# Jan 1966(?) Schwinn Varsity ten-speed step-through in blue....



## bikepaulie (May 29, 2018)

Recently acquired. Here’s pics. Curious about the serial number missing the year. Also, the downtube shifter mount, combined with stem shifters. Is this a prototype bike?


----------



## GTs58 (May 29, 2018)

Holy cow is that in super nice condition. Shifters were converted by someone. I have a 66 Varsity with the botched up SN also. Been trying to find out what happened for years now.


----------



## Eric Amlie (May 30, 2018)

Beautiful bike!
According to the serial number charts in the book Collectable Schwinn-Built Bicycles 1950s - 1965 by James L. Hurd, the bikes built from 1/24/66 through 2/1/66 were missing the serial number letter. I've never heard an explanation as to why.


----------



## Eric Amlie (May 30, 2018)

I've always been partial to downtube shifters since that's what the bikes had when I became interested in them in about 1963, as I get older, it becomes obvious to me that the stem mount shifter make much more sense on a tourist style bike with an upright riding position. It's a long reach down to the downtube. I still like downtube shifters with drop bars though.


----------



## bikepaulie (May 30, 2018)

Eric Amlie said:


> Beautiful bike!
> According to the serial number charts in the book Collectable Schwinn-Built Bicycles 1950s - 1965 by James L. Hurd, the bikes built from 1/24/66 through 2/1/66 were missing the serial number letter. I've never heard an explanation as to why.




How funny. So, one week's worth of bikes in 1966 did not have a year stamp in their serial number. Kinda like an upside down airplane stamp!


----------



## Adamtinkerer (Jun 2, 2018)

Wow, looks like it just rolled out of a time machine!


----------



## bikepaulie (Jun 2, 2018)

Yeah, yeah. But, to be sure, it’s got enough chipped paint (seat tube) to make it a 8/10 at best. But, don’t we all, always show only our best sides?


----------



## bobcycles (Jun 2, 2018)

I spotted this outstanding bargain in a Vintage shop in Ventura....

only 1050.00

right....1050....as in One thousand and 50 dollars.

not actual value of 50 dollars

wont last


----------



## 49autocycledeluxe (Jun 2, 2018)

bobcycles said:


> I spotted this outstanding bargain in a Vintage shop in Ventura....
> 
> only 1050.00
> 
> ...




they do that in "vintage shops" so when someone comes in with a $500.00 ring, they offer him the thousand dollar bike in trade and he thinks he just made out like a bandit with someone who does this for a living, having no clue he just traded a $5,000.00 ring for a $100.00 bike.

I know a guy who does this all the time.

edit: the guy I know is the victim, not the buyer.


----------



## geosbike (Jun 6, 2018)

nice bike


----------



## MarkKBike (Jun 6, 2018)

bobcycles said:


> I spotted this outstanding bargain in a Vintage shop in Ventura....]




There is a newer antique / resale shop a few miles from my house, they used to be located a few towns over but just moved to a larger location. I won't say the shops name, because I do not want to hurt or slam anyone's business. (As far as I'm concerned, these shops can ask whatever they want. It's then up to the buyer to be informed).

The one thing that gets to me and why I will not shop there, is very few of the items are priced. Every time you make a offer, they first hop on the internet for 10-15 minutes while you wait, and then eventually show you some crazy price they find on a smart phone. They also constantly run adds on the local sale sites, and list items at about three times there actual cost, (In the Adds run, they always say something like: "We Value this item at $300, today its on sale for $200", when in actuality it's priced elsewhere for far less than $100".

One time I went in there, and found several items I was interested in. On that day the owner was not in the shop, and the employees could not give me a price on a single item I picked out because they could not find similar items for sale on the internet, but they asked for my number and said they would call me back after they were able to talk to the owner. (That frustrated me, and I ended up just giving them a made up phone number). The shop is large, and on that day I spent about a hour browsing, and could not even get a price on a single item I picked out. Another time I went in there, and picked out a item and made a offer, the owner of the shop did not even know what it was, and asked me. Once I told him what it was used for, I kid you not, His reply was: _"Good to know, now I can sell it for more"_. And then after some small chat offered me job which I declined.

They actually do have a lot of neat items I would be interested in, but after the two experiences they have lost me as a customer. The last and 2nd time I stopped in, they had about a dozen bikes in inventory. (Nothing great, but from the other experiences I have had, and the adds I see listed.  I'd be terrified to even ask them what they value them at).

BobCycles "Your $1050 Female Schwinn Varsity post, reminds me of this local shop". They follow the same business model. I'm actually surprised they did well enough to move into a larger location.


----------

