- This topic has 7 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 5 years, 9 months ago by
.
- Posts
I think I’ve read all concerning Pro Underground bikes and mine is not mentioned anywhere. I believe I bought it in 97 as a 96 model. It could be older. It is a fully suspended “Sweet Spot” (decal above the crank on the seat post). All welds are “stacked dimes” and the stress points are buttressed. It is labeled S20, orange with a silver rear assembly. The decals are all clear coated and state “Project Underground” – Homegrown is not on this bike. I ride with my girlfriend in Ocala so I won’t b able to post pics til next Saturday. I live in Orlando and bought the bike from Orange Cycle. I am the original owner.
I love this bike and have ridden Houston Memorial in the late ’90s (including all of Ho Chi Mien and the Rollercoaster and Cambodia) for over a year. It has also run Santos and Hard Rock in Ocala and the Environ Center here in Orlando.
It ain’t really natural how I feel about my S20.
Anyone ever heard of this Project Underground build?
Sorry for the pic delay.
JP
I hate to burst anyone’s budget but this is almost certainly not a true Project Underground. A few reasons:
- Project Underground was pre-1995 (excluding the thermoplastic frame from ’97). The S-20 didn’t exist until 1997.
- No mention of a FS option by any of the 4 former Schwinn employees I’ve talked with, including the engineering manager, senior project engineer, and product manager for the PU/Homegrown.
- The S-20 was the middle of the range S-series Sweet Spot bikes, which were Taiwanese made versions of the Homegrown Sweet Spots (with beefier rear triangle).
- The 1998 S-20 was orange with a silver rear triangle.
1998 S-20 (sorry, best picture I could find, involuntarily provided by ducrider45):
Regardless, it would be cool to see it and see if we can piece together what it is. *drinks*
OK… so what is this?
SN = OM-97-02609
And the rear carriage was built of 7007 aluminum? Pretty rare – can’t even find it now…
JP
It’s a 1998 S-20. All the parts are correct for that model. The larger, hollow pivot on that frame wasn’t introduced until 1996, after the original Project Underground series was complete.
The “Underground Developed” sticker is just like the “Ride Tuned” sticker; Schwinn tried to tie everything back to the high-end product development. I have a Schwinn Panther cruiser with “ride tuned” geometry.
The serial number is actually the F97xxx number stamped in the bottom bracket. The OM-97-xxx is just something from the shop that sold it, likely for tracking for maintenance or theft.
7007 stamped isn’t related to alloy. All of those models, like the Homegrowns (rear triangles), were made of 6061-series aluminum. 6061, 7005, and 7075 are the dominant alloys in the bike business.Interesting. I found a guy that fractured his rear assembly and couldn’t repair it…. No 7007 welding rods. And 7007 is used as a lightweight alloy. Cyclone bikes, Ferrari bikes, and other use it. Pretty costly.
And mine was purchased in August of ’97. I checked with Orange Cycle. It’s a ’97. No flags on the frame like the ’98s…
And the tag is not from the dealer – it’s from Omnium out of Santa Monica. Big lawsuit with Schwinn.
How does Ominum play into Homegrown and Underground? They obviously built the rear carriage on my bike and the one posted by John (same serial tag)
I don’t think my bike is exceptional, just curious…
My mistake, those were 7005 aluminum (as it says in the link I originally posted *blush* ). 7000-series aluminum is generally not easily-welded by smaller shops not accustomed to working with it; 6061 is much more common.
Omnium was only an assembler. The S-series frames were made in Taiwan. The sticker likely means that was one of the bikes they were allowed to sell directly to dealers after the lawsuit was resolved, but that’s purely a guess on my part.
Calendar years and model years in the bike business don’t match, just as in cars. Buying a bike in 1997 doesn’t mean it’s a 1997 mode.l
One thing I forgot to mention earlier also is that Project Underground bikes were only available to shop employees and sponsored riders.The only Schwinns that had checkered flags in ’98 were Homegrowns. An S-20 is not a Homegrown. Compare the S-20 all-mountain to the Homegrown version:
S-20 with same graphics as yours:
Homegrown from same year:
Other links:
http://www.pinkbike.com/photo/10627872/
http://appleton-wi.americanlisted.com/bicycles/1998-schwinn-s20-full-suspension-mountain-bike-17in-225-appleton_17385943.htmlTo sum up, your frame matches the graphics from the 1998 S-series bikes. The color matches the description for that year and model. Every single part I see on that frame matches the specified parts for that year and model. Not sure what else to say. Enjoy the bike, regardless.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.