Frames: Three Speed Frame Sizes (Men's Frames)

Frame size numbers are often cited but rarely verified on vintage three speed bikes. Let's take a look at a few examples of quoted versus actual frame sizing.

 

What is Frame Sizing?

The most basic measure of frame sizing for vintage three speed bikes is the frame height. The frame height is measured from the center of the bottom bracket opening to the top of the seat tube (not the seat post, the seat tube). If the cranks are in the bike, you can get reasonably close by starting at the center of the crank spindle/axle and going to the top of the seat tube. 

There are other measurements relevant to frames (reach, chain stay length, etc.), but vintage bikes were sized by height in inches. This differs from today's production practice of sizing frames like t-shirts (s, m, l, etc.), and differs from custom bike measurements where every dimension of the frame is checked and made-to-order like a custom business suit (perhaps I am dating myself - how often do men wear business suits anymore?).

So let's apply the traditional height measurement to a few common Schwinn and Raleigh frames to see how close they actually are to the stated sizes. I don't own any very small frames, so everything will be standard size or tall size frames.

Raleigh

Raleigh's commonly stated frame sizes for the 26-inch wheel three speeds vary based on model. The usual "Sports" model and the "Superbe Sports", and similar bikes, are usually stated as 21 inches and 23 inches in size.

My experience is that Raleighs run "true to size". Here are a few examples.

Above, a 1958 Raleigh Sports shows almost exactly 23 inches tall. This frame is very close to the stated frame size in the catalogs and as commonly quoted online.

What about some other models? Look at the 1953 Raleigh Lenton frame above. Again, very close to the quoted size of 23 inches.

Are they all 21 or 23 inches? No - some models are different. Look at the 1949 Raleigh Clubman above. For part of its life, the Clubman came in an "intermediate" size of 22 inches. Raleigh was splitting the difference between the standard 21-inch frame and the tall 23-inch. Measuring this 1949 Clubman, it's close to the stated 22 inches tall. Again, it runs basically true to size.

Schwinn

There are three common men's (diamond) frame sizes given in the catalogs for production Schwinn three speed bikes with the usual 26 inch wheels: 19 inches, 21 inches, and 23 inches. Schwinn copied the English model of sizing the frames in that regard. I don't own any 19-inch frames, but I've owned plenty of 21-inch frames, and a few 23-inch frames.

Pre-war bikes: The actual frame sizes of pre-war Schwinn three speed bikes is close to the stated sizes in the catalogs. Let's take a look at a good (and unusual) example: a tall frame Schwinn New World. The above pre-war New World frame is almost dead-on the 23-inch mark. It runs "true to size", as they say. The same is true of the 21-inch frame pre-war New Worlds: they run "true to size". I've owned several and they call came in almost dead-on at 21 inches.

 

Post-war bikes: Starting in the 1940s, Schwinn began to change the way it produced common three speed bikes, Such as the New World. Construction went from a fillet brazed frame to a welded frame with a few fillet brazed joints in areas the welding equipment couldn't handle. As time went on, more and more joints on the frames were welded. Let's take a look

 

Above is a 1950 Schwinn Superior. The early post-war Superior was a welded frame bike primarily, with a few brazed joints in spots the welding equipment could not get. Despite being listed as a 21-inch frame, the actual size is closer to 22 inches. It's right around 21+3/4 inches. My 1947 New World is almost exactly the same - slightly under 22 inches. 

 

 

What about a tall frame? Let's take a look at a 1959 Schwinn Traveler as our example. This frame is stated to be 23 inches, yet the actual measurement is much closer to 24 inches. Again, the frame runs a bit larger than is commonly stated, and larger than what the catalogs state. My 1964 and 1957 tall frame Travelers also run closer to 24 inches than to the stated 23 inches.

 

 

What about fillet brazed Schwinns, like the 1940s-50s Continentals? They also run somewhat larger than the stated size. They were alleged 21-inch and 23-inch frames,  yet this 1947 Continental frame is closer to 22 inches. In that sense, it's like the post-war New World and the post-war Superior in running a little large.

 

Conclusion

Don't necessarily take the stated frame size in the catalog or online as gospel. Some frames, such as post-war Schwinn frames tend to run a bit larger than stated. Other frames, such as the Raleigh run true-to-size. Like a pair of shoes or an off-the-rack suit, the stated size is a number that gives you an idea of what you're dealing with, but it's not always dead-on for what the final size will be.

In terms of common, production three speed bikes, pre-war Schwinns tend to run true-to-size. Post-war Schwinns tend to run a bit larger than stated size. Raleighs tend to run true-to-size.

One thing I am often asked is, "how can you tell what size a frame is just by looking at it?". I look mainly at the head tube and the distance between the top tube and down tube. This works for both English and American three speeds. 

Additionally on post-war Schwinns, you often can look at where the seat stay meets the seat tube. Often on tall frames, the chain stays double-connted to the seat tube and top tube, crossing lower on the seat tube. This is not true of all Schwinns, but it can be a helpful tool for the common ones from the late 1950s and onward.

 

Above, look closely at the head tubes of the two bikes.  Notice how the green bike has a much larger gap between where the top tube meets the head tube and where the down tube meets the head tube. After you see these gaps enough times, you'll be able to "ballpark" frame sizes. However, your eyes or the camera can be misleading sometimes, so always check if you are not sure.

Schwinn Continental Serial Numbers (1940s and 50s period)

 A third resource, new to this site, is now available for 1940s and 50s Schwinn Continental bicycles. These are the "old" style continental bikes will fillet brazed frames and cr-mo tubing, before the start of the derailleur welded frame Continentals of the 1960s. Special thanks to the owners and enthusiasts who have contributed to the list.

The serial number list is available HERE.

Schwinn New World Serial Numbers, Schwinn Superior Serial Numbers

 

Two resources, new to this site, are now available. If you have ever wondered if there is a serial number list for your Schwinn New World or your 1940s-50s era Schwinn Superior, well, they exist!

 

•  The Schwinn New World serial number list is available HERE.  Special thanks to CABE user "Miq" for compiling this list.
  

 

• And the 1940s-50s Schwinn Superior serial number list is available HERE. Thank you to all who have contributed bikes to this list.
  

 

 

The lists are updated through May 18, 2024.

1957 Schwinn Traveler, and 1947 Schwinn Continental

 

We've had a few nice evenings for rides around here lately. I wait all winter for this kind of weather - warm, but not too hot or humid. I'll ride in heat and humidity, but moderate temperatures are certainly more comfortable. The only down side is the mosquitos, horse flies, and deer flies are back out, as are the ticks (those are awful in particular).

Let's start with a couple shots of the 1957 Schwinn Traveler. This is a bike with a combination of brazed joints and welded joints. It's a 23 inch frame. It's heavy but durable and a pretty comfortable bike. The 23 inch frame on 26 inch wheels is probably my favorite bike size.

I recently found neat lapel pin with the logo from a 1957 Ford Thunderbird. I figured it was a good match for this bike. If you've never seen an early (1955-57 era), small Thunderbird, look them up... really handsome and sporty cars for their time.

 

Secondly, I have the 1947 Schwinn Continental. I'm not sure exactly which year this one is. It's not one of the earliest Continentals (those had New World style, plain paint), but it's fairly early for a bike with the ornate paint and decal scheme. It has an un-dated Sturmey Archer hub with black hardware, which is consistent with a bike made not long after the end of WWII. 

 

This bike is a 22 inch frame size, which is OK, though I prefer the 23 inch frame size. The 22 inch frame is at the bottom end for what I would want to ride, though it is the same size as my 1949 Raleigh Clubman. I generally don't ride frames smaller than that on 26 inch wheels. 

This Continental was a rescued bike. It originally was owned by a collector on Long Island, New York. He bought it locally and cleaned it up. At some point, an online bike/parts dealer bought the bike, raided the more valuable parts off of it, and sold the now-incomplete bike project to me. I refurbished it this past winter, found good parts for it, and put it back on the road. Another Schwinn lightweight gets back on its feet...
 

Refurbishing Schwinn Approved Weinmann Brakes

 I had a couple of free hours on a recent, rainy Sunday afternoon, so I spent some time cleaning up a set of neglected Weinmann 810 "Schwinn Approved" brakes I had recently gotten from a junk merchant. These came of a scrapped Schwinn Traveler from the late 1950s.

Above, you can see one finished caliper and one that still needs cleaning and rebuilding. The shiny caliper on the left is ready to go, and the dull one on the right needs to still be done. I use my Dremel tool and drill press to clean these up. First, I strip them apart and wash everything with Dawn Power Wash (I recommend Power Wash if you haven't tried it yet). Then I use a brass wire brush attachment to knock off the rust, and then a polishing wheel to shine the caliper arms.

 

Above are the two finished calipers - shiny and ready for a project bike.

The Weinmann 810 brakes are underappreciated by riders and collectors for many years. They're reasonably lightweight, not overly difficult to adjust, and provide acceptable stopping power in dry conditions, for a vintage caliper of the 1950s-60s. 

I appreciate that the bolt on these calipers has two sets of threads, allowing adjustment of the caliper arm tightness separately from the overall caliper mounting tightness on the frame/fork. 

Traditional British and American side-pull calipers have a single thread on the bolt, meaning that when you tighten the caliper to the frame or fork, you also are increasing the tension on the caliper arm movement. If you try to really tighten the caliper down on the frame or fork, you'll often find that it causes the arms to bind.You need to find a compromise between arm tension and caliper mount snugness.

 With these Weinmanns, you can attach the caliper snugly using the back threads, and fine tune just the arm tension using the front threads. It helps dial-in the calipers more easily and with more confidence. I also appreciate the use of aluminum to help keep weight down and reduce the issues with rust. These caliper arms shine up nicely with a little polish and a buffing wheel.

Finally, spare parts for these are still plentiful and not overly expensive. I bought these calipers for around $12, and they come complete. I've bought several sets for around $10-15 per set, depending on how clean they are. Spare parts can still be found on eBay and similar sources.

Nice Find: Schwinn Dural Front Hub

 Here's a good find from the past couple of weeks - an unused Schwinn dural front hub in its box. I bought this hub online. The auction for it seems to have eluded notice by the kinds of collectors who spend real money on these things. The hub is missing its oiler band cap, but I should have a spare one I can use. This hub looks to be from the late 1940s or early 1950s.

The box is in nice shape.

These hubs are pretty simple - plain axle, caged bearings, and threaded cones. The drive side cone is threaded down tight to prevent it from self-tightening while the hub spins (similar to English front hubs of the time).  However, the lighter alloy body and oiler port add a little "extra" to this hub. This would be a good hub on one of the nicer Schwinn 3-speed bikes with a fillet brazed frame.

1949 Raleigh Clubman and Milk/Water Jug Mudflap

Having a chance to ride on a warm, humid evening (for May at least), I took out this 1949 Raleigh Clubman that is set up as a light roadster. 

This bike now has a front mudflap made from milk/water jug plastic. It is not difficult to make a mudflap from a milk or water jug. A template is traced on the large side of the jug, then the mudflap is cut out of the jug. Then you mark on the mud flap where the mounting hole should be and punch them out. After that, all you have to do is mount the mud flap using the fender mounting screws. 

The nice thing about these mudflaps is they're made from easily-obtained material, lightweight, and work reasonably well. If the mudflap gets damaged or breaks, it's easy and cheap to replace. Here in the USA, the jugs generally are either opaque white or a translucent. Either will look good if you do a neat job of cutting out the mudflap. 

Given how easy the material is to cut, the mudflap can be made in any shape that will fit on the side of the jug. I prefer a relatively small, tapered shape that is smaller than the stock mudflap that the old Bluemels fenders used. This shape gives a tidy, streamlined look that does not interfere with the motion of the pedals or the tire.

1959 Schwinn Traveler - Evening Ride

 A quick photo of tonight's ride over to Bantam Lake before sunset. The trees are just starting to get their leaves finally. Nice evening for a ride.