# SCORE! 1983 Schwinn Sidewinder!



## Beau (Dec 31, 2003)

So a guy dropped off this little honey today at the shop. I have only done a bit of research so far. It appears to be a Schwinn Sidewinder that's missing the stickers. The guy said it was from 1973, but the Schwinn date code tells me it's from April of 1983! Looks like most of the parts are original too =) 
I plan to track down an original seat for it and I will also be tearing it down to do a complete restoration.

It has OLD Suntour top mount shifters, and 'Schwinn Studded Ballon' tires! :thumbup: 

I'm pretty stoked about this one. I have always wanted one of the originals and today I finally found one...for FREE.

A couple pics of the bike as it sits right now- More to come after I clean it up.

Any help finding a Avocet Touring seat would be great! Also another set of the original tires would be nice (used or new).


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## BobHufford (Jun 9, 2004)

Congrats! This is the 2nd year for the Sidewinder. Here are the catalog pages:

http://home.mchsi.com/~lhufford/83sidewinder.jpg
http://home.mchsi.com/~lhufford/83specs2.jpg

The '82 in Jeff's museum was my Dad's (with probably less than 20 miles on it) :

http://www.firstflightbikes.com/1982_Sidewinder.htm

Bob


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## 82Sidewinder (Jun 28, 2006)

Nice find! I have one just like it, as well as a first-year 5-speed Sidewinder from 1982. The Sidewinder is the bike that got me into collecting vintage mountain bikes.

Avocet Touring saddles pop up on Ebay all the time. So do the Schwinn Studded Balloon tires. The tires can be pricey, up to $100 for a pair if they are NOS and useable. (The gumwalls were prone to drying out) If you plan to ride the bike, I would put on a set of modern atb or cruiser tires to get it rolling. 

Decals are almost non-existent for these bikes. They were never reproduced, and any that you find may be brittle from age. 

I've attached a pic of my '82 Sidewinder (built in 1981) which is all-original except for the grips. (Even the cable casings have 1981 date codes. )


Craig


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## Beau (Dec 31, 2003)

Thank! I love the links! 

I think I found a seat and now I need a front wheel reflector too. 

I'll post pics once I get it all cleaned up.


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## bikerboy (Jan 13, 2004)

Very cool. It is neat to see one of the bikes that helped eventually drive the death nail into Schwinn's coffin. Unfortunately, they seemed to think mountain bikes would be a fad, so they did little initial investment in the new technology. It is basically an old Varsity frame modified for bigger tires with a 26" bmx style fork up front. Still, it is pretty cool. I suppose those are a lot easier to find and cheaper than an original King Sting.

Can anybody tell me what the big cog on that freewheel is? It looks rather large, like 36 or 38 teeth.


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## 82Sidewinder (Jun 28, 2006)

The freewheel is a Suntour Alpine Gear, and the large cog is a 38t. It's basically useless unless you are riding almost vertical. 



Craig


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## djmuff (Sep 8, 2004)

Wow, I didn't even know that the Sidewinder was that old, I just thought it was a kid's mountain bike that they made in the 90's. Definitely a cool bike.


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## Veloculture (Dec 18, 2005)

here's mine. i picked it up a few months ago and havn't done anything with it yet.


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## 82Sidewinder (Jun 28, 2006)

Looks good, Velo. It has a lot of upgraded components like the Tuffneck stem, bars, Brooks saddle and alloy crankset. How does it ride?

Craig


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## Veloculture (Dec 18, 2005)

82Sidewinder said:


> Looks good, Velo. It has a lot of upgraded components like the Tuffneck stem, bars, Brooks saddle and alloy crankset. How does it ride?
> 
> Craig


i dont know. havn't taken it out yet. it's been months since i've saddled up im sorry to day. opening a bike shop with zero help is a real PITA.


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## calialx1 (Mar 7, 2011)

I just picked one of these up at a garage sale for $20.It has one of the original tires but its all rotted out. Front wheels is also way out of true but everything else except the seat is there. Looks like it was sitting outside for a while since there is some rust on the frame and components and grease all over.

The original plan was to chop it up and make it a single speed bamboo mountain bike. I am now having second thoughts seeing what it actually is and how old it is.

What do you guys think? carry on with bamboo bike project by cutting off parts from this or just do a restore with modern day components?


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## Rumpfy (Dec 21, 2003)

calialx1 said:


> The original plan was to chop it up and make it a single speed bamboo mountain bike. I am now having second thoughts seeing what it actually is and how old it is.
> 
> What do you guys think? carry on with bamboo bike project by cutting off parts from this or just do a restore with modern day components?


The bike is a pile. Don't worry about chopping it up, no one will miss it.


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## Oldfatbaldguy (Nov 4, 2010)

If it was near me, I'd buy it from you as an historical example. In comparison to boutique brands it WASNT anything great, but it does represent a step in the progression towards the bikes we have today, and was a lot better bike than the dept store offerings that proliferated in the middle 1980's

My bike club is organizing a Klunker day/picnic/ etc, this fall; part o the event will be a bike show. If you wanna bring the bike to central Mn you'd be an honored guest and we'd be glad to display your bike.


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## calialx1 (Mar 7, 2011)

anymore details on this event? My GF is actually from MN so it might be worth the trip for both things.


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