John's Bicycle Restorations: Ray's 1973 Sunset Orange Schwinn Super Sport Restoration

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle After Restoration

This week I started work on Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport that came all the way from Royal Oak Michigan. For a two years in grade school in the 1980's we lived in Rochester not that far from Royal Oak. I remember we would ride by that old nasty Silver Dome once in a while and saw a Detroit Pistons game there. The Silver Dome was not a great place to visit for a Wisconsin kid who loves the Packers and Lambeu field.

Over the years I have developed a great appreciation for the Schwinn Super Sport. The Super Sport was a handmade frame in the handmade Schwinn frame shop and is a very beautiful frame. The Super Sport and the Raleigh Super Course I think are perfect canvases to build up some very amazing builds.

Ray is the original owner of the Super Sport and the bicycle is in pretty descent starting shape for the restoration. I love the Sunset orange color! The Sunset orange color I believe was only used in 1973, it is a very cool color! The paint is in great shape to start with. The Super Sport will receive a complete restoration along with new cables and cable housings. New old stock sunset orange handlebar tape that Ray was lucky enough to find. New bearings and brake pads. And maybe new tires, the current tires are in pretty good shape but we will see how they hold up after all of the work done to the wheels.

I restored a Sunset Orange Super Sport last July for a John H, click here for the restoration. That Super Sort turned out amazing and I full expect Ray's Super Sport to be it's equal! I can't wait to see!

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle Before

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle Before - Handlebars

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle Before - Brake Levers

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle Before - Stem

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle Before - Front Brake

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle Before - Front Wheel Hub

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle Before - Stem

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle Before - Fork Crown

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle Before - Front Wheel Hub

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle Before - Front Wheel Rim

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle Before - Down Tube Decal

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle Before - Brooks Saddle

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle Before - Chicago Decal

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle Before - Seat Tube

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle Before - Bottom Bracket

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle Before - Crank

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle Before - Front Derailleur

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle Before - Pedal

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle Before - Brooks Saddle

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle Before - Seat Binder Colalr

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle Before - Rear Brake Caliper

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle Before - Chain Stays

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle Before - Rear Derailleur

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle Before - Rear Wheel Hub

I stripped the frame down and found the paint to be in good starting condition. There are a few chips here and there from normal use but overall a very very nice example of original Sunset Orange paint.

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Frame Before

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Frame Before - Head Tube

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Frame Before - Down Tube

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Frame Before - Seat Area

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Frame Before - Seat Tube

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Frame Before - Bottom Bracket

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Frame Before - Seat Area

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Frame Before - Seat Stays

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Frame Before - Drop Outs

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Frame Before - Fork

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Frame Before - Fork Crown

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Frame Before - Fork Blades

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Frame Before - Fork Drop Outs

I gave the frame a deep cleaning and then worked through a few fine polishing grits. The frame polished amazingly. I was hoping a few of the chips would polish away but they only did a little bit. I will see if I can come up with a touch up match but this color is hard to match and a bad match looks way worse then the chip.

Man, that is a stunning color!! The frame paint was in good shape to start but now it just shines and has such a deep luster. I love it!!

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Frame Polished

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Frame Polished -

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Frame Polished - Head Tube

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Frame Polished - Down Tube

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Frame Polished - Chicago Decal

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Frame Polished - Bottom Bracket

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Frame Polished - Seat Stays

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Frame Polished - Chain Stays

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Frame Polished - Drop Outs

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Frame Polished

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Frame Polished - Fork

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Frame Polished - Fork Crown

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Frame Polished - Fork Blades

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Frame Polished - Fork Drop Outs

With the frame polished I started work on the components. The Schwinn headset has a lot going on, the Schwinn Big Stick shift levers and the front brake cable hanger are all part of it. The headset and shift lever pieces are in descent starting shape. The bearings have a lot of old grease. I cleaned all the headset pieces and replaced the bearings in the bearing cages. I then polished all of the pieces on the polishing wheels. Everything polished very nice and with the new grease the bearings spin great.

The shift levers and cable hanger cleaned up really nice and polished beautifully. I lubricated the shift levers and they function very smooth. The polished cable hanger and polished shift levers make a huge difference in the headset area. I am very happy with the results.

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Headset & Shift Levers - Before

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Cable Hanger - Before

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Shift Levers - Before

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Headset - Polished

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Shift Levers - Polished

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Headset Cups - Pressing

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Headset Cups - Pressed

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Headset - Complete

I like the handlebars of this era Schwinn's a lot. I like the up flare on the upper flats and I like how the drop section flares out. These handlebars are in descent condition. I also like the Schwinn "S" logo stem a lot. I cleaned the handlebars and stem and then worked on the polishing wheels. The handlebars polished very nice. The stem polished beautifully! I know Schwinn did not polish the stem any where near this nice. The handlebars and stem look amazing installed with the polished Sunset Orange paint. I love this stuff!!

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Handlebars - Before

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Stem & Handlebars - Before

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Handlebars - Before

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Stem - Before

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Stem - Exploded

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Stem & Handlebars - Polished

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Handlebars - Polished

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Stem - Polished

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Stem - Complete

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Stem & Handlebars - Complete

I have said it a lot but I really like the center pull brakes from this era, they restore beautifully, they look great restored and they actually work fairly well. These Schwinn Approved calipers are in descent starting shape. I broke down the calipers and cleaned all the pieces in the sonic cleaner. With the pieces cleaned I worked through two grits of polish on the polishing wheels. The pieces polished very nice! I assembled the calipers and lubricated all the proper areas. I love the way the calipers look installed especially the front caliper with the polished paint and the chrome fork corwn cap. Beautiful!

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Brake Calipers - Before

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Brake Calipers - Exploded

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Brake Calipers - Polished

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Brake Calipers - Complete

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Front Brake Caliper - Installed

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Front Brake Caliper - Installed
I love this photo!!

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Rear Brake Caliper - Installed

The derailleurs are the original Schwinn derailleurs. These derailleurs are bullet proof however they are a little tricky to clean, lubricate and polish. I disassembled the derailleurs I got to cleaning and polishing.

The derailleurs are hard to clean and polish because of the way they move, they kind of unfold and fold back up. I wedge the derailleurs open and that way I can get into some of the tight areas I then do the rest of the work by hand. The derailleurs turned out nice, they both function nice also after flushing and lubricating. It is a real joy assembling everything after every little piece has been restored.

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Derailleurs - Before

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Rear Derailleur - Before

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Rear Derailleur - Exploded

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Rear Derailleur - Polished

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Rear Derailleur - Complete

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Rear Derailleur - Installed
The black bolt at the top is not rusted, it is black.

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Front Derailleur - Exploded

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Front Derailleur - Before

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Front Derailleur - Polished

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Front Derailleur - Installed

The original Brooks leather saddle is in amazing condition considering its age. Its not perfect but way better then most. I have the saddle now wrapped up with some proof hide on it.

I cleaned the seat post, seat collar and seat binder, with everything clean I worked through the polishing wheels. The seat post turned out very good. The seat binder clamp also polished very nice. The seat binder bolt and nut where a little rough which is common from years of tightening and loosening. The bolt and nut polished pretty good, at least a lot better then they where. Over all the seat post and binder look very good with the polished paint.

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Seat Post & Brooks Saddle - Before

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Seat Post & Saddle - Before

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Seat Collar - Before

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Seat Binder Clamp - Before

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Seat Binder Collar - Exploded

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Seat Binder Clamp - Polished

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Seat Post & Binder Clamp - Complete

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Seat Post & Binder Clamp - Installed

The crank and bottom bracket are in okay starting condition. I broke down the crank and put the bottom bracket in for soaking and cleaning. I can't say the crank is in bad shape at all but it did take a good deal of work to get looking good. There where some dents and bends in the chain guard and some rough spots on the chain rings. I cleaned everything and polished the crank and chain rings by hand. They are just to dangerous to polish on the wheels. I did polish the chain ring bolts on the polishing wheels.

The bottom bracket took some work too. The bearings where replaced inside the bearing cages. The cups and the lock rings took a lot of polishing, there was some deep staining on them The cups and lock rings polished pretty nice, I wish just slightly better but overall not to bad. Installed the crank looks great. I think I took the photo of the crank installed before I wiped all the grease down. This style crank tends to get the new bearing grease all over while installing. Overall the crank and bottom bracket spin great and look good.

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Crank & Bottom Bracket - Before

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Crank - Exploded

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Crank - Polished

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Crank - Complete

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bottom Bracket - Polished

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Pressing Bearing Cups

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Crank - Complete

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Crank - Complete
I wish these pieces would polish a little better.

I like these brake levers, they usually polish beautifully with a little time and when installed really make a restoration. They really shine nice. I cleaned the brake levers and took the time to really polish them out nice. With a little lubricating the brake levers function super smooth. These brake levers will be hard to beat when the handlebar tape is installed!

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Brake Levers - Before

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Brake Levers - Polished

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Brake Levers - Installed

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Crank & Brake Levers - Installed

That completes the main body components. I hope tomorrow to have the Schwinn Super Sport wired and the wheels a good deal a long. Check back soon.

The wheels are in pretty good starting shape. I believe the front wheel was re-spoked at one time because it has chrome spokes over the stock galvanized spokes. The grease was pretty nasty in the wheel hubs but it was not dry yet which is good. I cleaned everything and then started the polishing process.

The wheel hubs cleaned nice and polished beautifully! They polished to such a nice finish I don't think the factory polishing they looked this good. The rims polished just as nice! I packed new bearings in new grease and trued the rims. The rear rim was quite a bit out of true but spins very nice now. Both wheels look great and spin great. I really like the wheels Schwinn put on the Super Sport, they are nice wheels and I like the high flange.

There is a broken spoke on the rear wheel and I have used all the spokes that size that I had on hand, I will have to pick a spoke up from a friend that has the size on hand.

Overall I am very pleased with the results of the wheels.

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Rear Wheel Before

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Rear Wheel Hub - Before

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Rear Wheel Rim - Before

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Rear Wheel Hub - Old Grease

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Rear Wheel Hub - Polished

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Rear Wheel Rim - Polished - Poor Photo

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Wheel Axle Pieces - Ready

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Rear Wheel - Complete

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Front Wheel - Before

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Front Wheel Hub - Before

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Front Wheel Rim - Before

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Front Wheel - Old Grease

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Front Wheel Hub - Polished

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Front Wheel Rim - Polished

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Front Whee - Complete

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Front Wheel Rim - Polished - Very Poor Photo

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Front Wheel - Complete

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Wheels - Complete

With the wheels complete I decided to wire the Super Sport. I choose the Ice Gray housing color. It is the same color as the original derailleur housing and slightly darker then the original brake cable housing. I think both brake and derailleur housings should be the same color. The Ice gray looks so good with the Sunset orange paint. I love it!!

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
New Cable & Cable Housings

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Brake Cables - Complete

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Shift Cables - Complete

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Rear Brake Cable - Complete

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Rear Derailment Cable - Complete - And my Thumb!

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Cables - Complete

I replaced the broken spoke on the rear wheel and then went to install new tires. My bookkeeping and inventory where off by two ties so I had to order two more tires. I installed the tires and they look great on the Super Sport. There is something so classic about gum wall tires.

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
New Kenda Gum Wall Tires

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Front Tire Complete

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Rear Tire Complete

I have applied some leather treatment to the saddle, it is pretty dry so it will take a couple more applications but those will be applied with the saddle on the bike. The Brooks Professional is actually not in all that bad of condition considering its age. It is really nice to have the original saddle.

The seat coupling was also in descent shape, I cleaned all the pieces and then polished them out. The seat coupling looks great! It really looks great installed on the polished seat post and with the saddle.

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Saddle - Treated - More to come.

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Seat Coupling - Polished

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Saddle - Installed

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Saddle - Installed - Tires - Complete

With the super Sport very close to completion I started work on the pedals. The pedals where a little rough to start with, they have a lot of staining and some corrosion but they do still spin very nice. I cleaned and flushed the pedals and lubricated the pedals. With the pedals cleaned I started working through the polishing by hand. It took a great deal of time but the pedals polished very nice, I am very pleased with the results. I also cleaned and treated the leather toe clip straps. The straps turned out pretty nice considering how dry and dirty they where. The pedals spin great and look great installed.

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Right Pedal - Before

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Left Pedal - Before

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Pedals - Polished

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Pedals Installed

Last thing to do is install the handlebar tape. Ray was lucky enough to find some new old stock original vinyl tape. I have not had good luck with the old tape like this, most of the time it is faded and brittle. I would say his tape is not to bad over all. I did have a little bit of difficult installing the tape, the tape felt a little brittle and I did not want to stretch the tape to far that it would break. The tape turned out very nice after a little back and forth. I am happy with the results.

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
NOS Handlebar Tape

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Handlebar Tape - Installed

That completes Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport. I am thrilled with how it turned out. We got 16 inches of snow last Saturday here. Most places got 5-8 inches except for one narrow band that was about 15 miles wide that hit us. One nice thing about mid-November snow is it doesn't last long, it was all melted by Thanksgiving day.

The melted snow allowed me to actually test ride and tune the Super Sport. The rear derailleur ended up having a pretty bad twist in it with a lot of play in the pivot points. I straightened the twist and repaired the play in the pivot points. Have a few trial and error test rides the rear derailleur now works very smooth.

Today I gave the Super Sport about a 4 mile test ride in between the sleet. The Super Sport rides fantastic! The 1 3/8 inch tires are a dream to ride. The shifting is spot on for friction shift and the braking is very tight. I really have grown to love the Super Sports over the years, the ride is very hard to beat, as many many people have said the Super Sport rides like a Cadillac and this sunset orange one is no different.

For how great the Super Sport rides the looks are just as nice! The wheels restored beautifully, the rims are just perfect! The alloy and chrome polished beautifully and the paint polished out with a deep luster. I am very bias though, I am a sucker for an orange bike!! The best part might be the original Brooks saddle, it will need a few more application of proof hide and some body heat from riding but it has really come back nice. I love this stuff!

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle Complete

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle Complete - Handlebars

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle Complete - Stem & Handlebars

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle Complete - Head Tube

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle Complete - Front Brake - Cable trimmed during test ride.

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle Complete - Front Wheel Hub

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle Complete - Front Rim

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle Complete - Handlebars

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle Complete - Stem & Shift Levers

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle Complete - Front Half

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle Complete - Down Tube

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle Complete - Saddle

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle Complete - Chicago Decal

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle Complete - Drive Train

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle Complete - Crank

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle Complete - Front Derailleur

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle Complete - Rear Brake

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle Complete - Rear Derailleur

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle Complete - Rear Wheel Hub

Ray's 1973 Schwinn Super Sport Restoration
Bicycle Complete

Thank you for the interest,
John Z.

John's Bicycle Restorations

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Saturday, October 24, 2015

Ray's 1973 Sunset Orange Schwinn Super Sport Restoration - All The way from Michigan

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