Rare 1971 Schwinn 5 Speed Grey Ghost Stingray Krate Bicycle, Original Disc Brake for Sale

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Rare 1971 Schwinn 5 Speed Grey Ghost Stingray Krate Bicycle, Original Disc Brake For Sale

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Rare 1971 Schwinn 5 Speed Grey Ghost Stingray Krate Bicycle, Original Disc Brake:
$14999.00

Hello everyone, have I got a special treat instore for you today.

To start off, I’m pretty sure most of you, who happen to be 40 years old and up, remember the legendary Schwinn Black Phantom bicycles, right? Back in the 50s and 60s they were one of the best selling bicycles ever created by the renowned Schwinn Bicycle Company. It’s flaring black and red paint, its striking headlight, and taillight, its out of this world buzzing tank horn and its awesome chrome accents, embodied the pure power the Black Phantom spirit had over anyone who ever owned one of these classic gems. They were so popular, in fact, that Schwinn decided to resurrect the Black Phantom spirit and started making them again in 1995, but for only a short period of time..

Now, if all you Kool Cats out there heard of the Schwinn Black Phantom, I’m pretty sure you’ve all heard of the famous 1971 Schwinn 5 speed Grey Ghost, right? The Schwinn Grey Ghost, with its amazing sleek design, its awesome 5 speed capabilities, its new state of the art disc brake system, and its mind blowing special features, made every young boy in this country literally drop down this his knees and beg his parents to get one of these bicycles for him.

As with the spirit of the Black Phantom, the lifeforce of the Grey Ghost literally mesmerized, energized, hypnotized, and even galvanized every young boy who was lucky enough to own one of these awesome bicycles. I can’t tell you the amount of green envy the other boys had, who did not own one of these riding pleasures, but what I can tell you is it was a lot.

Case in point: Please take a gander at the picture of the young boy riding his very own 1971 Schwinn 5-speed Grey Ghost Krate Stingray bicycle with its new state of art disc brake. Look closely at the smile beaming from his face. That same smile is exactly what you or your loved one are going to have on your faces when you or he will be riding this bicycle down the street with all the neighbors staring with awe in their eyes and their mouths wide open. With that being said, let’s now continue on with my storyline.

Folks, what I am selling here today is this incredibly fine looking, mostly restored, 1971 Schwinn 5 speed Grey Ghost Stingray Krate bicycle with its original and bodacious disc brake. Out of all the Schwinn Krate 5 speed bicycles ever created by the Schwinn Bicycle Company, the Schwinn “Grey Ghost” is the rarest and most sought after than them all.

As you can see in the photos this bicycle looks extremely nice. I would say on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being totally blah and a 10 being nearly perfect, I would rate this bicycle as being a 9.7.

As the pictures show there is very little rust on this American made beauty. The shiny silver mist paint looks fantastic, the wheels look awesome and most of the chrome on it is in great shape. Let me now break everything down as to what goes with this most amazing bicycle.

Let’s start off here with the frame. It is the original 1971 Schwinn 5-speed Stingray Krate frame. It has been professionally painted with the same silver mist color that was on the original 1971 Schwinn Grey Ghost bicycles. The frame serial number is CGxxxxxx which means it was made in March of 1971 at the now defunct Schwinn Bicycle Company in Chicago, Illinois. That means this frame is now officially 53 years old. but you would never guess that by looking at it.

Let’s now go to the Chainguard. The chainguard is the original restored 1971 Schwinn chainguard. The silver mist paint is nearly flawless and the silk screen Schwinn logo is very nice. As the pictures show, it looks great and it matches the frame perfectly.

The sissy bar with shocks is a vintage Schwinn sissy bar. Because of its current age, it does have a few abrasions on the shock absorber casings, but overall it looks nice. The chrome shines just fine and dandy in the sunlight.

Now let’s move over to the Schwinn banana seat. It is the original 1971 Schwinn Grey Ghost banana seat, There are no rips on this seat of course and it matches the original 1971 Schwinn Grey Ghost color and vinyl texture to a "T".

The rear 3.25 inch diameter seat reflector is in great condition. It is the perfect size for the rear of the seat and it is a finishing touch to this outstanding work of art.

The chrome seat post on this bike is original. The chrome looks great on it considering it being 50 plus years old. It goes perfect with the seat sitting on top of it. The bottom seat post clamp is also original.

This 1971 Schwinn five speed Grey Ghost bicycle would not officially be a complete Schwinn Grey Ghost bicycle unless it had a bona fide Schwinn speedometer on it. The one that is on it right now is an original rebuilt Schwinn speedometer and it works perfect. It has zero miles on it. The Schwinn speedometer cable and driver are also original. How sweet is that?

As with the speedometer, this bicycle would not officially be a classic Schwinn Krate Stingray bicycle unless it had a rear black tool bag attached to the sissy bar. This bicycle has an original 1971 Schwinn tool bag and it is in awesome shape. It is the little things like this that makes an awesome bicycle even greater.

The original 1971 front fork assembly is in great shape as the pictures show. The forks are straight and the chrome looks very nice on them. Even the two original truss bars look good on it, too.

The front and rear fenders are original 1971 fenders. They are in good condition for being over 50 years old. The front safety edge fender is very nice with minute amount of blemishes on it. The rear safety edge fender does have a few small dings here and there on it, but they’re not too bad at all. The chrome on both of them almost shines like mirrors (see closeup of pics for detailed condition).

Let’s go to the front wheel now. It is the original restored 1971 Schwinn Atom drum brake wheel. As you can see it is in fantastic condition. It spins freely, it is straight and everything works on it like it should. There is very little to no rust on it considering it is now over 50 years old. As you can see it is one of the better ones out there. I’ve owned over 50 of these Atom drum brake wheels throughout my life and I can honestly say that this is probably the best one I’ve ever had. Look at the reflection of the near mirror finish on the hub. Try to find another Schwinn Atom drum brake wheel that can do that.

The front tire is an original 16 inch 1972 dated Schwinn Superior tire. There is only minor cracking going on the sides this tire, but the rest of the tire looks almost like it is new. It still holds air just fine and dandy and there is still plenty of tread life on this original tire.

Now turn your undivided attention towards the original rear 5-speed disc brake wheel. As you can see it is in good condition. It spins straight and true like it should.

The 28 metal spokes are original. They are strong and they will continue lasting for decades to come. Look how beautiful they look on this wheel. The metal nipples are also original.

Now look at the chrome spoke protector just behind the freewheel. It is the original 1971 Schwinn spoke protector and it is in fantastic shape. It almost looks brand new.

The 5-speed cog is an original 1971 Schwinn Approved Model J Freewheel. It is in fantastic condition. No hang ups here, folks.

The hub is stamped Schwinn Approved Made in France 4 - 71. The rim has the original single knurl and it has the coveted Schwinn tubular S2 stampings on it.

Next on the list is the original disc brake disc rotor on this wheel. As you can see it is in very good condition. It turns straight like it should and there is very little wear and tear on it.

Now turn your undivided attention towards the disc brake caliper on this wheel. It is the original 1971 disc brake caliper that came with this wheel. It is in decent condition, but it does have a little bit of rust pitting on each side of it.

But do you see something that is different on this disc brake caliper? It is missing the date stamp as well as the patent pending information on it. This is a huge mistake and oversight by the Schwinn Bicycle Company which this seldom happens on these Schwinn disc brake wheels.

This tells me this particular caliper somehow slipped through the fingers of the Schwinn Quality Control Department. It was their responsibility and theirs alone to make sure these calipers and wheels were stamped correctly with their pertinent information before they officially left the factory assembly lines, but this particular caliper escaped it somehow.

Because of this irregularity, it makes this wheel very special. It’s almost like it is a one of a kind wheel. Because this wheel is so unique, due to this obvious oversight done by the Schwinn Quality Control Department, it is going to add much more value to it. It is almost like finding a old penny with Lincoln’s head inverted on it or a postage stamp with the picture turned upside down on it. Try finding another Schwinn disc brake assembly out there that has the same issue that this one has. I’m sure you will not find another one out there anytime soon.

And then, of course, there is the original threaded axle, original packed bearings, and 2 chrome threaded nuts and chrome serrated washers on this wheel. They are in good used condition. It literally is the icing on the cake that completes the ensemble of this vintage Schwinn 5-speed wheel.

Please note: This disc brake wheel is not the original wheel that came with this bicycle.

I am also including with this awesome wheel a bona fide and authentic 1971 dated Schwinn Stingray Slik tire. This tire is in exceptional condition as the pictures shows. There is minimal cracking going on it and it is still soft and agile for its age. It’s one of the better ones you will find out there. It will also add great value to this wheel.

Now turn your attention towards the two black flag valve stem covers that are on the wheels. They are new and boy they bring out the pizzazz in this bicycle.

The 5-speed shifter is an original 1971 shifter. There is very little to no rust on this awesome shifter. The chrome shines just fine and dandy, especially in the sunlight. The decals look great on it and so does the black shifter knob.

The shifter overload tube is in great shape. Often times you will find original overload tubes on bikes that are either bent or they are bruised due to previous use, but not this one. This one is new and it looks great!

The handle bars and goose neck stem are original. They each have the 71-year stamping/ embossment on them. The chrome looks nice on them, too, but the handle bars do have the typical road rash in the areas where the original boy owner laid the bike down on the road or sidewalk, so he could go play with his friends. The abrasions are not severe, though, and it still looks good.

Then there is the chrome 3 flute bulb horn. It is new, but it matches the same horn sold by Schwinn back in 1971. It adds that finishing touch that completes this spirited bicycle.

The left and right brake levers are the original 1971 Weinmann levers. They work on this bike just like if they were new.

Then there is the checkerboard mirror on the handlebars. Like the 3 flute bulb horn, it matches the original checkerboard mirror that was sold by the Schwinn Bicycle Company back in 1971. If you are looking for pizazz and a little bit of attention, you will find it here with this new mirror.

Let’s look at the headlight now. It is the original 1971 Schwinn pumpkin headlight and it works perfect. The chrome adds to the overall beauty of this incredible bicycle.

The black handle grips and brake lever covers are new, but they look just like the originals. They look fantastic with this bike. They are not ripped up or faded like a lot of other handlebar grips and brake lever covers you see on other Schwinn Krate and Stingray bikes.

Now turn your attention to the black and white Schwinn streamers attached to the handgrips. They are new and in good shape. If you are looking for that extra edge over the other Krate bikes being sold on , then these will most definitely give it to you.

The two grey brake cables and the grey derailleur cable are new and are in great shape. I replaced the original grungy cables with these new ones because the old ones were brittle and starting to fall apart. These new cables will help give this bike many more years of life.

The chain is original and it looks great on this bike. The rustic color adds pizzaz and it helps complement the overall appearance of this bicycle.

Now turn your attention to the pedal crank and the 52-toothed sprocket. The crank looks decent for its age. The sprocket still has plenty of shiny chrome on it. The crank is date stamped 71.

The Schwinn pedals are the original 1971 pedals with silver reflectors. Wow! They are in good condition for being 53 years old. If you are looking for authenticity, then you have found it here with these pedals.

Now take a gander at the Schwinn 5-speed derailleur. It is the original 1971 derailleur, but you wouldn’t think that by looking at it. The chrome casing on it is not overly marred up with deep scratches and abrasions like you see on other derailleurs. It is nice and straight and the chrome shines just fine and dandy on it. It has been cleaned and oiled specifically for this sale. It is hard to find a Krate bicycle with a derailleur that looks decent like this one.

The kick stand is the original one that came with the bike. I scrubbed most of the surface rust off from it, but you can still see areas of wear and tear on it. It still looks presentable regardless.

As you can see I am a good story teller here. I like to tell it like it is and be as truthful and forthcoming as much as I can. I believe in the old adage…. “Honesty is the best Policy.” There maybe areas of the bicycle I may have missed in my description here, but it is all there. If it is nostalgia you are looking for, then you have found it here with this bicycle.

My asking price is $14,999.00 obo.

Because most of the parts on this bicycle are now over 50 years old, it is being sold “As Is”. There will be no returns or refunds allowed. What you see is what you’ll get so please make sure this is what you want before you purchase it.

Shipping is free in the lower 48 states of the Continental United States. I am willing to sell this internationally, but the person buying this bicycle internationally will have to pay the full price of the bicycle plus the full shipping charge, the customs fees, and any and all VAT fees associated with it.

Good luck and happy offerding.