Is this bike worth buying? Schwinn Continental 10 (1972)

[MotorCityCobra]

Schwinn Continental 10. Bought in USA 1972, i dont know what year this bike was produced. I can get it for about 200USD. The bike has had one owner all the way, and it seems in decent condition. Is this a good vintage bike? I think its pretty rare to see these in Scandinavia. I am from Norway

[Painkiller]

First off I do not know the market in your area. Those vintage Schwinn with the fillet brazed frames are really nothing special other than an old schwinn. they may have a following but the value on them is pretty low. They are boat anchors with what some would say low end parts. Did they do the job back in the day? sure. Were they as good as some of the foreign bikes of the day, No. So it is really up to you and what you like. If that bike was in my garage right now in the U.S., and I just did a frame off refurb with new bartape, tubes/tires, cables/housing, brake pads..etc. ready to roll. It would be a tough sell at $200 us. With that said, if this bicycle needs any of these things, just ad that to the $200 you are paying for the bike and make the call. Just something to think about, not trying to talk you out of it at all, just letting you make a more educated opinion on your new purchase. I have taken many bicycles worth $100 and put over $1000 in to them, only because that is what i wanted to do with them.

[Papa Dom]

@Joe_W might have an idea about the price and Norwegian market?

[MotorCityCobra]

(06-19-2020, 05:17 PM)Painkiller Wrote:  First off I do not know the market in your area. Those vintage Schwinn with the fillet brazed frames are really nothing special other than an old schwinn. they may have a following but the value on them is pretty low. They are boat anchors with what some would say low end parts. Did they do the job back in the day? sure. Were they as good as some of the foreign bikes of the day, No. So it is really up to you and what you like. If that bike was in my garage right now in the U.S., and I just did a frame off refurb with new bartape, tubes/tires, cables/housing, brake pads..etc. ready to roll. It would be a tough sell at $200 us. With that said, if this bicycle needs any of these things, just ad that to the $200 you are paying for the bike and make the call. Just something to think about, not trying to talk you out of it at all, just letting you make a more educated opinion on your new purchase. I have taken many bicycles worth $100 and put over $1000 in to them, only because that is what i wanted to do with them.

Thanks for the feedback. I think i am going to pass on this one, 200USD just seems too much based on the quality of the bike. I do love old vintage bikes though.

[Joe_W]

Nah, no idea. Except that Norway is an expensive place

[Jesper]

(06-19-2020, 03:22 PM)MotorCityCobra Wrote:  Schwinn Continental 10. Bought in USA 1972, i dont know what year this bike was produced. I can get it for about 200USD. The bike has had one owner all the way, and it seems in decent condition. Is this a good vintage bike? I think its pretty rare to see these in Scandinavia. I am from Norway

(06-19-2020, 05:17 PM)Painkiller Wrote:  So it is really up to you and what you like. If that bike was in my garage right now in the U.S., and I just did a frame off refurb with new bartape, tubes/tires, cables/housing, brake pads..etc. ready to roll. It would be a tough sell at $200 us. With that said, if this bicycle needs any of these things, just ad that to the $200 you are paying for the bike and make the call. Just something to think about, not trying to talk you out of it at all, just letting you make a more educated opinion on your new purchase. I have taken many bicycles worth $100 and put over $1000 in to them, only because that is what i wanted to do with them.

I must agree with Painkiller relating to that bike that. I have an old Schwinn Varsity in excellent condition with all original parts except tires and it would be worth about $200 USD only because of its condition. I have bought a bike similar to the one you show for much less and converted it to a "medium weight" (<30 pounds/14 Kg) touring/sport bike with new and improved parts for under $150 including the original price. What Painkiller said applies to all used bike purchasing in general if it is not a rare/high end collectible. Cost of decent new tires alone can make it a poor purchase even with everything else 100% functional and in very good condition. The only other factor is sentimentality which can at times override the expected costs if it is something you are particularly interested in due to a personal interest. If you are buying to resell than it is very important to take EVERYTHING into consideration since a buyer may not think it is as special as you do.

Take care,
Jesper