1973 Schwinn Varsity

I was telling a lady at work about riding the vintage Schwinn bikes last weekend. She informed me that her husband has an old Schwinn that he never rides. She told me to come get it. It is a 1973 Schwinn Varsity. It's in great shape just a little dirty.
Music: Lakey Inspired / lakeyinspired

[@michaeldesilvio9980]

My dad bought me one when I was fourteen. I rode it twenty miles a day or more for two years and then I got my first car. It was a great bike.

[@htweelz]

They are great bikes. All I had to do was put new cables, tires and tubes on it and it was good to go.

[@JustinDoesTriathlon]

That green is such a nice color on those. 🔥

[@htweelz]

I agree! It's such a cool color. Really screams 70's.

[@luciannepacheco4347]

I love Schwinn varsity 1973!!!

[@1cableslayer]

I bought 2 today that have OBVIOUSLY been kept indoors their entire lives. Paid $25 for both. 1 from 3/73, the other from 12/73.

[@brianchisnell1548]

I ride a '71 Super Sport and '71 Sports Tourer. Both Sierra brown and restored. Had a brown '68 Varsity as a kid in 1972. Schwinn gets in your soul.

[@billj3494]

A Schwinn varsity will hold practically anybody. They were all kind of jokes made about the Schwinn varsity and how heavy the steel frame was. It’s best characteristic was its durability and that’s obvious. In 1975 I was 15 years old and my parents purchased me a 1975 Schwinn varsity in the new green color. I was 6 foot one at 15 so they bought me the 26 inch frame. I never felt I had to upgrade the bike because I didn’t ride it that much when I got older and if I needed a bike ride I would just take it Out for a ride. About 15 years ago I did a small rehab job on it. My kids were riding their first bikes and I thought I would lighten the weight of my varsity. I replace the steel rims with aluminum rims. I purchased new tires and had a brake cable and housing replaced. That small rehab cost Me $125 that’s how much my parents paid for the bike in 1975. I’m now 61 years old my wife and I agreed to get rid of anything we were not using. I have an electric beach cruiser bike and I’m no longer riding my Schwinn Varsity So I decided to sell it the price is $250. It’s being sold on craigslist Los Angeles California and it’s also being sold on Facebook marketplace. I’m getting some interest. One person told me they wanted to make it a daily rider. But they really were nitpicking about the Not having the steel rims. They also wanted to know if I had all the original reflectors and if I had any other accessories. This buyer sounded more like a collector than somebody that wanted to make the bike into a daily rider. He insulted me with a $100 offer. I came back with $225 firm. This morning He made an offer of $180, I told him to call me back when he was ready to pay $225.

[@htweelz]

Its certainly not a bad bike. I enjoy riding it now that I put the cruiser bars on it and I can sit up more. The frame is a bit small for me but when you're given a bike you don't really argue about that. I just wanted to fool around with it, fix it up a bit and ride a vintage Schwinn. I'm not sure of the value of a mid-70's Schwinn. Not sure if I'd ever sell this one or not. If your bike is in immaculate condition it might be worth that much. My one buddy rebuilds the 60's Schwinns and they are worth lots more than the 70's.

[@beickus]

we do not have swins in Europe - puch (with heavier frame) is the equivalent i d say and i have one

[@Azav312]

I bet you still have it until this day. Nobody is buying a varsity for 225

[@3nigma379]

I had a 1976 varsity but my mom threw it out. I now have a 1975 yellow continental

[@htweelz]

Moms are always good for throwing out the good stuff. :) That's cool. They are a lot of fun to ride around on.

[@loganirdi4194]

I have a 1982 Schwinn Voyaguer 11.8. It rides like a new bike.

[@Caligula138]

I have the same one in Orange.

[@that70sschwinn]

Pretty Sweet '73 Varsity, it will clean up nicely.. I look forward to the restoration. I also like the "69 'Cuda in the garage... Cheers

[@htweelz]

Thanks! That's my friend's Barracuda. Close on the year. It is a '68 but it is hard to tell since the years are about the same. My oldie is a '68 Mustang GT Coupe. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jHfGlYSlab6Jlc0

[@that70sschwinn]

I was thinking it could be a '68, the tail lights and trim on the trunk were slightly different, I had a '72 Challenger and my brother still has his '70 440-6 Pak 'Cuda with the Shaker hood..I will check out your '68 Mustang

[@Thomass7586]

That will clean up nicely. 👍

[@Chiknlitl]

Love that green.

[@jbirdperez6003]

Noiice

[@sped6954]

No idea what year mine was because we just didn't think about those things back then, but I had a green Varsity in the early to mid 80s. I would have been between 13 and 16 years old when I had it, and I have no idea what ever became of it after I moved out and started my own life at 19. What I do remember about it was that it was very tall compared to other 27" 10 speeds I had at the time, so it didn't see much use because at that age, I wasn't near tall enough to get both feet on the ground at stop. I also had a 26" Huffy Santa Fe and another 27" Schwinn, this one was blue, of unknown model which was the lowest of the three and my favorite. I never knew what any of them were, but the last one seemed to have the best gear ratios of the three and was the easiest to get up to speed. I also don't remember how each one measured out, but the blue Schwinn had the longest wheel base, which allowed for its lowest height of the three, and the green Varsity had the shortest wheelbase of the three, which completely changed the riding characteristics, and ultimately made the Varsity my least favorite of them. I remember coming to a stop on it, and having to lay the bike over at probably around a 70°-75° angle just to get one foot on the ground. I don't remember for sure, but I think that one also the shifter levers on the down tube, which further add to my not really liking the bike all that much. One thing I do remember liking about it over the blue Schwinn was that it had center pull brake calipers, while the blue bike had side pull calipers. Another thing was the actual brake levers, the Varsity had the top levers in addition to the ones down low on the fronts of the handlebars, but the blue one only had the front levers. Still, the blue one was my favorite, it may not have been a Varsity, but at least it was a Schwinn.

[@builtbydylan8315]

Building a 74 shwinn sprint. It was in horrible shape, I converted it from 10 speed to 5 and am rebuilding all of it

[@htweelz]

Nice. Sounds like a great project.

[@davidgilbert8614]

My aunt and uncle owned a Schwinn dealership when I was kid, enabling my mother to buy from them a Schwinn Varsity for my birthday at no mark up. I think I was somewhere between 10 and 14 years old at the time, so it is somewhere between the 1976 to 1979 edition. I have owned that bike all of my life, and it is still essentially in mint condition. Paint remains un-faded. Original seat, handle bars, brakes (though the pads have been replaced). However, I now need to replace the rear wheel's inner tube. I've never done it myself; the last time it was done by a bike shop. But I have no way to get it to a bike shop now (my car cannot haul it since it has a spoiler on the rear. Short story is I will need to do the install myself. Do you have any videos on how to properly remove the rear wheel. Install a new inner tube, and then re-attach to the bike? Also, would you know if a Schwinn Varsity can accept modern day Shimadzu brakes and quick remove wheels?

[@htweelz]

I do not have a video showing how to change a tube but it's a pretty simple process. I'm sure there must be a youtube video showing it. I'm sure you might be able to put modern brakes on it if all of the dimensions of the new brakes match up with the original brakes. Same with the wheels. I do know that you have to order the correct tubes for the Schwinn as tubes you buy at Wal-mart or other retail stores will not work.

[@davidgilbert8614]

@@htweelz thank you

[@6h471]

I bought a basket case '73 Varsity awhile back ( orange, although the paint is done for ) for $20, and am restoring it. About the only changes I'll make are a new hook rim aluminum wheel set, and replacing the front and rear pie plates with something visually less dreadful. So it's a little heavy, big deal. As a collectible, lol, there are millions of them around. They're about the same collectible value as a 20 yr old computer, but still a good bike

[@htweelz]

That's awesome you are restoring one. I do enjoy riding mine around for sure. That's true they are everywhere and not worth much. That's why I didn't have a problem changing mine up. I put cruiser bars on mine and switched up the seat as well.

[@6h471]

@@htweelz I may change mine to cruiser bars as well, not sure yet. The seat will have to be replaced regardless, as it has had it. Fun project anyway, and not terribly expensive.

[@htweelz]

@@6h471 I thought I had done an update on my bike in a video but I guess I didn't. I'll have to do that. I must've only did that on my Instagram.

[@wimzrxsf]

Have a 1974 Continental luv it no more mountain bikes for me.

[@skipthegames4237]

Where do you look serial numbers up at? I have a shcewinn varsity just like it I just restored with my dad. I’d like to try and date it.

[@htweelz]

Go to bikehistory.org at the top click on the Serial Numbers link.

[@georgeshotrodbarn2113]

I had one like it i brought new i could have got a green one or a brown one so i got the green one road it for a year and traded it for a Carolina blue continental that i still have hanging in my barn since 1974.

[@htweelz]

That is so cool! You need to get it down, fix it up, and ride it.

[@forestchicken3302]

I saved one from the dump today. Alot more work than yours. Rusty but im trying to clean it up.

[@htweelz]

That's cool! Hopefully it's not too rusty but I do like a little patina on my older bikes.

[@exoticc-lp1sp]

How much speed does it have??

[@htweelz]

It's a 10-speed.

[@vagabond-yj8pn]

Is that Schwinn a 27 inch? Nice bike.

[@brianchisnell1548]

Wheels yes. Frame, 22 inch.

[@gabrielglover2649]

I have a 77 varsity

[@htweelz]

Awesome! You need to make a video about it and post it up.

[@jmclick.6349]

Nice ford f150, stil have it?

[@htweelz]

Thanks! No I sold it to my friend in 2018. He bought it for his son. He still has it and is fixing it up (usual things that go wrong in a 20+ year old truck). I had it for 21 years and I do miss it.

[@johnporemski5871]

Are they valuable?

[@htweelz]

I have no idea. I just enjoy riding an old bike. I could probably get $100 for it. Not worth as much as the old 50's and 60's Schwinns or the 80's BMX bikes.

[@johnporemski5871]

Ye i just got one for free today had one when I was a kid. Everything works im gonna clean it up put on market place.

[@briangay5418]

That's a great bike but you've only uploaded 3 videos of it and no more videos of riding it in the two years you've had it..... What's the point?? It'll just hang in your garage unused for another 20 years?

[@htweelz]

Not true. I put up a video late last year where I swapped the bars out and went with a different look. With the 10-speed bars it was uncomfortable to ride. Two months ago I put up a video of a spring ride and I was on this bike. It does go out quite a bit I just don't make videos about it. I guess I can make some videos when I take it out next time.

[@briangay5418]

@@htweelz my bad. I apologize for posting without deeper searching. Initially I did not find anything post the 3 original videos.