the 1993 sure did. I can only assume the OP's frame is maybe a 92 or for sure 93 and newer. The Chinese did cast the cranks and some that I've seen had a year stamping code.  





*1993 Catalog*

*

*


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## GTs58 (Jun 9, 2019)

By the way, that 93 catalog image above does show the ugly bottom and top tube joints at the head tube. Looks like someone stuck a tube in a belly button.   lmao

I've narrowed down the years to a possible 1992, easy 1993 and possible 94 model. Details that tell me this is the way the rear of the chain guard is mounted, the BMX style stem,  the tube fork with the Mickey Mouse ears at the drop out and style of chain guard. If you can remove some paint to see what the decals looked like that would get you closer to the year since the 92 still had the ugly decals that were issued in 1990.


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## GTs58 (Jun 10, 2019)

Here's some interesting information that I just came across. Now I can see why there was a difference with the chain guard rear mounting to the drop out and the belly button welds. Like I said, the Taiwanese frames had a rear guard mounting tab welded to the chain stay and their joints were much cleaner. Schwinn imported the Cruisers after the Schmurrays but for a short time Schwinn imported a few bikes from their *Hungarian Plant*. Your frame/bike was made in Hungary! Thanks to Mark @mrg for his pictures of a Hungarian girls Balloon Cruiser frame. Note the right drop out where the guard mounts and the lovely welds.


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## mrg (Jun 10, 2019)

Ya, same badge as my Hungarian had, they were even making S2's there before the fire!


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## morton (Jun 10, 2019)

Just in case you didn't realize, that stem looks like it's way too high.  Before you do any riding, I would sugges that you drop it down to the insertion point that is probably marked on the stem.


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## Rusty Klunker (Jun 10, 2019)

From a discussion about a year ago*. *Someone trying to identify their bikes.* Hungarians 88 thru 93. *And Jeffs pics of a 93 and 91, could be a 90 surely not a 72.




GTs58 said:


> The relationship was a hell of a lot longer than 14 months. The initial negotiations went on for that amount of time. *1988 thru 1993.*
> http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1993-08-25-9308250042-story.html
> 
> *And yet, 10 months after Schwinn-Csepel's U.S. parent declared bankruptcy, the five-year-old joint venture keeps churning out bikes.  *









Jeff54 said:


> Two photos from 1991 and 1993 Schwinn catalog. The first is 1993, brand new graphics on bike the exact same as yours.  and the second, old style Graphics (fonts)  through the mid 80's too early (obviously) 90's,
> 
> *1993:*
> 
> ...


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## Eisele1 (Jun 10, 2019)

Wow, thankyou guys so much for all the help, yes I noticed the stem was way to high as well. Speaking of the stem it is made by HL? The same manufacturer made the GT handlebars that came on a 99' interceptor I have. The crank appears to be made by YST corporation. And the stamp on it reads FU-PA0165


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## Eisele1 (Jun 10, 2019)

If the stem is the correct stem for the bike I would assume the 90f is the date code?


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## GTs58 (Jun 10, 2019)

Rusty Klunker said:


> From a discussion about a year ago*. *Someone trying to identify their bikes.* Hungarians 88 thru 93. *And Jeffs pics of a 93 and 91, could be a 90 surely not a 72.





*The catalog image Jeff54 says is a 91 is actually a 1992 catalog image.* I had a 90 Cruiser 5 with the same decals and the Schwinn oval head badge and it was built in Taiwan. In the 92 catalog the image of the Cruiser sure makes it look like the rear of the chain guard is mounted to the dropout judging by the location of the screw head and has a round head badge so a possible image of the Hungarian made Cruiser. On Sheldon Brown's site it's said that Schwinn never imported bikes from the Hungarian plant, and I find that odd and false information. Schwinn dumped a bucket load of $'s in that old factory, and I'm sure it took a while to get it to the point where it was producing bikes with the Schwinn name. Exactly when they were first imported to the US is a good question. And another question is, did Schwinn import these Cruisers from both Hungary and Taiwan at the same time? I believe they may have. That would verify the head badge build date on the OP's bike as a 90. If the OP can verify his bike had the 1990 decals that would be great!    

1990 Taiwan built Schwinn Cruiser.


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## Eisele1 (Jun 10, 2019)

Unfortunately the bike was painted at least once but I think twice maybe. Under the badge was a darker shade of blue, it looked like they painted over the decals so I used some graffiti remover and it was actually just,  what I was the original white that was showing up through the crappy paint job, the stem was painted as well which also was white under the paint. Unfortunately no decals to show though.


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## Eisele1 (Jun 10, 2019)

So I've also figured out, the "HL" on the stem is Hsin Lung, the crank is a FU PAO and the BB components are YST corporation. All of these brands came on some vintage BMX bikes. In your opinions do you think this is all aftermarket or did these parts come on "90's" cruiser bikes?


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## GTs58 (Jun 10, 2019)

Eisele1 said:


> So I've also figured out, the "HL" on the stem is Hsin Lung, the crank is a FU PAO and the BB components are YST corporation. All of these brands came on some vintage BMX bikes. In your opinions do you think this is all aftermarket or did these parts come on "90's" cruiser bikes?




Schwinn outsourced just about everything at this time so odds are those parts came with the bike.



Eisele1 said:


> Unfortunately the bike was painted at least once but I think twice maybe. Under the badge was a darker shade of blue, it looked like they painted over the decals so I used some graffiti remover and it was actually just,  what I was the original white that was showing up through the crappy paint job, the stem was painted as well which also was white under the paint. Unfortunately no decals to show though.




Have you pulled the fork yet? I doubt the person(s) that rattle canned it took the time to remove the fork for painting. The fork steer tube should have the original paint on it. That Blue that was under the head badge may have been the original color, but the steer tube will tell all. Here's the color info I've gathered for these years. *92 only for a Blue.* 

Taiwan.. 1990- Black and Poppy Red (AKA Pink)   
Taiwan.. 1991- Black, Poppy Red and White Spider
Hungary 1992- Starmist Black and Blue Flake
Hungary 1993- Eclipse Black and Red Metallic


Edited to add the country or origin using the rear chain guard mounting


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## Eisele1 (Jun 10, 2019)




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## GTs58 (Jun 10, 2019)

Ha!!! That's original paint!  White Spider is the name, funky is the game.   One year only, so now you know. And it looks like Schwinn imported from everyone and anyone.


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## Eisele1 (Jun 10, 2019)

Awesome! Thank you! I'm trying to figure out which year catalog this is.


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## Eisele1 (Jun 10, 2019)

Figured it out, 1991.


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## GTs58 (Jun 10, 2019)

Here's a little history if you're interested in that sort of thing. Somewhat explains what was going on here and backs up the idea that Schwinn imported from both Taiwan and Hungary, at the same time. 

http://re-cycle.com/History/Schwinn/Swn10_Bankrupt.aspx 

*In the late 80s Schwinn had made it clear that it would be moving away from Giant. Giant, in turn had become a direct competitor. But Schwinn would never be able to fully rid itself of Giant manufactured bikes. In 1990, Ed announced that Schwinn would be aggressively severing all ties with the manufacturer. A year later Schwinn had to go back to Giant because their other factories couldn’t keep up. Schwinn just didn’t have access to the capacity they needed. Therefore, Giant continued to have access to Schwinn’s latest plans.  *


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## Rusty Klunker (Jun 11, 2019)

Eisele1 said:


> So I've also figured out, the "HL" on the stem is Hsin Lung, the crank is a FU PAO and the BB components are YST corporation. All of these brands came on some vintage BMX bikes. In your opinions do you think this is all aftermarket or did these parts come on "90's" cruiser bikes?





Here is one local to me that doesn't look to be messed with. https://southjersey.craigslist.org/bik/d/toms-river-26-schwinn-beach-cruiser/6908315104.html Interesting about the HL stem, I have an 89 with the same stem and fork have to open it up and look at it.


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## Eisele1 (Jun 11, 2019)

Thanks, that was a interesting article. I was going to ask, if my bike was more valuable being a one year only color ( if I can save it) and also being a Hungarian bike. After reading  this article it would be safe to assume that, it may be kind of a rare bike but to anyone that would have the knowledge about the bikes that came out of Hungary, would know the quality of the Hungary bikes wasn't up go par.


Rusty Klunker said:


> Here is one local to me that doesn't look to be messed with. https://southjersey.craigslist.org/bik/d/toms-river-26-schwinn-beach-cruiser/6908315104.html Interesting about the HL stem, I have an 89 with the same stem and fork have to open it up and look at it.



Ok, so the parts look to be factory then I would say. Reading that article about the Hungarian factor, I wonder if schwinn had to outsource the stems, cranks and BB's.


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## Roger Henning (Jun 12, 2019)

When the Hungarian bike were being built Schwinn out sourced everything used on their bikes.  Early 1980s was when the had the last in house parts made and maybe even earlier.  Roger


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## GTs58 (Jun 12, 2019)

Roger Henning said:


> When the Hungarian bike were being built Schwinn out sourced everything used on their bikes.  Early 1980s was when the had the last in house parts made and maybe even earlier.  Roger




But the tooling for the S-2 rims was sent to Budapest. Not sure if they made the Clover chain rings there but it's possible. Forgot now what year these 90's Cruisers are spec'd out with aluminum rims. And not sure if that was just for the Taiwan builds or both factories since the Hungarian factory was making S-2's.


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## Eisele1 (Jun 13, 2019)

Unfortunately it appears that the rims on my bike are not the original rims. The rear is a hi-stop coaster brake but I haven't found any markings of a mfg yet.


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## KNM (May 9, 2022)

GTs58 said:


> The OP's bike definitely doesn't look like a 1990 to me. Note the rear chain guard mounting tabs, the Taiwan bikes picture in that 90 catalog image above had the mounting tab welded to the seat stay, not the chain stay. Schwinn welded them to the chain stay and this one is new being integrated into the drop out. Not your typical Schmurray job or the early Taiwanese bikes I'm used to seeing. That frame looks likes crap, just look at the BB chain stay joints! Good gawd!  I had a 90 Taiwan Cruiser 5 with those ugly decals and the frame didn't look like this one. I really don't think that head badge is original to that frame, UNLESS they made this frame/bike in 2000. That Red Cruiser pictured above doesn't look 1990 either. Not sure if the 92 model had the drop out incorporated rear guard mount, but the 1993 sure did. I can only assume the OP's frame is maybe a 92 or for sure 93 and newer. The Chinese did cast the cranks and some that I've seen had a year stamping code.
> 
> View attachment 1012912
> 
> ...



I have this red cruiser bike.  I think i still have the owners manual.  Not sure what year i bought it 90 to 94. It is all orignal in process of getting new tires  (original and rotted), kickstand is broke (unable to get kickstand out, yet) a few scratches here and there, just used wolfgang uber rinseless wash with some spray wax mixed in, then polished it with Auto Glym  Radiant wax-polish. Its shiny.  Brand new, the wheels were not straight no matter who tried to straighten them.  Taking it to  a bike shop in Ontario Ca. see if they can get the kickstand out should i be unable to. Will try to update with a picture and owners manual hopefully with a date.


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## KNM (May 9, 2022)

Buz said:


> Found this on a search for “1990 Schwinn Catalog” and the small round head badge is on this one.
> 
> View attachment 1012589



I have this red cruiser bike.  I think i still have the owners manual.  Not sure what year i bought it 90 to 94. It is all orignal in process of getting new tires  (tires original and rotted), kickstand is broke (unable to get kickstand out, yet) a few scratches here and there, just used wolfgang uber rinseless wash with some spray wax mixed in, then polished it with Auto Glym  Radiant wax-polish. Its shiny.  Brand new, the wheels were not straight no matter who tried to straighten them.  Taking it to  a bike shop in Ontario Ca. see if they can get the kickstand out should i be unable to. Will try to update with a picture and owners manual hopefully with a date. Yes made in Hungary.


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## GTs58 (May 9, 2022)

KNM said:


> I have this red cruiser bike.  I think i still have the owners manual.  Not sure what year i bought it 90 to 94. It is all orignal in process of getting new tires  (tires original and rotted), kickstand is broke (unable to get kickstand out, yet) a few scratches here and there, just used wolfgang uber rinseless wash with some spray wax mixed in, then polished it with Auto Glym  Radiant wax-polish. Its shiny.  Brand new, the wheels were not straight no matter who tried to straighten them.  Taking it to  a bike shop in Ontario Ca. see if they can get the kickstand out should i be unable to. Will try to update with a picture and owners manual hopefully with a date. Yes made in Hungary.




There should be 4 digits stamped on the head badge. That's the date the bike was built. First three numbers are the day of the year and last digit is the last digit of the year.


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## KNM (May 10, 2022)

GTs58 said:


> There should be 4 digits stamped on the head badge. That's the date the bike was built. First three numbers are the day of the year and last digit is the last digit of the year.



Mine is 0491 I am guessing April 1991? Or as you stated April 9 1991?


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## GTs58 (May 10, 2022)

KNM said:


> Mine is 0491 I am guessing April 1991? Or as you stated April 9 1991?



The 49th day of 1991.


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## KNM (May 10, 2022)

GTs58 said:


> The 49th day of 1991.



Great thanks I thought that too, the 49th day  Thank you so much!!


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## Xlobsterman (May 11, 2022)

KNM said:


> Mine is 0491 I am guessing April 1991? Or as you stated April 9 1991?




Head badge code 0491 would be the 49th day of 1991 (Feb 18th 1991)


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