# Quality Bikes - Schwinn 3-Speeds



## SirMike1983

A little talk about Schwinn offering quality lightweight bikes at all price levels in their line-up from 1938-1952, with a particular look at a couple of 1940s-era bikes.

https://bikeshedva.blogspot.com/2017/06/quality-american-made-three-speeds.html






_ "When you're buying a bicycle, buy the "best" bike you can afford. Don't go cheap and come away thinking you've got a "better deal" just because you spent less money. Buy the most bike you can afford, whether it's a new bike or a vintage bike."_

_"Today, we've become accustomed to junk bikes sold in big box stores. We even have come to accept that certain bicycle shops will sell low-end, junk bikes with clunky frames, cheap components, and slap-dash assemblies."_


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## Schwinn499

Have always loved the early model Travelers. A few have come and gone but I think I'll always have one around. Solid bicycles, ride great, and look awesome.


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## SirMike1983

Schwinn499 said:


> Have always loved the early model Travelers. A few have come and gone but I think I'll always have one around. Solid bicycles, ride great, and look awesome.




Those 1950s-era bikes had some awesome colors. I'm especially partial to the dark blue and to the blue-green candy type colors.


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## island schwinn

a bit heavy for the classification,but my favorite 3 speed.


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## SirMike1983

island schwinn said:


> a bit heavy for the classification,but my favorite 3 speed.
> View attachment 479553




That's really nice - those Welterweights are not all that common. Are those the Schwinn Whirlwind tires? I think they were the same as French 650b touring type (?).


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## island schwinn

SirMike1983 said:


> That's really nice - those Welterweights are not all that common. Are those the Schwinn Whirlwind tires? I think they were the same as French 650b touring type (?).



Tires are off brand.I have a set of original hurricane 26x1-1/2 tires for it.


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## SirMike1983

Good weather so far this summer - getting plenty of ride time in on these bikes.


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## partsguy

These old road bikes are very handsome. Great quality riders!


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## mbstude

Mike, that blue Continental is the only bike I regret selling. It might be time to find another. 

Sent from my SM-S820L using Tapatalk


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## sld6914

I've had many vintage bikes mostly ballooners  But have  a soft spot for 3 sped  lightweights. They ride great and have there own style and character. Here's a couple of original 61 travelers in rare white color.


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## sld6914

Here's my prewar superior project I've been working on and off for a while it needed it otherwise I would of left it original but bringing back to a nice rider ,almost done.


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## Schwinn499

sld6914 said:


> View attachment 564745 View attachment 564746 View attachment 564747 View attachment 564748 Here's my prewar superior project I've been working on and off for a while it needed it otherwise I would of left it original but bringing back to a nice rider ,almost done.



That's sweeeeet!


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## Vintage Paintworx

sld6914 said:


> View attachment 564745 View attachment 564746 View attachment 564747 View attachment 564748 Here's my prewar superior project I've been working on and off for a while it needed it otherwise I would of left it original but bringing back to a nice rider ,almost done.



Now that's nice!! :eek:


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## SirMike1983

1947 Schwinn New World out and about:


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## morton

I have 5 of the newer 3 spds (Racer/Speedster/Breeze) and love the way they ride but always get a kick out of hearing them referred to as lightweights.  With a SA 3 spd hub or a Bendix kickback, I think they rival a Varsity as the heaviest lightweights in the Schwinn lineup.


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## GregG

One of my favorite bikes to ride.


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## rollfaster

I love these early post war lightweights, 3 and single speed Coasters. Very classy bikes indeed.


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## SirMike1983

A pair from 1947: a blue Continental and a black New World. I dusted, cleaned, and adjusted a few things on these today.


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## rollfaster

Not a three speed, but I sure do enjoy my 53 New World.


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## SirMike1983

rollfaster said:


> View attachment 666439 Not a three speed, but I sure do enjoy my 53 New World.




That's in nice shape. The other thing is these frames are usually set up to accept caliper brakes, so converting could be as easy as an alternate wheelset, some sidepull calipers, and handles/cables -- two variations of one bike.


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## SirMike1983

Great weather this evening - 1941 New World.

https://bikeshedva.blogspot.com/2017/09/a-schwinn-new-world-bicycle-1941.html


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## Oilit

I picked up a 1955 Traveler last week, it originally had the Dynohub option but the hub guts, headlight and headbadge are missing. It looks like the original badge was one of the winged ovals, but the screw holes are off center, and looking at pictures of other Schwinn lightweights, there are others from the same period that look off center as well. I've only noticed this on the lightweights, and it makes me wonder if Schwinn planned to use a different badge? I know they knew how to line up screw holes. Yes, I'm picking nits, but inquiring minds want to know.


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## Oilit

SirMike1983 said:


> Great weather this evening - 1941 New World.
> 
> https://bikeshedva.blogspot.com/2017/09/a-schwinn-new-world-bicycle-1941.html
> 
> View attachment 673774
> 
> View attachment 673775
> 
> View attachment 673776
> 
> View attachment 673777
> 
> View attachment 673778



I followed the link to your blog. Good stuff! I didn't know the lightweights were brazed until after WWII. I guess they weren't as popular as the balloon tire bikes, so it took longer to get the tooling ready. And that "Genuine Seamless Steel Tubing" sticker made me do a double-take.


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## SirMike1983

Oilit said:


> I followed the link to your blog. Good stuff! I didn't know the lightweights were brazed until after WWII. I guess they weren't as popular as the balloon tire bikes, so it took longer to get the tooling ready. And that "Genuine Seamless Steel Tubing" sticker made me do a double-take.




Yeah - the pre-war lightweights were fillet brazed. After WWII, the New World became an electroforge welded frame. The Continental and Superior were still fillet brazed before and after the war, at least in their 3-speed format (the Continental name later was added to a 10-speed electroforge welded bike). They're fun bikes. The New World especially have been overlooked by collectors, which is good news for people wanting to buy them.


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## SirMike1983

1947 Schwinn Continental - out and about on a summer-like day.


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## Eric Amlie

Gorgeous bike!


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## MarkKBike

My recently cleaned up 56 3-Speed Schwinn. I bought this one about a year ago, but just got it road worthy this last week.

I have been looking at the Schwinn catalogs, and I'm pretty sure  I also have the original generator and head lamp. (they are currently mounted on another bike, but will be moved back to this one soon). When I took them off, I did not know they were original equipment.

It has been sitting in my basement for the last year up until this last week. I bought this one minus a saddle for 20$. It was very dirty when purchased, but cleaned up pretty decent. It's also posted in the thread "what bike did you ride today". It does have cosmetic wear but It's a fun bike to ride, and I have been enjoying it.

I don't see many bikes posted with wheel reflectors, The ones I put on this one came from a Ross. When I buy a bike the first thing I usually do is remove the reflectors, but for some reason I like the way they look on this bike.


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## Oilit

MarkKBike said:


> My recently cleaned up 56 3-Speed Schwinn. I bought this one about a year ago, but just got it road worthy this last week.
> 
> I have been looking at the Schwinn catalogs, and I'm pretty sure  I also have the original generator and head lamp. (they are currently mounted on another bike, but will be moved back to this one soon). When I took them off, I did not know they were original equipment.
> 
> It has been sitting in my basement for the last year up until this last week. I bought this one minus a saddle for 20$. It was very dirty when purchased, but cleaned up pretty decent. It's also posted in the thread "what bike did you ride today". It does have cosmetic wear but It's a fun bike to ride, and I have been enjoying it.
> 
> I don't see many bikes posted with wheel reflectors, The ones I put on this one came from a Ross. When I buy a bike the first thing I usually do is remove the reflectors, but for some reason I like the way they look on this bike.
> 
> View attachment 680105



With the stainless steel fenders it was originally a Traveler, right?


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## SirMike1983

Here's a neat one - a very early New World with the rear-facing back forks. New Worlds went to forward-facing drops before WWII and well before the Schwinn ballooners. But this one is quite early and has the old style back forks with adjuster screws. It even has some nice Superior fenders and rims. 









An eBay seller has this bike for sale right now, though he's asking full retail for it. It's also a nice example of how ballooner parts and coaster brakes could mix in with higher-end type Superior rims on a single bike. You could get just about any combination of parts you wanted at the time (provided the company had access to them). The New World, Superior, and Continental bikes were an effort to make a semi-custom, personally-tailored bike for the adult who wanted an "all 'rounder" utility or vacationing bike. Where as the Paramount could be a fully-customized, personal bike at the very high end of the market, these bikes offered a semi-custom and more affordable bike for most adults. 

Unfortunately, Schwinn was a couple of decades early in this endeavor. This was long before the 1970s-era bike boom where adults in the U.S. began really riding bikes.

http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-5...0001&campid=5335809022&icep_item=302459487272


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## MarkKBike

*Oilit "With the stainless steel fenders it was originally a Traveler, right?"

I do believe its a 56 Traveler. The rear hub is stamped with 56,  I have not tracked down the frames serial number yet. Only the rear fender is original, the front fender I borrowed from another bike.*


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## SirMike1983

A little side-by-side action: a concept where I'll be comparing various bikes I own. This first side-by-side involves a pre-war and a post-war New World. I'll be doing subsequent comparison that compare different bike models and even different bike brands that I have on hand. 

The idea is to compare two particular bicycles. There will be some generalizations, but this is not to speak for every possible New World variation (I have a guide to the New World for more general stuff).

https://bikeshedva.blogspot.com/2017/09/side-by-side-pre-war-and-post-war.html


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## SirMike1983

Pre-war Schwinn frame with fillet brazing, again a picture from an eBay auction. Not affiliated with this auction, but it's a nice picture illustrating how the frame is constructed.


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## SirMike1983

More New World:









And a discussion of "retrograding" your bicycle project - that is, later going back and revising your bike to contain more 'old stock' and 'period' type parts.

https://bikeshedva.blogspot.com/2017/10/moving-backwards-in-time-with-parts.html


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## rollfaster

SirMike1983 said:


> Here's a neat one - a very early New World with the rear-facing back forks. New Worlds went to forward-facing drops before WWII and well before the Schwinn ballooners. But this one is quite early and has the old style back forks with adjuster screws. It even has some nice Superior fenders and
> 
> View attachment 681099
> 
> View attachment 681100
> 
> An eBay seller has this bike for sale right now, though he's asking full retail for it. It's also a nice example of how ballooner parts and coaster brakes could mix in with higher-end type Superior rims on a single bike. You could get just about any combination of parts you wanted at the time (provided the company had access to them). The New World, Superior, and Continental bikes were an effort to make a semi-custom, personally-tailored bike for the adult who wanted an "all 'rounder" utility or vacationing bike. Where as the Paramount could be a fully-customized, personal bike at the very high end of the market, these bikes offered a semi-custom and more affordable bike for most adults.
> 
> Unfortunately, Schwinn was a couple of decades early in this endeavor. This was long before the 1970s-era bike boom where adults in the U.S. began really riding bikes.
> 
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-PRE...487272?hash=item466bfd8428:g:MmYAAOSwLiJZwcmR



That is gorgeous!!


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## SirMike1983

Had  Schwinn 3-speed weekend last weekend. Saturday was breezy, but warm and dry. Sunday's ride was cut short due to rain. I took out the 1941 New World on Saturday and the 1947 Continental on Sunday. Great bikes.


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## SirMike1983

Acquired a set of 1947 Continental wheels here on the CABE - duraluminum front Schwinn hub with oiler; Schwinn stainless rims; double-butted spokes; and October 1947 Sturmey Archer AW hub. They really go well on this 1941 New World - a better wheelset is one of the best investments you can make on any bike. I love Continental wheelsets because they're a good way to liven up any Schwinn 3-speed. This New World really is comfortable riding.


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## Two Wheeler

1954


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## Eric Amlie

Repaint?


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## Two Wheeler

Eric Amlie said:


> Repaint?



Yes, this is a before shot. Original color matched from the fork. This was my brother-in-laws bike since new.


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## Eric Amlie

Nice job...it looks great!


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## harpon

I suppose it's sacrilege here, but this 27" wheel World Tourst 3 speed is currently set up with 700 c alloy wheels a light rear derailleur with a 6 cog, and a light alloy crank and alloy rat trap pedals, and a one piece alloy Chinese post.
 Sans the fenders- I've strapped a battery to the down tube, but have yet to try it out with an electric hub.  Yet I'm thinking of putting all that stuff back on and reselling too-
The wheels were a good roll but heavy, and once I went to light 700c wheels , I really felt the fenders grabbing more air then and had to take them off- it sorta takes some of the character away, but in my older days, I'm strictly a fair weather rider.  I think it's a '78 if I remember right.


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## Oilit

In 1978 they were still building the three speed lightweights in Chicago, but they had EF frames and Sturmey-Archer hubs. That one has a lugged frame, so it may have come from Greenville MS, or it could have been imported. Either way, I'd say early '80's.


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## SirMike1983

It's the elusive post-war Superior 3-speed - another example has turned up on eBay. The price is very high (not interested at the price being asked), but I like pulling these pictures as references because the post-war Superior 3-speed is an uncommon bike. My impression is that the Superior's market range was largely given to the 3-speed Continental after WWII. You sometimes hear people say that the Superior was "replaced" by the Continental after WWII. This is only mostly true - not all true. The Superior still existed, but seems to have been produced in small numbers. I've seen far more Continentals compared to post-war Superiors. I've seen more pre-war Superiors than post-war Superiors. 









The Superior had the painted steel fenders like the New World, but got extra coloration to set it a notch above the New World. The ones I've seen lack the stainless, higher-end fenders of the Continental. The chainring is New World-style.

The decals are unique to the Superior. They're neat bikes. I've only seen a couple of these and I got out of my way to look for this sort of stuff.


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## Oilit

SirMike1983 said:


> It's the elusive post-war Superior 3-speed - another example has turned up on eBay. The price is very high (not interested at the price being asked), but I like pulling these pictures as references because the post-war Superior 3-speed is an uncommon bike. My impression is that the Superior's market range was largely given to the 3-speed Continental after WWII. You sometimes hear people say that the Superior was "replaced" by the Continental after WWII. This is only mostly true - not all true. The Superior still existed, but seems to have been produced in small numbers. I've seen far more Continentals compared to post-war Superiors. I've seen more pre-war Superiors than post-war Superiors.
> 
> View attachment 795327
> 
> View attachment 795328
> 
> The Superior had the painted steel fenders like the New World, but got extra coloration to set it a notch above the New World. The ones I've seen lack the stainless, higher-end fenders of the Continental. The chainring is New World-style.
> 
> The decals are unique to the Superior. They're neat bikes. I've only seen a couple of these and I got out of my way to look for this sort of stuff.



That's the first one I've ever seen. Thanks for posting the pictures!


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## SirMike1983

1947 Schwinn 3-speed takes its first ride of the season - really good weather this evening.


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## PCHiggin

The blue one was made in the  early 80's by Giant,Taiwan


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## Oilit

And yes, it DOES qualify as sacrilege! Repent, ye unbeliever! 
But then again, if the price was right....


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## Retrorider

Oilit said:


> And yes, it DOES qualify as sacrilege! Repent, ye unbeliever!
> But then again, if the price was right....


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## Retrorider

Loving this 47 schwinn continental with
porteur type mods made.
Pictured below with stock wheels with all black Kenda tires and with 650b wheels off my other bike(black and tan 44-584 grand bois hetres). Not for the purists but I love the way it looks and rides..


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## SirMike1983

Found a neat set of pre-war Schwinn cranks for this. They even came with the original cotter pins. I had a correct, pre-war Schwinn spindle and adjustable cup/ring in a box in the garage. So I ended up putting these pre-war cranks onto the red 1941 Schwinn New World. The bike previously had a 1940s cloverleaf 3-piece crank set on it, which came from a late 1940s bike. This set brings this old Schwinn even closer to its original 1941 form.


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## SirMike1983

A few close-up detail shots from the 1947 New World


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## SirMike1983

One thing I have never been happy about with the Schwinn 3-speeds is the use of a 1/2 pedal spindle. The 1/2 inch spindle size tends to bring out a lot of pedals that are more modern than a 1940s-50s bike should have. The best option has long been to run original Torrington, Schwinn, Wald, etc. pedals. The problem is that many of the older pedals are worn or bent. This is not a great option if you put hundreds of miles on a bike in a season - 60+ years old pedals just don't always hold up.

I looked into pedal adapters that would allow a 9/16 pedal to run on the cranks, but the pedal-to-crank spacing was changed too much for my liking. I also considered tapping-out the spindles to 9/16, but did not like the idea of permanently modifying such parts.

So I was happy to find that through a Japanese eBay seller, I was able to buy MKS 3000S pedals (traditional rubber blocks, no reflectors) in the Schwinn 1/2 inch size. For those interested in a traditional, newly-made pedal for Schwinn lightweights, consider the MKS 3000S with a 1/2 inch spindle. The quality is good and the look is good - they're a classic black rubber block pedal that can be torn-down for re-greasing and re-building. I had several 9/16 spindle sets for Raleighs, and with the 1/2 ones, I have some nice alternative pedals for Schwinn 3-speeds as well.





These pedals are brand new, but fit great in this 1940s-era set of Schwinn cranks.


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## SirMike1983

1947 Schwinn Continental out and about this weekend:


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## morton

Just hit the 1000 mile mark with my 27" alloy wheeled Speedster.  Still heavy but fun to ride on mostly level ground.

I did work up a 2 speed kickback tribute bike to my beloved Lucky Dog.  Not entirely happy with the graphics and will be changing them soon.  Bike was originally a 3 speed and I left all the braze-ons intact in case I didn't like the 2 speed....I don't.  Plan on changing it back to original 3 speed.









 

By the way, there is no Lucky Dog Bike Shop.  I was just experimenting with decals.


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## rollfaster

53 New World no 2. Sorry, not a 3-speed.


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## SirMike1983

Down at the local wildlife refuge - 1947 New World.


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## SirMike1983

Excellent weather for an evening ride on the Farmington River Trail - from Collinsville to Unionville, Conn. and back. 1947 Schwinn New World 3-speed.


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## cyclingday

This interesting, 1955 Schwinn Continental,


Clubman, 3 speed, showed up on eBay this week.


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## Jim Barnard

Loved the quadrant shifter on this war time (?) Schwinn. I have yet to clean her up and ride her.


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## rollfaster

Jim Barnard said:


> Loved the quadrant shifter on this war time (?) Schwinn. I have yet to clean her up and ride her.
> 
> View attachment 1068442
> 
> View attachment 1068443
> 
> View attachment 1068444



Sweet ride! Is there a date code on the hub shell?


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## Jim Barnard

rollfaster said:


> Sweet ride! Is there a date code on the hub shell?




Nope!
Just a "patent" stamp. At first I thought it was an alloy hub or an early "SW", but she is an "AW".


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## rennfaron

Jim Barnard said:


> Loved the quadrant shifter on this war time (?) Schwinn. I have yet to clean her up and ride her.



That's a first year corvette '55 saddle on there.


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## SirMike1983

That's a post-war bike with a left over hub. Looks like a 1946-49 period Continental.


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## Marine Electric

I owned/rode a Schwinn 3-speed for quite a while and have experience with several others.  

They are undoubtedly well built bicycles but in my opinion, they're NO fun to ride.


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## SirMike1983

With that red one - take a close look at the front of the frame (or put a straight edge on it) before riding. The top and down tube look bent from a front-end collision in that one photo. Could just be the photo angle as well.


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## rennfaron

SirMike1983 said:


> With that red one - take a close look at the front of the frame (or put a straight edge on it) before riding. The top and down tube look bent from a front-end collision in that one photo. Could just be the photo angle as well.



I was thinking that too. A little bit of a camel back.


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## Jim Barnard

SirMike1983 said:


> With that red one - take a close look at the front of the frame (or put a straight edge on it) before riding. The top and down tube look bent from a front-end collision in that one photo. Could just be the photo angle as well.





There is top and down tube ripples an inch back from the steer tube. Since the dainty fork is true, I assumed that the ripples are poor factory attachment / welds. The ripples are 360 degrees around the tubes. 

Is this not common with these?


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## SirMike1983

Hard to tell from that photo. The fillets from a 1947 Continental are below:






The fillet certainly rounds-off the shape around the joint. But leading into the fillet, the tube should be straight and without dents or ripples.

Bending of the fork is the most common thing with front-end damage, but every so often you come across a bike where the frame gave first.


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