1973 Kool Lemon, J-38 Schwinn, Sting-Ray.

[cyclingday]

I’ve been thinking about picking up a Sting-Ray for several years now.
I always thought if I was going to add one to the collection, that it should be one of the dazzling colors like violet or green.
Then, this little gem popped up on eBay a couple of weeks ago.
I know, most of you hard core collectors are scratching your head at the description of it being a little gem.
Well, it is to me, because this model and color is exactly like the Sting-Ray I had in the early 70’s.
Plus, the seller was the original owner, and he only lived about 20 minutes away.
So, I couldn’t resist.

I could see that it had a point of purchase decal on the frame, and since the guy was local, I had my fingers crossed, that it had been bought at Sea Schwinn Cyclery in Costa Mesa, Ca.
That’s where my original had been purchased when I was 13 years old.
To my surprise, it had been purchased new, from Seversons Schwinn Cyclery in the Chicago area, where the original owner grew up, before moving to California.

I couldn’t find too much info on Seversons, but apparently, it had been one of Schwinn largest dealers.
Here’s a little bit of background on the shop from a discussion on the Bike Forums.

So, it’s not the exact bike I had when I was a kid, but just about as close as I could hope for.
Besides, my original Kool Lemon bike lived a pretty hard life on the first go around, so this one should fair a little better, now that I’m a Kool 63 years old.
😎

 

[coasterbrakejunkie1969]

Killer bike and great color really sharp looking. The yellow Stingrays do not get the respect they deserve,

 

[sworley]

Had a 76 Kool Lemon standard ray for years, it was a wonderful bike. Enjoy!

 

[60sstuff]

Congatulations!

I would call that ‘73 Stingray a very Kool Gem.

It was meant to be and I’m sure it brings back many memories for you.
It’s a bright look at me color, plus from the Original owner ….. Nice, and in driving distance from you ….. Nice.

I see mid-late ‘71 pedals.
What are the two letters month/year?

Let’s see more.
Cool dealer sticker!

 

[cyclingday]

Thanks!
Yes, the original owner was very glad to see that his old bike was going to be cared for, by a like minded person.
We had a nice visit reminiscing about the good ol days.
You’ve made an astute observation on the pedals.
Here’s a couple of before the clean up pictures.
I should’ve taken some more detail shots, but I did get this one of the serial number.
The pedals that were on it were narrow/jr. size, so I bought a wider set of what seemed to be comparable to what had been on it.

Thinking that the wider pedals would suit my foot size now that I’m not 13 years old anymore.

Here’s a side shot of the narrow pedals that were on it.
We’re these correct?
I assume those Jr size pedals were original to the bike, but they seemed to be more suited for a Slik Chik than a boys bike.

 

[60sstuff]

I would think these pedals are correct for a full size ’73 Stingray.

These are the pedals on my Original ‘73 Sunset Orange Krate.

 

[cyclingday]

Ok, good to know!
Thanks!
I can use all the help I can get.
Did they use that model pedal on the standard J-38, or only on the top of the line Krate models?

The funny thing about trying to get these bikes as accurate as possible, is that I remember my buddies and I going down to the Schwinn shop when we were kids, and buying replacement pedals for our bikes, because we didn’t like the government mandated reflector pedals. Lol!
I’m sure we gave fits to the collectors that found our bikes in the scrap heap.
We put moto bars and solo saddles on them so that we could pretend we were Malcolm Smith. Lol!

 

[cyclingday]

Here’s a trip down memory lane, from the 1973 catalog.

I don’t know about you guys, but I’ve got to find a pair of those bad ass cycling shoes.
Oh, yeah!
Anybody got an n o s pair of those in a size 11?

 

[GTs58]

I’ve been looking for a pair of track shoes like I had back in 1966. We might have to wait for repops.

 

[Kickstand3]

Here’s a trip down memory lane, from the 1973 catalog.

View attachment 1809374

View attachment 1809368

View attachment 1809367

View attachment 1809372

View attachment 1809373

View attachment 1809369

View attachment 1809370

View attachment 1809371I don’t know about you guys, but I’ve got to find a pair of those bad ass cycling shoes.
Oh, yeah!
Anybody got an n o s pair of those in a size 11?

Ok, good to know!
Thanks!
I can use all the help I can get.
Did they use that model pedal on the standard J-38, or only on the top of the line Krate models?

The funny thing about trying to get these bikes as accurate as possible, is that I remember my buddies and I going down to the Schwinn shop when we were kids, and buying replacement pedals for our bikes, because we didn’t like the government mandated reflector pedals. Lol!
I’m sure we gave fits to the collectors that found our bikes in the scrap heap.
We put moto bars and solo saddles on them so that we could pretend we were Malcolm Smith. Lol!

Ok, good to know!
Thanks!
I can use all the help I can get.
Did they use that model pedal on the standard J-38, or only on the top of the line Krate models?

The funny thing about trying to get these bikes as accurate as possible, is that I remember my buddies and I going down to the Schwinn shop when we were kids, and buying replacement pedals for our bikes, because we didn’t like the government mandated reflector pedals. Lol!
I’m sure we gave fits to the collectors that found our bikes in the scrap heap.
We put moto bars and solo saddles on them so that we could pretend we were Malcolm Smith. Lol!

Thanks!
Yes, the original owner was very glad to see that his old bike was going to be cared for, by a like minded person.
We had a nice visit reminiscing about the good ol days.
You’ve made an astute observation on the pedals.
Here’s a couple of before the clean up pictures.
I should’ve taken some more detail shots, but I did get this one of the serial number.
The pedals that were on it were narrow/jr. size, so I bought a wider set of what seemed to be comparable to what had been on it.
View attachment 1809355Thinking that the wider pedals would suit my foot size now that I’m not 13 years old anymore.

View attachment 1809356Here’s a side shot of the narrow pedals that were on it.
We’re these correct?
I assume those Jr size pedals were original to the bike, but they seemed to be more suited for a Slik Chik than a boys bike.

Nice Marty Congrats
I never had one as a young man , but always wanted one.I was lucky as well to find one from the original owner. It’s the only one I have.
Enjoy