1978 Schwinn Superior bike.

[Goldenrod]

I have three Schwinn's 1962 Schwinn Continental in Great shape, 1982 Schwinn Voyager 11.8 in like new condition and very light (Lugged Chromoly) and 1978 Filet brazed Chromoly Superior, which is heavier then the Voyager and has never been ridden. All three have dropped handlebars. I am up in age and you are right it can get uncomfortable with dropped handlebars. I have been trying for 3 years to sell the Voyager because it is to big for me. It is 24 inch frame and I am only 5-7. The bike is so Beautiful I could not resist buying it even though I knew it was too big for me.

A true collector.

 

[Goldenrod]

I used to be 5'7" but have shrunk closer to 5'6" now.
I have a 23" Voyageur 11.8(the chromed version) and an '84 or '85 Voyageur SP.
I can ride these 23" bikes without problem, but as with you, a 24" frame would be just too big for me.

I was mad at the blue jeans manufacturer for changing the sizes until I realized that my legs had shrunk one inch but both still work.

 

[Eric Amlie]

I was mad at the blue jeans manufacturer for changing the sizes until I realized that my legs had shrunk one inch but both still work.

Usually the loss in height comes from the spinal disks compressing over time.

 

[John Gialanella]

I bought the Gran Turismo rear derailleur because it looked so much nicer then the ugly Japanese derailleurs, but after having read this article about the Sun Tour V-GT luxe which came with the 1978 Schwinn Superior bikes and what was said about the Gran Turismo rear derailleurs, I decided to leave it on the bike. I am starting to like the design better. Too bad the Japanese did not try to make it nicer looking besides the excellent performance. I guess because I only saw the derailleurs in the 1960's growing up from Huret and Campy that go strait down, instead of horizontal then down, then when I saw these Japanese derailleurs they looked odd.

 

[Eric Amlie]

My '71 Paramount P15 came with the Campy Gran Tourismo(popularly known as the Gran Trashmo).
I didn't find it to be terrible, but there was one shift(I forget which one now) that it consistently wanted to skip over one of the cogs.
I replaced it with a Campy Rally and all is good now.

 

[John Gialanella]

I read about the Campy Rally rear Derailleur and it said it is much better then the Gran Turismo. One NOS one was on E-Bay for $200.00 but I already bought the Gran Turismo derailleur. I am starting to like the Sun Tour V-GT luxe that is on my 1978 Schwinn Superior bike. I read an article where a guy said that the Superiors are very nice bikes, but not as responsive as the Voyager 11.8 bikes. I have been trying to sell my like new 1982 Schwinn Voyager 11.8 for 3 years with no luck. It is too big for me. But it was so Beautiful I could not resist buying it. It is 23 or 24 inch frame. I have had it on Craig's list for 3 years. Craig's list is a joke for selling things. I do not want to put it on E-Bay. Does this site allow for selling bikes or bike parts. I also have several high end Campy parts too.

 

[Tour De Luxe]

Change the tires! My sister had a 1977 Panasonic in pristine condition, always stored inside and probably only ridden 100 miles in its lifetime. The tires looked brand new. Pulled it out last year and I pumped them up and did a quick checkout. My wife took it on a test ride that included a pretty good descent. The rear tire blew out the sidewall right at the bottom. Luckily, my wife was able to control it and no accident. But, I changed all the tires older than 10 years after that.

 

[John Gialanella]

Thanks for the advice. I guess even if the tires have never been mounted and are stored in dry cool place and the Sun never its them, they still age with time like we all do. If they were going to be on bike for display purposes only then that is OK.

 

[John Gialanella]

Here are some pictures of my 1978 Schwinn Superior bike floor model.

 

[Tour De Luxe]

John, Nice old Superior. The problem is that no one really wants the old Schwinn lightweights. I tried selling my 1984 Le Tour Luxe about 5-6 years ago as I just wasn’t riding it since buying a 2008 Cannondale hybrid with flat bars. I had it on CL for weeks and had a few low ball offers ($50), but no real interest. Even Ebay was a bust. Still have my Schwinn, which I bought new, and do ride it occasionally, but it hangs in the garage most of the time.