This is a 1968 Schwinn Super Sport in Sky Blue with White decals. It is a 22.5″ / 57cm / Large (center of bottom bracket to top of seat tube) Cro-Mo Fillet Brazed Steel frame with 1020 steel Stays and a tubular chrome steel fork. Probably best suited for riders 5′-9″ and up. Schwinn says that this size frame is for leg lengths from 33″- 37.5″
There are 10 speeds available through the chrome Ashtabula two ring crank set with platform pedals and the Maillard 5 gear freewheel.
The rear derailleur is a Schwinn Approved Huret and the front is also a Schwinn Approved Huret. Shifting is through Schwinn Twin Stik Stem Mounted Friction Shifters.
Both wheels are the original alloy Belgian made Weinmann rims drilled for Schrader valves laced to High Flange quick release alloy Maillard hubs. Both wheels have new 27″X1 1/4″ Bontrager black wall tires. Both skewers are the original Schwinn Approved skewers.
Braking is handled by front and rear Weinmann side pull calipers. The brake levers are alloy Weinmann levers.
The Brooks vinyl sprung saddle is mounted to a chrome seat post that moves freely in the seat tube.
Chrome upright handlebars with the original Schwinn hand grips are mounted to an alloy stem. The stem is not frozen in the steerer tube.
The original chrome fenders are still present and in excellent condition and a large Wald wire basket has been added to the front. There is also a handy kickstand so you won’t have to lay your beautiful blue bike on the ground.
The bicycle rides, turns, stops and shifts through all of the gears and rings as it should.
This bike was originally sold in Denver, Colorado by Collins Bike Shop who was the Authorized Schwinn Dealer back when the Schwinn name meant quality and if you wanted to sell Schwinn Bicycles then you needed to have a Schwinn only dealership. The 22″ frame was the largest size offered in the Step Through Frame (you could also have a 19″). According to the serial number, this bicycle was made in March of 1968 and originally listed for $111.50 (about $927 in today’s dollars). While visually similar to the Varsity and Continental models that were ‘Electro-Forged’ from straight gauge steel, the Super Sport was hand fillet brazed Chrome Molybdenum steel built in the same part of the Chicago plant as a Paramount. A Varsity or Continental might weigh in the upper 30 to lower 40 pound range which made the Cro-Mo Super Sport a featherweight at a mere 31 pounds. It is a 54 year old steel bicycle that is in remarkably original condition. The original fenders, pedals, hand grips, derailleurs, wheels, skewers and even the rear reflector are all present. There are very few nicks to the lovely Sky Blue paint. It has been recently recabled, has new brake pads and has a newer saddle along with new tires, so you can continue to ride this bicycle for another 50 years. I kinda doubt that you could say that about many other bikes that you could buy at this price.
For less than the price of a generic Bike Shaped Object that anyone might buy online or from a store that sells bicycles in the Toy Department, you could be riding this vintage bicycle with quality components. The fact that it is still rolling down the road is a testament to how well it was built.
Please examine the photographs and ask any questions you may have about this bicycle or let us know if you need any other photos by emailing us at info@rode-bike.com
If any of the terms used in the description are unfamiliar, please check out the Bicycle Jargon page for definitions of common bicycle terms.