# 57 Schwinn Twins (Corvettes) - Patina or no ?



## LRAC (Jun 12, 2021)

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My Father bought us a pair of Corvettes in the summer of '57. (He got them at Silvani's Cycle Shop on E' Tremont Ave. in the Bronx.) 
One red and the other blue. The red one is about as roached out as it could be.
The blue one still looks pretty much like the one in this picture. The seat has a cover on it from day one, original tires with good tread and might even hold air.

It's time to find a new home for the blue one. (and maybe someone would want the bones of the red one.)

My question is this - should I clean it up or not? It had a couple of summers of light use in the fifties and was ridden a few summer days in the 80's other than that it's been hanging out of harm's way. Should I leave it the way it is for the next owner or clean it up for sale. The paint is perfect and cleaned and detailed it would like that picture.


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## GTs58 (Jun 12, 2021)

A cleaned up and detailed piece will net more in a sale, but your time is involved so it's kind of a trade off. If it's not that bad and a couple of hours would make a huge difference, I'd clean it up.


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## HARPO (Jun 13, 2021)

I see you took them to Pennsylvania with you.


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## Dirtvelo (Jun 13, 2021)

Do you have pictures


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## LRAC (Jun 13, 2021)

HARPO said:


> I see you took them to Pennsylvania with you.



Yeah, 40 yrs ago.


Dirtvelo said:


> Do you have pictures



Going to get some today.


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## LRAC (Jun 13, 2021)

It has two Weimann tags on it, and blue Mayweg tag on the front of the rack.  The tires are Schwinn Straight Side Tornado, have good tread, spin true and still hold air. Those decals look pretty fragile, what is the best way to clean them?


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## LRAC (Jun 13, 2021)

SILVANI'S CYCLE CO. - "BICYCLE & BABY CARRIAGE REPAIRS"
I can still picture old Mr. Silvani in his little "Cycle Co.". Nice man with one glass eye and a big smile and a little cycle shop, wooden floors and every inch of the place crammed to the rafters with bikes and a machine shop in the back.


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## GTs58 (Jun 13, 2021)

Oh my, that's not a 1957, it's a 1955 model! And @hatz4katz has been looking for the right one for a long time. The seat is not the typical 1955 seat. What's under the cover?

What's the serial number on that one? It'll be just above the left rear axle nut.

The decals are somewhat fragile but with nerves of steel and the touch of a new born, they can be cleaned up.  😉


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## LRAC (Jun 13, 2021)

Serial number N87806 - Looks like this one was built in November 1954.


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## mrg (Jun 13, 2021)

Looks pretty good, I would let the new owner do the detailing, sometimes good intentions go awry and you wouldn't want to do any unintentional damage.


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## LRAC (Jun 13, 2021)

It could have been 1956 or 1955 that we got those bikes. I was told a while back that it was a 1957 corvette so that's when I thought we must have got it.

This is the seat on it. I think it came with that seat. The markings on it aren't scuff marks or wear, I pulled the seat cover off tonight, (probably the first time it's been off in 66 years) what looks like marks is from the foam rubber seat cover padding where it stuck to the seat. It rubs off.


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## GTs58 (Jun 13, 2021)

LRAC said:


> Serial number N87806 - Looks like this one was built in November 1954.
> 
> View attachment 1429574





The serial number was stamped on the component on that date, and the frame was built sometime later. I usually average about 2 months from stamping to finish. The rear hub also has a date on it with month and year. That looks like a real clean piece and hardly used and it appears the tires are original too. Oh! and that seat is probably original. The very early ones used those seats.
Yours has the first year 1955 front Mayweg carrier and the early chain guard and those pieces were not used in 56 or later. No doubt that's a 1955 model.


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## LRAC (Jun 13, 2021)

mrg said:


> Looks pretty good, I would let the new owner do the detailing, sometimes good intentions go awry and you wouldn't want to do any unintentional damage.



Yeah, I know what you mean. I know that this bike was never hacked or molested. I don't even think any of the nuts and bolts have been disturbed since it came from the factory, except it looks like the left spring nut under the seat was replaced (with a square nut - pretty period correct 😃 it probably came from my Grandfather's stash out in the barn.) I'm pretty sure it has the original brake pads and I doubt if they were ever even adjusted.


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## LRAC (Jun 13, 2021)

GTs58 said:


> The serial number was stamped on the component on that date, and the frame was built sometime later. I usually average about 2 months from stamping to finish. The rear hub also has a date on it with month and year. That looks like a real clean piece and hardly used and it appears the tires are original too. Oh! and that seat is probably original too. The very early ones used those seats.
> Yours has the first year 1955 front Mayweg carrier and the early chain guard and those pieces were not used in 56 or later. No doubt that's a 1955 model.



Yes the tires are original, I can attest to that. they still hold air and have decent tread on them and I haven't seen any cracks on them. (but I didn't examine closely)


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## GTs58 (Jun 13, 2021)

mid year 1954 catalog page.


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## LRAC (Jun 13, 2021)

Wow yes that is the seat. And I can't tell for sure but it looks like the valve stem caps  are like mine.


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## hatz4katz (Jun 14, 2021)

I'm interested in buying the bike, if you're selling.  Sent you a pm.  (thanks, Gary for the heads up on this!)


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## KevinBrick (Jun 14, 2021)

Here’s a great thread on the first year corvettes 









						Unique parts to the first-year 1954 Corvette | All Things Schwinn
					

Did a search and didn't see any specific or detailed threads on this yet, tho I know it's been parced here and there in various threads, would be nice to have all the info in one thread. I  just picked up another '54/55 Vette, and what I thought were anomalies or swapped parts have appeared on...




					thecabe.com


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## Pedaltherapy (Jun 14, 2021)

Great color on that bike!


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## Rivnut (Jun 14, 2021)

A real Gold Mine there. If it were mine and I had a mind to clean it up, I think a low pressure wash at the car wash would get the “aged dust” off of it.


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## LRAC (Jun 14, 2021)

I scratched away (with my fingernail) at a couple of spots of chrome and it came right back beautifully.


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## LRAC (Jun 14, 2021)




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## LRAC (Jun 14, 2021)




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## LRAC (Jun 14, 2021)




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## LRAC (Jun 14, 2021)




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## LRAC (Jun 14, 2021)




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## LRAC (Jun 14, 2021)




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## LRAC (Jun 14, 2021)




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## LRAC (Jun 14, 2021)




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## LRAC (Jun 14, 2021)




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## LRAC (Jun 14, 2021)

The seat looks looks slightly different to me from some other pictures I’ve seen. The circle/spring at the front under the seat seems to be somewhat oval or egg shaped giving it a lower profile. I like the looks of it better because the spring doesn’t stick out so much


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## KevinBrick (Jun 14, 2021)

Here’s a thread on the 1954 Jaguar which shared the same seat as the early Corvette.. There were several variations.. 








						prototype Jaguar | All Things Schwinn
					

Ok lets see if anybody can help with this. I have a couple of 53/54 Jaguars, both have both types of fender mounts in the rear factory,  I have seen 4 (owned 3 of these) over 30 yrs., first I bought a 53 cantilever frame I thought someone had welded a hand brake hoop over the og fender bracket...




					thecabe.com


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## GTs58 (Jun 14, 2021)

LRAC said:


> The seat looks looks slightly different to me from some other pictures I’ve seen. The circle/spring at the front under the seat seems to be somewhat oval or egg shaped giving it a lower profile. I like the looks of it better because the spring doesn’t stick out so muchView attachment 1429987




I believe that one is a Troxel. Mesinger made a similar piece. With that January 55 dated hub it seems I need to step up my stamping to finish time to three months. Too many days off work with holidays at the end of the year.  🙃


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## Allrounderco (Jun 15, 2021)

Ok - so this bike turned out to be a '55 with some of the rare bits on it. Now I want to see the red bike!


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## LRAC (Jun 15, 2021)

Allrounderco said:


> Ok - so this bike turned out to be a '55 with some of the rare bits on it. Now I want to see the red bike!



Red bike was rode hard and put away wet next time I get up to my cabin I’ll drag it out.


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## OptimusJay (Jun 15, 2021)

great bike.  never seen those pedals before.


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## LRAC (Jun 15, 2021)

GTs58 said:


> I believe that one is a Troxel. Mesinger made a similar piece. With that January 55 dated hub it seems I need to step up my stamping to finish time to three months. Too many days off work with holidays at the end of the year.  🙃



I see “55” on the hub, what says “January”?


OptimusJay said:


> great bike.  never seen those pedals before.



Interesting!


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## Oilit (Jun 15, 2021)

LRAC said:


> I see “55” on the hub, what says “January”?
> 
> Interesting!



"55" is the year, "1" is the month.


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## Thee (Jun 15, 2021)

LRAC said:


> View attachment 1429968



Clean her up it will re-patina soon enough haha, Road Kill to Roller


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## LRAC (Jun 15, 2021)

Thee said:


> Clean her up it will re-patina soon enough haha, Road Kill to Roller
> 
> View attachment 1430239
> 
> ...



WOW impressive!


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## Thee (Jun 15, 2021)

LRAC said:


> WOW impressive!



It’s ok I would have rather done it all original but gee whiz, re-chrome required giving up first born male & an arm and a leg


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## GTs58 (Jun 17, 2021)

Here's the uber rare 1955 Corvette with it's one year only color, Red Belly Gold. 🤣


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## OptimusJay (Jun 18, 2021)

@GTs58 have you seen pedals like the set on the OP's bike?  They've got the 2 side screws like the early bows but i've not seen a set like these before.  Seems unlikely that they are not original to the bike since everything else looks original.


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## KevinBrick (Jun 18, 2021)

Looks like Wald pedals


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## GTs58 (Jun 19, 2021)

OptimusJay said:


> @GTs58 have you seen pedals like the set on the OP's bike?  They've got the 2 side screws like the early bows but i've not seen a set like these before.  Seems unlikely that they are not original to the bike since everything else looks original.




I noticed those and didn't think they were Union bows. Union has a one piece shaft tube. Then I thought about @Oilit 's 1953 Flying Falcon's pedals but never got a word back on the maker. These look like Union and the OP's look like the Walds KevinBrick posted.


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## LRAC (Jun 19, 2021)

They are Wald.


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## LRAC (Jun 19, 2021)

They are Wald. (Still looking for the red bike)


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## LocanStreet (Jun 19, 2021)

LRAC said:


> .View attachment 1428932
> My Father bought us a pair of Corvettes in the summer of '57. (He got them at Silvani's Cycle Shop on E' Tremont Ave. in the Bronx.)
> One red and the other blue. The red one is about as roached out as it could be.
> The blue one still looks pretty much like the one in this picture. The seat has a cover on it from day one, original tires with good tread and might even hold air.
> ...



Here is the Corvette I found last year at an estate sale auction in central California.


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## LRAC (Jun 19, 2021)

Rubber caps on the back of the cable adjuster tabs.


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## LRAC (Jul 6, 2021)

Anybody know how much a '55 boys bike like mine weighs?


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## coasterbrakejunkie1969 (Jul 6, 2021)

LRAC said:


> Anybody know how much a '55 boys bike like mine weighs?



55lbs +/-


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## GTs58 (Jul 6, 2021)

On a complete 1955, Schwinn's shipping weight is 60 lbs. This 1962 weighs in at 45 lbs.


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## coasterbrakejunkie1969 (Jul 7, 2021)

GTs58 said:


> On a complete 1955, Schwinn's shipping weight is 60 lbs. This 1962 weighs in at 45 lbs.
> 
> View attachment 1442457



The '55 is heavier by 15 lbs.? That '62 is an incredible bike are the 5 speed quite rare? Let me know when your ready to part with that one haha


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## Oilit (Jul 7, 2021)

coasterbrakejunkie1969 said:


> The '55 is heavier by 15 lbs.? That '62 is an incredible bike are the 5 speed quite rare? Let me know when your ready to part with that one haha



Shipping weight probably included the crate. But you're right, that blue Corvette is a cherry!


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## GTs58 (Jul 7, 2021)

coasterbrakejunkie1969 said:


> The '55 is heavier by 15 lbs.? That '62 is an incredible bike are the 5 speed quite rare? Let me know when your ready to part with that one haha




No, the 60 lbs is the bike in the box.
@LRAC  if you're asking about the weight for shipping purposes the weight is really secondary. The box size is the critical factor. If the box is within the fair price size you can ship 75 lbs for almost the same as a 40 lbs. If I remember correctly the boxes I used used was 8" W. 32" tall "54" long. Go over the dimensional weight and the shipping fee almost doubles.


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## LRAC (Jul 8, 2021)

Thanks, for the answers. No, I'm not shipping it. I have a bike hoist and wanted a ballpark estimate  to see if it works with the hoist rating. (It's close enough!)


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