# Schwinn Le Tour identification



## Shelbygt (Mar 26, 2021)

A neighbor put this on the curb years ago to be hauled away. At the time I was consumed with building our house but grabbed it. I don’t see a serial anywhere but it does say made in Japan which leads me to believe sometime in the 80’s. Is there a good way to pin it down. It’s in amazingly nice original condition. I’m not sure what he was thinking.
I’m not looking to sell. In fact it’s on my short list to get going.


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## GTs58 (Mar 26, 2021)

Nice trash day find! It's a little earlier than an 80's though. Opaque Red was offered on the first ones to come out and that was in 1974. That color was offered for three years, 1974-75-76. If it's a 76 model the build date will be stamped on the head badge, and sometimes it's really hard to see. No serial # under the crank? I'll post this list so you'll have it when you find the number. But it's one of the three years mentioned.


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## Shelbygt (Mar 27, 2021)

GTs58 said:


> View attachment 1380153





GTs58 said:


> Nice trash day find! It's a little earlier than an 80's though. Opaque Red was offered on the first ones to come out and that was in 1974. That color was offered for three years, 1974-75-76. If it's a 76 model the build date will be stamped on the head badge, and sometimes it's really hard to see. No serial # under the crank? I'll post this list so you'll have it when you find the number. But it's one of the three years mentioned.
> 
> View attachment 1380153



No serial under the crank. I was thinking the ones in the 70’s were made in the USA. This one was made in Japan?


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## RaleighRich (Mar 27, 2021)

That is a great find!  I just found an '81 Le Tour on Craigslist, and it is a really nice riding bicycle.
Here is a link to Schwinn catalogs that may help with an ID if no serial number can be found:

https://bikehistory.org/catalogs/


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## GTs58 (Mar 27, 2021)

Having no serial number is just weird. Since the drop outs look like the same part on left and right, maybe they goofed up and welded the drop out on the wrong side with the serial number to the inside? No doubt that's a 74-76 model and there should be components with date codes, even the reflectors will be dated but a 74 dated reflector could easily have been used on a 75 model. No date code stamped on the head badge either? I don't think Schwinn built any of the Le Tours until they opened up the Greenville plant. Eric Amlie posted this news letter.


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## Shelbygt (Mar 27, 2021)

GTs58 said:


> Having no serial number is just weird. Since the drop outs look like the same part on left and right, maybe they goofed up and welded the drop out on the wrong side with the serial number to the inside? No doubt that's a 74-76 model and there should be components with date codes, even the reflectors will be dated but a 74 dated reflector could easily have been used on a 75 model. No date code stamped on the head badge either? I don't think Schwinn built any of the Le Tours until they opened up the Greenville plant. Eric Amlie posted this news letter.
> 
> View attachment 1380724



I can’t find anything. It’s weird alright. Here’s the head badge.


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## Shelbygt (Mar 27, 2021)




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## GTs58 (Mar 27, 2021)

Well, no head badge stamping so that narrows it down to a 74 or 75 model then. Any year markings on the hubs? I'm still dumbfounded there is no serial number. The way it's looking so far, I'd have guess this piece is one of the first ones and somebody at Schwinn forgot to tell them were or how on the serial numbers.


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## Shelbygt (Mar 27, 2021)

I’m told there are numbers on the peddle crank and head stem? I’ll check the hubs.


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## RaleighRich (Mar 27, 2021)

Shelbygt said:


> I’m told there are numbers on the peddle crank and head stem?



For what its worth -- _No Hands the Rise and Fall of the Schwinn Bicycle Company _states on page 102 that Schwinn imported its first lug framed bicycles in 1972.  First was the World and soon after the Le Tour.  Presumably from Japan.  By the late 1970's Chicago began to make lug framed bicycles  -- the Le Tour and Super Le Tour.
By the mid '80's Le Tours and Super Le Tours were made at Greenville, Mississippi.  p 221

My '81 Le Tour shows as yours does, on the seat post, made in Japan, but the head badge states "Schwinn Chicago"
Serial # on it is on the left rear dropout, and begins 1B -- which Im assuming is February of 1981 -- it does match the '81 catalog and parts components.

No idea if this is of any help or not, but the sourcing of the Le Tours is interesting.


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## Shelbygt (Mar 27, 2021)

I’m going to dig deeper. She needs tires, tubes and a thorough service before she hits the road again. I’m going to take things apart to clean and lubricate. I’ll be looking for numbers. She’s in darned good shape. At this point I’m thinking she’s a 74 or 75 since there are no numbers. I wonder what Japanese company Schwinn had source the bike? I’ve heard Bridgestone is a possibility. She seems well built.


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## RaleighRich (Mar 27, 2021)

Shelbygt said:


> I’m going to dig deeper. She needs tires, tubes and a thorough service before she hits the road again. I’m going to take things apart to clean and lubricate. I’ll be looking for numbers. She’s in darned good shape. At this point I’m thinking she’s a 74 or 75 since there are no numbers. I wonder what Japanese company Schwinn had source the bike? I’ve heard Bridgestone is a possibility. She seems well built.



Bridgestone and Panasonic both built for Schwinn.


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## GTs58 (Mar 27, 2021)

Shelbygt said:


> I’m going to dig deeper. She needs tires, tubes and a thorough service before she hits the road again. I’m going to take things apart to clean and lubricate. I’ll be looking for numbers. She’s in darned good shape. At this point I’m thinking she’s a 74 or 75 since there are no numbers. I wonder what Japanese company Schwinn had source the bike? I’ve heard Bridgestone is a possibility. She seems well built.




That piece is so nice it shouldn't take a whole lot to make it look new. When you do tear it down make sure to look at the inside of the right/drive side drop out for a number. Panasonic was the maker of the 74 thru 78 models and its said Chicago Schwinn made them in 1979 and 80. If you look at the catalog images I've noticed that the 1974 image only shows the wheel reflectors like yours, the 75 model has round wheel reflectors. I usually don't have a lot of faith in the catalog images being accurate, but in this particular case I think it is.


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## GTs58 (Mar 28, 2021)

Here's the 74 Le Tour's serial number location.


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## Shelbygt (Apr 4, 2021)

GTs58 said:


> That piece is so nice it shouldn't take a whole lot to make it look new. When you do tear it down make sure to look at the inside of the right/drive side drop out for a number. Panasonic was the maker of the 74 thru 78 models and its said Chicago Schwinn made them in 1979 and 80. If you look at the catalog images I've noticed that the 1974 image only shows the wheel reflectors like yours, the 75 model has round wheel reflectors. I usually don't have a lot of faith in the catalog images being accurate, but in this particular case I think it is.
> 
> View attachment 1380979



She’s a sweetheart! Is the rear sprocket assembly hard to get out for bearing service?


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## Shelbygt (Apr 4, 2021)

GTs58 said:


> Here's the 74 Le Tour's serial number location.
> 
> View attachment 1381671



Mine  doesn’t have a serial anywhere.


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## GTs58 (Apr 4, 2021)

Shelbygt said:


> She’s a sweetheart! Is the rear sprocket assembly hard to get out for bearing service?




I don't have any freewheel bikes that new but there is most likely a dust cover on your freewheel. Usually a light oiling is all that's needed. The old Atom's that I mess with don't have a dust cover and if they are clean I just oil them with the bike or wheel being horizontal. Sheldon has some tips .. https://www.sheldonbrown.com/freewheels.html


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## Shelbygt (Apr 4, 2021)

GTs58 said:


> I don't have any freewheel bikes that new but there is most likely a dust cover on your freewheel. Usually a light oiling is all that's needed. The old Atom's that I mess with don't have a dust cover and if they are clean I just oil them with the bike or wheel being horizontal. Sheldon has some tips .. https://www.sheldonbrown.com/freewheels.html



Cool. I’m gonna study this over. Thanks!


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## GTs58 (Apr 4, 2021)

Shelbygt said:


> Cool. I’m gonna study this over. Thanks!




Maybe check out the Schwinn lightweight section. https://thecabe.com/forum/index/lightweight-schwinn-bicycles.56/

An old friend from the SBF was very helpful with all the Schwinn geared lightweights but it seems @Metacortex hasn't been around for a while. I know he has taken those dust covers off with no problem breaking them. I'm thinking he used one of those L shaped picks carefully prying up.


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## Shelbygt (Apr 4, 2021)

GTs58 said:


> Maybe check out the Schwinn lightweight section. https://thecabe.com/forum/index/lightweight-schwinn-bicycles.56/
> 
> An old friend from the SBF was very helpful with all the Schwinn geared lightweights but it seems @Metacortex hasn't been around for a while. I know he has taken those dust covers off with no problem breaking them. I'm thinking he used one of those L shaped picks carefully prying up.



Thank you again!!


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## HARPO (Apr 4, 2021)

It was to expensive at the time for Schwinn to build this bike here. So, off they went, overseas, seeing who could maintain the quality of Schwinn while making it still profitable. Japan won. 
The Yen and Dollar difference worked out for a few years...then that changed...making it just as expensive to build it in Japan if not more so. Back to the USA it came!


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## Shelbygt (Apr 4, 2021)

HARPO said:


> It was to expensive at the time for Schwinn to build this bike here. So, off they went, overseas, seeing who could maintain the quality of Schwinn while making it still profitable. Japan won.
> The Yen and Dollar difference worked out for a few years...then that changed...making it just as expensive to build it in Japan if not more so. Back to the USA it came!



I’m getting her going. Back wheel is trued. Ordering a pair of Panaracers. Shouldn’t be long now!


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## Real1 (Apr 10, 2021)

I'm with GTs58....'74-'76. Serial stamp should be on the left drop out.....how curious. As was said, since the bike parts all look OE, try to find a date stamp on one of those pieces. 

There were two yrs of the LeTour and the Super LeTour made in Chicago. Schwinn was in a tiff with their Japanese frames supplier. They decided to make lug frames competitive with the Japanese in '79-'80. The Paramount and Varsity also got the lugged frames but double butted. 

Formally, Schwinn had been using fillet-brazed joints on their tubing for their better bikes at the Chicago plant. Nice, strong joints but a 1930's process. All the LeTours and Super LeTours were lugged frames.

Kevin


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## Real1 (Apr 10, 2021)

Panasonic and Giant both made frames for Schwinn. It's hard to trace exactly where the Japanese frames were made....most researchers just generalize.

Your bike looks exactly like my bike...slightly better paint on yours. I ditched the kickstand and bought alloy rims....but that left me with a rear hub not compatible with the OE freewheel. The OE crank set is alloy, but you could probably find better...I left mine on. I don't care if I have the 'gum look' tires, so I bought Trisports FlakJackets that wear like iron.

The bike was on my street with a FREE sign. Only thing missing was the seat. Very low mileage bike I found when I got into the BB....factory grease looked original. Haven't been inside the headset yet. Had it about 15yrs now. I have an extra Brooks B17 I may put on there for fun, but I'll lose my 'cushioning'....lol. .

In the 'Lightweight Schwinn' thread I figured out how to break the pedals apart. They are not the best quality to say the least.

Kevin


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