re: [CR]Guys and girls varsity's

(Example: Events:Cirque du Cyclisme:2007)

Date: Fri, 06 May 2005 21:49:06 -0400
From: "HM & SS Sachs" <sachs@erols.com>
To: fourrings3@gmail.com, classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Subject: re: [CR]Guys and girls varsity's


Brad Kremer wrote: Hi all, my boss has a matching blue set of what appear to be original 70's? Schwinn varsity's. Hubs are "Atom" I think, lots of grease I tried to scratch through. Cranks and Derailleurs are Huret on both. Any idea how much I should pay for them? <snip> +++++++++++++++ First, on the wheel ID. The Schwinn version of the Normandy/Atom HF hubs , used on the Varsity at least through the Super Sport, has triangular cu touts in the flanges; I have never seen these on a non-Schwinn. I believe the flanges lean in a bit, too, unlike the perpendiculars on the origina ls. If you can lift the wheels with the original steel rims and Schwinn p neumatic battle tank treads, they may not be original...

Having said that, I well venture (further) into prejudiced opinion. I can only conceive two reasons to buy a Schwinn Varsity: (1) Nostalgia, beca use you either had one, or lusted for one for some demented reason. That' s why I have an early Sears Ted Williams Sport Racing, with Weinmann al. rims and Campy Record derailleurs as original. (2) To flip quickly befor e it weighs down your storage area or infects the real bikes. I will gran t that the Varsity was almost impossible to degrade through use or neglec t from its as-new performance level. Neither rust nor rain nor curbs nor cars could make it work at a lower standard. Bullet proof. Differences b etween the Varsity and the next model up: Varsity had rim-hugging (one-s ide only) side-pulls, long reach, while the Continental had much better c enter-pulls. I think Varsity lacked brake lever hoods, can't remember abo ut Cont. Varsity had the solid, strap-iron, deaden-the-hands Ashtabula fo rk, while Continental had a real tubular fork. Continental may have had a better imitation saddle, too. They both had the Huret drive train, a fr eewheel with devices to prevent the chain from exiting the block to the o utside, and the special 10-kilo rustomatic chromed steel wheels. And, of course, forged (but not counterfeit) Ashtabula one-piece cranks. Bend we ll, never break. Just needed the slightly unusual 1/2" pedals... Both ha d the Schwinn steel rod kick-stand. Ah, and then there were the frames. W hat the tubing lacked in diameter (1" throughout) they made up in guage. Contrary to popular impressions, they were tubular, not solid bars. Bes t feature: the Ashtabula cranks took big ball bearings (5/16", I think) and were very easy to set up.

My first serious training, in Fall of 1962 in Houston, was on a Varsity s pecially ordered with a Sturmey 3-speed (but not by me). That way you cou ld push a 27*52*1.33/14, or about a 133 inch gear on the flats of Houston . All flat, all the time. You may infer with high confidence that I d o not belong to the Varsity/Continental fan club.

harvey sachs
mcLean va