Bought a 1972 Schwinn "Varsity" today.

Navy Chief

Navy Chief

Senior Member
Except for light surface corrosion on the rims, this bike is in excellent condition, considering its age. Got this for $50! Just recently, my sister brought me the one she'd had for years. It isn't even close to the shape this one is in. I had her bike repainted in a Navy blue metallic color, and this winter I will rebuild it. Fun!

NC
 
Very nice NC!

Panther_99FS said:
I remember those well ! :)
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I have two Schwinns stored at my Mother's house that I have kept around since I was a kid. A green Varsity that looks like the one above but a tad newer from 1975 and a orange Fastback (with the rear slick tire and 5-speed stick shift!) from 1973. :cool:

Moses
 
Moses03 said:
Very nice NC!



I have two Schwinns stored at my Mother's house that I have kept around since I was a kid. A green Varsity that looks like the one above but a tad newer from 1975 and a orange Fastback (with the rear slick tire and 5-speed stick shift!) from 1973. :cool:

Moses
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Was the orange bike called a Orange Krate? I wanted one of those so bad!!
 
No it was not one of the "Krates". I wanted one of those real bad as well! There was one called the "Grey Ghost" that I used to drool over as a 10yr old.
 
Pretty nice NC.

You should get with Nick Churchill (Sir Winston). That guy is one biking extremist. He goes off road biking each Sunday in a special park over in England. I think his present bike is on rebuild 2, Im not sure.

Schwinn was once the best in bicycles, I think. At least here in the USA it was.

EDIT: Its not a park, its a famous forest, and has a special route for off road bikers that is also quite famous. Many people take videos on that route and put them in YouTube. Its pretty cool to see. Some of the sections of trail have wooden planks.
 
Lionheart said:
Pretty nice NC.

You should get with Nick Churchill (Sir Winston). That guy is one biking extremist. He goes off road biking each Sunday in a special park over in England. I think his present bike is on rebuild 2, Im not sure.

Schwinn was once the best in bicycles, I think. At least here in the USA it was.
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Schwinns were/are very well built, and durable. Growing up, I didn't have a Schwinn 10-speed. Mine was a Murray. All the neighborhood kids made fun of me (you know how kids can be), but I got the last laugh. I was on the swim team as a kid, and my legs were pretty strong. No one in the neighborhood was as fast as I was. I beat them all, with my Murray......
 
Here is the Fastback & Orange Krate side by side:

View attachment 19604



That "easy rider" small front wheel and drum brake was the coolest. They reissued some of these in recent years but without the stick shift and hand brakes. (Some parent complained along the way that their kid racked himself and there went the coolness. Oh well).
 
Yeah, that Orange Krate had that distinctive shock-absorber on the front forks. It was revolutionary in its day.
 
My brother had one of those Fastbacks when we were kids. The bike I best remember having was a "Frankenbike" with 24" wheels that I put together in a junk yard with bits from this and bits from that. I rode that thing all over the country roads. My brother had a hard time keeping up with it on his Fastback.
 
Damn! I have one of those, Chief! Mine is red and looks like NEW. It is a few years newer than yours (1978). Good bike.

Don
 
I haven't owned a bike in years. Where I now live is out in the country, which normally might sound safer to ride a bike. The problem is the locals here drive like maniacs on the road near my house. Blind curves don't help any either. But all I need do is put my bike in my van and drive a couple miles to go riding. Am looking forward to it.
 
I had a green Varsity, and my sister had the brown one...awesome bikes. I also had a schwin with the bannana seat and three speed stick shifter on the top crossbar, but forgot the name of it.
 
Boy does that take me back Chief. My first multi-speed bike was a Schwinn Continental, circa 1973. I upgraded to a Schwinn LeTour in 1978, a Bianchi Novo Racing in 1982, a Cannondale full Campy R900 in 1990, and so on it goes. But at my age now, I prefer the upright mountain bike type handle bars with some Cane Creek Ergo bar ends. I ride the steeds every now and then, but they beat the crap out of me.

My next bike will be a Cannondale Quick CRX Ultra, which is essentially a road bike with full front suspension and Mt. Bike handles bars, and also a triple front chain ring. I ain't as spry as I once was.

Caz
 
I called the local (1/2 hour's drive) bike shop today.

They offer a "tune up", which includes tire truing, lubrication, chain adjustment, and cleaning for $55. Am taking the bike to them. It's worth that to me!
 
NC; that bike looks VERY familiar. I owned one when I was in high school. I was working in a series of bike shops when I was in high school; in the first one I worked at, I got to work on a c.1920s Mead Ranger. Here is my Varsity, the Ranger, and a balloon tire Schwinn; three generations of bicycles in one picture:





Someone stole it and trashed it while joyriding it. I got it back, but it was beyond repair. I then bought a barely used c.1975 Viscount Aerospace G.P.; after sitting unused for 20 years, I fixed it up, and am still riding it today.

View attachment 19757

-James
 
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