1972 Schwinn Varsity impressions

[recycled365]

That's a good looking bike with the full fenders. Schwinn always had the best chrome and were/are totally bomb proof. They are a favorite rebuild, truly a classic.

[zzzdogutube]

I have the exact same bike I bought it new in 72 for $125. When I was 14. I'm 53 now

[Billyrogers7]

LOVE my 1972 forest green Schwinn Varsity. Stripped down and re invented.

[frequencydude]

beautiful bike man. id hang on to that for good.

[Dreambro1]

are you sure u dont mean 1982? I didnt know bikes had the Ram horn handles in the early seventies!

[stopglobalswarming]

Yeah, the Centurions of some years were great for cheapness, good ride, and durability.

[flapdoodle64]

I am on my 2nd Schwinn Varsity resto. job. They are easy to fix and great bikes to ride, especially for city commuting, due to being so bombproof.

[Folkedahl]

I bought one of these at a garage sale for $7. I've put nothing other than time, cleaning supplies, and oil into it. I've already been offered $50 for it. I'm holding out for a little more though.

[gvaccleration]

Want 2 buy my 1978 womens schwinn world sport? Lol

[connell10]

Hah, I see a lot of beat up old womens' Schwinns being ridden by male residents of the local homeless shelter. But seeing as how I have a house and do not have breasts, I'll have to pass. I actually would love to have a nice men's world sport, but for me 1/2 the fun is finding an old bike still with most of its original parts/paint and seeing it return to life as a useful bike.

[theeidolmaker]

@connell10 Hey Connell10-I have a Schwinn world sport in light blue with ALL of the original parts except the saddle. My father-in-law changed it out for a big comfort seat years ago. I'd be glad to send you photos if you are interested. Later.

Carlossee'

[Wheat001]

I had an orange 72 that I paid $104.00 for. It had a backrack also. These days I upgraded a little bit to a 17 lb. Trek carbon go fast bike..Love modern technology...

[sgtlzy]

Very nice. I take the taller frame and have a '71 "Sierra Brown" as Schwinn called it, I think, not sure...thanks for posting! I, too, ride with hands near the stem, not the lower position and need the suicide levers.

[drglinski]

I won't ride a road bike if it doesn't have the brake extension levers. I rarely ride with my hands in the lower position. I like your bike; not so much the color, but it's hard to find a road/lightweight bike with fenders on it. Neat!

[guitarohman]

nice! haha i have an old advert for the schwinn varsity. I have never ridden one but my dad talks about how horribly heavy they were haha but he was riding a raleigh professional with campy parts so not really a fair comparison haha. nice refurbishing job though. looks like a fun bike!

[wheely132]

you should put a shimano shifting system on it. i have one on my mongoose mountain bike and it rides really smooth.

[zzzdogutube]

I STILL have my 1972 Schwinn Suburban that I bought new at age 13 and it is that same $**t Brown. Good to know people still like those old tanks. My friends did make fun of it because of the weight. My bike is the same as yours.

[zhaneranger]

i have the same brown schwinn varsity! and the backs of my legs are indeed black and blue.

[craig1974]

Last year i reconditioned a 1974 girls orange Schwinn Varsity that i got from the local thrift for 5 bucks. Besides cleaning, fixing, and tuning it up all i did was install brand new tires on it. The bicycle really cleaned up great, and i resold it to a woman who had the same exact bicycle back in 1974 for 100 bucks

[bjam302]

Nice bike I ride my varsity every week.

[BrundukasLT]

i see the red bike?? 2:28 what's that bike? i want that bike ^^

[connell10]

LOL, the red bike is a little faster than the Varsity. It is an '07 Kawasaki 650R (ER6-f in most of the world). I ride it on long trips, so the taller Zero Gravity screen and Givi topcase mount I've added when touring alter the profile from stock and make it harder to identify in this vid. I remove these items along with mirrors and rear fender/signals and...ta-da!....it is my track day bike. It isn't the fastest bike I've ever ridden, but it is the most versatile.

[Firepheonix10]

Hey I have a 1972 Schwinn Suburban its in very good condition same color as your Varsity and it has every original part on it . I been loking for a price to sell it at would you know :-)

[genya111]

is the raleigh r700 a carbon fiber Bike?

[connell10]

Yes and no. The forks are carbon fiber, but the frame is 7005 Aluminum. It is quite a different feel than the Varsity (obviously), weighing in at 20lbs it weighs 1/2 as much. But you could buy a lot of nice Varsities for the $1500 price of the r700 when new.

[genya111]

Trust me buddy that derailleur aint crap its alot better then the stuff on the market today. If you want to change the derailleur get somthing thats from that era.

[connell10]

I don't disagree, it just took some effort to do 38 years worth of cleaning/adjustment. The freewheel isn't 100% true, which made things interesting, and caused some poor shifting until I caught it. I should have phrased it differently.

Funny thing about old v. new - I have a new(er) Raleigh R700 with very few miles downstairs. There is a nice big crack in the frame (head tube).

[craig1974]

I remember reading that Sheldon Brown called those old Schwinn derailurs crap, but yet he rode the bicycle all over with no problems.

[clockguy2]

I just got a Sierra brown '73 Schwinn Collegiate 5-Speed from the thrift store the other day. I'm waiting on tires now but have spent several hours already polishing chrome. Nice bike you have. I Wish I could find the reflectors like you have.

[LaPavoniMac]

I have a '76 Schwinn Collegiate 5-Speed, a '67 Schwinn Racer 3-Speed, and a '79 Schwinn Traveler 10-Speed. Plus 1 French 10-Speed, a Giant Yukon w/ fenders and other mods including a homemade light system, and a British Rudge 3-Speed. (Rudge was made by Raleigh) So ya. I have a lot of bikes. My Dad really wants a Schwinn Varsity.

[oldschoolmechanic]

Nice Varsity, you should see my old bikes, I have a Schwinn 3-Speed Racer and two French 10-speeds.

[straghtedgeforlife]

i turned my 72' varsity in to a fixie. its kinda heavy for a fixed, but it does its job

[usnussclg8]

nice ride ! i have 71' Schwinn Super Sport w about 12ooo mi on it. same chain and i keep it oiled. i got the Bike in 71'.

[connell10]

That is really cool, both the bike and that you have had it for so long. For me, most of the things I value most are not those that cost the most, but rather those that have been with me the longest. I'm glad you kept it all of these years, it must be burnished with memories.

[FSoTa]

i have a brown 1974 schwinn varsity good condition nice vid

[ghalis94]

nice! i just spent this last weekend with a bunch of steel wool and some rags restoring my dad's old '71 continental. amazing bikes. my derailer is only bad when shifting up in the main 2 gears.

[connell10]

I had the same issue at first. Assuming that you have adjusted the cable tension properly, it may be that the cables can just be sticky from not being used or lubricated. I used some of my motorcycle cable lube in a spray can, and after a few miles of riding and shifting, it freed back up. You can also just by new cables. The derailler could also be bent, make sure it lines up with the chains path. BTW, the Continental is cool, and not many people get to ride their dad's 37 year old bike.

[ghalis94]

yeah. i just went and bought all new cables once i realized that. i also spent a bit of time straightening everything up a bit.

i think that the only reason these bikes lasted so long was because they were so overbuilt and those fillet brazed frames are guaranteed to never break. but i can still pass all of those hardcore bikers with their little carbon-fiber bikes like they were standing still! =]

[mjthompson15]

41 lbs of fucking shit.

Sierra brown = shit brown

[connell10]

Huffy fanboy, don't hate on the Schwinn.

[378904]

nice bike!!!I like the chrome fenders!! do you live near chicago??