SpeedofLite 

Rotten

Appreciate you posting this, interesting read for sure. Can we get a pdf version?

SpeedofLite 

Sure. Here's the link to the pdf: https://1drv.ms/b/s!AgHfxA8atbGnnQLs...OB40l?e=kJXzkH
It will be active for a week or so.

Rotten

The only thing I see that I disagree with is the frame and fork weight. When I weighed my 23" I got 4 pounds 12 ounces and the fork was 2 pounds 12 ounces. Both had the headset races installed so didn't add a lot of extra. I thought it was odd the fork being so heavy, makes me wonder if there was some kind of production change.

plonz 

My ‘89 bare frame measured roughly 59cm c-t-c and weighed in at 4.75lbs using my cheapie scale. The bare fork weighed 1.8lbs. It does seem that yours is rather portly at 2.75.

Love the article on our beloved Circuits. Thought I read these were more of a crit bike but certainly not the case after reading this. I guess I always kinda knew it was too comfy and stable to be too racy.

RiddleOfSteel

3,139g for the frame and fork that size is solid. My SL/SP 1985 Peloton (same size - 25") weighed 3,090g (forget if that was including the headset, which I normally include in these weights). Great looking bikes.

The reviewer's comment about buyers running things so often in the small-small gear combo... It STILL happens today and I see it all the time. People set off from a stop light just struggling and grinding against the gear. It's a bit hard to not despair--all that brain power, all the education...out the window, never heard, never tried.

SurferRosa

I bought one that was a repaint a few years ago. The guy didn't use the correct decals. I'm not sure if the fork was original or not. It was a very solid bike. I found a nos Sprint rear derailleur for it, which shifted wonderfully. And I just loved the way it looked...


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jamesdak 

I had one of these too, actually two of them. I still had it when a friend talked me into getting onto Strava. It's the bike I have all my local sprint KOMs on. Something about how I had it setup just let me push it harder than all the other bikes. Sold it off about 2 years ago to the mechanic that actually built it up for me. He had been lusting after it. It was pretty much the last of all my late 80's Schwinns to leave the bike cave because I felt it was the best. Loved it more than the 1987 Paramount I had.

It was also the bike that tried to kill me on it's maiden ride. Coming down a fast long descent I was approaching 55mph and wanting to break my fastest speed ever. So I went into a sweeping curve at full blast but had to brake mid-curve due to being on top of a slower car. Only grabbed rear brake and it started the worse death wobble I've ever had. Clamping knees onto the top tube did nothing, getting off the saddle did nothing, and I couldn't get off the brakes due to traffic in the way. Took me probably 200 yards to stop it and the whole time I thought it was going to throw me onto the pavement. Never happened again though, whew!


Setup with Athena 11 speed and l Zonda wheels. 21 lbs 8 ozs with these modern parts

Got this little beauty for my son but he just preferred mountain bikes and so I moved it on. Didn't record the weight of this one.

Pompiere

I was riding with my niece one time when she in the small-small combo. It wasn't until I suggested shifting to the big ring that she even knew it wasn't already there. Apparently, when she took it to her shop for a tune up, they had left the chain on the small ring. She normally rode only on the big ring, so she never paid attention to it. It was in the spring, and she thought the reason she was struggling to keep up was due to being out of shape from the winter.

icemilkcoffee 

Schwinn wasn’t the only ones to mess with the chain line. I bought a 1997(?) Specialized M2 parts bike recently and noticed the BB is 115mm wide, rather than the 110mm recommended by Shimano for the 600 tri-color crankset. I am guessing they are pushing the crank out for the same reason- so people can ride small-small easier.

Sierra

Thanks for the article.
Never new that these semi-flat black models started in 1986.
I've always thought they were 1987 models.
I have one kitted with Ultegra 6500(running 8 speed) and love it.

Kabuki12

My friend’s was a 1987 that he bought new. He claimed he paid almost $1k for it but worth every penny to him, he loved that bike. When I met him I knew nothing about them , actually never heard of them. When I took a close look, I was impressed with the way it looked. Matte black with chrome rear stays. He had it set up like the photo above with white Concor saddle and bar tape. I’m sure he’d still be riding it except he decided to t-bone a car . At first it seemed that the only damage was to the front wheel which was taco shaped. The fork and frame seemed ok but a year later while riding it the head tube cracked open.