Fall Rides - Warm Weather, Schwinn Three Speed Bikes

 We're starting to get some fall color here, though the weather this week was pleasantly warm. Unfortunately, we're losing daylight, which means trying to get started on the ride a little earlier each evening. But as long as the weather is good and the daylight is just enough, the rides continue. 

This week's rides are the 1964 Schwinn Traveler and the 1949 Schwinn New World.

 

These two bikes have some differences but are pretty similar. Both have welded steel frames, though the New World frame is partially of fillet brazed construction. The Traveler has more welded joints. Schwinn gradually expanded their use of welded construction on these frames. As time went on, the company advanced its techniques welding sections of frame, doing away with some joints that were previously fillet brazed.

 

The bikes are both good riders. They're both on the heavy side for a three speed, but also comfortable to ride. The frame angles are relatively laid back compared to a Raleigh Sports. The Weinmann brakes on the Traveler work a bit better, but the Schwinn-made steel brakes on the New World function about the same as any English three speed utility machine. The wheel sets are basically similar: steel rims, galvanized spokes, Sturmey Archer AW and Schwinn-made hubs. Both have the same gear ratio: 46 teeth in front and 22 teeth in back (modified from 18 in back). 

 

Perhaps the biggest difference, aside from the frame size, is the fork construction. The Traveler has a forged, blade-style fork and the New World has a tubular fork. The New World's fork gives a little better ride, but it's not a huge difference when you consider the rest of the bike is similar to the Traveler. The New World has an edge in the ride category, but I still very much enjoy the Traveler's ride. 

 

 

Autumn Arrives - 1974 Raleigh Sports and 1949 Schwinn New World

 

The autumn arrived right on schedule this year. The equinox occurred earlier this week, and sure enough, the cool weather arrived with it. The days are getting shorter, though there is still enough daylight to ride after work, at least for a few more weeks. 

This week's rides are the 1974 Raleigh Sports and 1949 Schwinn New World. They quite different from each other in terms of frame construction and year-of-construction, but they're both excellent riders.

 

 

One of the things I like about these 1970s Raleigh Sports bikes are the brake cable braze-ons they added. The earlier bikes use cable clamps, which are fine, but the braze-ons really make for a "clean" frame design.

 

The bronze green on this Sports has a kind of earthy quality to it. I've seen "Bronze Green" range from an almost-emerald type metallic appearance, to flatter olive tones, to a metallic bronze tone with a lot of gold in it. This 1974 Sports has decent paint and is closer to an olive green than to metallic bronze or to emerald. It has a certain earth tone, 1970s quality to it that blends nicely with fall seasonal type colors. 

The weather patterns change here in the fall, not just the temperature. Fall and winter are when we get coastal storms - "Nor'easters" being the common term here because they travel northeasterly along the coast and bring strong northeasterly winds along with them.  We have one of those approaching this weekend... looks like rain both days. We generally don't get those during the summer months, though the summer can bring strong thunderstorms from the west. 

The New World  has that 1940s-50s automotive, electric blue type color. It has an aluminum coat, which gives it that characteristic shine. It was a color that was popular in the late 1940s and into the 1950s on automobiles, which set the style trends in the USA in those days.

 

It's important this time of year to have decent lights. It's starting to get a little darker at the end of my rides. I like a retro-styled light that has an LED bulb for extra visibility on the road.

Schwinn Three Speeds: 1940 New World and 1960 Traveler

 Decent weather most of this week, which was a good turn for riding. I took out the 1940 New World and the 1960 Traveler. The New World has a distinctly 1930s-40s design, versus the post-war Traveler. The New World has a much more traditional style. Both are good riders, though I give the edge to the Traveler with its Weinmann brakes, handlebar shifter, and stainless fenders. But variety is the "spice of life", as the old saying goes...