bcc101

I guess I placed this on the improper forum the other day.
I have a 1973 Sports Tourer I purchased new.
It is in very good condition- stored inside always.

The only modifications are new-1990 - Weinmen rims and a different seat.

The bike is large frame- 26 inch and is lemon yellow.

I am not sure what to do with it. Not sure the value nor if any one would want it.

I have gone through several road bikes and have decided to sell this or give it away as it has not been used for a long time

Thanks Bruce

mparker326

Those are sought after, but you won't get crazy money for it. Large size reduces value a bit. If condition is as good as described you could get $200 to $300 for it depending on your market. Need pics to truly access value.

Metacortex

I agree with mparker on a $200 to maybe $300 value, but only if the paint, decals and chrome are excellent. If not then the value goes down. The value would be higher if the original wheels and saddle were included, anything not original hurts the value significantly on one of these. Since you are the original owner note that any original documentation (bill of sale, owner's manual, etc.) you could find would also help. Post some pics if you want a more accurate assessment.

bcc101

Here is a photo if that helps. I can get more tomorrow.

Metacortex

From the photo I can see that it is a 26" frame in Kool Lemon. The paint/decals and chrome look good, besides the original Brooks B15 saddle it is also missing the original front derailleur, seat post, brake extension levers, 8.75" chrome spoke protector and the alloy chain guard on the Nervar crank (that would be hard to find/replace). The shifters appear to have been changed from the original stem mounted Twin-Stik to what appears to be SunTour Barcons, if they are stamped "Schwinn Approved" that would be better. Depending on the location it should still fetch at least $200, maybe more.

Metacortex

That one might have received a higher than normal price for a Super Sport because it is a '74 model not listed in the catalog. The Super Sport was discontinued in 1973, however Schwinn continued to build and sell them in '74 using left-over '72/'73 built frames but with '74 components (and paint colors).

That '74 Sports Tourer was just about all-original right down to the cables, toe clips and straps. Only the tires and handlebar tape had been changed. I agree a better crafted ad should have bid higher, but how much higher?

Sports Tourers have on occasion sold for considerably more. For example one sold for $750 two years ago, however that was kind of a fluke combination of a single committed buyer and a very high reserve.

bcc101

I was able to locate the seat and the alloy chain guard.
The brake lever extensions were removed many years ago as were the shifters. The rims were changed to Weinman, but the hubs are the original Schwinn.
At this time the original seatpost has not been located.

The bike was used by me for many years and was taken care of. It does show some signs of 40 years of use not abuse.
I guess my next step would be to check out Ebay.

otg 

I have a very nice set of original brakes with the extenders for that bike if you might be interested.

Metacortex

Excellent, that adds back some value. Note that the original rims were Weinmann, are you sure the ones on there now are replacements? Where is the bike located?

reggieob

I actually just bought this bike on eBay and would be interested in the brakes/safety extensions. Please PM me if you are still interested in selling. Thanks.

Metacortex

I think you got a great deal: Schwinn Sports Tourer | eBay

The seller should have asked at least $100 more, especially on eBay. I do worry about the shipping though. The quoted price seems so low, and 2 out of 2 Sports Tourers I had shipped to me (both of which were "professionally" packed by LBSs) came resting on the large 54T chainrings and chainguards in the box, with bent chainrings and especially the hard-to-find guards as the result.

shelbyfv

Looks like the price shown is for packing, shipping is extra? Kool bike!

reggieob

Right - shipping was another $169...

juvela

a question for the schwinn experts -

i remember these bikes as having oversize main tubes and they required a special schwinn appproved huret front derailleur. yet this example looks to be fitted with a maeda sl front derailleur. is memory playing a trick on me?

thanks for any information.

zazenzach

from memory, the sports tourer should have a pretty common 26.8 clamp diameter. i know schwinn's low end stuff like the varsity had weird tube diameters though.

Metacortex

I can confirm that the seat tube on these bikes is 29.4mm in diameter, just slightly larger than the 28.6mm found on most other bikes.

zazenzach

he's right, im thinking of seatpost size i think.

juvela

so how did that maeda sl fit on the bicycle? making an adaptation?

Metacortex

That derailleur has a split clamp with bolts on both sides (vs. a hinged clamp). The bolts appear to be long enough to allow a sufficient gap between the clamp and derailleur, which you can see in the pics.

bcc101

Just to let you know, the Sports Tourer that has brought about so much discussion is the one I asked a few questions about a couple weeks ago.
Metacortex was helpful and since I decided to part with the bike I put it on ebay.

Yes I could have asked more, but did not feel like having a lingering sale and wished it to go to someone who would appreciate the bike.

I did purchase it new and used it a lot- also took care of the bike.

Some things like the suicide brake levers were removed many years ago as were the shifters. I found the bar end shifters to work very well.
The front derailleur I also swapped out long ago- I believe it is a Sun Tour.
I found my experience with the purchaser to be very positive and hope he enjoys the bike.
Bruce

reggieob

Just a follow-up on this one: Metacortex mentioned issues related to damage in shipping, and it turns out this one suffered a bit as well. I noticed the rear skewer was bent when I unpacked - not a huge deal as I found another set for $25. This week, after a bit of a clean-up, I noticed I couldn't get the rear wheel in the dropouts. Looks like one of the dropouts got bent as well, and the rear triangle may be a bit bent too.

I'm going to take it to a local frame builder to see if he can get everything aligned - if not, looks like it's back to searching for another Sports Tourer. I don't think this was the seller's fault, just a combination of inadequate packing by the shop and really careless handling by UPS...

juvela

hope there is good news for you from the framebuilder. coldsetting can oft accomplish a good deal.

alignment veteran.

Metacortex

Sorry to hear that reggieob, I also hope you get some good news from the framebuilder.

Madmonk1

I brought my Sports Tourer along when my new bride and I first got married. It became a bone of contention between us for years. Took up space!! Cannibalized parts from it over the years. Finally nothing but a frrame. She thought she had finally seen the last of it. NOT A CHANCE. Converted it into a fixie and use it with a Turbo trainer in my garage in the Winter. I'll be 70 this year and that beautiful red frame will be over 50!!

specialmonkey

Pics or it didn't happen.