I sort of figured the Raleigh Super Grand Prix was the better bike, its lighter, its got better looking lug work, and its made in England, not Asia.
Its also likely lighter than the Schwinn. The SGP feels like its about 4 pounds lighter than the Schwinn, even with its wheels and tires.
Both are the same size frame.
He's also got a Nishiki International, but its not that nice, and it feels super heavy, heavier than either of the other two bikes.
Not that weight is all that important, I'd rather this Schwinn was a more classic Varsity than a Super Letour. I have a set of S6 wheels for one of those.
Both the Schwinn and the SGP have similar features, both are lugged frames, the Schwinn fork has a stamped steel crown, the Raleigh has a forged or cast crown, both have full cable braze ons. The Raleigh has a nicer looking stem and handle bars, the Schwinn stem looks a bit clunky and the bars are really wide. The Schwinn has side pull brakes, the SGP has c/p brakes.
The top tube is longer on the Schwinn, as is the wheelbase.
Both are set up with Suntour bar end shifters, I think its stock on the Raleigh, but someone most likely added it to the Schwinn. He doesn't want either set, he just wants the frame, fork, headset, and BB.
The Schwinn has steel chainrings, the Raleigh has alloy rings, both have swedged style right crank arms.
My take was that the two models were pretty much in the same category, the SGP was one under the Super Course, which with a 531 frame, I'd put it above the SL12.2.
The SGP in fact seem set up the same as a same year Super Course right down to the wheels and derailleurs. I also like the idea of the Cyclone derailleurs, its a model I used to run back in the day and I've still got a bunch of spares around.
From what I see, the SGP was closer to a Super Course than a Grand Prix or Record. The SGP has a 68mm bb too, the same as the Super Letour.
I've not made the trade because the tires on the Raleigh are likely older, and the new tires I have here are 27" and won't fit the Raleigh.
I did find two sets of new old stock wheels, one is the Araya/Shimano HF set in Philly, the other is a set of Weinmann 17-630 rims with dimpled spokes with Normandy hubs and a pair of new Cycle pro 27x1 1/8" skinwall tires for $250. (he had five pair listed but only has one left as of yesterday). The Araya set is still $200, with no tires. Neither is a very high end set of rims, but likely a good match for the Schwinn. I'm just not looking to spend big money on this thing.
Someone offered me $300 for the Schwinn as it sits, I may just dump it and pocket the cash. I think I'd rather have $300 in my pocket than a bike hanging in the garage that needs $200 worth of wheels.
I can always revive my old Ross 10 speed and ride that if I want too i suppose.
Who made the Super Letour 12.2? The guy who made me the offer seems to think it was made by Panasonic?