Hobbyist and Reference Website for Vintage American and English Bicycles
The opalescent blue Schwinn New World is well along. It performed nicely during its first full-length ride. I added an Origin8 brass bell and did some very small adjustments on the brakes after the ride. But everything worked nicely and smoothly. It should be a good rider.
The paint is opalescent blue, which is a common color on Continentals from the late 1940s, but is very unusual on a New World. It was an added-cost option for the New World. The frame graphics are also in excellent shape.
I've finally refurbished the 1949 Schwinn New World that came from Facebook Marketplace back in January. This is a bike that was originally from NYC and moved upstate with a collector, from whom I purchased the bike.
The bike had a later stem and handlebars, and some later tires, but it was otherwise pretty much original. This made it a good platform to refurbish, add a three speed hub, add brakes, and remedy the stem and handlebar setup.
This bike has passed its "shakedown" ride and is ready for its first full-length ride.
Here are the changes made:
This bike uses a little different tail light set up than I typically use. I normally mount the reflector in the reflector hole on the fender, then clamp a tail light onto the seat stay. This is typical of old-time lightweights. In this case, I thought I'd try something more streamlined. The loose fender brace rivet is removed and replaced by the reflector. The LED light is then mounted directly to the rear fender in the former reflector mounting hole. It gives the safety of a reflector and LED combo but without the need for any additional clamps on the frame. Everything mounts neatly to the rear fender.
The full-length test ride is next for this bike. After that, I'll pick a nice bell out of my collection and mount it to the handlebars. I'll probably use an Origin8 brass striker bell, which is a simple and effective bell that looks nice on these bikes.
Here we have a few photos from this week. I rode the 1950 Schwinn Superior and the 1947 Schwinn Continental.
The Continental had to be pulled from the basement for its first ride of the season. Refreshing these bikes is not a particularly onerous task if they have been stored reasonably well. These bikes are pretty low maintenance: dust, oil in a few places, basic safety check, air-up the tires, and go. If you have battery lights, check the batteries too...
The early post-war Continental is a definite step up over the Superior in terms of quality (the opposite of the later, derailleur era bikes). The frame is lighter, but the better rims on the Continental make a big difference (stainless vs chromed steel).
The Superior is a good bike, but in terms of equipment, is closer to the New World than the Continental. It's nice to have at least one example of each model...
I am occasionally asked whether the top-tube "quadrant" shifter on the older bikes is difficult to use, versus the more-familiar handlebar shifter. The top tube shifter is not especially difficult to use if it is in good working order. The flat spring will tend to "find" the peg holes and set the bike into gear. Most of the problems with top tube shifters that people report are the result of worn shifter pegs, worn shifter springs, or improperly adjusted cables. The handlebar shifter is a bit easier and faster to use because your hand stays on or near the handle bars. But a properly set up top tube shifter works quite well and just takes a couple short rides to get used to.
The other question I am sometimes asked is about the "odd" position of pre-1960 handlebar shifters, which is to say "upside down". Most riders today are familiar with twist grip shifters, brifters, or prominent handlebar shifters that stick up.
Why would anyone want a shifter set downward like you see in the photo above? As strange as it sounds, this position is actually "faster" and more convenient to use than the more-familiar shifters that stand up above the handlebar. With this old-style, low position, you can shifter with a flick of your finger and never have to move your hand from the grip. The brake lever stays in close reach as you shift, in case something runs into the road in front of you. I will admit the first bike I had with this style of shifter, many years ago, felt odd to me. But once you are used to this low position shifter, it will become second nature to you.
Some people like the higher, standing shifter because they can see what gear they are in at a glance. But the fact is that once you become used to the bike and your riding cadence, you will know what gear you are in just based on the feel and speed of the bike. There's also the steady "click" sound the AW hub makes in Normal (2) and High (3) gears.
Hard to believe it is already August. Keep the rides coming...
