Schwinn Voyageur
 

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...8ff053a407.jpg
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does any one knowif this bike was made in Japan or USA? Opinions on if either is better than the other. Thanks

you might could take a pitcher of the serial number.
internet detectives can often trace model years and production lines therefrom.

Also consider posting your thread over in the "Classic and Vintage" sub forums here at bikeforums as many of those fine fellows are very knowledgeable on these things.

Close up photos of the decals may be useful.

These old Schwinns are my favorite! This would be the bike I would trek across country with... with a custom seat of course!

Here's one I flipped in June,

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...a99110af53.jpg

Nice bike, one of the late 80’s versions with the cantilever brakes. These are great bikes with butted chrome moly tubes, and are great foundations for a good touring bike. I would love to have another, but here in Japan it is hard to find any classic Schwinn bike. The Voyageur was the top road bike you could find at most Schwinn dealers, the only thing better was the Paramount.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...bc7c39d49e.jpg
. So heres the update. Found one locally made in Japan . Needs new grease , tires etc. Looks unused almost !
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...3146831c09.jpg
I had this from before, same family , This one is the Passage, made in USA from what I've been told here..

Head Badge- Chicago
 

Your head badge says Chicago, so you got USA.

My Schwinn was made in Japan.


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Why would you choose it as your primary? I would probably ride one too as it seems they can be obtained economically (at least stateside). Here, Schwinns are more of a Costco / Department store bike. Nothing that Schwinn made of any decency shows up in these parts. Fuji made a good old touring too, Norco, Univega, Nishiki etc.

Here in USA a lot of cheap Schwinns were as you described, but a small number were higher end high quality bikes. The low quality ones usually had a one piece steel crankset where the higher end ones had square taper bottom brackets.

Yeah, not sure how old prairiepedaler is but as a young man I remember lusting after the high end schwinn models that I couldn't afford (Paramount). That was about 50 years ago. I could see someone wanting to ride one of those beautiful bikes today.

My wife had a fairly inexpensive Schwinn that came with cottered cranks and steel rings. It was probably a 72-74 or so model and had a mixte frame. Not sure of the model. For the price and our budget at the time it was a nice bike.

EDIT: Upon thinking about it, I remembered that my wife's bike was a Raleigh Gran Prix mixte, not a Schwinn.

Touring
 

- as far as the Voyager being a desirable touring bike, it checks all the boxes:
- canti brakes
- steel lugged frame / steel fork
- room for cushy tires (tyres)
- quick release wheels
- probably less than 30lb bike before racks & fenders

There are a few modern options, like Surly LHT, but it’ll be TIG welded. But at triple or 4 times the cost?

Right now I tour on an old RockHopper. So I’m down a wheel size. But I’m also looking for unimproved roads, as much as possible.

As far as the mass produced American Schwinns, here’s a Varsity I adopted this fall. Saved from the dump. Looking to clean it and ride it a little in the spring. Maybe find a new home for it.
- completely overbuilt
​​​​​​- electro forged frame construction
​​​​​​- one piece forged crank
- steel pie plate!!!
- beautiful paint
- I think it’s a 50lb bike as is (lights and bottle dyno!!)
These were entry level in the 70s.
Just lube and ride. If it’s kept out of salt water, it’ll last another 50 years.


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The Schwinn Voyager is a VERY nice bike !!

SMOOTH and STABLE !!!!

ENJOY !!!!:)

My Raleigh Gran Prix was a 72. WIthin 24 hours after buying it, the Simplex rear derailleur came off and a Suntour went on. Took another week or two for me to swap the shifters and front derailleur to Suntour too.

When you said cottered crank for a Schwinn, I thought that was off as the cottered cranks were most common in Brit bikes.

She had her Gran Prix for quite a few decades (at least 40 years). I don't recall when/if her deraileurs were replaced, but they probably were at some point, most likely with suntour.

I have only bought two brand new complete bicycles. A 1972 Raleigh Grand Prix in 1973 and a Raleigh Grand Prix in 2018. The 2018 version was a re-badged Ritchey Break Away with a Campy Veloce drive train, nice bike.

I find it so odd that the only two new complete bikes I bought were the same brand and model name, but they were so different from each other and 45 years apart. All the others were bought as frames and built up or were purchased used.

The 1972 was donated to charity years ago, the 2018 is ridden rarely but is ridden some every year.

Can confirm that my '86 is 24lb stock. I'd assume the same for the '85 SP through the '89 Voyageur. The non SP probably isn't far off.

I found a NOS one, so that’s fun.
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The tire clearance on these old road bikes is always a concern, especailly if you like to ride with fenders. It is certainly true there is value to be had in some used stuff. Almost all my clothes were bought used!

I've got 1 1/4" Paselas on my '89 Voyageur with fenders. It would fit wider without, but probably not with the fenders.

I'm running 1 3/8" Swift Tire Sand Canyons on my 90 Voyageur with plenty of room to spare.

Not always. For instance, Schwinn used the Schwinn Chicago badge long after the Chicago plant was closed. Its kind of like Boeing, their headquarters is Chicago but they don't make a single plane there. I have several Japan made Schwinns that do not have a Japan head badge. I've also had a 1984 Schwinn High Sierra with a 1970s Schwinn Chicago Paramount head badge (I am not alone in this, others have had the same). HS was made in Taiwan by Giant. Serial number tells the tale.
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e0cb2d090.jpeg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...fbbaa7955.jpeg


A Panasonic built Schwinn will have a distinct, unique serial number of the head tube. A Giant built Schwinn will typically have a date code on the non-drive side drop out. After 1982, the better USA built Schwinns were made in Greenville, MS. We can debate quality, but IMO, many of the Japanese built Schwinns of that era were higher quality, like my 1987 Schwinn Prologue. Some of the lower end USA built Schwinns in the early 1980s were made by Murray, not exactly a great source.

Having grown up in the era where Japanese made bikes were just starting to enter the market (1973+/-), I did not give them near the respect that I should have at the time. Now looking back I realize my mistake.

Thanks for the details! I was loosely aware that as Schwinn fell out of favor with buyers, and missed a few golden opportunities (MTBs the biggie), that the manufacturing was kind of all over the place.
The Japan - head badge pic I included is from my Super LeTour 12.2 (12.2 indicating the complete bikes weight as sold: 12.2kg (i know.... kilograms means mass..... i know i know....).
I also had a great crit racer in the early '90s, a made in Japan Schwinn PDG-2 (was it called a Paramount? I think they just called it a PDG-2, Paramount Design Group.... I sold it a while ago).
I also picked up a '91 Schwinn CrossCut frameset last summer. It's a lugged frame, and the serial number on the bottom bracket starts with a "G". So I am assuming Giant made it in Taiwan. I "think" in '92 the CrossCut frames were TIG welded in China. I had a hard time finding out.
The serial number on the green Schwinn I posted indicates 1976, according to the Schwinn Serial Number website.

yup - love the lugged Japanese made bikes. i'd like to get a Club Fuji at some point. too many bikes right now.

to the OP: That Voyager looks pretty good, still!