The Schwinn Super Le Tour 12.2 was produced in the late 1970s. It was a 10-speed bike that was popular for road racing and travel. The bike is still in circulation for those who have taken good care of them. Replacement parts are fairly readily available as Schwinn tries to use similar parts when upgrading bike production.
Production and Color
The Super Le Tour 12.2 was manufactured in Japan for Schwinn. It was produced in multiple colors: sky blue, opaque red, and silver mist. These are the most common colors to still find in circulation, though some have had the bikes customized with newer Schwinn colors.
Gears and Tires
The gear range for the 10 gears is 38 to 100. This bike was built with a Shimano 600 rear derailleur for changing gears. The front derailleur is a Shimano 60. The wheel size on the bike is 27-inch by 1 1/4 inches. The tires are tube tires with an outside slick.
Frame
Schwinn made this with a chrome-moly lugged frame. It has a double-butted top and bottom tubes giving the frame more strength and support. The front fork is tubular and chrome-tipped. The frame sizes can as 21-inch, 23-inch and 25-inch. The bike was manufactured only as a men's bike with solely the straight crossbar option. By 1978, Schwinn began making a ladies version of the bike, but that is considered a 12.3 version.
Braking
The stem of the bike is alloy, making it lighter than other bikes of the time. The Schwinn Super Le Tour 12.2 came standard with racing handlebars. The brakes were side-pull Compe G brakes without suicide levers. You can sometimes find a model that has added the secondary brake suicide lever at the top of the bar. This allows for more upright riding.
Rims
The rims for the bike were aluminum. This makes them slightly heavier than modern rims but also better to fix. Aluminum rims can be reset and trued even after being bent. More modern, light rims do not have the integrity to be bent back into shape and maintain the integrity of the weight load.
References
Writer Bio
Pharaba Witt has worked as a writer in Los Angeles for more than 10 years. She has written for websites such as USA Today, Red Beacon, LIVESTRONG, WiseGeek, Web Series Network, Nursing Daily and major film studios. When not traveling she enjoys outdoor activities such as backpacking, snowboarding, ice climbing and scuba diving. She is constantly researching equipment and seeking new challenges.
