# Would like more info on this 1937 bike



## ozzynut2 (May 31, 2010)

I would like to know who made it. Serial number is B75159


----------



## dopehead (May 31, 2010)

my guess with that chainguard would be 39 schwinn dx


----------



## RMS37 (May 31, 2010)

The bike was made by Cleveland Welding, probably for Montgomery Ward if the chain ring is original. The characteristics of the frame date it to between 1947 and 1949. The serial number means that it is from the early part of that time period.

The bike has been repainted, it is missing the headlight that would have been mounted on the strut rising from the fork crown, and the saddle is definitely a later replacement but otherwise the rest of the bike looks correct and likely original.


----------



## JLarkin (Jun 1, 2010)

Did they have a surplus of that shade of blue in the 50s or maybe 60s?  Seems like a great majority of house painted bikes are that color, even OEM painted ones to a degree.  I've had one of both.


----------



## ozzynut2 (Jun 1, 2010)

Phil The only thing  I really wonder is the year. I got it from the original owner and he said it was pre war so I wonder about the year.


----------



## RMS37 (Jun 1, 2010)

Ten years and a war is a lot of time to be off on a remembrance but I am certain that the bike (frame) was made during the time period I noted (1947-1949) and that not a single part of the bike could date to 1937.

Often when the dates are so off the "original" owner is just remembering a different bike or over the years they have constructed and reinforced a memory that is different from fact.


----------



## ohdeebee (Jun 1, 2010)

Early post-war Cleveland Welding Frame. If it were pre-war, it would most likely have the "dog-ears" at the rear drop out to stop the dropstand. The curved fender braces are also Cleveland Welding and the sprocket looks like a Hawthorne. I have the same frame. Ironically in the same house paint blue. I think you're on to something JLarkin...


----------



## OldRider (Jun 1, 2010)

Up here on the Canadian prairies the preferred housepaint on older bikes is of a dark shade of green. I wonder why I can't ever stumble across a barn red paint job?


----------



## ohdeebee (Jun 1, 2010)

OldRider said:


> Up here on the Canadian prairies the preferred housepaint on older bikes is of a dark shade of green. I wonder why I can't ever stumble across a barn red paint job?




I've got a pre-war Roadmaster in barn red. Lots of barn red.


----------



## Strings-n-Spokes (Jun 1, 2010)

Yah! Oldrider be careful what you wish for!!


----------



## OldRider (Jun 1, 2010)

Ha ha............you guys rock!


----------



## Adamtinkerer (Jun 2, 2010)

Lol, I have a late 30s Schwinn ladies' frame that looks to have had EVERY available color on it at some time! Under the maroon topcoat, I know there's green, blue, yellow, and a few other shades...


----------



## 37fleetwood (Jun 3, 2010)

I agree with Phil, but then again I always agree with Phil, it's just safer.:o


----------



## AntonyR (Jun 4, 2010)

It's a bit of a mash-up. The frame is early post war, the front fork/fender came from a bike of higher caliber-Roadmaster(headlights didn't come on base models like this one appears to be, plus it would have straight front fender braces to match the rear fender). The early style chainguard and smooth seat post clamp is all early stuff. I could very well have been sold as leftover stock just as the war ended, since post war CWC promised new and improved models didn't have these design elements.


----------



## ozzynut2 (Jun 4, 2010)

Ok So If I was to keep it together and sell What should I be able to get. I do have to clean some and replace a spoke on the rear rim. Whats a good price to sell it for??


----------



## AntonyR (Jun 5, 2010)

It depends on your audience. You can spend $$ on getting the paint period correct and gathering the parts to make it a Supreme version of what you have, but the time and $ spent on finding the correct parts would make it a $ losing project. Sadly, that bike isn't the diamond in the rough. It's a cool rider. Don't expect more than that. We're talking $50-100 at best. Honestly.


----------



## Strings-n-Spokes (Jun 5, 2010)

dopehead said:


> my guess with that chainguard would be 39 schwinn dx



Were you high?


----------



## RMS37 (Jun 5, 2010)

I’ve been off to school camp with my wife and daughter this last week and I’m trying to catch up with all the posts I missed. 

You asked about a fair asking price for the bicycle; typically an asking price is set above what you expect to receive to give some wiggle room for negotiation. I would expect that an asking price between $100 and $250 is a fair starting point. 

I basically agree with Antony’s post on the value of the bike in collector circles as it sits. I’d bump the top end a bit to $150 but mostly that covers my ass if the bike were to sell at the high end of that market. This is a common model and without any signs of original paint so any restoration work would be much more expensive than finding a better original paint condition example of the same thing.  

He is also right in noting that the sale venue can make a big difference on bikes of this type as it might bring a bit more from someone with Rat Rod intentions who is looking for a complete bike to modify than it would from a CWC collector intent on restoration.

Two other groups that might place a higher value on the bike are those looking for a vintage rider who will pay for a good functioning bike and antique dealers. 

Inexpensive repairs you can make yourself to improve the ride-ability of a bike can pay off by sealing a deal with someone just looking for a bike to ride. Be aware though that time and money spent for refurbishment to rider level can still quickly exceed the added profit margin for a bike of this type. 

Antique dealers (I guess I should say “amateur” antique dealers) or people who fancy themselves as such will often overpay for something old they see a potential profit in. In this scenario someone might give you a quick $250 for the bike because they imagine they can sell it for $750.  In many cases this is the end of the road and the purchaser checks in here and finds they have overpaid for what they have purchased and ultimately resell at a loss. 

Still, the extremes of the market are defined by the “its worth what someone will pay for it” mantra and an overpriced bike in the right place at the right time can sell for a good deal more than a collector’s idea of fair market. I’m sure most of the people on this site have walked by numbers of overpriced bikes in antique malls wondering who would pay so much for a bike with little collector value. The fact is that successful dealers prosper by finding people who will buy goods above collector market value.   

A couple more points about the bike itself; Antony is right that the front and rear fender braces should match, either curved or straight. Check to see if any of the fender/fender brace rivets are actually threaded screws with nuts. If they are then the braces have been replaced at some point in time. 

The frame is definitely postwar and not even from the first frames produced after the war. The prewar frames with curved down tubes and those made when production resumed after the war have down tubes that have a shallower curve than the second postwar series like this one. The chain guard is also second series postwar as it has a rear mount held in place by a bolt that passes through a stamped hole in the rear dropout. Both of these features were introduced in late 46 or early 47 after postwar production was well underway. 

Antony is also correct that the most basic models would not have the front headlight strut (or headlight) but the long strut is fairly common on early postwar bikes and does not signify a full-on deluxe model.  This bike was produced at about the time the deluxe postwar Luxury Liner (and their Western Flyer and Hawthorne counterparts) was introduced to fill that niche.


----------



## ozzynut2 (Jun 6, 2010)

Phil I have to say you are a great asset to the bike collecting world. Thanks for all the info. I will let you guys know if I sell it or not. I do have to clean it first and fix the wheel.


----------

