A Sports Tourer is one of my "someday I will have one" bikes. I found a lovely orange '72 Super Sport for $25 on my local craigslist and I love riding it. I put a bottom bracket conversion kit on it so I could replace the Astabula crank with a TA 46/28 allowing me to climb the big hills I tend to ride. The bike is a bit heavy, but it has a very smooth, comfortable ride, the randonneuring bend bars are to me the most comfortable ever made, and the Brooks B15 is the most comfortable Brooks model to me. Plus love the look of it. It's the whole reason I ride vintage bikes instead of plastic bikes. It brings me joy, nostalgia, and functionality every time I ride it.
If I ever am able to find a reasonably priced Sports Tourer I will put the Super Sport back to original and keep it for shorter, flatter rides. I do like the idea of having a complete Schwinn lightweight collection too. I have been able to find a World Voyageur as well as a couple of Paramounts and a Tenax tubed Voyageur touring bike which is a very nice rider. I also hope to find a Superior and a Circuit eventually. I must say I probably wouldn't pay the ebay price for a Sports Tourer, simply because I suspect one day I will find one at a yard sale for next to nothing. That also adds to the fun of old Schwinns, finding something you love at a yard sale and giving it new life is much more "collecting" then plunking down a big chunk of cash on ebay.
John Guerry Ballwin, MO, US
Message: 10
Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2010 16:53:44 +0000 (UTC)
From: damien roohr <droohr@comcast.net>
Subject: Re: [CR] eBay Outing - 1972 24" Schwinn Sports Tourer Bike in
Original Condition
To: CR <Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Message-ID:
<486223383.10981471277744024204.JavaMail.root@sz0151a.westchester.pa.mail.comcast.net>
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Had no idea these things had value -- see them at tag sales and goodwill stores
for $25 all the time --
Maybe not as perfect as this example, but usually in VG shape because the
original owner hit a 1% grade for the first time and never rode it again.
But seriously - what is it about this particular Schwinn boat anchor that makes
it valuable?
I am sure all the list members see these dinosaurs lumbering around in tag sales
-- if the value is so high, why are we not scooping them up and turning them
over for a profit margin of 800 - 1000 percent?
Damien Roohr
canton, ct
(Who bought a perfectly fine ((67 cm)) Schwinn Traveler for $45 and turned it
into the heaviest fixed-gear on the road)