DurocShark

Handed down from my grandmother-in-law to my daughter. She wants to fix it up and paint to match the 64 VW bug we're restoring. I started stripping parts and realized that while I'm pretty confident it's a Schwinn, I know nothing else about it.

20" wheels
Hub gearing
Schwinn handgrips (but they say "Approved by Schwinn" instead of just Schwinn)
Banana seat
Hand brakes

I looked the serial number up on schwinncruisers.com and got "Congrats! Your bike is an original Chicago Schwinn. built: 12/06 to 12/10 of 1952." So there's that. But which model? I want to see some pics of complete bikes to see what's appropriate and what isn't for this bike.

Here's my frame pics:

i.imgur.com/mT7OQYP.jpg
i.imgur.com/HilG4KU.jpg
i.imgur.com/7AuPESl.jpg

Thanks for any help!

(Sorry, can't inline the pics until I've posted 10 posts. But then I'd just be throwing junk up so I could post, so copy/pasta the links above. )

zukahn1

It does look to be 50's but it doesn't look to be a Schwinn. My first thoughts are that it is a Murray.

dedhed

Did anyone but Schwinn use the welded on kickstands?

FBOATSB

Kinda like this?

Rollfast

To my knowledge, banana seats came out in the 1960s. If it wee a 50s Schwinn I would guess that it was modified with the seat and a bar. If you can find some examples that look like parts of it or all it would help to link them.


It could also be a fake Krate.

FBOATSB

If it is in fact a 1952 it would have looked like one of these:
1952 Schwinn Catalog
Some of the girls cruisers have that distinctive crossbar on the down tubes.

dedhed

Banana seat and bars wouldn't be original. By the late 50's the cross brace between the down tubes is gone.

Vintage Schwinn Catalogs 1899 to 1984

DurocShark

That's it!!! Woot!

DurocShark

Same 3 speed geared hub, same seat and post, same pedals. Ours is missing the fenders and chain guard though.

For now I'm sneaking in some generic 20" wheels with a coaster brake hub until I decide how to deal with the rusty mess the original wheels are.

DurocShark

I looked at that catalog too, but they don't seem to have a pic of the 20" girl's bike.

DurocShark

OK, looking closer. Different seat post clamp, the seat isn't the same, but the grab bar is. Different rear reflector, different sprocket. And it looks like that posted blue one is a coaster brake not a hand brake.

Gah. lol

Metacortex

That's a Schwinn frame. It looks like it was a girls' 20" wheel Juvenile or Hornet, here is the catalog page:

FBOATSB

The main point is have fun fixing it up for your daughter. No need to sweat the originality of something that old. It will never be worth its weight in gold

DurocShark

This is true. And we'll end up doing what we're doing anyway, but I wanted to make sure I got some of the minor details right. Handgrips for example. I would have that "Approved by Schwinn" meant bad copy. But that's what they all seem to say. Things like that. I like to get the small details right even if we go crazy with the big stuff.

The chrome is destroyed. We ground it all off of the seat post, handle bars, and grab bar. Those are going to be painted navy blue, and the frame/forks will be an pearlescent white with blue auto paint. Same paint that's going on her bug. She's 13 and we're restoring a 64 bug together, and the bike is the paint test and a really cool accessory.

here she is working on getting the rust off the seat post:

i.imgur.com/OwbRDHv.jpg

FBOATSB

You're a cool dad. Please post pics of the progress in this thread or here: https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vi...age-car-8.html
Quite possible that frame had a tank w/horn when new which can be found on ebay: Delta Style Bicycle Tank Horn Unit Fit Schwinn Phantom Panther Hornet Wasp && | eBay
By the way welcome to Bike Forums!

DurocShark

Oooh, that would be cool. And thanks!

This is the bug at the moment: imgur.com/a/z2JdC

It's in limbo waiting for me to find a place to work on it. I live in a little townhome with a garage too small to work on a car. So it's in a coworker's garage at the moment. I'm trying to get my MIL to let me clean out her garage so I can work there, but she's fickle. Changes her mind from minute to minute. Ugh. We can work on it where it is, coworker is cool. But that's not how I want to do it. Too awkward...

DurocShark

FBOATSB: I would reply to your PM but I still don't have 10 posts. lol

I did sign up at shwinnbikeforum.com before I came here, but I have to wait for an admin to approve my registration. heh

rhm

If you want to know how old it is, look at the fine print on three speed hub. If (as I assume) it's a Sturmey Archer AW hub, it will have a date code in three or four digits. For example 62 3 would mean March, 1962. The order may be reversed (3 62), hard to read, whatever.

DurocShark

Serial number on the frame dates it to 52.

rhm

Excellent! What does the hub say?

DurocShark

Just says "36" as far as I can see. Next post will have pics. hang on...

DurocShark

Metacortex

That is probably the number of spokes.

DurocShark

I can't find any other stamps on the hub.