My "new" bike. A HE-MAN rig

[zray67]

For those unfortunates on this board who don't own or who have never ridden a Schwinn Varsity bike, I want to tell you what you are missing. I purchased my mint Schwinn Varsity bike off Ebay. A 1974 Tall(63cm) Schwinn Varsity 10-Speed. Red/orange color with chrome fenders and all original equipment including lights driven by a wheel generator.If you wish to own a genuine piece of Americana, the lights and generator are for sale. The generator doesn't work but it will give you a project to work on in the winter months. Back to my he-man rig, it has a built-in kick stand and unfortunately it has an odd dimensioned stem and seat post. Shifters are stem mounted. But, it's piece de resistance is it's weight. Arnold Schwarzenegger would have difficulty lifting this bike on to a bike stand. It is not only pedaling it up a hill that has me concerned it is coming down a hill that terrifies me. If, my he-man rig ever picks up momentum why, my good golly, if it hit an armored truck it would knock the armored truck over. The weight of current bike wheels are weighed in grams. The Schwinn wheels are weighed in kilograms. Truly, if your bike herd doesn't have a Schwinn Varsity in the herd your collection is not complete.

[BumbleBeeDave]

I bought it with proceeds from my paper route--first $100 bill I ever held in my hand. It had thje extra brake handle on the bar tops and I got some short mudguards for it because I thought the full length ones looked too sissified. Of course the shorter ones did absolutely no good for keeping splash off of me, but they looked "cooler." I also had one of those generator lights--don't remember if it was for front or back, though.

That bike was my ticket to freedom. I rode it all over to places so far away from home that my mind boggled. Some years ago when I went back to suburban Chicago to visit I realized that "far" is all relative. Most of these places were not more than 5-7 miles from home, but to a 10-12 year old it was like riding to the moon! Places parents today would never let their kids ride to alone . . .

Like this place, which is still there! God, how many weeks worth of allowance I spent there!

http://local.yahoo.com/info-17330624-lagrange-hobby-center-la-grange

BBD

[Ahneida Ride]

My first bike was a Schwinn Continental for 80 DOLLARS.

A Paramount was about $300. An unimaginable amount at the time.

[Lifelover]

My best friend growing up had a green Varsity. I had a Ross with a free spinning chainring so that I could shift without pedaling!

I moved on to a Continental. Damn near as heavy as the varsity but a step up in over all quality.

[csm]

I had a Le Tour.... not much lighter than the Varsity. I have a yellow Continental in the shed. Needs tires.

[Kirk Pacenti]

My wife's uncle made his first trans-american bike trip on a yellow Schwinn Continental, from Portland, Oregon to Portland, Maine in 13 days.* He still has the bike, and I did try to pick it up...once. ugh!
I'm not sure if the Continental was any lighter than the Varsity, but I could scarcely imagine attempting that ride on any 70's vintage Schwinn.

What's more amazing is that up to that point he had never ridden a bike more than 30 miles. He was just a freak of nature physically. He was also blessed with enough inexperience (naivet'e?) not to realize people shouldn't be able to do such things! Afterward, he got very much into cycling and raced the RAAM 5- 6 times [on much better bikes of course] supplied by Davidson. And if I am not mistaken, he still holds the 24 hour record at Marrymoor.


Cheers,

KP

*His dad rode sag in a small RV to carry all their gear.*

[chuckred]

Mine was Bbown and purchased in about 1970. I didn't know enough to worry about weight (it probably weighed more than me). But, I sure got around on it! I don't recall that it had fenders, but the bar top brakes (who really needs brakes as a teenager?) and stem mounted shifters sure were "cool".

But, as Bike Snob says, they were crumby bikes then and they are now as well! I just didn't know better. Nostalgia's fun, but I'd rather not ride one again! I might want to get out on my mid-70's Paramount though...

[SoCalSteve]

Schwinn Varsity.

Blue.

Paid for with my allowance.

My ticket to freedom growing up.

nuff said,

Steve

[Ken Robb]

That bike was my ticket to freedom. I rode it all over to places so far away from home that my mind boggled. Some years ago when I went back to suburban Chicago to visit I realized that "far" is all relative. Most of these places were not more than 5-7 miles from home, but to a 10-12 year old it was like riding to the moon! Places parents today would never let their kids ride to alone . . .

Yep, like when I rode my Schwinn Traveler w/3 speed Sturmey-Archer from Berwyn through Riverside to the Brookfield Zoo. Admission was free back then. Ken

http://local.yahoo.com/info-17330624-lagrange-hobby-center-la-grange

BBD fun

[FL_MarkD]

My first 'ten speed' was an early 70's brown Varsity. Rode that thing everywhere, including to my job as a bag boy at the grocery store. The plastic handlebar tape flapping in the wind .... :p

My claim to fame was that I could wheelie that thing like few others. I could shift gears in the air, ride around corners, ride one handed. It sure balanced nice with the front wheel high in the air. Helmet, we don't need no stinkin' helmet. Never hurt myself much.

That lasted a couple of years until I got my first car. I don't think the front wheel ever went much out of round. Built like a tank. Ahhh the memories.

Mark

[MarleyMon]

I took a brown Varsity from a college roommate (and future ex-bro-in-law) as payment for a phone bill he failed to pay.
What a pos!
(Not wild about the bike either.)

It felt like it was made of solid bars of steel rather than tubes.
Ultimately stolen along w/ another Schwinn and 2 Azukis from my parents' garage.

[Bob Ross]

Hi, my name is Bob and I'm an alco...I mean, an ex-Schwinn Varsity owner.

Mine was a bright yellow 1970 Varsity Sport, bought brand new when I was 9 or 10 years old. I took the fenders off after one year, back then I thought they looked dorky. And I too had the generator-powered light set, although I'm fairly certain they did not come with the bike, I bought them seperately.

I never actually knew what it weighed (until very recently -- saw a post on one of these here internet forums where someone clocked his at 41lbs), but by the time I was in my early teens my other buddies were already making fun of my heavy Schwinn. I remember when my friend showed up with a new 1974 Atala that weighed 28lbs it was the lightest bike I'd ever felt in my life!

[fiamme red]

I had a 1976 "Bicentennial" Varsity. I owe my love of cycling to it and my Schwinn Sportabout (even back then I needed more than one bike).

That Varsity took a lot of abuse. As a teenager I had quite a few crashes (including getting hit by a bus), but the Varsity never seemed to go out of alignment. I could ride it no-handed for miles and miles.

I later used it as a beater. I'd ride it two miles to work and leave it locked outside all day without worrying that it might get stolen. It met its demise when a building fell on it -- it was locked on Liberty St next to the WTC on 9/11.

[Kevan]

late 60's lime-green : stolen (actually a good kicker bike)

early 70's brown: stolen (actually a stationwagon on 2 wheels)

[Bud_E]

I also had the copper/orange Varsity I probably got in 1964. I rode it to school and delivered newspapers on it every day. I bought it from Marty's Bike Shop on La Cienega - Marty was a mean SOB.

[PaulE]

One of my friends bought a used 1960's vintage Varsity in the early 70's. I think he paid $20 for it. This one pre-dated the extra suicide brake levers under the bar tops. It was originally red but the paint was so faded by the time he bought it that it was almost pink. The "Schwinn Approved" saddle on his was a real leather one that I think really was a Brooks with "Schwinn Approved" embossed in the sides and on the plate riveted in the back instead saying Brooks. Every other Varsity I've ever seen has had a rubber/plastic saddle. The front and rear derailleurs on it were obviously Huret but had also been rebadged "Schwinn Approved". The shift levers were still the stem mounted Schwinn ones though, even back then. The welded frame must have been made from 1/4" walled tubing. And let's not forget the fork - no tubing or crown there, just one solid stamped piece of 1/4" thick steel strap bent around to form both legs and the crown, with the steerer tube welded to it, and a piece of chrome plated sheet metal below the crown race to create the look of a fork crown. The Schwinn Varsities were crude but built to a price point and built to take the abuse that Schwinn knew their customers for that bike would be giving it.

My Peugeot U-08 and Dawes Galaxy were just light years ahead - with their sloppy brazing and plastic Simplex derailleurs. Ha Ha. At least they both had quick releases on both hubs and the Dawes had aluminum rims plus non butted Reynolds 531 in the 3 main frame tubes - if only it had been brazed somewhere close to being aligned straight!

There is a guy around the corner from the Trexlertown Velodrome that looks like he's got a bunch of old Schwinn Varsities in various sizes for sale. Maybe I'll stop in next time I pass by and take the plunge.

[zray67]

Sheldon Brown liked early American Bikes and on his web site there is an article by Marc S. Muller about the construction of an Varsity Frame. The Schwinn Varsity frame was made by a process called electro-forging. The article gives the background of the E/F process and also how Schwinn missed the boat on the then emerging lugged frame bikes. One of the replies to this tread mentioned that the Varsity weighs approximately 41 lbs. That is correct. Shipping weight of my bike was 52.5 lbs

[Jeff N.]

My first bike was a used POS JC Higgins (Sears' brand), but I lusted for a green ( flamboyant lime?)Schwinn Varsity 10-Speed. $69.95 at Franks's (that shop had a wonderful smell) bike shop in Fullerton California. Huret derailleur. Weinmann brakes. To die for. BEGGED my Dad to get it for me. He just couldn't afford it. :crap: So I mowed neighborhood lawns 'til I went deaf from the noisy Briggs & Stratton, at 5 bucks per lawn, front and back, and sold the JC for 25 bucks, same price I paid. Finally, the day came when I went down to Frank's and paid cash for that bad boy. :banana: I remember it had a rack in back with a green reflector. Road it for many years until cars and girls took me over.
I honestly don't know what ever became of that bike. I went into the service and I think my Dad must've given it to a needy kid or something. Jeff N.

[Spinner]

... was a baby blue continental, new in '72 for $118.00. i had to have one after drooling over the schwinn catalog with all the chicks riding with the rooster wanna bees.

[PacNW2Ford]

... was a baby blue continental, new in '72 for $118.00. i had to have one after drooling over the schwinn catalog with all the chicks riding with the rooster wanna bees.

Same here, I got my dad's baby blue '72 or '73 Continental around '76. Finally got my Paramount OS in '92 after wanting a Paramount since the '70's.