guy1138

Among my top-5 ever vintage finds: Just brought home this barn-find Schwinn Prologue! Best I can tell, '87 or '88 with the red/white fade, Tange Prestige tubing, built by Panasonic. Offered as a frame only, this one was built with a 6spd 105 gruppo, Nitto stem, gunmetal Matrix "aero" hoops laced to Suize hubs. It's even still wearing the Look "delta" pedals and Paramount branded bottle cages. I'm surprised that the Nitto drops are steel, and that the aluminum seat post has the loose, clamp on guts, but I guess nothing is perfect. Can't wait to get this one into the stand and get going on it!

Narhay

Some polish and wax will bring out the frame nicely. Nice find. I wouldn't mind getting another one of these later 80s bikes. The components are simple and refined.

clubman 

Nice wall mount as well. Hmmm

guy1138

Thanks! It's a good use for bent aluminum bars! Even the bar tape is recycled (old tape with a little bit of clean up, wrapped the opposite way, so the dirty half is mostly covered).

I'm *supposed* to be working on a different project, but I couldn't help myself, so I hit it with a little Mother's Cleaning Wax, just to see how it was underneath:

shoota 

Woo boy that's going to be a satisfying clean up and rebuild! Can't wait to see the final pics.

xiaoman1 

I have been looking for one like this for a while, yours looks hardly ridden. After a good clean-up, it should look like new...nice score.
Best, Ben

Pompiere

Great catch! According to the number stamped on the head badge, it was made in late February, 1987. By the late 1980s, Schwinn was finally starting to make their own bikes to compete with the imported bikes, instead of rebranding bikes made by others. Unfortunately it was to late to save the company.

guy1138

Thanks! My research indicates that this was probably made by Panasonic, is that not correct?

kfro12

I am a big fan of these late 80's Schwinn's. I have a frame that was repainted and had Paramount decals added but I think is actually a Prologue. I will have to dig it out and compare the details to yours.

Pompiere

You're probably correct. Your serial number on the head tube is different than my LeTour, which I know was made in Greenville, MS. Someone here once shared an article where Schwinn had listed the bikes being made at the new Mississippi plant, but I don't remember which bikes were made there.

RiddleOfSteel

The Prologue was made by Panasonic for Schwinn. Schwinn's partnership with Panasonic went back to the '70s.

You know a Pana-Schwinn by its serial number placement on the lower head lug. Your bike is a 1987 via both serial number and head badge stamping (the Julian Year method).

I had a 63.5cm '87 Prologue in the black/grey metallic combination (my favorite of the two). Too short for me to comfortably ride after a fit analysis, so I sold it. Mint condition, too. Tange Prestige, their best tubing. Fully worthy of Dura-Ace, which I put on it.

Congrats on the find! Now you get to take it completely apart and clean and wax and polish everything up to display what this bike really is about.

guy1138

Dibs on your wheel in the group ride.

RiddleOfSteel

That's funny! I totally get it though. Big hole in the wind. [Photo is pre-fit analysis, where the saddle went up a lot. Extreme saddle-to-brake-lever drops look really cool, but are not fun to ride for me.]

Classtime 

I remember that keeper. 🙂

seedsbelize 

Is that the serial number at the bottom of the headtube?

guy1138

Yep, standard placement for panasonic made bikes

steviebee163

Nice find. I have one too in the same colorway and it is a great rider. Enjoy!

guy1138

Well, I finally got around to cleaning it up, but I don't have any glamor shots, since I swapped it instead of listing it for sale:

guy1138

I sold the Deltas. Lots of indoor bikes (including peloton) are using Delta-compatible pedals, so you can actually find cleats for these things again! In the last year, I've sold about 6 pairs that were just sitting in my parts bin for years.