A Short Tribute to the "Humble" Schwinn New World

Schwinn New World Badge

 

Of the many bicycle models Schwinn made over its long history, the basic Schwinn "New World" bikes usually do not come up in discussions of historically significant models. The discussion always seems to focus on the innovative pre-war balloon tire bikes, or the famous post-war deluxe balloon tire models, or even the top-of-the-line Paramount road and track bikes. The more basic New World is often left out of these discussions.

This brief article is an attempt to put the seemingly humble New World in its rightful place among historically significant Schwinn bikes. When we look at the pre-WWII bicycle scene in the United States, we find that the New World and its contemporary competitors (for example, the Westfield/Columbia Sports Tourists and Sports Roadsters) represent a significant improvement over previous American designs produced on a mass scale. Although the New World did not represent a massive technological improvement over the latest British designs of that time, it was innovative in putting an "American spin" on a British design that helped introduce Americans to modern (for the time), practical bicycles.

"What's Past is Prologue"

To see why the New World is a significant bike, we must take a short look at the American bicycle market at the start of the 1930s. At that time, most American-made bicycles had relatively heavy steel frames, running on wooden or wooden rims with a thin metal cladding with glue-on "single tube" tires. Many of these bicycles mimicked motorcycle type designs. Many also had under-sized frames when considering the height of the average adult rider. Bicycles were primarily children's toys in the United States. 

Probably worst among these features was the notorious "single tube" tire. Although some examples of American-made "clincher" rims (those taking a conventional tire and inner tube) existed, most American bikes rode on rims where the tire and tube were a single unit, and then glued onto the rim. The single tube tire was once derided by Schwinn boss Frank W. Schwinn as glorified "garden hose". Although quality single tube tires existed and could ride well, punctures were tricky to patch and bicycle owners often had to bring the tires to bike shops for repair. 

Additionally, most American-made bicycles had single-speed rear hubs and very high gearing. The gearing might have been OK for a 14 year old who wanted to race his friends around the neighborhood, but it was a pain for anyone who wanted to climb a hill or have a practical, low gearing for riding among traffic. Many of these bicycles also had no front hand brake, relying entirely on the rear coaster. Again, it might be OK for a youngster racing around the neighborhood, but serious riding generally required a brake in the front as well as the back.

Contrast this to the situation in Britain at the time, where conventional tires with inner tubes were common. Many bikes had diamond or step-over frames in Britain brazed up of somewhat lighter tubing. Many of those bikes also had multi-speed rear hubs (often a Sturmey Archer three speed), along with both front and rear hand brakes. Rims were made of study steel and could withstand daily use, as well as rim surface braking. What we know today as Raleigh's famous "Sports" light roadster coalesced in the early 1930s, at the time a fully modern bike that would eventually go on to be produced into the early 1980s. 

The contrast between the more modern and practical British bikes, versus the dated and less practical American models, could not have been much sharper.

Innovating in a Practical Way - the New World

During the course of the 1930s, imports of those more modern British bicycles increased. Hercules Cycle company was a large-scale exporter to the U.S. in the 1930s. And around 1933, Raleigh arrived in the USA, first as a small operation in Boston, but gradually increasing in scale by the late 1930s. The modern "light roadster" had truly arrived in America, and at first, America had no answer for it.

1934 ad for Raleigh in the USA

 

Frank W. Schwinn visited Britain and continental Europe in this period, seeking ideas for new bicycles. Schwinn was impressed by the cycling culture of Britain, where practical bicycles were used everyday by both youngsters and adults. In Britain, it was common for an adult to ride a bicycle to work or the grocery store, and on the weekends perhaps for sport touring or leisure. The bicycles there were practical and much more up-to-date than the wood rim, single tube tire bikes in the U.S.

It was in this environment that the New World took shape. In 1938, Schwinn announced several new "lightweight" models of bike: the New World, Superior, and Paramount. The Paramount would be a top-of-the-line, custom bike. The Superior would offer a premium bike at a mid-level price. And the New World would be the popular model, meant to compete with the basic Raleigh Sports and Hercules light roadsters of the day. 

Schwinn Lightweight Bike Nameplates

The New World looked a lot like a British bicycle, but it was not merely a copy. Schwinn offered the bike with a huge variety of parts, both British and American in origin. A buyer could get the New World to match his neighbor's British Raleigh: with a three speed hub, two cable caliper handbrakes, and a touring saddle. Or the buyer could choose a "more American" style New World with a single speed coaster brake and a heavily-sprung saddle from a balloon tire bike. Or the buyer could have a  unique machine with hand brakes, and a large-flange single speed freewheel in back. 

Schwinn Cable Caliper Brakes

A "racer" variant was also produced, aimed at sport and speed riding. 

Your Choice of American or British Parts

The New World was not so much one bike as it was a "platform" for creating your own ride. Schwinn had combined the modern, British idea of a light roadster bike with the customization and individuality preferred by the American market. 

Racer Variant

The New World's frame must also be considered. The pre-WWII New World was fillet brazed of seamless steel tubing. This tubing was not the lightest on the market, but it was study, and the frame's construction represented an improvement on older techniques in the American market. Very early New Worlds had rear-facing back forks common on American bikes, but in 1940s, the New World quickly converted to front-facing dropouts similar to those on the modern British bikes. At last, the American market had a relatively lightweight bike capable of competing on a par with the likes of the Raleigh and Hercules light roadsters.

Other manufacturers in the USA also jumped into this market. In particular, Westfield/Columbia built Sports Roadsters and Tourists. These were British-style bikes constructed using Westfield's frame methods, and meant to compete both with the New World and the British bikes. 

 

Advertising from the period also focused on getting adults to try the New World. Catalogs and print ads show famous actors and actresses of the time with Schwinn lightweight bikes, including New World bikes. The ads emphasized that stars like Bing Crosby owned and rode the bikes. American advertising emphasized the touring and leisure aspect of the bikes, more than their use as practical or commuter type vehicles. Even if the bikes had a strong British influence, the American market certainly was its own animal. 

Ad Featuring Bing Crosby

Conclusions

In a mere 10 years, American bicycle designs had jumped from difficult and impractical bikes with single tube tires and wood rims, to much more modern touring bikes capable of competing with the latest British imports. At the heart of this evolution were the basic touring machines - bikes like the Schwinn New World and the Westfield/Columbia Sports Toursts/Roadsters. 

 

The Superiors and Paramounts may have been more expensive and glamorous, but it was the New World that hit the market in larger numbers and appealed to customer value. A New World was more likely to be the bike that introduced people to the concept of a practical, modern bicycle. The Superior and the Paramount might appeal to the cycling enthusiast, but the New World was point at which regular Americans could enter the market and have a good quality, modern bicycle. It's all the more impressive that this took place many, many years before the "bike boom" in the U.S. during the early 1970s. The New World was far ahead of its time in that regard.

Unfortunately, that innovation did not necessarily lead to mass market success. The New World sold in decent numbers, but never captured the market the way some of the Schwinn balloon tire models did. America was different enough from Britain that the British kind of practical and hobby cycling did not take hold in the U.S. 

Nevertheless, perhaps when the lists of "important" Schwinn bikes are made, the New World ought to be included. A New World bike of 1940 would have been a revelation for the rider used to the single tube tire bike of 1930. Even if Americans did not jump onto bikes the way the British did, the New World helped introduce many Americans to the idea that the bicycle could be practical, comfortable, fun, safe, and affordable.

Nostalgic vs. Antiquarian Views on the Vintage Bicycle Hobby

 

Occasionally I am asked about collecting old bicycles made many years before I was born. The questioning usually proceeds along the lines of, "What connection do you have to such old bikes?" or "Why bother with bikes that are so old?", or "Do you collect bikes from when you were a kid?". 

These kinds of questions are reasonable, especially from someone outside the vintage bicycle hobby. It may appear strange to collect something that far pre-dates me or my involvement with cycling.

The answer lies in the debate between people in the hobby who are involved from a sense of nostalgia, versus those who are involved from an antiquarian sense. The nostalgic reaches back to a time when he or she was young. The antiquarian approaches has an eye toward a broader history, the bike evoking a particular historic period and all the related circumstances.

 

The nostalgic usually has a deep personal connection to what he or she collects. He or she collects the really expensive bikes that he or she could not afford (or that his or her parents could not afford) way back when. Or he collects bikes he saw in ads as a kid, but was too small to ride at the time. Or perhaps he seeks bikes he owned as a child, trying to grasp something from a time when things were simpler in his life [the famous "rosebud" scene from Citizen Kane comes to mind]. 

 

Sometimes nostalgic collectors have a scholarly approach to collecting, but this is often secondary to the "throwback" element of a time from an earlier period in the collector's life.

 

The antiquarian seeks out bikes that are much older than he or she is. Antiquarians look for old bikes  evoking a particular style or which symbolize a historic period. They wish to preserve and ride bikes as a form of respect to earlier times and to maintain an older history. Often, the antiquarian has a scholarly approach, researching the construction methods, companies, people, and histories of that earlier time.

 

This is not to say that collectors are necessarily all one thing or the other. Often, collectors have some mixture of nostalgia and antiquarian appreciation. But my experience is that most collectors tend to be more one than the other, or at least they lean toward one of the two camps.

I lean more toward the antiquarian camp. I grew up in the 1980s and 1990s, well after the bikes I collect became "obsolete". I appreciate the historical significance of old utility and sporting bikes, particularly those made in the US and England. I enjoy learning about how the bikes were made, what the company history was, how the bikes were used, and the roles they played in society. I love seeing a nice, but well-used old bike that did real work "back in the day" and now is a well-preserved gem. I do have at least a little nostalgia in me though - the most important bike to me is my grandfather's 1936 Schwinn Henderson. It has a deep family connection for me that I would not trade for anything else.