# Strange Schwinn Forks......



## old bicycles (May 23, 2013)

Anyone know anything about these forks????  They are on a Schwinn, and look to be original to the bike.


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## jpromo (May 23, 2013)

Wow; I'm pretty familiar with Schwinn New Worlds and they did have 3 or 4 fork varieties that could have come with them but I'm not familiar with that one. It somewhat resembles the others though.


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## detroitbike (May 23, 2013)

could you post pictures of the fork ends?


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## jpromo (May 23, 2013)

Here are two of the different New World crowns I've had:


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## old bicycles (May 24, 2013)

jpromo said:


> Wow; I'm pretty familiar with Schwinn New Worlds and they did have 3 or 4 fork varieties that could have come with them but I'm not familiar with that one. It somewhat resembles the others though.




Thanks for the info.


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## jpromo (May 24, 2013)

I'd call them correct, original Schwinn just because of how similar the construction is. These shall now be known as Tie Fighter forks.


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## RMS37 (May 24, 2013)

Dig those shoulder pads!

_I'll post this here as well as on the other thread regarding this fork_.

   To me these look like a set of standard Schwinn lightweight forks with a steel tube or rod brazed/welded over the top and down the legs.  I would also guess this is a post factory modification to the fork. It seems a stretch to me to believe this is a factory modification because the standard forks were designed to be fully adequate and were sold in large numbers on that premise. If Schwinn had decided to build a stronger fork I doubt this would have been their solution.  I also doubt it was done by someone for style alone so perhaps it was part of a repair?  The work looks exceptionally well finished in the photos (at least compared to what is usually found in after market repairs) but occasionally repairs did end up in the hands of someone with fabrication skills. 

  Whatever the reason is for the existence of this fork, it is pretty cool looking. Removing the paint from around the affected area might provide more evidence but I would be inclined to enjoy it, as is, safely behind glass in a display case….or sell it on to Bob (see 2nd thread) if he is willing to step up to a realistic price.


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## jpromo (May 24, 2013)

I can dig that assessment. I have come across a handful of early lightweight forks that are bent on the legs instead of the more common steer tube bend.. so adequate may be a good word to describe their rigidity.

Possibly somebody had bent the fork and their cocky welder friend, who dreamt of being an engineer, wanted a crack at it. So he fabbed this up with a mild buzz because he works best when he's mildly buzzed.


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## old bicycles (May 24, 2013)

jpromo said:


> I'd call them correct, original Schwinn just because of how similar the construction is. These shall now be known as Tie Fighter forks.




Thanks. They look and seem original to me.


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## Stinky_Sullivan (May 24, 2013)

old bicycles said:


> Anyone know anything about these forks????  They are on a Schwinn, and look to be original to the bike.




It looks as though one fork is flat on the inside while the other is rounded? Is that the case or is it just the angle of the picture?

Initially, I'm inclined to think it's original. If you were to cut off the entire ridge, the fork would be excessively narrow at the top.


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## schwinnderella (May 24, 2013)

As always it is a pleasure to read phil's helpfull, intelligent, knowledgable,  and well thought out post. thanks phil


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## pedal4416 (May 26, 2013)

I saw those forks at Copake, they looked like a factory job or someone was really good at what they do.


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