1983 Schwinn Le Tour Chain Suggestion?

[ebasnett]

I picked up this 1983 Schwinn Le Tour last week. At $75 I feel like I paid too much, but the college kid that had it was a super nice guy. He met me at the sandwich shop he owns in a little college town nearby and threw in a really good sub sandwich so I was happy with the transaction. I also feel like if I hadn’t bought it, it might have ended up sitting on the curb because the seller is planning on moving in a few months.

The rear derailleur has lost its jockey pulley. I looked through the 1983 Shimano catalog at the Altus ST derailleur and found the part number for the pulley. Unfortunately I couldn’t find a current production pulley that the part number crosses to, so I grabbed a clean Altus LT front and rear derailleur (plus shifters) for $27 on eBay. Now I have lots of spare parts.

The only issue I have now is the chain. It’s old and crusty. With so many “matched” chain systems out there these days, what Shimano chain should I buy for a plain old 1980s Schwinn 12 speed with a Shimano drivetrain?

 

[bloo]

Any modern chain for 6, 7, 8, (9?) speeds should work fine on this bike.

 

[J-wagon]

Shimano Cn-Hg40

 

[ebasnett]

Thanks bloo & j-wagon! I’ve scrounged up a replacement for the missing safety lever, a new chain, parts to sort out the derailleur, and a replacement for the little dia-compe adjuster that goes on top of the brake lever.

Some grease and polish should put this old girl back on the road in a month or two!

 

[Tour De Luxe]

A bit late to the conversation, but I’m amazed at the difference in one year of production. My Le Tour Luxe is 1984. Where the 83 has stem mounted shifters, the 84 has downtube shifters. Mine has the Suntour derailleur, but more a factor of the gearing I think vs your Shimano. My wife’s 84 Le Tour Mixte has a Shimano. Even the crank is different. As far as chains, I have good luck with KMC Z7 chain.