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Schwinn Racer...Is This Worth Purchasing?

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That's definitely a 24" frame and approximately a 1971. And the seat post is still way up there! I bet I could't reach the pedals half way down the down stroke. 😂 That was a pretty detailed refurb with a lot of cleaning and polishing. Not sure how long that mag ring was used after that. Wasn't the Racer discontinued after 1971 and the Speedster name took over its place?
As far as I know, yes. Here's my tall '73 Speedster.

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Here's another example of a 23" frame on a '63 Traveler that I picked up at a thrift store for cheap.
I added the setback seatpost, wider handlebar, and later saddle to increase the comfort.
Interestingly, I'm only 5' 6" and this bike fits me fine.

1745736
 
That is a sweet bike, really clean, and great color too! Bonus points for the generator set. Looks like it was hardly ridden
 
Wasn't the Racer discontinued after 1971 and the Speedster name took over its place?
According to the bikehistory site, (with the digitized Schwinn catalogs), Schwinn built the Racer in 1933 and 1938 as a true racing style bicycle, then reintroduced the name in 1957 as the upright seated classic we have been discussing here. I haven't personally seen any examples of configurations other than 3 speed with rim brakes, but according to the sales catalogs, they were also sold with single speed coaster hubs, and with Bendix 2 speed Automatic aka "kickback" hubs until at least the mid 60s. The Racer's last year is shown as 1971. https://bikehistory.org/bikes/racer/

The Speedster was introduced in 1959, with single, 2 and 3 speed hubs and was offered through 1978, but had quite a lot of metamorphosis over its history.
  • From 1959 -'62 it was a cantilever frame
  • '63 until '71 it seems that the 26" wheel Speedster was only offered in the "camelback" style, with reduced frame height for youthful riders. There were also 24" and even 20" Speedster models.
  • It wasn't until 1972 that the full sized, diamond frames seem to have been offered.


So, this reinforces your idea that the Speedster took over the market slot of the Racer when that model was discontinued in 1971. Perhaps even the same frame design was used? It would be interesting if someone would compare a 1971 Racer to a 1972 Speedster.
 
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According to the bikehistory site, (with the digitized Schwinn catalogs), Schwinn built the Racer in 1933 and 1938 as a true racing style bicycle, then reintroduced the name in 1957 as the upright seated classic we have been discussing here. I haven't personally seen any examples of configurations other than 3 speed with rim brakes, but according to the sales catalogs, they were also sold with single speed coaster hubs, and with Bendix 2 speed Automatic aka "kickback" hubs until at least the mid 60s. The Racer's last year is shown as 1971. https://bikehistory.org/bikes/racer/

The Speedster was introduced in 1959, with single, 2 and 3 speed hubs and was offered through 1978, but had quite a lot of metamorphosis over its history.
  • From 1959 -'62 it was a cantilever frame
  • '63 until '71 it seems that the Speedster was only offered in the "camelback" style, with reduced frame height for youthful riders. There were 24" and even 20" Speedster models.
  • It wasn't until 1972 that the full sized, diamond frames seem to have been offered.


So, this reinforces your idea that the Speedster took over the market slot of the Racer when that model was discontinued in 1971. Perhaps even the same frame design was used? It would be interesting if someone would compare a 1971 Racer to a 1972 Speedster.
my modified Racer was originally a coaster brake version. when i got it it had been "Raleighed" with 3 speed Araya (I think ) rims, handle bars and stem. I just saw a Bendix 2 speed cable shift version on Craigslist in white, only 40 bucks... maybe I should have snagged it. I like those 2 speeds.
 
The Suburban was offered as a 3-speed in 1970 and 1971, but discontinued the same year as the Racer.

27" wheels + 3 speed hub is a nice combo but perhaps it was a hard sell since more people were inclined to get the 5 or 10 speed models.
 
I just saw a Bendix 2 speed cable shift version on Craigslist in white, only 40 bucks... maybe I should have snagged it. I like those 2 speeds.
Maybe I was wrong about the 2 speed hubs being kickbacks. I just assumed they were Bendix Automatic, but the Red Band didn't come out until 1960, and the Blue and Yellow later still.
 
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