Last night I picked up a 1970 Schwinn Suburban that was listed on craigslist. Campus green, 10-speed model. It has period Schwinn generator and lights, appears to be all original. The chrome and paint is all in pretty good condition. All in all, I think it was worth $50 I paid for it.
What's interesting is that it has drop bars, rather than the typical upright bars that my other Suburbans and Collegiates have. I know that there was a Collegiate Sport model that was set up much like a 26" version of a Varsity. But a Suburban Sport, if such a thing had existed, would essentially be a Varsity, save for the tubular fork. This isn't badged as any such thing anyway. I'm guessing that the dealer configured it that way, either at the request of the original customer or to try make it more sellable.
Another interesting point is the serial number - it's a '70 code, from March of that year. But it's on the drop out, rather than the head tube. Convention says that Schwinn switched locations for 1970, but I'm guessing they made a running change early in '70. This bike was make just prior to it, probably. At a glance, it appears that the serial is missing a digit, but I expect that it's simply hidden under the fender stays.
What's interesting is that it has drop bars, rather than the typical upright bars that my other Suburbans and Collegiates have. I know that there was a Collegiate Sport model that was set up much like a 26" version of a Varsity. But a Suburban Sport, if such a thing had existed, would essentially be a Varsity, save for the tubular fork. This isn't badged as any such thing anyway. I'm guessing that the dealer configured it that way, either at the request of the original customer or to try make it more sellable.
Another interesting point is the serial number - it's a '70 code, from March of that year. But it's on the drop out, rather than the head tube. Convention says that Schwinn switched locations for 1970, but I'm guessing they made a running change early in '70. This bike was make just prior to it, probably. At a glance, it appears that the serial is missing a digit, but I expect that it's simply hidden under the fender stays.