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Schwinn Frames and Bikes

On this page:
Bicycles: 59cm Schwinn Qualifier Six Bicycle | 17" Traveler step-through
Framesets: 48cm Le Tour Luxe frameset | 57cm Schwinn Circuit frameset | 57cm Voyageur Randonneur frameset | 62cm Schwinn True Temper frameset

The Schwinn Bicycle Company was founded in Chicago 1895 by German engineer Ignaz Schwinn with financial backing from meat packer Adolph Arnold. The timing was perfect. The firm was able to capitalize on the first great American bike boom of the late 1890s.

Because of Ignaz's careful management, Schwinn survived both the precipitous drop in sales after the 1890s boom was over in addition to the overall declining sales of bicycles as adult Americans, for a number of complex reasons not related to the increase in automobile sales, gave up using bicycles for transportation. By the 1930s bicycles were mostly sold by chainstores and the bike factories' margins would not even cover the cost of maintaining factory tooling.

Ignaz's son Frank understood the problem and decided to produce high-quality kids' bikes with what we now call clincher tires. The "Super Balloon Tire Bicycle" was a resounding success. The company was saved and went on from strength to strength. In the 1960s and 1970s the Schwinn Varsity and Sting-Ray bikes were seen everywhere.

The next generation of the Schwinn family was incapable of handling the influx of lightweight Japanese and European made adult bikes and allowed its factory to grow increasingly outdated. By the 1980s, almost all Schwinn bicycles were imported.

Imported Schwinns of that era were generally very well-designed and well-made.

Still, the firm was unable to compete and in 1992, Schwinn filed for bankruptcy.

After more financial complications, including a second bankruptcy, the Schwinn name is now owned by Dorel Industries.

The Smothers brother in the 1960s on a pair of Schwinn Sting-Ray bikes

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59cm Schwinn Qualifier Six Bicycle. Used & overhauled, $450.00/each

• Produced for only one year, 1989. It is believed that Schwinn produced only 200 of these bicycles.
• Completely overhauled, including the pedals. We replaced the headset retainer bearings with loose balls.
• All components are original.

Frameset specs:

• Made in Taiwan
• Tri-Moly tubes, forged dropouts
• Seat Tube 59cm/22”cm
• Top Tube 510mm
• Head Tube 145mm
• Chainstay 40cm
• Wheelbase 95cm
• Bottom Bracket Drop 35cm
• Weight as equipped 24.5lbs
• Serial# CW8

Bicycle specs:

• HL (Hsin Lung) Cro-Moly 1” x 25.4mm Stem
• True Temper Cro-Moly Bar
• Changstar alloy brake levers
• Serfas grips
• SunTour Accushift derailleur & thumb shifter
• Changstar N810 front forged alloy sidepull brake
• Changstar forged centerpull below chainstay brake
• KMC chain
• SunTour AX 6-speed 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 20-tooth freewheel
• JoyTech 36-hole hubs.
• Femco Alloy 36-hole rims
• Peregrine HP-28s 40-100 P.S.I. Tires
• Sugino 48-tooth chainring & spider
• Schwinn forged Astabula crank & bottom bracket
• VP-866 pedals

Side view of this interesting and rare bicycle.

Front view

Closer view of the cockpit

From behind

The tri-moly steel sticker on the seat tube.

Close-up of the monostay

The Changstar alloy front sidepull caliper

The Sugino 48-tooth chainring & spider and Schwinn forged Astabula crank,

The rear centerpull calipert, mounted nder the chainstays.

Here's the original shop sticker.

The bike comes with a Concour style saddle

The rear SunTour Accushift 2000 derailleur

Here's the rear Joytech hub.

The SunTour AX 6-speed 13-20 freewheel

The wheels are built with Femco alloy rims

Close-up of the tire and rim sidewall.

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17" Schwinn Traveler step-through bicycle. Used, $400.00

• 4130 lugged CrMo steel frame and fork, forged dropouts.
• Gripshift 21 speed shifters, Shimano LX rear derailleur
• Alloy All Rounder bar, Technomic Stem
• Alloy centerpulls with Koolstop Eagleclaw pads
• Quick-release alloy wheels
• Sugino AT triple crankset
• Blummel fenders
• Blackburn luggage rack
• With kickstand

A bike that will take you where you want to go and let you do what you have to get done.

Front view

From the back, showing the fenders and Blackburn rack.

Front end, showing the controls

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48cm Schwinn Le Tour Luxe frameset. Used, $250.00

48cm seat tube x 55cm top tube

• 85mm head tube
• We believe this frame was made in Schwinn's Greenville, Mississippi factory in the mid-1980s
• Made for 27-inch wheels
• With headset
• Downtube water bottle braze-ons
• Made with 4130 Cromoly tubing.
• Cast fork crown, forged dropouts, eyelets on fork tips and dropouts, seat stay braze-ons for a rack.

With a nice complement of braze-ons, this will make a great around-town or touring bike.

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57cm Schwinn Circuit frameset. Used, $300.00/frame & fork.

57cm seat tube x 55.5cm top tube.

• Frame is Columbus TreTubi - three main tubes Columbus SL tubing.
• Steering tube is 195mm long, head tube is 162mm
• We believe this frame was produced in 1988.
• Dropouts are forged, rear dropouts are horizontal with adjusters.
• 126mm rear triangle spacing.
• Frameset is built for 700c wheels.
• Frameset has double water bottle bosses, pump peg and chain hanger.
• Seat post diameter is 27.2mm. We have de-burred the seat tube.
• Frameset has recessed brake mounts.
• Fork is by Tange with Tange forged fork tips.

Here's the frameset.

Here's just the frame.

Side view of the frame's chrome-plated rear triangle.

On the seat tube, near the bottom bracket is the frame's Columbus TreTubi (3 Tubes SL) decal. It is butted tubing, by the way.

The frame's head tube.

The back of the head tube, showing the pump peg.

The right rear forged, chrome-plated dropout.

The other side of the dropout, also showing the chain hanger brazed to the seat stay.

The frame's Tange-produced fork. It has a cast, internal Cinelli-style fork crown.

Side view of the fork.

Close-up of the fork crown, showing that is is made for an Allen-nut recessed flush brake mounting.

And finally, here are the forged, chrome-plated fork tips.

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57cm Schwinn Voyageur Randonneur frameset. Used, $300.00

57cm seat tube x 56cm top tube

• 150mm head tube
• Two sets of water bottle braze-ons
• New white powder-coat paint job
• Cantilever brake braze-ons
• Forged dropouts with double eyelets front and rear
• Seat-stay rack braze-ons
• Cast fork crown and seat lug
• We date this frameset to about 1988

Here's a frameset designed to eat up the miles in comfort.

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62cm Schwinn True Temper frameset. Used, $250.00

62cm seat tube x 58cm top tube

• 210mm head tube
• 2 water-bottle braze-ons
• True-Temper Cro-moly steel

Horizontal forged dropouts, downtube shifter bosses and cast fork crown mark this as a nice road frame.