OK, having kicked open the hornets nest, I need to admit I am a fan of these yeoman bikes. Here is my response to Kevin:
These bikes are truly gaining a following. A guess the fillet brazed, bygone America, thing. Maybe there are Schwinn collectors who want everything from a given model year? I have owned three but bought them for as low as $30. Found the one at the 50 mile mark of a ride and drove back to pick it up. I also rode one 1000 miles from Burlington VT to the Gaspe and back. That 42" wheelbase give one smooth ride and you know you won't break the frame. Not bad at 60MPH downhill either, which tells you what some of the hills are like. I always wanted to fab an alloy kickstand but I just took them off. By the way, I suspect they are rarer than Paramounts but have never seen production figures. Good luck.
Joe Bender-Zanoni
Whitneyville, CT
Damien Roohr wrote: 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'd be very surprised if you're truly seeing Sports Tourers "all the time" - they're not exactly "rare," but they're hardly common. With Schwinn, you sometimes have to pay attention to model names: the Super Sport, Superior, and Sports Tourer are a couple of notches above the Traveler, Varsity, and Continental in quality, and many fewer of them were made. I'll also point out in case no one has done so yet that the Sports Tourer (like the Super Sport and Superior) is not only fillet brazed (instead of electro-flash welded, it's also made of Chrome-moly and not gaspipe. A point that has not been raised regarding the asking price is that these fillet-brazed Schwinns have been gaining respect in recent years, and not just among vintage lightweight folks. There are plenty of Schwinn collectors who are looking for pristine examples of less-common, non-balloon-tired, non-stingray models to round out their collections. The original Continental with the "suicide" front derailleur is a
nother bike in this category that sometimes commands nice prices from Schwinn "completists." Personally, my favorite non-Paramount score would be a nice Volare. TEHO.
Ed Granger
Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA