But, after numerous moves and many different storage spaces, the red 1972 Schwinn Sports Tourer has my attention. One of my 2009 spring projects is to get it ready to go. It still has the original tires (I can’t believe I’ve taken them on a few long rides) and the leather seat and is only ten speeds but is built like a tank. I love the description of the center pull brakes with suicide handles. Yea, I had to Google the term.
The Sports Tourer has a hand brazed filleted chrome-moly frame and sold for $196 in 1972. Cleaned up, it's probably worth more than that as a collectible. And of course, there are Schwinn forums and blogs and all sorts of information on these old bikes. So, I’m getting out the WD-40, adding to my collection of bike tools and going to do some cleaning and tune-up. I want to get this steed ready to ride this Spring. We’ll see if a thirty-seven year-old bike likes the roads of Vermont. See you out there.
If you enjoyed this article, then please subscribe to our RSS feed or via email to receive all the updates
