I’m doing something a little different for this week’s Elements post. It’s a vintage piece of transportation, but this one only has two wheels, and is “sandwich-powered.”
It’s a 1972 Schwinn Sports Tourer, and it’s very different from the hugely popular Varsity model. The Sports Tourer was the top-of-the-line Schwinn road bike below the Paramount series. While it looked like the other Schwinn “lightweights,” Its construction was much different. The frame was fillet-brazed, chrome molybdenum alloy, and built by hand in the same area of the Chicago factory where the Paramounts were built. It was then assembled alongside the Varsities, Continentals, and other 10-speeds. It also used a lighter, European three-piece crank, as opposed to the heavy, one-piece Ashtabula crank that was common on Schwinns of the same era.
I rebuilt this bike five years ago, and I call it a “resto-mod” of sorts. I tried to retain the 1970’s touring look, while updating components, like wheels with sealed bearing hubs, and updated brake pads. The finish is a two-step powder coat “candy copper.”
The reason for featuring the bike now, is that this week is “Pelotonia Week” in Columbus, and I’ll be riding this bike 50 miles on Saturday to raise money for Cancer research. Please consider donating, and thank you.