When it comes to bicycles, I have at least one thing in common with John Howard, one of the world's greatest cyclists: our first "lightweight" bikes as young men were Schwinn Continentals.  I asked John if it had occurred to him "back in the day" that he might increase the acceleration and handling of his Schwinn by simply replacing the original heavy steel rims with alloy. He answered, "No." Nobody in his circle had even heard of "rolling mass." Swapping the wheelset never crossed his mind. 

I didn't know that such an easy improvement in bicycle performance was possible when I was eighteen, either.

So for fun I have built the Schwinn that "might have been" by upgrading this 1973 Sunset Orange Continental with alloy rims and alloy Stronglight crankset. If John had made similar changes to his sixties Continental, he might have gained an even earlier start in setting world records! :)

Since I am at the furthest remove from racing, I've set the Continental up for light touring, with the addition of a Wald rear rack, Schwinn saddle bag, shorty fenders, and I've substituted a contemporary LED lamp for the original dynamo and Union lamp. This fifty plus year old electro-forged, carbon steel Schwinn will never qualify as a true lightweight, but it is amazing how light it feels when compared to an identical model with original ashtabula crank and steel rims.

A serious cyclist who remembers the Schwinn Continental will likely describe it as "a tank." True enough. Still, with a few modifications, a well-tuned Continental can provide a fun ride, with nostalgia as a bonus.

And by the way, it was a beautiful bike in the 1970s, and it still is!

1973 Schwinn Custom Continental ©Daniel Dahlquist