Schwinn Superior 3-Speed

 

I've spent some free time over the past few weeks rehabilitating this uncommon, post-war Schwinn Superior. Prior to the Second World War, the Schwinn Superior was a mid-range bicycle aimed at the adult rider who wanted a good-quality bicycle, but who did not have the money (or want to spend the money) on the top-of-the-line Schwinn Paramount. I guess this was Schwinn's version of what would have been the "Buick" at General Motors. The pre-war Superior was a hand-built, steel framed bicycle made with fillet brazed construction.

After the war, the Superior briefly disappeared. The Schwinn "Continental" model (that is, the 3-speed Continental, not to be confused with the later 10-speed road bike "Continental") replaced the Superior as the mid-range Schwinn.  The Continental assumed the place of the hand-built, fillet brazed touring bike one could buy without having to spring for the top-of-the-line Paramount.

Then something odd happened: despite the ascendancy of the automobile in the US in the late 1940s, Schwinn actually went somewhat deeper into lightweight bikes for adults. They brought back the Superior, this time as a mid-range offering below the Continental but above the base "New World" model. The result was that the Superior had become an electroforge welded, steel frame bicycle with fillet brazing around the bottom bracket, and a three-piece cottered crank set. This created a sort of hybrid construction for the frame, mixing welded joints in some areas and brazed joints in others. Apparently, bottom bracket shells from Schwinn Tandems were used on at least some of these bikes (yielded "T" series serial numbers).

 The Superior also gained the out-going, luminous paint colors of the Continental, and may have even offered certain versions of the colors that were unique. This included attractive, aluminum-boosted blues and greens. The post-war Superior also got its own, unique frame graphics that included chevron-type shapes and lettering. Whereas the basic New World would be a plainly dressed frame, the Superior would be more dressed up, though still nothing quite like the more opulent winged graphics of the Continental. The post-war Superior had become something of "Oldsmobile" or "Pontiac" in Schwinn's line up, with the Continental being the "Buick" of its day, and the Paramount being the "Cadillac" in our analogy.

I have never seen any memorandum or rationale as to why Schwinn did this. Perhaps they had the materials on-hand already and just went forward with the post-war Superior product. It seems strange that in 1949, at the dawn of what many consider the golden age of post-war automobile design, that Schwinn would go even deeper into adult cycle offerings. Perhaps they thought they boom in post-war auto buying would extend to leisure items like adult bicycles. 

 And so with that, I come to my own 1949 Superior project. This project arrived as a frame and accessories in a box. The wheels were gone. Part of the frame, fenders, and some of the parts had black spray paint on them. There was light rust, but it wasn't too bad. The unique aluminum-tinted green color and the odd graphics draw me to the project. I also really liked the use of white as a trim color, including the rear fender mimicking British designs. 

 

I am also a fan of the old school, electroforge welded diamond frame. Sure, it's heavy, but it's durable can be set up as a nice rider, especially if paired with a good wheelset. I have a 1947, black New World that I have enjoyed for quite a few years. The post-war Superior frame set is very similar to the post-war New World, apart from the cottered bottom bracket of the Superior.

This project involved a clean-up, paint matching and touch-up, locating a wheelset, and outfitting with new rubber parts. The black spray paint was carefully removed using an old can of Tru-Value "Stripz 'Em" paint stripper (very, very little - one wipe and the spray paint was gone from each area).

All chrome parts were cleaned with oxalic acid. 

The new pedals are MKS 3000S in the 1/2 inch spindle size. Yes, even with cottered cranks Schwinn still used the 1/2 inch pedal size on this one.

MKS3000S Pedals with Box

 

I opted to use new cables and housings. They are the basic "Bell Pitcrew" type. The original routing of the rear brake cable ran down to the chain guard, through a clip, and then up to the rear brake. This was so Schwinn could use the same brake cables for the men's and women's frames. I opted instead for a conventional, top-tube routing because it's cleaner and is a bit smoother-functioning. 

 I made my own shifter cable by cutting a cable blank to size and using brass tubing and a Bell Systems Model B crimper. The shifter is the very unusual, short-lived "Silverface" Sturmey shifter of the very late 1940s.

 The original grips were a mixed bag: one softened up OK using John Deere Ultraguard, while the other swelled and developed cracks when softened up. I opted to go with new reproductions from BicycleBones in New York. They're nice and comfortable, and I think these reproductions look good.

The saddle is a brown-colored Brooks B66. Bag is the Banjo Brothers barrel bag. Seat post is a Cr-Mo post from Porkchop BMX. The original Schwinn script seatpost and the original Lycett horsehair saddle are set aside. The B66 and the properly sized Cr-Mo seatpost make a nice combination.

Overall, I think this has been a good project. I love the color. The one downside is that the rear S6 Stainless rim has an intractable flat spot. I've tried every means on it, and it is a lot better than when I started. But I still feel a little uneven running when I'm on smooth pavement. I will build a custom wheel set with new-old-stock S6 rims as a "runner" wheelset (new old stock S6 rims, Sapim double-butted stainless spokes, new spoke nipples for those - a premium copy of the old wheels). I'll set aside the 1949 stainless wheels for the time being.  

This is a fun and attractive bike. But don't be fooled into thinking this is a big jump up from a New World 3-speed. It's basically a New World with a few improvements. This isn't a Cr-Mo, fillet brazed Continental and this certainly is not a Reynolds 531/lugged Paramount. But this is a nice, classic utility bike with a few extra touches for someone who enjoys this sort of thing.