surfer777

First of all, I am new to the forum and also new to road biking so pardon my lack of knowledge and not knowing proper terms!

Like I said, I'm new to road biking and I have taken it up because I hate running. A few of my friends have told me the new Schwinns aren't nearly as good as the old, vintage models. So naturally I went looking for a vintage Schwinn. I recently purchased a 1978 Suburban 10 speed, fully tuned, new cables, housing, tires, bar tape...I love how the bike rides. But after searching through the forums, it seems like my bike doesn't look anything like the Suburbans I've seen here. My bike has the drop down bars (I don't know what you call them...just the standard road bike bars that look like ram horns!) which I haven't seen on any other Suburbans. Also, my bike doesn't have the fenders over the tires. To put it simply, my bike is just a basic road bike, whereas the other Suburbans I've seen look more like cruisers. Am I making sense? What are your thoughts on this? I would post pictures but I don't know where to upload them!

Thanks guys!

brianinc-ville

Pictures?

wrk101

Easy enough for someone to install drop bars on it and toss the fenders. Use a photo hosting site to post pics.

frantik

i upload to imageshack, but you can also attach images using the "manage attachments" feature

Fast Cloud

The '78 Suburban came with upright bars and fenders. (I have one) You either love fenders or you hate them...sounds like the previous owner hated them. The old Positron stuff is pretty interesting...I just use mine for sauntering around the neighborhood. It's a hefty beast alright, but rides like Lincoln Continental. Have fun!

Scooper

The 1978 Suburban had an electroforged straight gauge carbon steel frame and the Shimano Front Freewheel System drivetrain. Wheels havesteel rims. It came with "tourist" handlebars and fenders. These bikes are very heavy (~39 pounds).

Here's the 1978 catalog page.

surfer777

Thanks for the replies and information. I will post pics later on when I have more time!

mkeller234

When I bought my first bicycle as an adult about 3 years ago I also bought a 1978 Suburban. I think the color was called coppertone. Anyway, although it was heavy it honestly was a great riding bicycle. The suburban should have a tubular fork, meaning that it is round and hollow like the rest of the frame. The tubular fork is an upgrade from the flat steel blades found on Schwinn Varsities.

I am probably one of the few, but I really liked the Shimano Positron and FFS system that the bike came with. You might notice that the chain runs constantly, even when you are not pedaling. It was a very early attempt at indexed shifting. In the positron system, the indexing happens at the rear derailleur instead of the shift levers like modern SIS systems. The cable is also special in that system so take care with it and keep that in mind if you need a replacement in the future.

I agree with others, it sounds like a previous owner made a few changes with the bars and fenders.

ecsjr

Just picked up a World Tourist from the mid 80's with that front sprocket freewheel - what a surprise that was .. thought the BB was broken.

Fast Cloud

True...I had to replace mine when I bought it as the bike had sat up for years. Still, I found a guy on feebay with a cart load of 'em. He sells them for dirt...I think I paid 6 bucks shipped. Adjusting it is where it gets a little tricky.