Hey Chuck M, that is a great looking OCT 1973 ( KJ 549079 ) SUBURBAN that you have got there!
You see there on Chuck's 1973 CHESTNUT colored SUBURBAN, that SCHWINN did choose a perfect color for the frame decals, where on some other Suburban color choices, the frame decal colors don't stand out( ghost into the paint is the only way I can describe it...) On some of the same paint colors that Schwinn employed across the Varsity-Collegiate-Breeze-Speedster, others...etc, well, they(Schwinn) employed either white or black coloring for those bikes' decals (depending on bike's paint color) and those decals seemed to "pop" and be highly visible in a nice classic tasteful way. On Some early seventies SUBURBANS, Schwinn's choice of a gold like decal color for example on the Campus Green SUBURBANS......you can't really see or read the frame decals as it ghosts into the green. Now if your head and eyes are within two feet to maybe thirty inches of a parked, not moving bicycle, you can see and read the decals, but otherwise you don't really see them...
HERE IS AN EXAMPLE (1972 Campus Green 21" frame the largest Step Through ridden by a pretty brunette in the 1972 SCHWINN CATALOG...you can't see the decals and it was a brand new bike......................the gold decal coloring makes the decals nearly invisible, hence why I say it ghosts into the green. Now, I'm not certain that product planners there at Schwinn really thought that out............no doubt that the colors combine in a good, classy, understated way but I doubt that their intent was to make their name and logo invisible (frame decals) to other bike riders, pedestrians, and other onlookers ......certainly the classic OVAL headbadge with Black S-C-H-W-I-N-N vertically on a metallic, not white background on that '72 Suburban is highly visible almost as much as the traditional Black on White background headbadge on most other Schwinns of the era. Unless you saw the headbadge comin at ya, ...well that is about all the Schwinn that you would be able to read.
This was true on several of the otherwise great colors used on the SUBURBAN in those years. Look at the same paint color on other Schwinns like the Collegiate/Varsity/Breeze/Speedster/Racer...etc and you'll see those models have the same overall decal design for the frame but they use a color(either white or black..depending..) for the decal that "pops" and is highly visible.
https://waterfordbikes.com/SchwinnCa...0/1972_22.html
I could post other direct waterford links to at least a dozen more catalog pictures of various Collegiates/Varsities/SUBURBANS etc from say 1970 to 1975 that clearly show you a few more examples, but instead of doing that I am going to provide the links below to waterford's 1971-1980 schwinn catalog pages and 1961-1970 schwinn catalog pages, so that anyone can flip through hundreds of pages of those catalogs.
https://waterfordbikes.com/SchwinnCa...inn_1971_1980/
https://waterfordbikes.com/SchwinnCa...inn_1961_1970/
Chuck's CHESTNUT Oct '73 Suburban is a great looking bike. You see the decal colors that SCHWINN chose to use are White, and they are visible and look great on that Suburban. SIERRA BROWN was a brown. Sierra Brown was closer to HERSHEY BAR color and Chuck's CHESTNUT was what you might get if you were to mix the Jim Rockford Pontiac Firebird color with a very light brown.
I have a '71 SIERRA BROWN Suburban which has dark old gold colored decals(dark brass-old gold color for decals....).....they ghost into the SIERRA BROWN where you cannot read anything unless you are literally less than two feet away with eyes and the bike is parked and not moving. I have once owned/worked on/donated about a dozen different '70, '71, '72 SUBURBANS that were SIERRA BROWN and they all are like that. Its a deep classic color that looks great, but the decal colors that the VARSITY utilized for SIERRA BROWN frames look better than that invisible brass gold color decal that the SUBURBAN chose for SIERRA BROWN frames.
That CHESTNUT looks great.
Previously, I failed to mention that the SUBURBAN frames have a unique hole(eyelet) front and rear where their fender braces(struts) attach. The Collegiate and Varsity, etc have their particular fender braces(struts) which mount traditionally on to the axle, underneath the axle nuts.
The SUBURBAN was also the first Schwinn to employ their new patented comfort grip handle bar grip which was BLACK and looked ordinary until you look at it with your eyeball looking at grip opening that slides on to the 7/8" 22.2mm outer diameter handlebar.......What you'll see is a hollow pocket that helps absorb road vibrations on your hands..... I might be wrong but I think the new comfort grips may have been introduced for '71 model. They are the most comfortable of all the Schwinn handlebar grips.
We used to joke back in the seventies as how to tell, is that if you look at the black Schwinn grip and see a visible hollow pocket where you could hide just the smallest roach, that is how you could tell.
The SUBURBAN's black mattress spring saddle that has the additional little horizontal springs underneath it that look very much like the bridge tremelo springs from a Stratocaster, is one of Schwinn's most comfortable oem seats. That '71 and up Collegiate's black schwinn approved Messinger T-85 spring saddle that has the rubber like covering is in my opinion the most comfortable of any Schwinn upright-tourist rider bicycle, ever offered. Those older style two tone color S seats are horrible by comparison, although they look cool.
The SUBURBAN came with the best ever Schwinn cruiser-tourist type pedals in my opinion, those German made schwinn approved BOW pedals with the reflectors on them. Like the seats, the pedals are heavy, but heck if you are riding a 41 pound Suburban with the oem Schwinn black matress spring saddle seat that probably weighs almost 5 pounds, you don't really concern yourself with the weight of the pedals or the weight of the seat.......you just care that your butt is comfortable , and that your feet like pedalling those Bow pedals. It gets back to that mid sixties through early seventies gigantic Cadillac Sedan DeVille that was almost a football field long and the interior of those Cadillacs, particularly the seats were as plush as Thurston Howell III 's living room sofa, that you don't feel the road at all as you cruise on down the road. The SUBURBAN and Collegiate deliver that same riding among the clouds road feel.
My opinion is that the Schwinn 7881 handlebars contribute to that.
There isn't much difference in the COLLEGIATE with the blade fork and 37mm wide front tire tread (37-597)26 x 1 3/8 597mm & the SUBURBAN with the tubular front fork and 32mm wide front tire tread(32-630)27 x 1 1/4 630mm.
THE COLLEGIATE has the most Rolls-Royce like ride of the two bicycles, as it rides better than the SUBURBAN does, assuming the KENDA (37-597mm) tires are mounted evenly and the rim is relatively round.
BOTH bikes use the 7881 handlebars during the seventies. The 7881 handlebars were introduced in 1967, probably first on the Breeze.
The 7881 handlebars were in use for about a decade. They are the best ever tourist handlebars that SCHWINN ever offered in my opinion.
They were on a bunch of different Schwinn models.
..........Yall might notice that in about the 1975 model year, that SCHWINN for some unknown reason began using a different stamped metal chainguard on the 5 speed Suburbans and Collegiates. This seemed to add more material and thus apparently more weight. It was another stamped metal chainguard that had been in use by Schwinn since at least the late fifties. The better in my opinion chainguard that was employed through 1974, makes less vibrating and less noise while riding than the 1975 version which has the v -curve down. The Yardstick-Ruler straight version seen through 1974 is perhaps better, though they both are excellent
.... In about 1975 the chromed steel stem that was employed on Varsity/Suburban/Collegiate and other variants was slightly scalloped out (less beefy in appearance when viewed from the side bottom) this probably reduced weight a little bit with zero impact on structural strength.
.........Yall also probably have seen that the Suburban does not have the brightwork at the top portion of the fork, while the Collegiate, Varsity, Continental, and other electroforged variants do.
..........Folks with COLLEGIATES/SUBURBANS/BREEZES etc with fenders through the 1973 / 1974 model year with ROUND REFLECTOR. For REPLACEMENT RED REFLECTOR, go to Ebay and search: 41mm reflector (on All Categories on EBAY).................this should bring up several China & Hong Kong based vendors that carry these 41mm Motorcycle Reflectors that are the EXACT SIZE needed for the round bezel on the rear fender. ****THE LENGTH OF THE INTEGRAL THREADED, NUTTED STUD IS TOO LONG BY APPROX 3mm or 4mm**** Other than that the red reflector fits perfectly. In order to cut the integral stud of this motorcycle reflector to needed length, you will need to first find a scrap piece of wood about the thickness of a yardstick or ruler, or lid of can, or metal strap scrap that you can drill a hole into and bolt the reflector securely to, In Order To Place The Scrap wood/metal Piece into a vice, so you can cut off the needed 4mm or so...........you gotta use scrap to hold the reflector so as to not mar it up or ruin it while trying to clamp it by itself. You could use the Chinese Motorcycle Reflector as is Without cutting the integral stud to the perfect length but Clearance with your tire rubber will be reduced,..........you might have more than enough clearance depending on the bike......I still would cut it to the perfect length so if anyone looked at the fender, sitting on a work bench, off of the bike , that it looked like it was factory done....and belonged that way. ......the 41mm reflector , you'll see it, red with silver outer perimeter just like the oem Schwinn. I have replaced six of them on various old Schwinn's from the sixties and early seventies that had the bezel pad on the fender but the original oem Schwinn red reflector was long gone decades ago. You remove existing the carriage bolt nut that holds that Schwinn bezel pad.....................THE 41mm CHINESE Motorcycle REFLECTOR's integral threaded stud is the perfect size to fit through the existing hole and it the Chinese Reflector's integral threaded stud has a nut that comes with it............YOU SIMPLY stick the REFLECTOR through the existing hole in the bezel, with bezel in same position as it was previously.........NUT the integral stud behind the fender with a thin washer, or lock washer, or just place a tip of a golf tee's worth of clear epoxy on as you snug the nut securely....................... The last time that I ordered the 41mm reflectors they were about $4 for a pair of them and FREE SHIPPING. They arrived in a small padded mailing envelope about 18 days later . I have ordered from at least two, perhaps three different Chinese parts vendors, but all had lots of transactions and were highly rated % on Ebay. There were others offering the same exact item for maybe fourteen cents or twelve cents less than the firms that I ordered from but saving fourteen cents and paying only $3.86 for the pair from someone only rated 98.6% did not seem smart when the others were at least 99.9% with thousands of transactions.
The SUBURBANS also employ large flange factory Schwinn steel 27" wheels. They aren't any better or worse than the VARSITY's steel 27" wheels. Sure, the SUBURBAN five speed has a better freewheel than that of the VARSITY/CONTINENTAL/10sp SUBURBAN, but the freewheel on the Varsity/Conti etc is excellent, so there are no worries about that. ANYBODY CONTEMPLATING A PROJECT INVOLVING A Varsity/Continental/10speedSUB/or 1964-1969 Collegiate SHOULD CONSIDER UPGRADING TO THE 32-14 model J FREEWHEEL FROM THE 1970-1976 SUBURBAN 5 speeds & 1970-1977 COLLEGIATE 5 speeds.
Earlier, I mentioned that the sixties era Collegiate is INFERIOR to the 1970-1977 Collegiate, and this is true, but as you know, you can upgrade the FREEWHEEL and REAR DERAILLEUR of the sixties era Collegiate to the FREEWHEEL & REAR DERAILLEUR that was employed on Seventies era COLLEGIATES, and you will then have the same quality. You'd have to upgrade the shifter of at least the 1964 and 1965 as though they do work, they are awful compared to the 1967 (s) Schwinn Single STIK stem shifter, .....the 1966 Collegiate has a Huret clamp on shift lever which is functional and perhaps not as awful but still awful compared to the 1967 (s) Schwinn STIK stem shifter.
Other noteworthy considerations if anyone is considering building a 5 speed collegiate like or suburban like.....simple single front chain ring NO FRONT DERAILLEUR and just a rear derailleur:
****** Remember that you can do so from most any 10 SPEED that has at least a 28 - 14 freewheel gearing at rear and a ONE PIECE ASHTABULA CRANK
---The Ashtabula ONE PIECE CRANK simplifies such a project BECAUSE IT ALLOWS YOU TO Easily change the FRONT CHAIN RING to any useable chainring with for example anywhere between forty two and forty six.....(42T)..(44T)...(46T)..................there are others you could pick also...................those all are easy to find, NEW aftermkt for about $15 for steel......
........Now say for example that you have some old Kmart/Jc Penney/Sears free spirit/Western Auto/OTASCO../MURRAY/HUFFY/ROSS/COLUMBIA ten speed or five speed with the ONE PIECE CRANK.....................you can swap in a old used SCHWINN CRANKSET if you want chrome quality that looks new, even though the old Schwinn crankset might be sixty years old...............YOU JUST HAVE TO USE ALL OF THE SCHWINN PARTS...CUPS...CRANKSET etc in place of the non-schwinn parts.................you can also do the same with using a non-schwinn one piece crankset in a Schwinn...... Heck, though, whatever one piece crank, does not care what ordinary front chain ring you choose to employ......those all interchange on whatever typical One Piece Crank.
Many of those ancient seventies 10 speeds with one piece cranks and early eighties one piece crank ten speed greenbriar & brittany "FREE SPIRITS" that SEARS sold likely made by Murray, are often decent enough to salvage from the junkpile or shed. GET RID OF THE FRONT DERAILLEUR which is probably not in good shape/needing cables/bent or rusted..... GET A SINGLE FRONT Chainring for the ASHTABULA Crank, or just get the entire crank assembly with cups, bearings,etc from an old SCHWINN with 46T anything from 1950's thru 1980,,,,,,,,,,best bet for best condition and chrome would be about 1963 thru 1980....
Heck it doesn't matter too much what you choose........you cannot use an ancient skiptooth front chainring, but most anything else from the fifties on up will work.
There isn't a significant difference in the width that would cause any chain problems. Its an ancient bicycle. You aren't talking about high tech cassettes or teeth with unique profiles that require extremely specific chain compatibility.
...................Look at it this way, often times, an old basic ten speed, has sat for ages in a shed or basement or the rafters of a garage, because it became unreliable in that the rider kept dropping the chain when shifting from the big front to the little front or vice versa. The rider of said bicycle didn't know anything about bicycles, only that something wasn't right.......the rider owner figures that bike will cost too much to take to a shop for adjustment, so they figure oh what the hell, I will try to make it work, and then they just give up after they ride it several more times after trying to adjust it themselves, and it still doesn't work............. This same former rider of said bike gathering cobwebs, also has no clue that they could have removed the front derailleur and converted the bike into a useable 5 speed. Well truthfully, someone who can change a bike tire can. A person who can change a bike tire can also probably re-adjust a front derailleur, or remove replace the cable and re-adjust, or swap out the front derailleur on an ancient simple friction shifting ten or twelve speed. It just takes patience and a little knowledge on that particular front derailleurs adjusting screws. It is nothing compared to doing the most minor mechanical automobile repair or tuning.
Still with something so simple that must do something repetitively and reliably like moving the chain from the big ring to the small ring and vice versa, if it is bent and excessively worn, it may be difficult to get it to function acceptably even after tinkering and adjusting for an hour.
Though if you have a couple of such "junk pile" parts, you might often find that in the dead of winter when you are stuck inside because it is 18F, you might pass the time assembling and comingling a rideable bicycle from the assortment of junk pile parts. Hey, no joke, you might often find that you have got enough parts that, you'll have decent enough reliable parts that once swapped, will allow you to create something that isn't half bad, even if the bike started life as something from JC Penney, or Western Auto.
The old saying of Do The Best You Can With What You Have Got, certainly applies to making something decently rideable from a parts-junk pile. Old Bicycles are not too complicated. You aren't gonna mess anything up by trying to build or put something together from a few trashpile bicycles. It might be a fun learning experience and project for a bitter cold winter day when it is too cold and nasty to ride. Just don't spend any significant money on replacement parts and tires & accessories UNTIL YOU HAVE PROVEN THROUGH TEST RIDING & TORTURE-DURABILITY TESTING THAT THE PROJECT BIKE IS DECENT ENOUGH TO BE WORTHY OF THOSE PARTS. Just build and MacGyver using what you already have until the bike proves through test riding afterwards that it decent enough that you want to put new tires, seat, etc. You also want to make certain to not go crazy building on frame size that does not fit you or your spouse or other family member.
Perhaps keep the too small or too gigantic old basic ten speed or 5 speed bike, and just find a basic whatever brand old late sixties thru early eighties one piece crank 10 speed/5 speed/3 speed frame that has caliper hand brakes, not a coaster brake only model.
Now for example, lets say that you find an old 10 speed with the typical 28-14 freewheel.
You want to make it into a five speed.....with a single front chain ring on this old Ashtabula one piece crank ancient 10 speed.
Well with 27" wheel(630mm) 27 x 1 1/4 and assuming that you wanted to just adapt the old Schwinn 46 T one piece Schwinn crank and cups..bearings..bolts hardware.... ............Well assuming that you DO NOT CHANGE your existing 28-14 freewheel, you likely will find that 46 T will be too many teeth up front if the area where you ride has any hills at all.
...............YOU MAY WISH TO CONSIDER using a 42T front chainring with your existing 28-14 freewheel.
Just keep whatever existing one piece crank that came with the bike (unless its so rusty and unsightly......rust & pitting would have zero impact on functionality)
Anyway, the bike doesn't care if the crank assembly came from an old JC Higgins, Murray, Huffy, Columbia, Ross, Schwinn, or other etc.
All will fit the standard old American style One Piece....................you just have to use the proper hardware for whatever the old crank you choose.
Now the reason I suggest (42T) for 28-14 freewheel for 27" wheeled bicycle is that will give you 41 GEAR Number for the lowest gear, 1st gear 28 cog.
At the same time, your top-end is not compromised too much as you will have 81 GEAR Number for the highest gear, 5th gear 14 cog.
----thus the 42T with 28-14 freewheel for 27" wheeled bike would have an overall gear range of 41 GEAR to 81 GEAR...................
You might find that it is billiard table flat where you ride so that then maybe that top-end matters more than hill climbing ability.
You know how to compute and calculate potential possibilities.
This information on calculating GEAR Number also can be extremely helpful to someone with a single speed coaster brake "beach cruiser" type bike, as you can buy the cog(s) that swap out with you existing coaster brake single speed cruiser. They are very inexpensive, less than $20, and widely available New.
This might allow someone with a Beach Cruiser coaster brake bike to make it more rideable for a mature adult that doesn't have the leg power of a 12 year old kid anymore.
THERE ARE NO RIGHT Gear Numbers or "RiGHT" Overall Gear Number range. YOU DETERMINE THAT. As the common saying goes: "YOU DO YOU."
Do whatever makes the most sense to you and makes your riding more pleasant and enjoyable
Yes, Schwinn probably did do some things better than other bike manufacturers did, but all the others made bikes that folks bought and enjoyed riding for years.
Don't worry about a bicycle being too ancient, or being a product from a manufacturer that perhaps wasn't the best. All of them did make decent enough, enjoyable, basic bikes that are fun to ride, that if you didn't see a mfr badge or decals or markings that you'd never know otherwise that a certain low rent manufacturer made that bike.
If you like the bike and it fits you and you find it comfortable and enjoyable to ride often, then not much else matters, other than maybe a blue sky and a sunny day.
Have Fun