need info/help on 1970's yellow schwinn varsity

[a_watts90]

i am looking into buying a schwinn varsity (from somewhere in the 1970's) from a local guy.is there anything that i should look for before i buy it. good or bad? and what kind of quality were these bikes? it is 10 speed and yellow. any idea of a price would be helpful also. he is asking $100 for it.

any help would be appreciated. thanks

 

[biggs682]

looks nice and bright thats for sure

 

[Cycleops]

A low end model by the looks of it, the one piece crank, rubber pedals and stem mounted shifters all point to this. If you are really set on it check for the usual things, wiggling the cranks to check for wear and hold the front brake on and push back and forth to feel play in the headset. Also look at the chain rings and rear freewheel for wear. It's been around for a long time so has probably had lots of use. $100 sounds a bit high, I should offer about half.

 

[Gravity Aided]

Put a scale on that thing! 38 pounds of cycling there, and I do not mean the cost. Very durable bike, though, joined together by internal lugs, made of regular steel, no chro-moly or such. A very common bike in the U.S., even to this day. Probably most Schwinns were this model. Reliable and heavy. Schwinns were marketed on Tv by a children's show host called "Captain Kangaroo". Some bizarre YouTube viewing, there. Especially all interactions with "Mr Moose". My last interaction with a Varsity went like this-
I bought for $15.00
Sold for 30.00 to a reseller
Who sold it on for 60.00.
That one appears to be in good condition, in a popular color, (Kool Lemon) and I would say $60-75 American all the live-long day at retail in the States.