When You're STILL Fiddling with Bike Set Up at the End of the Season

1940 Schwinn New World

  

“I must be taken as I have been made. The success is not mine, the failure is not mine, but the two together make me.”

-Charles Dickens, Great Expectations  

 

I almost never get the fit of a particular bike nailed-down on the first try. I suppose someone who is more or less flawless at rebuilding and fitting old bikes gets it right the first or second try, but I'm not among that crowd. True, some bikes take just a couple of tries for me. But others take several (or more) tries. It can be frustrating to find yourself in October and still trying to get a bike you rebuilt at the start of the season to fit you correctly... 

My 1940 Schwinn New World has been one of those bikes that takes several tries at nailing down the fit. I rebuilt this bike before the season started. The basic measurements should work fine for me: 26-inch wheels, 23-inch diamond frame. It started out with a B67 saddle, Schwinn tourist bars, and a long-type Schwinn "razorback" stem. The first few rides went OK, but nothing special. 

1940 Schwinn New World, as of October 26

After a few more rides, I decided I was not in love with how the bike fit. I swapped to a B66 saddle and found it slightly improved, but still not great. I fiddled with the saddle position several times but found it still was not especially comfortable. So I put the bike away for awhile and rode some other bikes.

I finally revisited the New World earlier this month. I removed the saddle and bars. I substituted in an old Brooks B73 saddle and a set of late 1930s Torrington bars. Torrington called these "North Road" bars, though they aren't really of the English "North Road" shape. They're closer to Schwinn's narrow touring bars, but with a little more sweep back. This made a big and helpful difference. The bars have about the same "worn" finish that the cranks and fender braces have, so they are period-correct and will work fine. 

 

Torrington Bars

A little more sweep back...

Torrington imprint on bar end

 

The B73 saddle allowed for a little more adjustment and added some cushion to the ride. The Torrington  bars are roughly the same shape as the Schwinn tourist bars, but have an additional inch of sweep-back.

Brook B73 saddle

 

I took the adjusted bike for a ride earlier this week, which happens to be the final week of the "regular" riding season for me. Once the clocks change I don't have enough daylight to ride during the week. I might still slip in a ride on a warm day or a weekend, but those are "bonus" rides.  The bike felt greatly improved. I'm going with this version of the bike, at least for the foreseeable future. 

Schwinn-Built brake caliper

 

Tips for making your bike more comfortable: 

• Use saddles, handlebars, stems, grips, and levers you know fit you and are comfortable. There's no shame in having a particular "type" or model of saddle or bars that work for you and sticking with them.

• Use a measuring tape to check the functional height of the saddle, reach to the handlebars, and other ergonomics. Knowing your "measurements" helps get you in the ballpark to start the final fitting. 

• Don't be afraid to mix things up if the bike feels off when you first ride it. Two of the same models and sizes of bike may have differing ride qualities, especially as vintage machines go.  

• Don't worry if you're late in the season and it seems like you are STILL trying to get the fit just right. 

• Don't be afraid to set aside a bike for awhile and come back to it when nailing down the fit gets frustrating.

• Don't force yourself to ride a frame that is way too small or way too large.

   

  

  Over the bridge...

  
   

  

  
  

Reflections as the Riding Season Winds Down

 

We're nearing the end of the riding season here, at least for me. Each day that is nice and can support a bike ride is a gift at this point. The days are cooler and the daylight is shorter. But this time of year gives an appreciation for the good weather and opportunities to ride and see things that the season provided. We must be thankful for the chance to take our rides, get outdoors, and enjoy nature. I like these sorts of reflections because they are simple and positive, especially in a time that often seems dominated by uncertainty and negativity.

 

Photos from this week: 1948 Raleigh Sports Tourist, 1947 Raleigh Model 35, and 1964 Schwinn Traveler. 

 

 

 

Late Season Rides: Raleigh and Schwinn

 Some more late season rides featuring the 1958 Raleigh Sports and the 1949 Schwinn New World. We had a couple really nice days earlier this week, one being unseasonably warm for this time of year. We're down to the last few weeks of riding season here, so time to make the most of it before the cold weather and short days set in.

The leaves are certainly turning colors now...

 

 

 

Fall Colors, Late-Season Rides

 

We're down to the last few weeks of riding season here. The trees are turning colors and the days are getting shorter. 

 

 There's not much new to report on the bike front this week: just some more time on the 1964 Schwinn Traveler and 1949 Schwinn New World. 

1949 Schwinn New World

I find that I spend less time fixing bikes and more time riding them when the season gets to this point. 

 

The focus is on keeping bikes on the road, finishing the season with as many rides as I can squeeze in, then closing things down when the cold weather arrives. I have the cold winter months to work on bikes and ride time is precious this late in the season. 

1964 Schwinn Traveler

 

My suggestion is to keep riding while you can. It's good exercise and soon the cold weather and short days will be upon us.

 

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.