The catalogs switch from "New World" to
"World" and "World Traveler" in the early 1950s. The "World" and "World Traveler"
bicycles were initially quite similar to the last New Worlds, and some even had "New World" badges on them in 1952.
Schwinn
believed the time was right in the late 1930s for American teenagers
and adults to take up cycling as recreation and exercise. Influenced by English bicycle trends, Frank Schwinn
in particular believed that lightweight bicycles like the New World,
Superior, and Paramount could do for adult cycling what his balloon tire
cruisers had done for adolescents, namely revive a slumped market. In the 1930s, the most common "adult" oriented bicycles in the U.S.A. came from England. These were usually Hercules, BSA, or later on, Raleigh branded bikes. Schwinn wanted to "throw its hat in the ring" to compete with these high-quality, adult type bicycles.
While
Schwinn's concept did not pan out in terms of adult cycling in America,
the idea gave rise to some of the best riding, best-built bicycles of
their day. They continue to make excellent riders and are very
attractive machines as well. The New World is the most common surviving Schwinn adult bike from that era, and many can be fixed or rebuilt today.
So, let's take a look at a
few features of the Schwinn New World roadster, Schwinn's attempt to
bring light duty cycling to American adults in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s.
The
guide deals with New World "tourist" or roadster type bikes. There was
also a line of New World "racer" type track bikes, but they are not
addressed here.
I. Frame Sizes
First, Schwinn New World roadsters of the 1940s-50s tend to have more relaxed frame angles than the Raleigh. They generally appear in 19 and 21 inch frames. Rarely, 23 inch "tall" frames were used. The tall frames are particularly sought after by collectors and riders taller than 5ft 8in tall. Unlike modern bikes, there were no "micro sizing" option. Most adult riders were directed to the 21 inch frame size, with 19 being an option for female frames. A few bought 23 inch frames, but these are the exception rather than the rule. The 21 inch frame was "one size fits most". Today we have new bikes with all kinds of different frame sizes...
Remember,
your saddle may be able to slide forward and backward on its rails to
help you set up your fit. You can also flip the seat clamp around. Some people like more space in the cockpit, while some like a little tighter feel. Slide your saddle and set your clamp to the desired position - there's no "right" or "wrong" position from a vintage standpoint, only what fits or does not fit you.
In comparison, Raleigh's Sports generally was a
21 inch or 23 inch frame. Schwinn's New World ran 19 and 21 usually,
though 23 inch frames exist. The trick is
to look at the head tube spacing between the top tube and the down tube.
If the bars meet at the head tube very close, 19 inch. If moderately
spaced, 21 inch. If they are quite far apart, 23 inch (uncommon).
The black bicycle to the left is 21 inches. 23 inch frames
exist, but are uncommon. Some New Worlds also came with locking forks. Most adult, male riders can ride a 21 inch bike, even if the seat post has to be extended. Some do better on the 23 inch frame, but don't give up on the New World just because you have a regular, 21 inch frame bike.
Kickstands:
it is also notable that pre-war New Worlds generally have separate,
Miller-made kickstands. Post war would be the kickstands built into the
frame. Miller kickstands have a well-deserved reputation of crushing and marring chain stays. The post-war, Schwinn integrated stand is of a better design, though does have to be disassembled, cleaned, and re-greased periodically.
Ladies: prewar ladies bikes usually have
parallel tubes with a cross member between them. Post war usually has
non-parallel tubes without a cross member. The frames tend to be in the 19 and 21 inch sizes, which fit most female riders pretty well.
Handlebars:
the bike above has the "flat" tourist type bars, though some New Worlds
came stock with ballooner/cruiser "scout" type bars with more rise and
pullback to them. Stems could be goose neck or "double adjustable type". New Worlds generally have somewhat narrower bars than a Raleigh Sports or British "north road" type. These bars come in flat and a couple varieties of "raised" types. The raised bars tend to be more comfortable, especially on a 21 inch men's bike.
Some riders love the narrower Schwinn-style New World bars, and some prefer the North Road. I tend to think the North Road is more comfortable for most riders, but it's a personal preference thing.
II. Construction
Early New Worlds were made of seamless tubing and fillet brazed, a nice plus. Electro forge welded frame joints in some places on the frame began to appear in 1942, with the i-series serial number New Worlds, whereas earlier models through 1941 are fillet brazed. Don't disparage welded frame Schwinns though! They are durable bikes, and still had several frame joints that were brazed even after WWII (making for a hybrid weld and brazed frame). Frame angles are slacker than the common Raleigh Sports type bike. None of these frames are particularly "light" compared to a higher-end lugged English bike of the era. However, they were much lighter and sportier than the popular balloon tire cruisers prevalent in the US at that time.
III. Cranks and Transmissions
Schwinns
come available with a very wide variety of American and English touches.
Some have inch pitch one piece cranks, others have three piece ones that
are cottered. Some Schwinns were single speed coaster brake models,
others were 3-speed Sturmey Archer types. Still others used a single
speed freewheel. Many times, the Schwinn-made three piece crank parts interchange with Hercules and BSA parts made in Birmingham, England.
You'll find a variety of cranks: one-piece with regular pitch chainrings, one-piece with skip tooth chainrings, three piece with monogram chainrings, etc. 
A
single speed freewheel using the dog bone type Schwinn high flange hub could also
be bought. Interestingly, this type of wheel can be found with both the
inch pitch and the standard pitch models. Sprockets thread onto the hub.
There was also a low flange single speed freewheel made of aluminum
called the "Dural" hub. The catalogs list Schwinn drum "pork top" brake
hubs as an option as well. Generally the hubs on the basic New World were steel, though some may have gotten upgrades.
Stock:
a. Coasters: either standard pitch or inch
b. Dog bone high-flange single speed freewheel
c. Sturmey Archer 3 speed AW: standard pitch
d. Low flange "Dural" aluminum hub single speed freewheel as upgrade (catalog shows standard pitch)
e. Schwinn "pork chop" drum hubs (catalog shows standard pitch)
Variation:
I've found that if you use an Ichibike type "conversion" cog, you can run inch pitch on a Sturmey Archer 3 speed hub. I use that on my 1947. This is not stock, but allows you to run a vintage, 3 speed transmission with your skip tooth set up.
IV. Saddles
The stock New World saddle was often the Mesinger tourist type. But some used Mesinger ballooner saddles. Both types were able to slide forward and backward in sleeve-type clamp. The saddle below is the sliding, Mesinger tourist type. Note- it has rear coils like a Brooks B66, but a front loop spring as many ballooner saddles do. The old mattress saddles are identifiable by their use of fabrikoid covering, and horsehair interior. (Vinyl and sponge pad type saddles are later than these bikes and are anachronisms if you find them.)
This green, 1941 New World uses a ballooner type saddle with a funnel springs. This is correct for the bike- it is the Mesinger funnel spring, sliding saddle.
Schwinn uses the American "cruiser" saddle type seat posts. I have converted my 1947 to a Wald post to use a nice Brooks B66 roaster saddle. This approach blends English and American styles and makes for an outstanding ride. The saddle at left is certainly not original, but allows you to ride in vintage style, comfortably, and without wear to an original. The seat post is a basic, new Wald.
VI. Brakes
Schwinns could come with caliper/hand brakes, or coaster brakes.
Earlier Schwinns have "Schwinn Built" calipers made in the USA. They use
a standard cable. Pre-war calipers have hooked springs. These lasted into 1946 and then were replaced with the post-war style with straight springs and integral studs on the arms.
It
was not uncommon for Schwinn to use coaster brakes from their ballooner
line as well.Some even had a hand brake on the front and a coaster on
the bake.
Note
on handgrips: most New Worlds had Schwinn script grips with finger
ridges. Older bicycles sometimes had "ball end" ballooner type grips. Catalogs show 1941 models with ball end or
"ringed leader" model grips and 1945-46 models with script grips in the
pictures, but list "Schwinn cushion" grips as an option.
VII. Wheel/Tire Sizes
The
1941 New World at left uses box-pattern, old type US lightweight rims.
My suggestion with these is to swap in a later Schwinn wheelset using
the 597mm size. Early New Worlds often had Lobdell branded, hook bead rims. Later bikes had Schwinn-branded S6 rims.
VIII. Paint Detailing
Schwinns came in a variety of colors. Black and maroon are most common. But they also came in dark green and dark blue, both attractive colors. Rarely, they came in white, which is a color collectors like because it is rare. They generally used "box" type pin striping.
The 1941 Schwinn at left is a nice, dark green color. It is a less common color than maroon or black.Colors include black, maroon, white, dark green, blue.
IX. Braces and Clamps
Pre-war
and the earliest post-war Schwinns had seat clamps that were integral
to the seat post. On those bikes the fender braces were also wire. The
rear braces connected to the axle.
On later bikes, the braces were larger and shaped more like the ballooner braces. The rear braces went to a dedicated hole on the back of the dropout.
These
bikes also had a grey, separate clamp that went over the seat post.
They often have "AS" stamped bolts, though often the early New Worlds from before WWII have plain bolts. The postwar New World at right shows
the removal of the separate clamp. The seat post is a plain tube with a
slot cut in it. The separate clamp goes over the plain tube. A prewar
bicycle (or the earliest 1946 bikes) would have the clamp integral to
that tube and painted the same color as the rest of the frame.
X. Chain Guards and Fenders
New
Worlds usually have "blade" front fenders and plain, round backs. These fenders mimic English bikes.
Some
New Worlds came with the 1930s type "plain" Schwinn guard, while some
later New Worlds had more ornate, wing-type guards. Bikes made in
1941-42 and 46 may have "black" out parts mixed in, meaning certain
chrome parts were painted black because chrome plating involved
strategic war materiel.
The
catalogs state that these bicycles could be built up with "any
combination" of English or American components, which certainly seems to
be the case. The result is that you have a bicycle "platform" that may
appear with a wide variety of components. Telling whether the bike is
original is tricky, so the best thing is to keep an eye on the age of
the components in use. If they appear within the pool of "possible"
items and are from the correct era, you are on the right track. It's
always possible you have period correct modifications to the bike, but
don't give up on a bike just because it has an odd assortment of parts
within the pool of possibilities.
I tend to think of the New World tourist as more a "platform" than an individual bicycle. Such a wide variety of parts could be used that the model is best thought of as a "core" with dozens different combinations of parts possible. These bikes represent a great attempt by an innovative manufacturer to popularize adult bicycling in the US, at a time when automobiles ruled the road.
A;though in Britain the commuter/utilitarian aspect of bikes were emphasized, in the US, the Schwinn New Worlds were emphasized as economical exercise and a fun way to get outdoors. These old bicycles are still doing that in many cases, well over 70 years later.
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