Schwinn 3 Speed Bikes: Caring for Your 3 Speed Schwinn Bike

 I recently purchased this wonderful 1950s era guide to caring for your Schwinn 3 speed bike. This little guide came with your purchase when you bought a Schwinn 3 speed bike back in the mid or late 1950s. It has a hole for a string where the guide could be hung up from the handlebars on the dealership floor. It must have been quite something to see brand new Schwinn 3 speed bikes at a bike shop, complete with little books like these hanging from the handlebars. Click the images below to enlarge and read.

4th of July and American Three Speed Bikes

 Happy Fourth of July! As is appropriate, some shots of this week's rides on a couple very nice Schwinn three speeds: 1950 Superior and 1947 Continental.

Project - 1960s Schwinn Racer Tall Frame

 Yet another orphaned frame rolls in... this time a 1960s tall frame Schwinn Racer. 

As purchased from a bike charity:

It's not in great shape, but not bad either... It came just as you see above - frame, fork, kickstand, a few frame attachments, and a very tall seat post from an old Schwinn exercise bike. 

The first task is to strip the parts. Then onto cleaning everything, and polishing the paint. Decals were cleaned using Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. After the paint and decals are clean, matching paint is applied: gloss black for the paint and flat white for the lettering. Chrome is polished using Simichrome polish. 

 The badge is black and from 1976-77, so that has to be replaced with a correct white one.

The kickstand cam pin needed to be replaced, as did the frame pin. Cups in the bottom bracket has some mileage on them, but are otherwise OK. 

I've gradually sourced period correct parts: fenders, chain guard, bars and stem, grips, and a whole bunch of other things. 

Otherwise, a nice, black Racer that hopefully will go from orphaned charity frame to a nice, complete, rider.