OldsCOOL

I flipped a 15.00 garage sale Varsity last summer. It was a '74 lime in great condition. That thing wouldnt blow over in an F5 tornado.

surfjimc

Mine was bright orange. It was my first geared bike and I rode it all through high school in the late 70's. I have great memories of that bike.

scott967

I got my Varsity in maybe mid-60's? or maybe earlier. IIRC got it from Sears as "10-speed" just didn't exist as an option where I grew up (west suburban Milwaukee). Rode the heck out of that bike. Had many a "long ride" in HS (though probably if I mapped out those rides today they would seem pretty wimpy). What I remember was being a whiter-than-white guy riding through the north side of Milwaukee after the 68 riots. Never got hassled but it was pretty much downhill heading towards Lake Michigan so I wasn't hanging around to see how I was "accepted".

That bike lived outside summer and winter so there were many times when it was a "single speed".

I'm not sure why or how I got rid of it, but I ended up with a C.Itoh in college - that bike eventually got ripped off. That was the end of my biking until I got back into it with purchase of a Fuji touring in 84.

scott s.
.

Fred Smedley

I got a used green Varsity for a birthday present , I promptly sold it off and bought a Nishiki International.

JanMM

Sears sold Schwinns?

Bob Ross

I'm in: I owned a bright yellow Schwinn Varsity Sport that I bought new in 1971 for ~$97. That was my first geared bike, my first bike with 27" wheels, my first bike with drop bars... I rode that bike from age 10 through 17, and then reclaimed it from my parents' garage and rode it for a couple more years post college (when the swanky Raleigh that I'd subsequently bought got stolen) until some asshat named Steve who worked for me "borrowed" it permanently.

locolobo13 

Bought mine at 14 or 15 yrs of age around 1970. Paid $150 for it brand new. To put it in perspective my parents bought a used car around the same time for $100.

The varsity wasn't my first bike. But I grew up on it. Rode it all over the area. Mostly flat pavement, but some dirt trails, littered alleys, jumping curbs up and down, and small hills. Broke axles, bent rims, handlebars, etc. Lotta fond memories.

goldfinch

I had a 1969 Collegiate; I wasn't worthy of a Varsity. Here it is a couple of years ago up in the barn loft. It had a mouse nest in the tire. Behind it is my brother's green Varsity:



Here is my Collegiate after I fixed it up. I still need to pound out a dent in the rear fender so the rear fender remains off the bike:

FL_MarkD

Brown Varsity around 1971 was my first 'ten speed'. Heavy, clunky, strong but it took me a lot of places. I could wheelie that thing for a block. All it took was a spoke wrench once in awhile and the front wheel was good as new . Good memories .....

scott967

I don't know what the seat tube angle is, but it really looks relaxed. Also the fork rake. Just don't see 'em like that these days.

scott s.
.

sonatageek

In the early 70's I really wanted a '10 speed' and I was focused on the Varsity. My family had very little money so the price (around $100 I think) was a bit out of reach. One Christmas I ended up with a pair of department store bikes - a 3 speed (Shimano 333 hub) and a 26" steel wheeled road bike, purchased for $75 for the pair from a department store that was going out of business.

Had that crappy 10 speed for maybe 10 years and eventually got my first good bike as an adult (Bridgestone X0-2), but I still have a soft spot for the Varsity.

I have owned a few Varsities (and a bunch of other Schwinn models) over the past 7-8 years and determined they make a better memory than a bike to ride on a regular basis.

goldfinch

It does look rather elegant. I took that bike everywhere for a couple of years. I had a speedometer on it and remember getting it up to 45mph on a steep hill in a nearby state park. Now I ride it and wonder how I dared. But today 35 mph is my comfort limit anyway. The seat is set at the height appropriate for me and the bike was the smaller model of the Collegiate. It was too big but I didn't notice.

I've thought about rehabbing my brother's old Varsity but it doesn't seem worth it. I would need to buy new tires. Otherwise, I think it just needs a good cleaning and maybe cables/housing. But what a tank.

JanMM

Lots of room between the tire and seat tube, too.

Dave Cutter

The bicycles I've rehabbed were hardly worn at all.... mostly layers of crud that need gently scrubbed, rotted rubber, and rust. Besides new tires.... you'll likely need new tubes and the rubber Rim Strips. The brake pads are likely hard as rocks and useless as well. I would guess.... the chain is rusted inside and out and needs replaced too. Sometimes the cable covers are OK... sometimes it's best to replace the cables and covers. Sixty bucks maybe total cost to put the bike back into riding shape.

A little chrome polish and aluminum foil will make shiny surfaces like new in no time without scratches. Be very careful/gentle with painted/decaled parts. A couple days of killing time during too cold to ride winter weather.... and the old bicycle will be beautiful again. I really mean that! It won't just look good.... it will be beautiful to look at. It will inspire oohs and awes!

Oh sure... even with new grease in the bearing and oil on a new chain.... it won't ride like a new lightweight go faster. But it won't be as bad as most might imagine ether.

goldfinch

Yeah, I start thinking it through and it adds up. I ended up putting new housing and cables on my Collegiate as well as Kool Stop brake pads. The tires had to be replaced and they were the weird Schwinn 26 inch size, so I had to special order them. But, it is pretty.

I did take my little sister's juvenile Schwinn Caliente and cleaned it up and recabled it. It surprisingly had good tires. Tubes I replaced. It shifts beautifully and looks lovely. It even fits me. But it is a terrible bike. It is a tank. It handles poorly. The handlebar ergonomics are bad. The brakes perform terribly unless you have them really close to the rims but the rims are not true enough to get adequate braking. I might true them up someday but I just might not bother. But, I don't want to even give away the bike unless I improve the braking performance.

reverborama

I wanted a Varsity but the Schwinn shop was sold out, it being the midst of the bike boom and all. I also got a Schwinn World Traveler. It was probably the only lugged frame that was heavier than the Varsity (I have weighed each of them). In its defense, I beat it just about to death and it came back for more. I always wanted a Varsity, a Continental would have been nicer, and a Super Sport was just a dream.

A few years ago, I saw a Varsity frame in my size (25 inches) on eBay from a local guy. I got it for $11. Taking some old parts from a co-worker, I threw in a 3-piece crank converter and put his old Shimano 600 crank on it and his old Dura-Ace RD. I found an alloy stem from a World Traveler that would fit and some lighter bars and finished it off with a set of inexpensive 700c wheels. Oh, and I got hold of an alloy seatpost, too. The stock shifters and the RD can handle a 7-speed cassette. With pedals it's under 30 lbs. I left the tatty paint as is. Whenever I have to go somewhere sketchy and leave a bike locked up I take the Varsity. No one will steal it. Does it ride as good as any of my "good" bikes? No, but it's not as bad as you'd think, either. It also didn't cost much to build. But the best thing? Sometimes I take it on big charity rides. Oh, MAN, do people hate it when you pass them on a Varsity.

wnl256

Oh yeah! Brand new lime green Varsity for my birthday/Christmas present back in '74 or '75. I rode that thing everywhere, even places I probably should not have. Took it to college with me in '79 and did some riding in and around campus, including a few fund-raising rides. But once I got my car it fell in to disuse. I eventually gave it to my nephew who cleaned it up (with his dad's help) and used it for many years afterwards. I don't know what eventually happened to it: probably sold at a garage sale.

It was the first bike that was exclusively mine and not a hand-me down from my brothers. And it was a 10-speed. How awesome was that?!

We inherited a World Sport from my sister-in-law. It is still sitting in my garage but doesn't see any use.

OldsCOOL

I would give chase just out of curiosity just to confirm I really did actually SEE that.

curbtender

I just remember how nice it was to ride these bikes on some of the worn out roads we had... they were the Cadilacs.

CACycling

Dumped my no-name ten speed for a green Super Sport when I started high school ('73) but quickly outgrew it and picked up a used Varsity and pawned the Super Sport off on my older sister (she had an old Schwinn 3 speed). One day, my friend and I went to get our bikes after school and they were both gone (he had a Varsity as well). We walked the 6 blocks to the Schwinn shop and each bought Continentals.

Eventually sold the Continental and picked up a Centurion (much better bike but a bit small for me). My future wife came complete with a yellow Varsity. Turned out the Centurion was just her size which gave me an excuse to buy one of those MTBs that were all the rage.

transporterjr

My first 26" "10-speed" was a Continental, which I think was not much more than a Varsity with alloy wheels, weighing 2 pounds less. However my 25" frame pushed about 40 Lb.s I used to ride it on 40, and even 50 mile rides. Was well made, perfect blue paint, just heavy, that's all.

Dchiefransom

No Varsity, Continental.

JanMM

My '73 Continental had steel rims and crankset. They did have aluminum bars and a tubular fork, as opposed to solid.

transporterjr

Stolen off the Schwinn Bike Forum
Continental

Center pull brakes
Tubular front fork
Randonneur bars
Alloy stem
Quick Release wheels
Easy-release brake levers (for the wheels)
Brake cable adjusters on top of the brake levers



Varsity

Blade fork
Side pull brakes
Steel stem
Standard axles w/ nuts
No quick release on the brake levers
No easy cable adjusters on top of the brake levers

qcpmsame 

Same here, the wheels/tires were steel rims and 27 X 1-1/4 Schwinn High Pressure Puffs, on my '73 Continental. The fork was a big selling point over the solid unit on the Varsity along with the center pull brakes, quick release wheels and aluminum quill stem. My bars were a randonneur bend, aluminum. I never noticed its weight after all the gas pipe cruisers and sting ray type cheapies I owned, it was a good, reliable, nice looking bicycle. Mine was the opaque blue (robin's egg.)

Bill