So I find myself in an unusual situation: I have had two very similar US-made late-80s touring bikes enter my life this week. Both are from the mid-to-late 80s, more-or-less the same color of blue, pretty much the same size, and comparable materials and components. If you took the stickers off, the casual viewer couldn't tell them apart.
I've posted both of these elsewhere, but given their similarity I figured I better start a thread to chronicle the build up of them both and do a head-to-head comparison.
Up first, the
Schwinn Le Tour.
This came to me nearly complete, missing a few minor bits. Given the deteriorated state of the decals it took a little while to figure out what that it's a mid-80s (probably 85, maybe 86) Le Tour, made at the short-lived Greenville MS plant out of genuine double-butted 4130 chrome moly.
Second up, a 1989 (possibly 88, but I think 89)
Trek 520
Just got this one today. It's dirty and needs some refurbishing but complete and appears to have been cared for pretty well over its life. Single owner.
Let me know if there's anything you'd like me to directly compare between the two!