# Interesting observations.



## cyclingday (May 17, 2021)

I was flipping through a magazine, and I came across this interesting ad, for the 1938 Motorbike.
Notice the front and rear expander brakes.




This set up was commonly advertised for the new lightweight Paramount/Superior line, but I had not seen it advertised for the balloon tire models.
Notice the big Webb levers, that are mostly associated with the 1939 B models.
Unusual to see them outside of the lightweight line, in a 1938 copy advertisement.
Another interesting observation, was this Schwinn parade float.



Notice the Motorbike on board, sporting the Crossbar Speedometer option.
Again, not something normally associated with the Motorbike level model.
Pretty cool!


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## Handle Bar Hoarder (May 17, 2021)

cyclingday said:


> I was flipping through a magazine, and I came across this interesting ad, for the 1938 Motorbike.
> Notice the front and rear expander brakes.
> View attachment 1413934
> This set up was commonly advertised for the new lightweight Paramount/Superior line, but I had not seen it advertised for the balloon tire models.
> ...



THAT'S A BAD A$$ PIC


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## bloo (May 17, 2021)

Whats up with that 1/2" pitch clover chainring? Did those even exist in 1938?


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## bobcycles (May 18, 2021)

bloo said:


> Whats up with that 1/2" pitch clover chainring? Did those even exist in 1938?




It's actually a pretty rare sprocket... and is 'saw blade' style.   Pete D picked up a 39 cantilever
out of Florida that had a rear expander brake and that very same sprocket ... not flanged
but sawblade A side same as B.  I ended up restoring that bike for a gentleman here
in Orange County and it was a real head scratcher.  I've only seen one other.
 So if you're going to put one of those early Dural rear drums on your 38-40 Motorbike/ Autocycle...
THAT indeed is the sprocket Schwinn paired with them for the right gearing ratio.


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## bloo (May 18, 2021)

46 teeth like a postwar 4-hole?


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## Freqman1 (May 18, 2021)

cyclingday said:


> I was flipping through a magazine, and I came across this interesting ad, for the 1938 Motorbike.
> Notice the front and rear expander brakes.
> View attachment 1413934
> This set up was commonly advertised for the new lightweight Paramount/Superior line, but I had not seen it advertised for the balloon tire models.
> ...



I wonder though if the bike on the float wasn't gussied up by the dealer? The print ad of the '38 leaves little doubt they were using the Dural brake and Webb levers on the balloon tire bikes a bit earlier than most think. V/r Shawn


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## cyclingday (May 18, 2021)

bobcycles said:


> It's actually a pretty rare sprocket... and is 'saw blade' style.   Pete D picked up a 39 cantilever
> out of Florida that had a rear expander brake and that very same sprocket ... not flanged
> but sawblade A side same as B.  I ended up restoring that bike for a gentleman here
> in Orange County and it was a real head scratcher.  I've only seen one other.
> ...



Wow!
That’s cool!
Did the four hole saw blade sprocket make it on to the restored bike?


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## Obi-Wan Schwinnobi (May 18, 2021)

Well, one of the levers is the big style. The other one is the lil guy… 38 catalog printed mid year or closer to Xmas. Schwinn new models didn’t start on Jan 1st. Pure advertisement. Advertise for what model is coming up , not for what is right now. Big lever and kick back strap on tank.. I mean, I say it’s for the new model year of 1939 starting probably around Xmas perhaps…


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## cyclingday (May 18, 2021)

I didn’t notice the dissimilar brake levers.
Yeah, that advertisement is full of all kinds of oddities.


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## bobcycles (May 18, 2021)

cyclingday said:


> Wow!
> That’s cool!
> Did the four hole saw blade sprocket make it on to the restored bike?




yep!  Hans bike...ended up morphing to a Super Deluxe Auto from Motorbike model
with the addition of his deluxe parts...


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## cyclingday (Nov 10, 2022)

Just spotted this, Players Cigarette trading card.
The image appears to be the same, as the 1938 Schwinn advertisement.







Kind of hard to read, but the text on the back is a classic.
It reminds me of a typical Cyclone Coaster ride, where we spend more time, eating BBQ, and talking about old bikes, than we do, actually riding them.
😆


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## SirMike1983 (Nov 10, 2022)

It's one of those statements that has a core of truth, but which ends up overbroad. My grandfather and many of his friends commuted on old time ballooners to their jobs and school in the 1930s. My grandfather's, which he held onto and I am fortunate enough to own, is a 1936 Schwinn Henderson double bar roadster. It must have been a beast to go up the local hills on it to work and school.

The other interesting thing about the statement is that it seems to have been very widely held in the British bike industry. Hamilton Osgood tried to convince Raleigh to export to the US pretty early on, before WWII. Raleigh said there was no market for English style bikes in the US because everyone traveled by car, despite Hercules Cycle and Motor exporting to the US in that time. Several US manufacturers tried to change that in the 1930s and 40s with bikes and ads aimed more at adults. But it is unclear if it made a lasting impact by the time the 1950s rolled around (and the advertising went back to youth-oriented, even on the three speed bikes).


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## cyclingday (Nov 10, 2022)

For sure!
In the 1980’s and 90’s, I commuted to work and back on a bicycle.
Most of the guys thought I was weird, or must of had a suspended drivers license for something.
They just couldn’t figure out why someone would choose to ride a bike, if they didn’t have to.


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## 49autocycledeluxe (Nov 10, 2022)

the  "Ask the boy or girl who owns one" on the parade float was stolen from Packard "ask the man that owns one" was a slogan for the entire life of Packard until they choked and died after building Studepackards in the late 50's.


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## SJ_BIKER (Nov 10, 2022)

Wonder What ever happened to this sign??


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## SJ_BIKER (Nov 10, 2022)

And is has a drop stand in 38??


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## GTs58 (Nov 10, 2022)

SJ_BIKER said:


> And is has a drop stand in 38??
> 
> View attachment 1729261



Probably used to secure the bike on the float.


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## tripple3 (Nov 10, 2022)

cyclingday said:


> For sure!
> In the 1980’s and 90’s, I commuted to work and back on a bicycle.
> Most of the guys thought I was weird, or must of had a suspended drivers license for something.
> They just couldn’t figure out why someone would choose to ride a bike, if they didn’t have to.



"Do you have a car?"
"Driver's license??"
...why do I want to ride...???
For FUN!!!
Ask the ones that do it. 😘😎🥳



"Weird" is probably correct though, if comparing.🥰
i'm OK!🤣


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