The Super Sport was actually third in the line in 1971 behind the Paramount the newly introduced Sports Tourer. Or maybe the reintroduced Sports To urer. Browsing the specs on Bob Hufford's wonderful Schwinn site, which begins with 1960, the Superior was second to Paramount in 1960-1963 (and ma ybe for some time before 1960), then was replaced by the Super Sport in 196 4. The Super Sport was second to Paramount from 1964 through 1970, until the Sports Tourer appeared in 1971, bumping the Super Sport to third place . EXCEPT, in one year only, 1968, Bob lists a fillet-brazed "S/S Tourer" wi th alloy cotterless cranks, which was the main distinction between the Spor ts Tourer and the Super Sport. Perhaps S/S Tourer is short for Super Spo rt Tourer, but it is not clear if the S/S Tourer should be considered just a variation of the Super Sport, or as the first Sports Tourer, a model whic h would skip two years before reappearing in 1971. I note that Mike Rother's widely read article on fillet-brazed Schwinns on the late lamente d Sheldon Brown's website does not list the S/S Tourer in the fillet brazed timeline, so perhaps he considered it just a variation of the Super Sport.
The Super Sport would stay in third place behind the Sports Tourer in 1972, then they were both bumped down a notch by the lugged Japanese World Voyag eur in 1973, a bike that is pretty famous considering it was made only one year.
According to Bob's specs, the Super Sport disappeared after 1973, but the S ports Tourer continued through 1976 in third place behind Paramount and the Voyageur II, basically the World Voyageur with sightly less expensive comp onents. Then for 1977 the Sports Tourer was replaced by the last of the fillet brazed Schwinns, the Superior, a name last used in 1963. This las t fillet brazed Superior lasted only two years, 1977 and 1978, in third pla ce behind the Paramount and the lugged, full 531 DB, Japanese-made Volare, a bike which itself was only made in 1977 and 1978.
There are some discrepencies between Bob Hufford's and Mike Routher's timel ines, as Mike shows the Sports Tourer as "Not Listed" in 1974, while Bob ha s full specs and prices for the 1974 Sports Tourer. Also, Mike shows the Sports Tourer being replaced by the Superior in 1976 rather than 1977. I tend to go with Bob's data, since Mike's timeline is only that, while Bob has spec and pricing details on each Schwinn model, usually with catalogs, sales brochures and dealer spec sheets as well.
The names Super Sport, Sports Tourer, and Superior were all recycled in lat er years for lugged steel and TIG'ed aluminum models, some pretty interesti ng, many not. But I think most classic Schwinn fans think of the fillet brazed bikes as the "true" examples of these models.
I own one example each of those three fillet brazed models, and consider th em all, including the Super Sport similar to the one Stephen is offering he re to be very nice bikes, although certainly not superlightweight. For s everal decades you had trouble giving away a used fillet brazed Schwinn, as they were not at all in fashion. But lately I've noticed renewed in terest in them, probably in considerable part due to discussion of them h ere. And they have begun to command some pretty respectable prices on eBay.
Regards,
Jerry Moos
Big Spring, Texas, USA
From: stephen <sbryne@comcast.net> Subject: [CR]For sale: 1971 Schwinn Super Sport To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Date: Tuesday, September 16, 2008, 2:25 PM
Hello list:
I am offering for sale a 1971 Schwinn Super Sport. Frame size is 24" (61
cm). All original (except saddle and rear derailleur) and in very good to
excellent condition. Replacement derailleur is Suntour Cyclone and saddle
is WTB. Original burgundy paint. Serial # HG014950 is from August 1971.
Original sticker from Economy Schwinn Cyclery, Los Gatos, Calif. Photos
available at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/
Stephen Bryne
in partly cloudy Fairfax, Calif., USA