# 1940/1941 Excelsior year/parts opinions



## Andy FitzGibbon (Jun 8, 2022)

This bike was my dad's (he bought it used in the 70s).  The crank and rear Morrow hub are both dated 1940, so I'm leaning that direction in terms of the year, but I welcome opinions as I don't know Schwinns. Serial number E82244.

It's pretty original, except for the saddle, bars and chainwheel, and the Cycle Lock is still functional. I plan to clean it up, service it, and ride it as-is for now. I have a set of bars that I think are correct, a saddle that's close, a correct chainwheel on the way, and I'm hunting for the right feather chain guard. Opinions on what I should be looking for in those parts are also welcome. The 1940 catalog shows 1" pitch chain and a sweetheart sprocket, but I'm told 1/2" was used as well, and I think I'll stay with that.

Thanks,
Andy


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## Freqman1 (Jun 8, 2022)

Saddle looks to be a Troxel and you want a Mesinger B1 (sliding rail) seat. Here is the ad for the unequipped bike. V/r Shawn


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## Andy FitzGibbon (Jun 8, 2022)

Freqman1 said:


> Saddle looks to be a Troxel and you want a Mesinger B1 (sliding rail) seat. Here is the ad for the unequipped bike. V/r Shawn
> 
> View attachment 1642386



That is great... I had the catalog art, but not the specs. Thank you.


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## Andy FitzGibbon (Jun 9, 2022)

Thanks to members here, I've got the correct chain guard and chain wheel on the way. If anyone has a patina'd Mesinger B1 saddle, give me a shout...

Thanks,
Andy


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## Kickstand3 (Jun 9, 2022)

Andy FitzGibbon said:


> Thanks to members here, I've got the correct chain guard and chain wheel on the way. If anyone has a patina'd Mesinger B1 saddle, give me a shout...
> 
> Thanks,
> Andy



Wow 2 show up in the same week. Mine is a 41 . I’m digging the deep wide fenders in 41 . Not sure if 40 is the same


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## Andy FitzGibbon (Sep 27, 2022)

Thanks to advice and parts from members here, the bike is now back on the road. I re-laced the wheels, replaced the bearings, tires and chain, rebuilt the headlight, and added correct original seat, bars, and sprocket. The primered chain guard is a placeholder for now... I may rattle-can it black to make it blend in a little better, until the correct chrome one shows up.

It's fun to ride. Thanks to everyone who helped out with parts and/or knowledge.

Andy


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## 1817cent (Sep 28, 2022)

Nice history on the bike.  Glad you got it rolling again.  Looks great!


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## Jim sciano (Sep 30, 2022)

I guess we should make it 3 that have shown up recently. This is the tall boy 20” BA98-OS version. I picked up this guy recently and need to grab a guard for it. Needs some serious paint refurbishing but it should come back very nice. I do have the correct seat for it too. Definitely cool bikes


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## Andy FitzGibbon (Sep 30, 2022)

Jim sciano said:


> I guess we should make it 3 that have shown up recently. This is the tall boy 20” BA98-OS version. I picked up this guy recently and need to grab a guard for it. Needs some serious paint refurbishing but it should come back very nice. I do have the correct seat for it too. Definitely cool bikes



At least you have paint left to refurbish! I did a light wipe of Penetrol on mine, which worked really well. Brought what's left of the color out, without making it too glossy or "wet" looking.


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## redline1968 (Oct 1, 2022)

This is a 41 for some references


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