Need help dating a Super Sport

[Bruce Wayne]

Hello all,
Please pardon me for making my first post a question. I've been a member since retirement in 2022 after 45 years as an auto mechanic and now have four old Schwinns!

The first three were easy to date, them being '72 Std Stingray in Cool Lemon, a '71 17" Camelback Collegiate in Sky Blue and a '79 Suburban, originally Sky Blue now powdercoated Sunset Orange.

The latest find not so much. Listed as a '73 on FB Marketplace. I was honestly star struck when I picked it up because I couldn't get it home soon enough and didn't ask the seller enough about it's history. First picture is after getting it home.

I closely checked all the normal areas to find serial numbers but the only digits I can find are on the lower side of the bottom bracket, two letters followed by two numbers. Best I can make out they are FM 32. Another oddity is what looks like a sypher stamp of some sort.

As a side note, the bike appears all original, both wheel hubs are stamped 2-73 and the crank being stamped 73 as well.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[GTs58]

Are you sure there are no stampings on the left rear drop out? Opaque Blue was used on the Super Sport in 1972 and 73.

The 1970 Super Sports with Huret dropouts seem to have used a two digit year ('C70204' -- March, 1970, 204th frame).

In May 1970 the serial numbers were stamped on the headtube for the regular production bikes. I believe the later years SS also had the serial stamped on the head tube.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Thanks for your input GTs58, but there are no markings on the drop out. Looking again at the frame head photo expanded by camera it does show some marking but they're nearly off the edge and badly obscured by corrosion. Funny I didn't see these with my naked eye!

Either way I'm pretty certain it's a '73 but find the sypher stamp an oddity, What do you make of that?

 

[GTs58]

Thanks for your input GTs58, but there are no markings on either the drop out or frame head.
View attachment 2018532

View attachment 2018533
Pretty certain it's a '73 but find these markings odd, especially the sypher stamp. What do you make of that?

I see a bunch of numbers on the headtube at the very bottom where that rust is. Quite a few stampings but I can’t read them.

 

[Quakertownrich]

First letter appears to be a C (March) if second is a J then headtube was stamped in March '73, not necessarily a '73 model, but since Super Sports were not produced for '74..

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Yes indeed it looks like the first digit is a C, hard to make out the second but J seems logical. The rust is under the paint and I don't dare disturb just to see what's under there. Thank you both for your time and input.

 

[MN_Schwinn]

First letter appears to be a C (March) if second is a J then headtube was stamped in March '73, not necessarily a '73 model, but since Super Sports were not produced for '74..

Not that it’s entirely important within this discussion, but Schwinn did produce Super Sports in 1974. They were not in the sales catalog. All were opaque red, using frames constructed in 72 & 73. Here’s the link to the 74 discussion on The Cabe from years ago…

1974 Opaque Red Super Sport | Lightweight Schwinn Bicycles

Picked this one up yesterday. Drove too far to get it but we did a day trip so was a nice day. This the one year color that was not in the catalog. Maybe Meta will post that letter/reporter that tells about them. Got to get rid of the black cables and bar tape and wheel reflectors. Have a B...

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