Getting a used Schwinn Varsity?
05-19-23, 09:00 AM
#76
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05-19-23, 09:53 AM
#77
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I can appreciate @Vintage Schwinn's enthusiasm for the bike that Sheldon Brown's site called " the single most significant American bicycle " I love riding my '75 Continental, steel rims & all....but I don't ride it in the rain.
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/varsity-shaddox.html
I think ultimately the Varsity is THE great 1960's American road bike that happened to get produced until the mid-1980s. It's not the first or only classic design that outlived the conditions it was designed for and was produced into obsolescence - the Model T and VW Beetle spring quickly to mind in this catagory. Just like those designs, the Varsity's high build volumes and durable construction mean it is now plentiful and inexpensive. The bikes are still fun to ride, interesting social artifacts and a good way for today's riders to relive "the way it was". My hope is that these bikes will begin to be appreciated for the important role they played in American cycling, and will perhaps be enjoyed once more on the streets and backroads of the country they transformed.
Last edited by Deal4Fuji; 05-19-23 at 10:13 AM.
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05-19-23, 02:43 PM
#79
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I had a Schwinn Varsity that I took to college. It was gold color. I left it outside in the rain (there was nowhere else to park it) and it got all funky, especially the leather seat. Dang I wish I hadn't sold it!
