# Dating a Schwinn Lincoln...19??



## Joseph Frost (Feb 20, 2022)

I bought this Lincoln a few years back, from the original owner, well his dad bought it. He told me his dad bought it in 1939. After may questions over the years, I'm not sure what year it is .Lincoln, front and rear drum brakes. Has chrome fenders which were installed in 1962 when it was painted John Deere green. Had the 599 tires and wheels. I switched to S-6 597. Serial number is 137. Don't know original color, thought I would find that under the head-badge. Talked to many people. The frame looks most like a 1934 Liberty I saw on-line, with those seat stays. Any input would be appreciated.


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## Freqman1 (Feb 20, 2022)

I’m thinking about 1940


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## SirMike1983 (Feb 20, 2022)

I'd even go a step back - it doesn't look like a Schwinn lightweight to me. It has more of the look of an "antique" era bike or perhaps another brand? It reminds me of an old Manton & Smith "lightweight" frame.


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## GTs58 (Feb 20, 2022)

SirMike1983 said:


> I'd even go a step back - it doesn't look like a Schwinn lightweight to me. It has more of the look of an "antique" era bike or perhaps another brand? It reminds me of an old Manton & Smith "lightweight" frame.




It's not a lightweight and it was built before there was such a classification. I mentioned that it wasn't a lightweight in his other postings. It's most likely a 30's Roadster that had 11/2" tires. Welded on seat post clamp so later than 1933.


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## SirMike1983 (Feb 20, 2022)

GTs58 said:


> It's not a lightweight and it was built before there was such a classification. I mentioned that it wasn't a lightweight in his other postings. It's most likely a 30's Roadster that had 11/2" tires. Welded on seat post clamp so later than 1933.
> 
> 
> View attachment 1574457​




Yeah, the stays are too heavily built from the look of it. So an earlier frame with some later parts put together into something useful. It has some high-value parts on it from the look of that. Actually, would be a cool bike if you built a set of drum brake hubs into some nice 650b (26 x 1 1/2) wheels with gravel type tires.


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## bloo (Feb 20, 2022)

I think Freqman1 probably nailed the year (1940) based on some of pieces I see, *but who can make sense of the three digit serial number? *

The original post said it had 599 (26x1.375) rims. What do you all make of that? The roadster in the catalog is 28 inch. This bike doesn't have the look of a 28x1-1/2 single tube bike converted to 26. 

26x1-1/2 in single tube would have been a juvenile size because 28x1-1/2 is standard adult. I guess that might be possible, but then someone would have had to buy it with weird old fashioned single tube tires, in a juvenile size, in 1940 when ballooners were huge, and with the war looming, relace to 599 clinchers before the war, because the 599s were deprecated after the war, and who would relace to an obsolete prewar size? It makes no sense. 

I'm guessing if it is a Schwinn frame at all it was born with the 599 rims. Am I missing something?


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## Joseph Frost (Feb 20, 2022)

Yes, the tires it came with were these. I put the S-6 rims on there so I could find tires. I have completely redone this bike and ride it often. I will have to go see the seller and get a copy of the original receipt when his father bought it. I haven't talked to him in quite awhile, he is over 80 and his wife has been in a nursing home. I'll see him when the weather warms up. I ride the bike to his house, just a block away .I appreciate all the input, it was a dead-end for me a few years back.


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## GTs58 (Feb 20, 2022)

bloo said:


> I think Freqman1 probably nailed the year (1940) based on some of pieces I see, *but who can make sense of the three digit serial number? *
> 
> The original post said it had 599 (26x1.375) rims. What do you all make of that? The roadster in the catalog is 28 inch. This bike doesn't have the look of a 28x1-1/2 single tube bike converted to 26.
> 
> ...




Schwinn was producing the lightweight diamond frames in 1938 so why would they build a motorbike era frame like this in 1940? And they had machine stamped serial numbers on the one piece crank shells. I highly doubt this was built in 1940 if in fact it is a Schwinn. The three number hand stamped SN is really odd and I started to think that this isn't even a Schwinn frame. I can't tell from the pictures if a 26" balloon tire would fit in that frame.
I mentioned to the OP earlier that his piece might be a 34-36 model due to the hand stamped serial and some other details. Are there any 34-37 catalogs out there that might shed some light?


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## Joseph Frost (Feb 22, 2022)

A few more photos from other views


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## Joseph Frost (Feb 25, 2022)

Well, I don't know anymore than I did a couple weeks ago. A lot of people believe it is not what I believe it to be....but the same people want me to sell it to them. Well, it is done the way I like it and I would never sell my old friends bike.


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## KevinBrick (Feb 25, 2022)

I have a bike that had a strange serial # stamped on the bottom bracket.. I sanded around it and revealed the original #.. Another option would be to pull out the crank..
Mine is a 1937


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## bloo (Feb 25, 2022)

As pictured in green, it has an awful lot of circa 1940 Schwinn parts. I second the notion to check the old crank for a date. It looks like it may be Schwinn too, and circa 1940 it would be dated.

What I cant get my head around is the 3 digit serial number, the frame that doesn't really look like Schwinn in the 1940 era, the Chicago Cycle badge that you see on Schwinns, but in this case it appears to be held on with u-drives instead of the screws you would normally see on a 1940 era Schwinn. My best guess, and it truly is a wild one, is that Chicago Cycle put this together themselves with Schwinnn parts and a frame from some other source. You should take that with a huge grain of salt. The other guys around here know a lot more than I do.

Whatever it is, I really like it.


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## Andrew Gorman (Feb 25, 2022)

I like it.  Whatever the frame is it seems to be kitted out as an adult commuter or transportation bike, which is pretty rare from that era.


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## Autocycleplane (Feb 26, 2022)

Not sure about the serial, but those aren't much help in many cases anyway. As mentioned before, lots of 40/41 Schwinn parts on it as well as the tell-tale 40-41 style Schwinn seat collar. It's Chicago Cycle Supply, so anything goes.

Regardless, very cool bike before and after.


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## The Spokemaster (Mar 12, 2022)

Chicago Cycle Supply was a old bicycle and parts wholesaler from long ago.  The owner of CCS had a brother who ran Louisville Cycle Supply out of Louisville, KY.  I did business with both of these companies back in the 70's and 80's.


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## The Spokemaster (Mar 12, 2022)

Those rebuilt wheels have the valve stem one click out of position ....valves should be placed where the spokes run perfectly parallel to one another ....Stronglight crank would not have been found on original build = it's a double chainring crank for a 10 speed road bicycle ....seat, grips, handlebar, tires, stem, brake levers, pedals are used in order to expedite a rebuild ....it is a nice looking bicycle, even with many 'non-original' parts


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