# 1959 Schwinn Speedster with shop? added front brake git up!



## Jim Barnard (Dec 2, 2018)

This pic is about late Summer. I am happily in a storage bin, making notes on what bikes I would want to make offers on. I have sworn off on buying any more red bikes, so I am trying to avoid making eye contact with the red bikes in the pile. This always works.

So, by now the owner and I have put in 2 hours pulling bikes off each other. There are bikes lined up on the floor on their side stands, there are bikes laid sideways on top of them and there are an additional strata of bikes standing up on the horizontal layer right to the ceiling. NOTHING is in danger of toppling as the sideways layer has become locked pedal through wheel for about three bikes deep across a 25x 10' inversion layer much like an Army Core pontoon bridge. I do suspect a platoon could ride a tank across this.

So rather than moving the entire bottom 2 piles (we did move the top and 1 path) I laid atop the middle layer of bikes and wormed my arm into the pile at various angles, taking pictures with my cell phone. Climb up, lay down, take 20 pics, climb back, review pics, move 5 feet further, repeat.

I found this Speedster on the far left wall at the back corner. I have since found that it was in the original load of bikes that came east when the owner moved to New England from Minnesota. The very first bike loaded into the storage was a red Shooting Star. Then my Speedster sitting there as far back in the room as possible.






So! I buy and trade for 4 or 5 bikes and begin to remove the sticky mouse traps from my shoes that had somehow become attached to my feet and head on home to see how much trouble I have gotten my self into.  I endeavor not to notice how many of the bikes, being loaded into my car, are red.





Not so bad (I think to myself). This will clean up nicely. 





I love the old Schwinn front brake accessory that came with this 1959 model... although it seems like a part from an earlier era.





This was listed as a "good value" or something like that, in the 59 catalog. So I tried to put myself in the shoes of the guy who bought this with his paper route or Burpee Seed money or perhaps the kid who got this from his Dad who, being an akamaholic and on the dole, could not afford a bike with a rack, tank or light. 

So I added the $1.59 tool bag and the $0.43 flashlight holder. I did not put in batteries for the flashlight that I assume they already had, as that would have been unlikely for this poor chap.



 
The original wheels were pretty bad (they did not look bad). It seems my track record for the Bendix 2 speed with the lever ain't great. I am batting about 20% with them. The original Bendix had both gears but no brakes. I worked it and warmed it up and lubricated it and tweeked it until neither gear worked. I replaced the rear wheel and then the front one out of spite. I rode it inside the garage until I felt silly, with a dopey smile on my face the whole time.

Jim


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## unregistered (Dec 5, 2018)

I think that brake is a Schwinn item, yes likely added at the dealer. 
Those particular front brake setups go for big bucks and if you parted with it, I'm guessing you could recoup the purchase price of the whole bike from what I've seen of them.


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## Allrounderco (Dec 5, 2018)

Real nice! 

Liking your other ‘59 in the photos, as well.


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## unregistered (Dec 5, 2018)

Liking your other ‘59 in the photos, as well.

Agreed!


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## phantom (Dec 5, 2018)

Always been my favorite MW set up.....Two speed manual with the front fork brake. I have had two Tigers with that same configuration. Very nice.


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## spoker (Dec 5, 2018)

55 and 56 americans came stock with the 2 speed and those front brakes,they started as an add on accsesory in 1949,different fork mounts and cable lengths were available,hardest ones to find are the setups for the phantom or b6 as the tubular forks took a different mount and cable length,they all had the chrome brake ever


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## Beach Bum III (Jan 17, 2019)

spoker said:


> 55 and 56 americans came stock with the 2 speed and those front brakes,they started as an add on accsesory in 1949,different fork mounts and cable lengths were available,hardest ones to find are the setups for the phantom or b6 as the tubular forks took a different mount and cable length,they all had the chrome brake ever



Aha! Thanks for the info on the brakes. I have a couple of those with the early Schwinn script on them....uh somewhere, let me see.... I think I remember seeing a catolog w them on some tandems.


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## Beach Bum III (Jan 17, 2019)

Jim. I looove this story. Haha.


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