Schreck83 

The original owner of this Sports Tourer called to ask "You're not coming are you?" It was after dark and the lake effect snow off Lake Ontario had kicked up, but I was almost there and still had a 75 minute drive home, so of course I was still going to meet him. It was crusty, rusty and dirty but you don't see many 26" fillet brazed Schwinns come up for sale so I paid the man. He said that he had some mishap that required new parts on the back end, the derailleur perhaps, but the stays didn't appear to be bent. It still had that Nervar crankset that looks like it has 5 chainrings and the Brooks B-15 saddle so I figured I could work with the rest. I'm thinking this will have the ride of an old Mercury Marquis.



The rear hub is a small flange Mailliard dated 1988 and the rims don't match, so it appears the wheel was replaced. I can't see a Gran Tourismo being installed as a replacement in 1988 so that is likely the original RD.



Chrome bits have freckles... Brake levers were cracked.

Distressed paint, maybe from bare chain wrapped around the seatpost.

Everything came apart without much effort. no date code on the fork but the original paint shows how much the rest of the paint has oxidized.


Huret dropouts

I still need to remove the kickstand - not sure how to do that but Google should find something on it.
The chrome bits will get a bath in Evaporust, but not the frame. ER warns not to use it on red paint, so I'll try an OA bath.
My plan is to degrease the frame, OA bath, rubbing compound on the paint and then lots of touch-up. If it looks really bad, there is always the powder coat option, but I want to get it ridable first.
Thoughts on the plan would be appreciated.

Bianchigirll 

There is a tool to remove those styles of kickstands. Check around some of your local shops.

I don’t think it is advisable to remove the tube though as it also acts as a BB bridge.

juvela

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pedals are a replacement

originals were Atom model 440

one time they ran out and used the KKT RTSF as a substitute for half a year

do not recognise these; perhaps they are a model of Union. there is likely a marking on the endcap. the Union mark is a letter U inside a shield shape:





note that the chainset exhibits the Schwinn specific shift smoothing ring to aid upshifts from the small to large chainwheel.

here is one on a 1971 model ST:



[ the 1971 model ST came with a TA chainset while subsequent years received a NERVAR]

appears to be a 1972 model. 1971 was the launch year. the 1971 had a T.A. chainset and by 1973 the rear mech had become a Schwinn badged Shimano Crane.

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dedhed

cudak888 

Nice catch - short of the Superior, the only fillet-brazed Schwinn frameset with a real bottom bracket (ducks for cover from Ashtabula BB fans).

What's the plan? OA + polish it out as-is? Always fun to see what you can get out of the original paint. The decals are likely to come off during polishing, mind. May require replacements to get the finish polished just right.

-Kurt

Piff 

One of these days I'd like to have a fillet Schwinn, whether or not it has a real bottom bracket

​​​​​​I think it could be worth it to take it to a local frame builder to have it checked out, just in case the frame isn't straight. Unless you have the skills to do so yourself. I'd be a little paranoid after what the seller said.
​​​

tkamd73 

Nice find, love the orange, bought a new Sports Tourer in 72, wish I still had it. A few months ago found a late 71 frame, Had it been the whole bike I probably would have restored it to stock. Frame was straight, but paint and decals beyond salvage. Sometimes it a fine line between patina and crap, this wasn’t. Chrome fit in the patina arena, so I left it. Since I only had the frame, decided to try something a bit different, as I all ready have a bunch of CV drop bar bikes. Blasphemy I know, but it sure is fun to ride, and I love the Schwinn kick stand.
Tim



Before

After

dweenk

If you like a low center of gravity, Ashtabula is the answer.

cudak888 

...or just weld a boat anchor below the BB

-Kurt

juvela

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this forum thread describes the restoration to concours condition of a 1971 example.

very fine work and documentation.

https://thecabe.com/forum/threads/19...tourer.118973/


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Schreck83 

Boat anchor covered: Gran Turismo and kickstand!

Schreck83 

Impressive work there. Not sure if I'll go that far, although the chrome bits are cleaning up nicely.
I don't know what year this is or the color's name. I thought it was a 73 in Sunset Orange...

specialmonkey

I have one in the same color, I believe it's Kool Orange (and not Sunset Orange). It's one of my favorite bikes, definitely rides like a 70s Coupe DeVille convertible.

Mine is an oddball from 1971, an early model from their first production year, with Campagnolo dropouts (instead of Huret), and a 22.2 stem (instead of the usual Schwinn 21.1).

I was able to use a Suntour ARX rear derailleur (without a claw) and a tall Nitto Technomic stem.

With Huret dropouts, you may be limited to the current derailleur, or a Schwinn Approved Le Tour GT-300 (or a Shimano Crane), made for Huret dropouts, or most other derailleurs if using a claw. You might also be able to find or make an adapter.

The stem your bike has is to my mind the best 21.1 Schwinn offered, as it can be raised more than the other offered varieties. I believe it's a GB (Gerry Burgess) girder type stem, and might also have been used on other Schwinn models.

When I bought my bike from Craigslist, it wasn't too bad, but they clean up nicely with Evapo-Rust, and especially if you polish/rehab the crankset.

A new set of wheels will also make a big difference! For an affordable option, I recommend the CR18 5/6/7 speed quick release set from Velomine, they are solid with cartridge bearings, though you could probably switch to 700c without too much trouble .

My Sports Tourer is a 24" (measured center-to-top) and is similar to a 58cm. I'm 5'10" and it fits. Looks like you got a 26" variety, I'm not sure what the center-to-center measurement in cm equates to for your bike.



As bought on Craigslist. Came with TA handlebar bag, front rack, and cranks.


After a restoration. I put the fenders and Unicanitor saddle on a 71 Kool Lemon Sports Tourer. I don't recommend the Conti Super Sport Plus Tires. For 27", Gatorskins are a better choice.

Piff 

If you need a tall, short reach 21.1mm stem I have a NOS '70s SR stem that I accidentally purchased thinking it was 22.2.

It has about 4.25" rise and 60mm reach. Maybe 70?

PM me if you're interested.

juvela

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Piff -

Thanks very much for sharing your example.

Here is the Schwinn parts diagram for your machine's T.A. chainset:



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nesteel 

I believe the BJ denotes February of 1973.
Must be Sport Tourer month. Picked one up myself on Wednesday. Looking forward to see how this one turns out.

bikemike73 

I can confirm BJ is 1973.

Sunset Orange , Kool Lemon, and Opaque Blue were the colors offered for the ST in 1973.

I have several of these AWESOME riding bikes !!!!!

SOOOOOO SMOOOOOOOOOOTH !!!!!!!

I would polish and not repaint. I believe it would clean up pretty good.

As above mentioned....be careful around the decals

Great score !!!!!!!

Schreck83 

The plan is to go slow, embrace the patina and see how good I can make the original paint look. It's in the OA bath now and so far the decals are hanging on. The Gran Tourismo will be replaced with a LeTour GT300 courtesy of JohnDThompson , the kickstand and dork disk will not return, but the TwinStik shifters don't look too bad, so for now they are going back on. The Nervar has 54 and 40 tooth chainrings, a bit tall for me, but it's such a signature look that it's staying for now. Ultimately, barcons and a compact triple could be in the plan, but for now I want it mostly original.

Piff , thanks for the stem offer, but I think I'm good. This is a long frame: 42 3/4 " wheelbase with a 62 cm top tube, both 4 cm longer than my 74 Paramount P10, and I have a shorter stem that will fit if need be.
The 26" frame works out to be 24" CTC, so I would expect the 22 and 24" models to be 20 and 22" CTC respectively.
While cleaning the frame, I noticed the top and downtubes are sealed - no vent holes to the head tube, seat tube or BB:

Hudson308 

One of fhe nice things about these fillet-brazed Schwinns is that because they're not particularly rare, you can build em however the heck you want.
Keep us updated. I'll enjoy following this one!