1975 Schwinn Varsity Sport
1975 Schwinn Varsity Sport
I’m sure you remember the Schwinn Varsity.
While it will never go down as one of the greatest handling or most comfortable bikes ever made, people loved these bikes for a variety of reasons.
It may be the beloved (but heavy) old bike that you used for basic transportation during the oil crisis of the 1970′s. You may remember it as the hand-me-down that you took to college without fear of it getting stolen in the 1980′s. It may just be the starter bike that made you buy your first mountain bike.
Varsity Cockpit
Flat steel leg fork
That’s a lot of steel.
Whatever role the Schwinn Varsity played for you, it is probably the most important bicycle ever made in America. Manufactured in vast quantities using Schwinn’s electro-forging process, the Varsity was the bicycle world’s VW Beetle. It was cheap, durable, and it got American adults riding.
Schwinn (un)Comfort Form Saddle
Schwinn Approved Derailleur
This particular Varsity is sporting “Chestnut” paint (lime green and yellow being the other choices) and is outfitted with a host of “Schwinn Approved” components. Schwinn primarily approved of thick steel construction and chrome plating the hell out of everything in 1975, the end result being a bike that tips our scale at a robust 42 pounds.
We joke about the heft and limited performance of these old Schwinns, but they were definitely built to last. This forty year old bike looks the same as it did the day it was built, and things that normally give out over four decades (like bar tape, brake pads, chain, and the saddle) are as fresh as ever.
A gentle note to Schwinn aficionados out there: Schwinn produced a lot of bikes. They were inexpensive, and they were everywhere. Just because a bike is old (or you remember it fondly) that doesn’t mean that it appreciated in value over the years. Old Schwinn Varsitys have little or no resale value today. Please don’t email or call us asking to appraise your old Schwinn.