Early Post-War Schwinn Lightweights - a Review

I have spent some time lately scanning my Schwinn and Raleigh catalogues into a digital format. I thought this entry would be a good place to show Schwinn's late 1940s-era touring bikes. These catalogues are a window into what was offered at the time, including bicycle configurations and parts.

 Schwinn heavily marketed its lightweights in the years just before and after WWII. While Schwinn focused more on the youth market in the 1950s, the 1940s marketed these bikes directly to adults. Schwinn recognized that with many veterans returning from Europe at the end of WWII, there was a potentially untapped market for adults in the US to begin riding British-style lightweight bikes.

Schwinn was proud of its three nameplates: Paramount, Continental, and New World. The "Superior" was briefly dropped after WWII, but re-emerged at the end of the 1940s as a mid-level bicycle. At the time of this catalogue, the Superior had not yet re-appeared.

Schwinn also had a proud racing heritage. The company highlighted its race wins and devoted a large spread to the Ignaz Schwinn Trophy prize. It helped that racing was a way to sell bikes as well. The Paramount racers were fully custom bikes made-to-order, aimed specifically at the track and race bicyclist. If you run across one of these bicycles today, care should be taken to keep it as original as possible. Each Paramount Racer is unique.

The Paramount Sports Tourist was a made-to-order bike aimed at the on-road sporting rider or hardcore bicycle tourist. These were custom-made bikes for the person who rode a lot on the rode and wanted the best American-made bicycle. European, British, and American equipment was available. If you come across one of these bicycles today, it should be kept as original as possible because each example is a unique, custom item.

The 1940s Continental should not be confused with the later 10-speed version. The 1940s Continental was a middle to high end, fillet brazed bicycle. These bicycles offered a high-quality, light machine available at a lower cost than the custom Paramount. These were factory-made bicycles, but still handmade in a special section of the Schwinn factory. These bicycles blend handmade craftsmanship with more mass production. If you come across one of these bicycles today, it should be kept as original as you can manage, while still making the bicycle suitable for riding. These bicycles have a moderate value in today's market. 

 The Schwinn New World was Schwinn's basic bicycle. It was meant to compete with the basic Raleigh Sports, Hercules light tourist, etc. These bicycles come in a very wide range of equipment and fittings. The New World was available as a three-piece crank bike, as above, or as a one-piece crank bike, as below. The example above shows an unusual set of white fenders, which was a two-tone option. If you come across one of these bicycles today, keep it as original as you can while still making it a good rider for your needs. These bicycles are not terribly expensive today, though pristine examples do have a moderate value approaching that of a good Continental.

The New World was available with everything from multispeed Sturmey Archer hubs, down to the basic, single-speed coaster brake. New Worlds with multispeed hubs and hand brakes are generally more valuable than coaster brake models. But Schwinn made a New World for every budget. The above example is the basic model: single-speed coaster brake, no hand brakes, and paint-matched fenders. Keep these bicycles as original as you can while still putting them back on the road and making them safe.

 Conclusion

Schwinn was serious about quality lightweight touring and racing bikes in the 1940s. These bicycles are not toys. They were serious touring and racing bicycles in their day, and they offer collectors a challenge to assemble a good example of each model. The variations of fittings and models is seemingly endless in these bikes. They should not be overlooked by the person who wants to collect vintage bicycles, or ride a classic.