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Schwinn Varsity tourist question

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The bike was a '69 or '70 Sky Blue Super Sport. Doug Clifford said about the bike that he used to get to Cosmo's Factory in Berkeley, “I rode that bike to work every day, I lived up in the hills, seven and a half miles away. Coming to practice was all downhill, and going home after playing drums for hours, it was (uphill through the traffic).”

Cosmo's Factory Super Sport.jpg
 
Juvela and GTs58 can correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't know that there is any definitive way to identify whether said Varsity began life as a tourist model or the typical racing handlebar model. The serial number does not tell anything. Often Schwinn dealers would make changes to existing floor stock bicycles to make sales to customers. Often you will find that over the years, owners find that they might prefer rat trap pedals and doing without fenders. There is no way to know for sure what configuration that it was with the original purchaser. That color was available in the Varsity and the tourist Varsity. As far as I am aware, there were no differences in the decal placement or markings between the Varsity and the tourist Varsity. Even the awful, awfully inconvenient downtube shifter levers were typical in 1966 and earlier. Downtube shifters are terrible on an upright tourist style bicycle in my opinion, but even the early Collegiates (1964-1966) have a poorly located shifter.

My eyes aren't that great, but the tourist brake levers on the coppertone bike in post #1 appear to be exactly like the 1964-1965 Weinmann tourist brake levers. I am not seeing the difference that makes GTs58 think that they are mid '62 and earlier.
Certainly that creative bar tape wrap from some prior owner is backyard custom and never was seen on factory tourist bars.
.......Whatever it originated as, really does not matter. Now most all museum collector types will want every component to be year-date correct for when manufactured. The upright Varsity Tourist generally makes much more sense today, than the normal Varsity model that we typically think of. The problem is that the Downtube Shifter location is horrible for anyone wanting to ride upright tourist style. Thus, one can do much much better by simply acquiring a 1967 - 1982 Varsity and converting to Tourist configuration-----or----- acquiring a 1967-1969 Varsity tourist -OR- a 1970 - 1976 Suburban Ten Speed.
Or you can fit Suntour stem mount shifters, or the Schwinn Twin Stik stem mount shifters.....or something else that moves the shifters to either the stem location or the handlebars.
Schwinn introduced the great Twin Stik stem shifters with the 1967 model year.

The mid sixties Varsity is a really good bicycle. The large front chainring is smaller (at 50 teeth, I think, instead of the 52 teeth that all of the late sixties - thru the seventies to the Chicago end have).
That 50 T large front chainring may be more desireable for many people that want to ride upright and slow, city style because 50 teeth is more manageable for weaker, less athletic people. 52 gives much greater top speed potential but realistically unless one is in good shape, having 52 teeth is less practical when using the majority of gears with the big ring.
That is probably a plus for that vintage Varsity in upright tourist configuration. By the same token, most folks wishing to ride an old Varsity racing style in the drops, would want the 52 because Varsities are heavy and slow as is.
The one huge improvement that one can make to the rideablity of every Varsity is to install a Maeda SUNTOUR rear derailleur instead of the factory schwinn approved Huret Allvit. Doing that or installing a Shimano rear derailleur will make the Varsity a great riding 10 speed, much better than it ever was out of Chicago, unless of course you happen to own a seventies version that left the factory with a substituted GT-100(shimano) or GT-120(shimano) rear derailleur from the seventies era Collegiate-Suburban 5 speed. Schwinn did market in 1977-1978 a SUNTOUR equipped "varsity clones" called the SPORTABOUT and RUNABOUT which were better than the VARSITY because of the Japanese derailleur instead of French rear derailleur.
The Huret Allvit is the most decent rear derailleur that Europe ever produced, but the Japanese (Maeda SUNTOUR and SHIMANO ) really took operational quality, reliability, and durability to another level which which no European firm has ever come close to equalling.

Varsities are great bicycles despite the fact the todays road-bike crowd loves to make fun of them because of the really heavy, 40 pound weight.

Despite the fact that the vast majority of Varsity bikes have drop bars and left the Schwinn factory that way, VARSITIES SHOULD BE CONVERTED TO UPRIGHT CITY-TOURIST STYLE BIKES, TODAY IN THE 21st CENTURY, BECAUSE NOBODY WANTS THEM FOR RIDING IN THE "ROAD-BIKE" RACING POSITION, CROUCHED OVER STYLE BECAUSE THEY ARE AT LEAST 15 POUNDS HEAVIER THAN THE TYPICAL "ROAD-BIKE" OF TODAY.
The relaxed frame angle geometry of these old electroforged Schwinn frames, and their long wheelbase REALLY LENDS ITSELF TO VERY COMFORTABLE, VERY STABLE & VERY PREDICTABLE RIDING/STEERING.
Look at the "slack angles": See how both the headtube and the seat-tube almost both point to about 10:45 to 11:00 if you imagine a clock or watch dial face.
You can probably ride for at least a 1/4 Mile with No Hands on the handlebars on any Varsity. I don't recommend that you try doing this because an ER visit today in 2022 will cost you a fortune.
My suggestion to anyone considering converting their Varsity to tourist configuration is:
Choose tourist handlebars that you like ( I highly recommend the Schwinn 7881 handlebars, of 1967-1977 era, first seen on the '67 Breeze, and then Collegiates/Suburbans others)
The Black "Cushion Grip" handlebar grips that I think first appeared on the 1971 SUBURBANS are the most comfortable handlebar grip that Schwinn or anyone ever made in my opinion.
Choose the seat that you find to be most comfortable to you.
Remember that the 13"/16" inch diameter Schwinn seatpost has a 5/8" seat mount top portion and is approx about 9 inches long. IF YOU NEED LONGER Wald sells 13/16" diameter NEW POSTS in a variety of lengths with either the old-fashioned 5/8" top or with a modern 7/8" top for today's new aftermarket seats. Certainly you can typically swap the old timey 5/8 seat clamp from an ancient seat on to the seat frame rails of a new aftermkt seat after removing its 7/8 seat clamp. Now, new aftermkt 5/8" seat clamps aren't being reproduced, as 7/8" seat clamps appear to be the only new aftmkt seat clamps that are currently available for such ancient bikes and beach cruiser type bicycles. As you know, you can get away with flipping the original seat post upside down in the seat-tube, but by doing this, you lose some of the maximum available seat height extension because the tapered portion now in the seat-tube CANNOT count for any portion of the necessary minimum insertion length. Yes, 13/16 is 1/16th smaller than the 7/8 seat clamp of new modern aftmkt seats but you can tighten the bolt down more than enough to account for this very small 1/16th difference, such that everything will be fine.
Get the pedals that you like the best, and ride with those.
Consider swapping out the original equipment French freewheel 28 to 14 gear cogs FOR THE JAPANESE freewheel that has 32 to 14 gear cogs which is on all 1970 - 1977 Collegiate five speed models & is also on 1970 - 1976 SUBURBAN Five SPEED models (***HOWEVER NOT ON Suburban 10 speeds which have the same 28 to 14 as the VARSITY/CONTINENTAL)
You want the MODEL J freewheel from the 1970-1977 Collegiate & 1970-1976 SUBURBAN 5 Speed.
1969 & earlier Collegiate has the same 28 to 14 as Varsity/Continental, so that won't do you any good.
IF YOU WANT TO UPGRADE YOUR VARSITY SUCH THAT IT EQUALS A SUBURBAN, You would need to obtain a tubular front fork from the exact same size frame SUBURBAN or CONTINENTAL of the seventies.
The forged Blade fork rides so good, that I don't think that changing to the tubular front fork of the Suburban/Continental will improve it that much.

Ride them if you have them, as they were built to last, and have a comfortable, stable ride, though they aren't very fast because of their massive weight. This makes them perfect candidates for upright-tourist style.
Since you're talking about modifying a Chicago built "flash weld" frame bike, let me toss this at you.

The normal Schwinn seat post size was 13/16" diameter as you pointed out. But they were normally only 9" long. They sold an optional replacement HD seat post that was 12" long, but they are likely hard to find today thirty years later. A Sting Ray post will work also.

On Saturday morning in your neighborhood every one of you have past up buying a used Schwinn XR5 or XR6 exerciser. Most were made in Coppertone, but some were also sold in White (XR1's small drive sprocket)), or others in Seirra Brown over the years. These always sell for $15 to $25 at the morning yard sales.

You have some very viable parts that can be crossed over to your modified bicycles. The most obvious is the nice Messinger black 7000PB saddles. For anyone that has a small Schwinn Chicago frame bicycle that needs more adjustment, the Exerciser seat post was 16" long, and it was 12 ga metal (that's like 1/8" thick). That's really heavy wall to prevent it from bending and breaking the top of your frame seat tube off.

The early exerciser post will work great. The newer XR7 "improved" exerciser model will not work as the seat post diameter was enlarged and can be identified by the "pin type" retention.

John
 
Juvela and GTs58 can correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't know that there is any definitive way to identify whether said Varsity began life as a tourist model or the typical racing handlebar model. The serial number does not tell anything. Often Schwinn dealers would make changes to existing floor stock bicycles to make sales to customers. Often you will find that over the years, owners find that they might prefer rat trap pedals and doing without fenders. There is no way to know for sure what configuration that it was with the original purchaser. That color was available in the Varsity and the tourist Varsity. As far as I am aware, there were no differences in the decal placement or markings between the Varsity and the tourist Varsity. Even the awful, awfully inconvenient downtube shifter levers were typical in 1966 and earlier. Downtube shifters are terrible on an upright tourist style bicycle in my opinion, but even the early Collegiates (1964-1966) have a poorly located shifter.

My eyes aren't that great, but the tourist brake levers on the coppertone bike in post #1 appear to be exactly like the 1964-1965 Weinmann tourist brake levers. I am not seeing the difference that makes GTs58 think that they are mid '62 and earlier.
Certainly that creative bar tape wrap from some prior owner is backyard custom and never was seen on factory tourist bars.
.......Whatever it originated as, really does not matter. Now most all museum collector types will want every component to be year-date correct for when manufactured. The upright Varsity Tourist generally makes much more sense today, than the normal Varsity model that we typically think of. The problem is that the Downtube Shifter location is horrible for anyone wanting to ride upright tourist style. Thus, one can do much much better by simply acquiring a 1967 - 1982 Varsity and converting to Tourist configuration-----or----- acquiring a 1967-1969 Varsity tourist -OR- a 1970 - 1976 Suburban Ten Speed.
Or you can fit Suntour stem mount shifters, or the Schwinn Twin Stik stem mount shifters.....or something else that moves the shifters to either the stem location or the handlebars.
Schwinn introduced the great Twin Stik stem shifters with the 1967 model year.

The mid sixties Varsity is a really good bicycle. The large front chainring is smaller (at 50 teeth, I think, instead of the 52 teeth that all of the late sixties - thru the seventies to the Chicago end have).
That 50 T large front chainring may be more desireable for many people that want to ride upright and slow, city style because 50 teeth is more manageable for weaker, less athletic people. 52 gives much greater top speed potential but realistically unless one is in good shape, having 52 teeth is less practical when using the majority of gears with the big ring.
That is probably a plus for that vintage Varsity in upright tourist configuration. By the same token, most folks wishing to ride an old Varsity racing style in the drops, would want the 52 because Varsities are heavy and slow as is.
The one huge improvement that one can make to the rideablity of every Varsity is to install a Maeda SUNTOUR rear derailleur instead of the factory schwinn approved Huret Allvit. Doing that or installing a Shimano rear derailleur will make the Varsity a great riding 10 speed, much better than it ever was out of Chicago, unless of course you happen to own a seventies version that left the factory with a substituted GT-100(shimano) or GT-120(shimano) rear derailleur from the seventies era Collegiate-Suburban 5 speed. Schwinn did market in 1977-1978 a SUNTOUR equipped "varsity clones" called the SPORTABOUT and RUNABOUT which were better than the VARSITY because of the Japanese derailleur instead of French rear derailleur.
The Huret Allvit is the most decent rear derailleur that Europe ever produced, but the Japanese (Maeda SUNTOUR and SHIMANO ) really took operational quality, reliability, and durability to another level which which no European firm has ever come close to equalling.

Varsities are great bicycles despite the fact the todays road-bike crowd loves to make fun of them because of the really heavy, 40 pound weight.

Despite the fact that the vast majority of Varsity bikes have drop bars and left the Schwinn factory that way, VARSITIES SHOULD BE CONVERTED TO UPRIGHT CITY-TOURIST STYLE BIKES, TODAY IN THE 21st CENTURY, BECAUSE NOBODY WANTS THEM FOR RIDING IN THE "ROAD-BIKE" RACING POSITION, CROUCHED OVER STYLE BECAUSE THEY ARE AT LEAST 15 POUNDS HEAVIER THAN THE TYPICAL "ROAD-BIKE" OF TODAY.
The relaxed frame angle geometry of these old electroforged Schwinn frames, and their long wheelbase REALLY LENDS ITSELF TO VERY COMFORTABLE, VERY STABLE & VERY PREDICTABLE RIDING/STEERING.
Look at the "slack angles": See how both the headtube and the seat-tube almost both point to about 10:45 to 11:00 if you imagine a clock or watch dial face.
You can probably ride for at least a 1/4 Mile with No Hands on the handlebars on any Varsity. I don't recommend that you try doing this because an ER visit today in 2022 will cost you a fortune.
My suggestion to anyone considering converting their Varsity to tourist configuration is:
Choose tourist handlebars that you like ( I highly recommend the Schwinn 7881 handlebars, of 1967-1977 era, first seen on the '67 Breeze, and then Collegiates/Suburbans others)
The Black "Cushion Grip" handlebar grips that I think first appeared on the 1971 SUBURBANS are the most comfortable handlebar grip that Schwinn or anyone ever made in my opinion.
Choose the seat that you find to be most comfortable to you.
Remember that the 13"/16" inch diameter Schwinn seatpost has a 5/8" seat mount top portion and is approx about 9 inches long. IF YOU NEED LONGER Wald sells 13/16" diameter NEW POSTS in a variety of lengths with either the old-fashioned 5/8" top or with a modern 7/8" top for today's new aftermarket seats. Certainly you can typically swap the old timey 5/8 seat clamp from an ancient seat on to the seat frame rails of a new aftermkt seat after removing its 7/8 seat clamp. Now, new aftermkt 5/8" seat clamps aren't being reproduced, as 7/8" seat clamps appear to be the only new aftmkt seat clamps that are currently available for such ancient bikes and beach cruiser type bicycles. As you know, you can get away with flipping the original seat post upside down in the seat-tube, but by doing this, you lose some of the maximum available seat height extension because the tapered portion now in the seat-tube CANNOT count for any portion of the necessary minimum insertion length. Yes, 13/16 is 1/16th smaller than the 7/8 seat clamp of new modern aftmkt seats but you can tighten the bolt down more than enough to account for this very small 1/16th difference, such that everything will be fine.
Get the pedals that you like the best, and ride with those.
Consider swapping out the original equipment French freewheel 28 to 14 gear cogs FOR THE JAPANESE freewheel that has 32 to 14 gear cogs which is on all 1970 - 1977 Collegiate five speed models & is also on 1970 - 1976 SUBURBAN Five SPEED models (***HOWEVER NOT ON Suburban 10 speeds which have the same 28 to 14 as the VARSITY/CONTINENTAL)
You want the MODEL J freewheel from the 1970-1977 Collegiate & 1970-1976 SUBURBAN 5 Speed.
1969 & earlier Collegiate has the same 28 to 14 as Varsity/Continental, so that won't do you any good.
IF YOU WANT TO UPGRADE YOUR VARSITY SUCH THAT IT EQUALS A SUBURBAN, You would need to obtain a tubular front fork from the exact same size frame SUBURBAN or CONTINENTAL of the seventies.
The forged Blade fork rides so good, that I don't think that changing to the tubular front fork of the Suburban/Continental will improve it that much.

Ride them if you have them, as they were built to last, and have a comfortable, stable ride, though they aren't very fast because of their massive weight. This makes them perfect candidates for upright-tourist style.

Here's the later eye stabber brake levers. Notice the nylon oval in the side of the housing. Sometime in 62 these appeared, but they were silver aluminum.

_FqyR3&tn=RhpukCfQp38svT7s&_nc_ht=scontent.fphx1-1.jpg
 
The '66 I picked up recently (shown here as I got it), has the plastic "cups" that go into the brake lever as opposed to metal ones. Well, I took it for a quick ride. And when I engaged the brakes, both broke/snapped, rendering the brakes useless! Good thing I was going slow and testing them.

One of the times when Schwinn should not have cheaped out! 😕 You can see on the '67 Violet bike that @bikerbluz has that they were metal that year.

IMG_4127.jpeg
 
The '66 I picked up recently (shown here as I got it), has the plastic "cups" that go into the brake lever as opposed to metal ones. Well, I took it for a quick ride. And when I engaged the brakes, both broke/snapped, rendering the brakes useless! Good thing I was going slow and testing them.

One of the times when Schwinn should not have cheaped out! 😕 You can see on the '67 Violet bike that @bikerbluz has that they were metal that year.

View attachment 1864551
If you are talking about the casing stop on the end of the cable where it butts into the lever, Schwinn never used plastic on those, only cheap replacement cables had those.
 
If you are talking about the casing stop on the end of the cable where it butts into the lever, Schwinn never used plastic on those, only cheap replacement cables had those.
Cables appear to be original. I'll look closer tomorrow to see. But if you enlarge the photo, you'll see what I mean. 🤨
Bike is starting to be worked on, and has about a hundred paint chips. Anyone have an idea where to get a small bottle of some paint to come close to this color? Does Testor's Model Paint have something?🧐

IMG_4128.jpeg
 
Cables appear to be original. I'll look closer tomorrow to see. But if you enlarge the photo, you'll see what I mean. 🤨
Bike is starting to be worked on, and has about a hundred paint chips. Anyone have an idea where to get a small bottle of some paint to come close to this color? Does Testor's Model Paint have something?🧐

View attachment 1864936
Schwinn did not use this type. Lever is Weinmann but the cable is not.

s-l1600.jpg
 
Cables appear to be original. I'll look closer tomorrow to see. But if you enlarge the photo, you'll see what I mean. 🤨
Bike is starting to be worked on, and has about a hundred paint chips. Anyone have an idea where to get a small bottle of some paint to come close to this color? Does Testor's Model Paint have something?🧐
Radiant Coppertone is one of those colors that can be very tricky to touch up. The paint is transparent with a metallic undercoat. This was a popular color for Stingrays, so you might be able to source it from someone who sells after market parts for these bikes. Sometimes, it's best to leave it alone, because a poor touch-up job can look worse than chipped paint.
 
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