# What tires would a 1940 Schwinn DX have come with?



## fordmike65 (Mar 8, 2022)

Typhoons? US Royal Chain? Help! I don't Speak Schwinn!🤐


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## bobcycles (Mar 8, 2022)

Goodyear airwheel g3, US Royal Master, US Royal posssssibly chain?...Gillette bear


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## Nashman (Mar 8, 2022)

bobcycles said:


> Goodyear airwheel g3, US Royal Master, US Royal posssssibly chain?...Gillette bear



Why would this not of had Typhoons? I'm not debating, just curious?


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## bloo (Mar 8, 2022)

Gillette Bear has turned up on build sheets found in Schwinns from about that time, not that it does you any good. Its probably one of many possibilities, and I don't remember if any of them were DX or not. 

Hey @bobcycles , did Typhoons exist before 1941?


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## fordmike65 (Mar 8, 2022)

The guy I'm helping get his DX back up & running would like something that looks original if possible. I figure he can choose between Schwinn repoop Typhoons, John's chaintreads or one of the G3 looking tires out there. He seems to like the Typhoons because that is what's on there now, but I'd like to better inform him in case he has other options. Thanks so far for the help.


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## Nashman (Mar 8, 2022)

bloo said:


> Gillette Bear has turned up on build sheets found in Schwinns from about that time, not that it does you any good. Its probably one of many possibilities, and I don't remember if any of them were DX or not.
> 
> Hey @bobcycles , did Typhoons exist before 1941?



Thanks, Yeah, that was my question for Bob. I just spazzed out and forgot how to ask him on a thread. I was just thinking, perhaps the Typhoons were not invented yet!!  Ha!


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## Nashman (Mar 8, 2022)

fordmike65 said:


> The guy I'm helping get his DX back up & running would like something that looks original if possible. I figure he can choose between Schwinn repoop Typhoons, John's chaintreads or one of the G3 looking tires out there. He seems to like the Typhoons because that is what's on there now, but I'd like to better inform him in case he has other options. Thanks so far for the help.



Maybe it's just the repop Typhoon whitewalls seeming like middle weight tires ( I had some once), perhaps they were re-popped by a couple of vendors?, but the B/W's I saw on here a week or so ago looked great, and Beefy. If he's a purist, go original rubber. If he's "thrifty" and wants a higher pressure tire ( won't outlast an original) re-pops fit the build in my humble opinion. In that case, go with John's chain treads.


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## Maskadeo (Mar 8, 2022)

Lots of Gillette Bears seen on these from new, but as Bob said a few different options available.


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## fordmike65 (Mar 8, 2022)

OK, maybe I need to re-word my question. What new tire would be most correct for this '40 DX? The owner wants to ride it around without worry, so he's not interested in keeping vintage tires on it. John's chaintreads, Schwinn repop Typhoons(tho it sounds like they were not around yet) or Duro/Chen Shin tires with G3 style tread. I believe Duro also makes a Typhoon type tread tire.


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## fordmike65 (Mar 8, 2022)

A Timeline of Tires...which tire where? | Classic Balloon Tire Bicycles 1933-1965
					

I'm new to the CABE and am looking to get started with some tire questions.  Mainly, I'm asking what type of tire would be appropriate for a given bike in a given year.  I'm also interested in knowing a tire timeline such as what years were Schwinn Typhoon Cord tires produced..  Starting off...




					thecabe.com
				






cyclingday said:


> Once Schwinn started producing its own tires, you can be pretty sure that they were specified on most bikes coming out of the factory.
> The Schwinn Typhoon cord first showed up as the Cyclone in 1940, so any heavywieght Schwinn made after that year would be legit with a pair of Typhoons on it.
> Besides, they were the best riding tires ever made, so, why would you want to ride on anything else?
> 
> ...


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## bloo (Mar 8, 2022)

I wanna see what bobcycles says lol.

Here's my take, you cant get Bears anyhow. There are two kinds of those Goodyear clone treads, maybe three. None of them could pass for a Goodyear, even at a distance. Typhoon clones have the look of the real thing, more or less, but I don't think Typhoons existed until 1941(?), and in any event, they scream postwar to me. That leaves John's Chains. That tread pattern is so old it predates balloon tires by at least a decade, probably longer. I don't know if they were OE on Schwinn or not, but they seem like an obvious choice.

EDIT: Apparently Typhoon/Cyclone are legit in 1940. TIL.


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## nightrider (Mar 8, 2022)

So, has anyone bought John's tires lately? I sent him 2 emails in January, haven't heard a peep.


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## Junkman Bob (Mar 8, 2022)

I vote chaintreads


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## Maskadeo (Mar 8, 2022)

Can’t go wrong with new black wall chains!


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## mr.cycleplane (Mar 8, 2022)

cyclingday said:


> Once Schwinn started producing its own tires, you can be pretty sure that they were specified on most bikes coming out of the factory.
> The Schwinn Typhoon cord first showed up as the Cyclone in 1940, so any heavywieght Schwinn made after that year would be legit with a pair of Typhoons on it.
> Besides, they were the best riding tires ever made, so, why would you want to ride on anything else?
> 
> ...



This is the correct answer-thank you cyclingday/Marty! Schwinn debuted the 'cyclone/typhoon tire on their 'popular-priced DX model' in 1939.


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## GTs58 (Mar 8, 2022)




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## mr.cycleplane (Mar 8, 2022)




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## SJ_BIKER (Mar 8, 2022)

Typhoon cords in 41


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## Nashman (Mar 8, 2022)

nightrider said:


> So, has anyone bought John's tires lately? I sent him 2 emails in January, haven't heard a peep.



If John doesn't get back to you on tires, I have bought these off Scott in the past @sm2501


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## SJ_BIKER (Mar 8, 2022)

Goodyear all weather or goodrich if Goodrich badged


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## A.S.BOLTNUT (Mar 9, 2022)

fordmike65 said:


> OK, maybe I need to re-word my question. What new tire would be most correct for this '40 DX? The owner wants to ride it around without worry, so he's not interested in keeping vintage tires on it. John's chaintreads, Schwinn repop Typhoons(tho it sounds like they were not around yet) or Duro/Chen Shin tires with G3 style tread. I believe Duro also makes a Typhoon type tread tire.



Welcome , you came to the right place, ther are plenty of knowledgeable people here that can help you with your questions! Lol... if anyone questions your choice of tires , just tell them it's a resto mod !

Rafael


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## SJ_BIKER (Mar 9, 2022)

SJ_BIKER said:


> Typhoon cords in 41
> 
> View attachment 1585041



I stand corrected cyclone cords for 1940 not typhoon. Per letter from schwinn in this thread ....never a dull moment with schwinn stuff


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## Autocycleplane (Mar 9, 2022)

I've never seen any lit for the Cyclone in '39, doesn't mean there isn't any.

Catalog pages for DX tires:

'39 DX - Bear
'40 DX - Cyclone
'41 DX - Typhoon


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## mr.cycleplane (Mar 10, 2022)

There is literature of a diamond framed(1939?) dx with the cyclone tire featured on 'our popular priced model'. Weather it was Schwin or Chicago Cycle Supply literature-I can't remember. The circumstances I remember how I came across it was that 40+ years ago there wasn't great knowledge of these details. I came under criticism for using a typhoon tire on a prewar bike and the general 'knowledge' at the time was that the typhoon tire was thought to have come out with the phantom's debut-which I thought was ridiculous. One thing that convinced me I was right using a typhoon tire on a prewar bike was I had access to a load of 300 bikes in 1980/1 that were all Schwinn and came out of a shop in Missoula,Montana and had closed when ww2 broke out. Everything was as left intact from 1941-neat grouping. Anyway 98% of the bikes all had 'brick-pattern' tires(cyclone or typhoon)-I didn't pay attention to the name but remember the tire pattern. Anyway there was a bike meet/seminar in 1988 and the specific subject of the cyclone/typhoon tire came up and it was stressed that tire was definitely a postwar tire. To many collectors surprise I had purchased a couple pieces of literature that showed a diamond framed dx featuring the cyclone/typhoon tires. don't know the year of the literature but remember the diamond frame dx(1939) may have been late 1939(actually a 1940). It has stuck in my head-1939dx/cyclone tire must have been the debut! Also one of those Schwinn myth things-the cyclone tire name was used on a middleweight tire some years later and everyone thought that was that name confusion. To continue the story I had made copies(colored copies!) and at the end of the presentation I presented the copies to the speaker. Needless to say-he had a long face-and so did some of the former 'nah-sayers' present that had slammed me. The knowledge gained in the last 45 years since the bike hobby's infancy is incredible. Anyway to stay on track with the theme of this thread I would think the typhoon tire correct on a prewar dx build.


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## Vintagedesire (Mar 12, 2022)

Nashman said:


> Why would this not of had Typhoons? I'm not debating, just curious?



I have a pair of pre war cyclones in fair shape


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## Vintagedesire (Mar 12, 2022)

I have a pair of CYCLONES FOR SALE


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## GTs58 (Mar 12, 2022)

Vintagedesire said:


> I have a pair of CYCLONES FOR SALE




Can you post some pictures of those?


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## bobcycles (Mar 12, 2022)

bloo said:


> Gillette Bear has turned up on build sheets found in Schwinns from about that time, not that it does you any good. Its probably one of many possibilities, and I don't remember if any of them were DX or not.
> 
> Hey @bobcycles , did Typhoons exist before 1941?




I think Typhoons were a 1941 intro thing


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