Doug Fattic 

Let me put your 1964 Super Sport into some historical context. Before 1970, "10 Speed" bikes were very uncommon (except in maybe Southern California). When my cousin and I rode them in a tour around New England in 1966, everybody thought what we were doing was pretty unusual and they weren't familiar with bikes like ours. Just crazy college kids. Also the nearly $100 price tag for them was considered expensive. I got that all the time. The Continental and Varsity were cheaper Schwinn models of 10 speeds. Most of my friends had some kind of ballon tire one speed used by newspaper boys. Or a Sting Ray. So yours is a fairly uncommon bike until Schwinn made a lot more starting with the bike boom of 1970. They changed the SS a bit in 1967 putting the shifters up higher and adding a kick stand.

Bicycle frames vary in their design a lot. The Super Sport was intended to be general purpose rider that has nothing much in common with a racing bike. They were made by "fillet brazing" a technique of melting brass as a material.to hold the joints together. Their more laid back seat and head tube angles work well to provide a "gentleman's fit". The Brooks B-15 saddle is a wonderful leather saddle. Take good care of it and try not to get it wet.

davester explained why you want your saddle to go back instead of forward. It is a way of balancing your body weight over the pedals. I recommend trying to put your saddle back as far as you can. Next I would try and raise the handlebars as high as you can. As already said, you unloosen the stem bolt head a few turns (don't unloosen it all the way!) and strike it down with something that won't damage the finish. The wedge nut is inside the steerer at the bottom of the stem.threaded onto the bolt. Hopefully that will free the stem. There are thousands of pages written how to free a stuck stem. In a perfect world, you will want the height of the top of your handlebars to be near the height of your saddle. That is where most people our age prefer their handlebars to be positioned for comfort fit riding.

albrt 

You will also find as you ride more that your core will get stronger, so you won't put as much weight on your hands.

Not sure if the descriptions of how to remove the stem are clear. The stem looks like this:



Credit stackexchange.com

The bolt on top connects to the diagonal plug at the bottom of the stem. Tightening the bolt jams the plug into the stem and holds it tight in the tube. The reason you need to tap the bolt when you loosen it is because the diagonal plug is usually stuck.

The big nut lower down holds the ball-bearing assembly that allows the handlebars and fork to turn. It does not connect directly to the stem.

When people here say a "shorter stem" they probably mean a stem that is shorter from front to back. You can also get a taller stem that allows you to raise the bars a little bit more.

If you are willing to get really radical, you can put on completely different handlebars, including mountain bike bars that go straight across or even rise a little.

Fredo76

On my drop bars I am using Cinelli Gel Cork handlebar tape, and these padded gloves: https://www.rivbike.com/products/summer-gloves-xxxl

The combination is sufficient for me. Not mashing the nerves on the heel of my palm by leaning on them is still important.

Vintage Schwinn

Doug Fattic is correct (post #26 above).
Schwinn's introduction of the so called "Turkey Levers" in 1969 is hugely responsible for getting ordinary, average folks interested in considering riding a 10 speed.
Nearly everybody else in the world, manufacturing 10 speeds followed Schwinn's lead and included "Turkey Levers" on at least one of their entry level base model 10 speed bicycle offerings during the Seventies!
They were loved by the masses during the Nixon, Ford and Carter years. Serious cyclists, not so much....
They did play a huge role in getting folks to become 10 speed jockeys during the bike boom '71-'74 and the remainder of the seventies(disco era-cb craze-van craze '75-'80).

Prowler 

+1. I remind folks that, like starting into any sport or even into yard work, you body needs to adjust and discomfort or pain will be part of that. Be mindful that something could be wrong but to some extend push through to see if it goes away - your body adjusts and gets stronger.* At 70 pushing 71 yrs old, I have 10 drop bars bikes in rotation and I often ride in the drops. It took some time to adjust but now my neck is stronger, my wrists don’t hurt, my core is stronger (and lower back pain is now seldom seen) and 60 to 70 mile days are not uncommon. And my Primary and my Cardiologist tell me to keep riding, riding hard.

* many years ago, during my, so called, career, I decided to quit taking elevators. Always took the stairs - confirming in the minds of my co-workers that I was a nut case. At first there was pain and discomfort but my body adjusted and got stronger. I even learned to go downstairs two at a time, fast, with progressive add glasses. Wicked!

pastorbobnlnh 

Prowler , I did the same thing whenever I went to a hospital to visit members. Now I only have steps in the house and I try to go up and down at least 10 times a day.

1964Supersport

Very informative, thank you so much for sharing that information. I decided to rewrap my bars, went to the local bike shop this afternoon and made a purchase. I will probably wrap my bars at the first of the week. Here is a picture of the tape I bought. I saw the same thing online for $10.00 less but I wanted to support the local shop.

1964Supersport

The reason I began riding my bicycle after not riding it for so many years was because of my back. I was diagnosed with Spinal stenosis and all the expensive treatments did basically nothing for me. First they had me take physical therapy then chiropractic treatments along with acupuncture. The dr prescribed Tramadol which made me really sick. It was determined hydrocodone helped me with no side effects. I take that 3 times a day and get along pretty good. For some reason I decided to try riding my old 10 speed. After riding it a few times I noticed my back was doing better. I started riding daily and noticed a definate improvement. I started doing some research and read where the leaning forward position along with the hip movement caused by peddling was good for spinal stenosis. What I have also discovered is I really like riding my bicycle. For many many years I have just been riding my motorcycle.

1964Supersport

We have a 2 1/2 story house I get plenty of step exercise.

Doug Fattic 

1964SuperSport, the reason I am so interested in what is going on with your SS is because, just like you, my dad gave me one in 1965 (I've mentioned this before). It got stolen when I used it as my campus bike in college a few years later. By that time I had graduated to much more sophisticated bicycles. In 1975 I went over to England to learn how to make and paint custom frames. However my love for SSs never waned. Some years ago I started looking around for another one of that era and discovered they are hard to find in decent condition. Few people in the States rode 10 speeds before 1970. I did find a couple in terrible condition and as time allows I fuss with the components getting the rust off where the chrome has disappeared. I'm a professional bike painter and am in the process of repainting those frames. They are painting class projects. I teach both framebuilding and painting classes. So yours is special bicycle that is very rare in that condition and that is why I take a special interest it what you do with it. In fact what you do makes me a bit nervous like a grandparent watching over little kids play with heirlooms. It isn't uncommon to be able to find Super Sports made after 1970 that aren't much different from yours but they are different.

I looked at your past posts and a picture you took of it in July shows that your handlebars are up as high as your saddle so considering your age that is a good thing. I recommend as your next bike adjustment is to slide your saddle back as far as it will go on your B-17. In other words the saddle will be going rearward away from the handlebars. I'm a professional fitter too (I have to be in order to know how to design custom frames) and know that will probably be the best adjustment you can make (although I could be wrong because this is just an educated guess not seeing you in person). It is counterintuitive but that will help take your upper body weight off of your hands. With a 22" Super Sport I doubt that movement back with stretch you out too much. They have a pretty short top tube.

The next adjustment I'm going to recommend (from seeing a picture of your bike) is to your lower brake levers. They appear to be a bit too high up on your handlebars. I would find a better position for them before wrapping your handlebars with new tape. If you ever ride in the drops (and you may never now that you aren't a teenager any longer) you will find the levers too far away from your fingers.

And one more thing, as much as I love Super Sports they are not the best possible bicycle for serious daily fitness riding any more than a car from 1964 is now the best for daily commuting. People will suggest better shifting derailleurs and your Ashtabula cranks are heavy like boat anchors. If you do make changes, be sure to carefully keep all the old parts so when you do go on to something better, you SS can be returned to original. They were brilliantly and beautifully made bicycles designed to last forever (yours almost has already) but I can assure you there are superior bicycles for the purpose you are growing into to keep your body and mind young. But yours works and there is no reason not to enjoy it as it is.

albrt 

I didn't realize Super Sports from that era were so rare. I withdraw my comments about modifying the subject bike. There are many Schwinn frames from the 70s and 80s available at very reasonable prices that would be better subjects for the suggested modifications.

1964Supersport

Removed my bar tape adjusted bars and brake levers, out for a test ride on a beautiful fall evening.

albrt 

On older bikes they are usually tan or natural rubber color. A lot of people who ride long distances tilt the bars up slightly, move the brake levers up slightly, and then put hoods or bar tape on the base of the brake levers. That allows you to hold on to the side of the bars with your hands partly on the brake hoods. It is a comfortable alternate position and if you have reasonably large hands you can still reach the brake levers when needed.



Image credit https://bicycles.stackexchange.com/q...fe-for-braking

xiaoman1 

As many other have suggest consider the fitment of the bike and make the proper adjustments. The recommendation for gloves is a good one, if you are have some pain in your hands padded bar tape may not be enough.
Also as suggested to relieve stress/fatique adjust your riding position from time to time. If all else fails, you may need to switch out he bars and stem.....no harm there you want to continue to enjoy riding.
Best, Ben

Doug Fattic 

Just over 50 years ago I was able to observe the modern bike boom when adult Americans discovered the 10 speed bike. One of my middle aged classmates in grad school wanted to get into this new trend and bought a Schwinn Super Sport. I think it was a 1971 model. He had to put his name on a waiting list to get one because they were constantly out of stock because they were so popular. He really enjoyed the new-to-him sport and his new bicycle. In fact he loved it so much he wanted to get a better bicycle and went ahead and bought a new top-of-the-llne Schwinn Paramount for $350. To his surprise he discovered he liked his Super Sport better. It was stable and solid and went in a straight line and he felt more secure on it. The faster lighter Paramount was more twitchy to handle and he felt less secure riding it. He went back to riding his Super Sport. The reason he preferred his SS was because it had more laid back angles that produced a bit more upright "comfort" position (starting with his saddle further behind the bottom bracket) rather than a more aggressive "performance" position sitting further forward. So his experience shows that a Super Sport can be a good bike for someone that could qualify as a grandparent to get into the cycling again using vintage equipment.
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pastorbobnlnh 

Doug Fattic , as the owner of a '70 Super Sport, '71 Paramount P13, and a '75 Sports Tourer, I agree with your assessment of the ride difference between these models. It's unfortunate your friend didn't find his Paramount to be a different kind of enjoyable ride. I find both rides different, yet enjoyable. Have you ever seen how I modified my '70 SS? It was quite the project.

ZudeJammer

Grab-On grips are the best and last forever: https://www.porkchopbmx.com/grab-on-...ar-handle.html

RB1-luvr

Did anyone mention splice tape? I pre-wrap the bars in this. Adds minimally to the diameter, but adds a decent amount of comfort.

1964Supersport

Your SS looks really nice, I noticed the position of your bars and brake levers. I'm experimenting with mine before I wrap them with new bar tape.I'm trying to find the position where I can ride comfortably on the hoods but still be able to reach the brake levers if I'm in the drop position.

1964Supersport

D
Do you feel like there is enough thickness in this tape that it adds a little extra cushion ?

Calsun

Before I started using the larger diameter Cinelli bars I would wrap thin foam strips around the bars before putting on the handlebar tape. Easy to adjust the thickness depending on how many times you wrap the foam around the bar. I could adjust the density or feel of the cushioning. Now I would use tennis racket tape which I recently discovered.

https://www.amazon.com/Alien-Pros-Te...2s9dHJ1ZQ&th=1

mstateglfr 

Iys a time honored tradition for the less polite among us to question setup on this site. And yes, we all fit on a bike differently.
Even still, how do you brake from the drops? That bar angle and lever placement would render the drops useless to me as they are neither level nor is there access to the brakes.

RB1-luvr

yes I do. I like it better than double handlebar tape, which, I think is too much cushion.

easyupbug 

I have osteoarthritis in my hands and wrists and have found after checking with fitters, moving saddles, different bars and stems, moving shifter/brakes, a dozen different gloves, gel and foam under tape, what works for me is gel under tape and good quality heavy duty anti-vibration gloves which are significantly better than cycling gloves at taming vibration. This after addressing the frame and fork compliance, more tolerant wheels and of course larger tires with their lower pressures.

1964Supersport

Thanks, I think I will try it.