plonz 

So I picked up a 1986 Schwinn Super Sport and it seems heavier than it should be. Here's the bike:

https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vi...l#post18711698

I removed all the bolt on crap and the bike now weighs 24.3lbs. Seat tube measures 59cm ctc. By comparison my 1985 Tempo measures 58cm and weighs 22.5lbs (same scale). The weight of the Super Sport listed in the 1986 brochure is 22lbs, although I don't know what size they use when weighing.

Only things I see adding weight over my Tempo is the frame being 1 size larger, dork disc, and rear reflector. Maybe the platform pedals add a bit over the Keos on the Tempo. And I suppose the Araya wheels might be heavier than the Super Champions. Still, the Super Sport is nowhere near it's stated weight.

Any insights on where this Super Sport might have packed on some pounds? Does moving up a size add more than a pound?

3speedslow

Tubes and tires will greatly influence the overall wt of a bike. Check those.

Henry III

It varies on what part of the tubing...butted or non butted. Can't really determine the weight by a section like that.

Fahrenheit531 

Oddly enough, when I picked up my Shogun Samurai (Tange Infinity), one of my observations was that it was noticeably heavier than my 1984 Tempo with Champion #2 (even though the two types of tubing are specced to the same wall thickness). Maybe the mid-80s Tempos had something special going on.

Bad Lag

7.7 to 8.0 g/cm3

Steve Whitlatch 

Schwinn as well as others weighed the bikes without the saddle and pedals on the bike for the catalog weight. I bet if you remove them along with all reflectors it will be close to catalog weight.

Scooper

The catalog weight Schwinn used in 1986 was for a 23" frame (measured from the center of the BB spindle to the top of the seat tube where the seatpost is inserted). In 1986, the Super Sport was available in 19", 21", 22", 23", 24", and 25" frame sizes measured as described. A 59cm center to center frame is probably a 24" (61cm) frame the way Schwinn measures frame size.

79pmooney

Measure the diameter of the stem quill. Some of the Schwinns had narrow American sizing for the steerer ID. OD is standard 1" Makes for a heavy fork assembly. (My Schwinn LeTour Lux (ha!) had one of these forks. They did some heavy stuff with the rest of the frame also.

Ben

plonz 

So how many additional cubic cm in a bike with +1cm seat tube length, +1 top tube length, same head tube angle, same wheelbase and same stay lengths?

Scratch that, I don't really want to know

Steve Whitlatch 

Not 2 lbs. Pedals add a lot of weight as well as seats. Are both bikes stock?

plonz 

Pretty sure the Super Sport is stock except for seat, pedals and tires.

Tempo is not at all stock but fairly comparable IMO. 600 Arabesque group, Super Champion/Campy wheels, Kalloy boat anchor seatpost, Keo pedals and Charge saddle (very light).

Pic here. Weighed without the bottles, bag and computer.
https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vi...l#post18549282

Steve Whitlatch 

The pedals seat and the Vitoria Corsa tires give the Tempo the edge for sure.

plonz 

Good to know and hadn't thought about the tires. Glad to hear I might be able to trim some fat from the Super Sport if I choose to buck up for it. Thanks!

Steve Whitlatch 

Both bikes look to be in great shape. I am partial to red bikes and that Super Sport frame looks just beautiful. I had a Prelude at one time. I lightened that up pretty good. If I had that Super Sport, I would not hesitate to upgrade things over time. That bike rocks!

Steve Whitlatch 

You could try switching out the wheels pedals and seat to see the weight savings?

Scooper

I don't believe there is just a 1 centimeter difference in frame size between your 1985 Tempo and your 1986 Super Sport.

The 1985 Tempo came in frame sizes 19", 21", 23", and 25".
The 1986 Super Sport was available in frame sizes 19", 21", 22", 23", 24", and 25", so if the two bikes are different sizes, it's by at least one inch (2.54 centimeters).

They both have similar geometry and similar frame tubing, so even a frame size difference of an inch wouldn't come close to accounting for the nearly two pound weight difference between the the two bikes. It just about has to be heavier tires or something else.

brandon98

I find that concentrating on reducing volume and mass around the midsection make me faster on any bike. Freshly greased, well adjusted hubs and supple tires at the right pressure make more difference than worrying about a pound on a 25 year old steel framed bike.

Bad Lag

Outside the frame, the drive train, saddle and wheels are the heaviest components.

The crankset and bottom bracket, the chain, the freewheel and derailleurs are all very massive. If one has a large freewheel and the other does not,...

A Brooks saddle, with its solid steel undercarriage is surprisingly heavy, especially if you add in the seat post.

Then, there's the wheels. The good news is these are easily removed/swapped to determine if they are the cause of the discrepancy. If it's the wheels, I'd fix that first.

This sounds like the beginnings of a "weight weenie" thread.

plonz 

Interesting... Granted, it's been a while since I've had the Stanley steel rule tested for its span of permissible error but I'm thinking there's probably some fudge in Schwinn's specs. And there's probably fudge in my rudimentary measuring technique but another 1.54cm feels unlikely. The answer is probably somewhere in the middle.

Pretty sure the Super Sport would fall under Schwinn's 24" designation and the Tempo a 23".

Thanks for the info.

Little Darwin

Just to add my $0.02 I started to swap wheels/tires on a bike last year. I decided to swap from wheels with a deep rim Velocity Deep V, 36 spoke with 32 mm cyclocross tires to a lighter looking box rim wheel with 32 spokes and 28 mm slicks. I was shocked that the wheel/tire/cluster combination with the boxed rim was noticeably heavier, so I decided not to switch. So, don't assume that similar components on one bike weigh the same based on looks alone. I was expecting a significant weight savings, but there would have actually been a weight penalty.

I can rarely tell minor weight differences, so this was not just a few grams. I haven't checked to see which component(s) were the weight hog in my case, but there was an obvious difference.

Scooper

I suppose that's possible, but I've measured many Schwinn frames for frame size, and they're invariably right on.