50's Head Tube Size

[mrg]

What year did Schwinn reduce the size of the fork tube/goose neck, my 55 spitfire seems small, my cousin bought new and put butterfly bars & cycle truck goose neck, my dad got the bike in the late 50's, a few yrs later I robbed the parts so in the late seventies I used the only long stem I could find, Japanese I think, so today tried to find an OG long stem but nothing worked. Did the later cycle truck have a smaller stem?, the newer style has the step in it but even most of those were still to fat excpt the one in the close up.

 

[island schwinn]

66 went to a different diameter stem.

 

[GTs58]

As said above. The steer tube gauge was increased while keeping the OD the same so the hole and stem are smaller.

 

[mrg]

does a mid 60's cycle truck use a smaller diameter goose neck and is that what I need?

 

[rustystone2112]

View attachment 295979 What year did Schwinn reduce the size of the fork tube/goose neck, my 55 spitfire seems small, my cousin bought new and put butterfly bars & cycle truck goose neck, my dad got the bike in the late 50's, a few yrs later I robbed the parts so in the late seventies I used the only long stem I could find, Japanese I think, so today tried to find an OG long stem but nothing worked. Did the later cycle truck have a smaller stem?, the newer style has the step in it but even most of those were still to fat excpt the one in the close up.View attachment 295975 View attachment 295976 View attachment 295977 View attachment 295978

I have one of those 2 piece long goosenecks it says made in japan on the bottom and they were used on some lightweights

 

[RustyHornet]

66 went to a different diameter stem.

Well thanks! I was wondering why I've had stem/fork issues recently... Did not know that.

 

[mrg]

I think I may have figured it out, I will try to make it short, after pulling the bike out from behind dads garage (I robber the cycle truck goose neck & butterfly bars yrs earlier) I put longhorns & regular goose neck and rode it hard, had a keg party and a friend rode it down the stairs and the fork stem broke (sat in the rain for yrs with no goose neck ), I don't remember where I got new stem, might have been a new replacement from shop, I welded it on and maybe it was a newer one with same OD but smaller ID, I kinda wondered years ago when I tried to go back to a cycle truck goose neck like my cousin had put on back in 55 but only one that fit was a Japanese one (and most of those are bigger), o well I guess I will have to replace the stem again or does a 66 cycle truck have a smaller diameter goose neck?

 

[GTs58]

or does a 66 cycle truck have a smaller diameter goose neck?[/QUOTE]

If the cycle trucks fork steer tube had not already been beefed up prior to 1966, I'd venture to say that it's steer tube was also changed in 66 which would also require the smaller dia. stem.