Le Tour mixte help / S/N
#1
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Le Tour mixte help / S/N
Hi,
I am looking at a Le tour mixte for her. I found a couple and was wanting to know if any year between 1980 - 1984 components would be any better.
The one seems to be a 1984 but it has center pull brakes, which the original Schwinn ad states side pull die comp.
This is the S/N SJ405989 Le Tour Mixte
Can someone help with the decoding?
I was thinking SJ is Japan, 4 the year and the rest?
If it is a 84 and the bike does not look to be messed with so why would it have center pull brakes??
Thanks for any help...
I am looking at a Le tour mixte for her. I found a couple and was wanting to know if any year between 1980 - 1984 components would be any better.
The one seems to be a 1984 but it has center pull brakes, which the original Schwinn ad states side pull die comp.
This is the S/N SJ405989 Le Tour Mixte
Can someone help with the decoding?
I was thinking SJ is Japan, 4 the year and the rest?
If it is a 84 and the bike does not look to be messed with so why would it have center pull brakes??
Thanks for any help...
Last edited by redmanf1; 05-03-18 at 10:43 AM.
#2
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Some pics would help as for dating if you can tell us the color and some of the components it should be pretty easy to narrow down. The SN is a early 80's Japanese built SN so based on description it would be a 1981-983 model. Heres a link to a pretty good history of the Le tour shich can likely use to date which model year your bike is.
https://bikehistory.org/bikes/letour/
https://bikehistory.org/bikes/letour/
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Just read the four digit code on the headbadge.
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Based on the aero shifter mount and colour it's a 1984 model produced late 1983.
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The serial number, tacked-on stainless steel dropout faces, SunTour top-mount shifters, and decal fonts are all consistent with my 1985 Le Tour Luxe, which I think may have been built at the Schwinn plant in Greenville, MS. I'd expect yours to be somewhere in that same general time range. You may find four small numbers stamped into the head badge, which would give you a precise assembly date. The first three digits are the day of the calendar year and the fourth digit denotes the year. For example, if your head badge was stamped 1005, we'd know your bike was built on April 10 (the 100th day) of 1985.
Upon further review, I'm going to second zukahn1 and say it seems to be an 1984 model. The dark blue color and top-mount shifters were new for the Le Tour in 1984. The mixte-ish "ladies' model" isn't mentioned in the 1985 catalog.
As for the brakes, maybe the ladies' model came with centerpulls? Since the top tube has a brake cable housing stop that wouldn't be necessary for sidepulls, that would seem to make sense.
Upon further review, I'm going to second zukahn1 and say it seems to be an 1984 model. The dark blue color and top-mount shifters were new for the Le Tour in 1984. The mixte-ish "ladies' model" isn't mentioned in the 1985 catalog.
As for the brakes, maybe the ladies' model came with centerpulls? Since the top tube has a brake cable housing stop that wouldn't be necessary for sidepulls, that would seem to make sense.
Last edited by SkyDog75; 05-02-18 at 09:01 PM.
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Thank you all for the help. This is a bike I am looking to purchase. I looked at the picture with the head badge and I do not see any numbers. Trying to figure out the year is why my other question, if any year between 1980 - 1984 components would be any better than the other?
Thanks again
Thanks again
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On these the later years had slightly better components and the tubing is 4130 cro-mo on the 82 and later models which was slightly better than the Hi-Ten on the early ones.
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There is a ladies' Le Tour in the 1985 catalogue. . The serial number indicates October 1984 manufacture. That is late enough in the year to almost certainly be a 1985 model.
The centre-pull brakes are likely a concession to the mixte frame. A side-pull brake would require a large loop of cable housing, increasing the drag on the cable. Besides decreasing modulation, it increases hand effort which is detrimental for typically weaker and smaller handed female riders.
The centre-pull brakes are likely a concession to the mixte frame. A side-pull brake would require a large loop of cable housing, increasing the drag on the cable. Besides decreasing modulation, it increases hand effort which is detrimental for typically weaker and smaller handed female riders.
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Thanks for the correction. I couldn't find it yesterday, but sure enough, a mixte frame is mentioned on the bottom of page 18.
In case anyone finds the catalog scans handy, they're on trfindley.com:
Le Tour page in the Schwinn lightweights catalog (page 18):
Schwinn catalogs, 1981 - 1990 (263 of 456)
Specifications page that includes the Le Tour (page 31):
Schwinn catalogs, 1981 - 1990 (276 of 456)
In case anyone finds the catalog scans handy, they're on trfindley.com:
Le Tour page in the Schwinn lightweights catalog (page 18):
Schwinn catalogs, 1981 - 1990 (263 of 456)
Specifications page that includes the Le Tour (page 31):
Schwinn catalogs, 1981 - 1990 (276 of 456)
#11
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The 4-digit number stamped in the headbadge will indicate the day the bike was built. The numbers are small, post a clear close-up picture and we can decode them.
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