# Old continental survivor



## Balloontyre (Oct 27, 2022)

Grabbed this bike over the summer from local craigslist. 
1st year continental I believe.


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## juvela (Oct 28, 2022)

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WOW!   😃 

wonderful to find one so complete and undamaged

is the speedo/odo drive unit for a Stewy Warner?

will look forward to following the updates as you work with the cycle...


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## Goldenrod (Oct 28, 2022)

The pin striping is first rate.  I just realized that when they named it, they meant the European continent.  Someone kept this gent inside all these years so that we can admire the classiness that Schwinn was aiming for.  The kick stand is their best innovation -- simple and fool proof.  One piece cranks, double steel rims and smooth, strong frames mean that they cared about their customers.


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## DrRumack80 (Oct 28, 2022)

Stunning! Amazing patina on that bike.


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## SirMike1983 (Oct 28, 2022)

That's a nice find. Craigslist here is mainly scams and department store bikes missing parts. It's a little unusual to find a Condintental with the AS&CO chainring.


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## SirMike1983 (Oct 28, 2022)

Actually, the more I look at this, the more unusual it gets. It's badged as a Continental and has the larger tubes for the frame, but the paint style, chainguard paint, fork style (no tabs for the wire braces), chainring, painted fenders with heavy braces are all styled like one would find on a New World. Perhaps something different about the first year Continental (?). Interesting bike.


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## biker (Oct 28, 2022)

Balloontyre said:


> Grabbed this bike over the summer from local craigslist.
> 1st year continental I believe.
> 
> View attachment 1720688
> ...



What year would this be?


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## Oilit (Oct 28, 2022)

SirMike1983 said:


> Actually, the more I look at this, the more unusual it gets. It's badged as a Continental and has the larger tubes for the frame, but the paint style, chainguard paint, fork style (no tabs for the wire braces), chainring, painted fenders with heavy braces are all styled like one would find on a New World. Perhaps something different about the first year Continental (?). Interesting bike.



The post-war New Worlds had some "electroforged" joints, this one has the "Seamless Steel Tubing" decal and I'm wondering if this was still all brazed, but that's just a guess. This and and the one @Jim sciano has are the only two I've seen this early. I would love to see some more close-ups of the details, Schwinn was making a lot of changes during this time and survivors like this just don't turn up very often.


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## SirMike1983 (Oct 28, 2022)

Yes, it's all fillet brazed from the look of it - larger tubes, has the fillets around the pipes. I like the conservative styling with the fillet brazed frame. The earliest Continental I had was from 1947 and it had the more over-the-top styling with the winged graphics, bright blue paint, stainless fenders. It was a nice bike, but definitely a different approach to the look. These earlier Continentals are a little different and more "old school" in some ways.


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## 49autocycledeluxe (Oct 28, 2022)

ooooooh! nice.


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## rennfaron (Oct 28, 2022)




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## GTs58 (Oct 28, 2022)

What, no picture of the serial number?!!


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## Oilit (Oct 28, 2022)

@Balloontyre, are there any stampings on the hubs and rims of your bike? I'm thinking these early rims may not be marked, but I could be wrong.


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## Jim sciano (Oct 28, 2022)

@Balloontyre  Very cool. Definitely spot on with the one I own except your paint and pins are much nicer. They seemed to mainly advertise for the 46-47 model which has the stainless fenders. I was under the impression that those were the first continentals after the war. But, after finding mine, yours and some of the other women’s models, it’s pretty clear that these were the first, ealiest ones out of the factory after the war. Nice score. Would love to know the serial on yours and if those are stainless rims. Mine are stainless. Also, I think we are both in Wisconsin so I’m curious if by chance the serial is close.  I picked mine up near the Appleton area.  Mine is still in que awaiting its turn. Let me know if you want to part with it. Thanks for posting it.


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## Balloontyre (Oct 28, 2022)

I can check out hubs, rims, serial # in a couple days,  from memory... I believe K serial,  no markings on rims.


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## GTs58 (Oct 28, 2022)

I don't think the serial number is going to tell us much. From what I've seen the first couple of post war years had serial numbers scattered throughout and that included the Balloon models. The K serials started during war time, and they continued from what I've seen into 1947. So we have the first made new Continental model (1945-46?) with a K serial, maybe a second year with the changes to chrome fenders and the new decal package and then a possible 1947 model using the SA 1947 hubs to date another K serial Continental that was owned by mbStude and then SirMike. And here is one that Harpo owns with the updates and his hub is not dated which was noted as being an early post war hub.

*Harpo's Blue Continental with undated SA hub. 46? model *





*mbstude/SirMikes Blue Continental with a 47-9 dated SA hub.*





*Jim Sciano's first production late 45 early 46? *





*The early White Lady's @rennfaron posted above. K3262 *





The K series numbers were possibly used in 45-46-47.

*Here's another one that had the ornate decals and bright fenders and guard. *


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## Balloontyre (Nov 1, 2022)

@Oilit 
No markings on rims that i can find, hubs look aluminum?? with sliding oil port cover,  #K2470
@juvela , dunno about the speedo driver?


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## Jim sciano (Nov 1, 2022)

Balloontyre said:


> @Oilit
> No markings on rims that i can find, hubs look aluminum?? with sliding oil port cover,  #K2470
> @juvela , dunno about the speedo driver?
> View attachment 1723990
> ...



@Balloontyre Pretty close to my 2139 serial. Hubs should be the schwinn dural aluminum hubs. Any history of where the bike resided for most of its life? Do you plan on hanging onto it or do you think you might sell it? Thanks, Jim


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## juvela (Nov 1, 2022)

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thanks very much for the update of your inquiries

regarding speedo/odo -

hast ye espied a mark on bar wherest erstwhile resided mounting bracket for gauge?

thank you again 😉


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## juvela (Nov 2, 2022)

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looking like drive unit for cyclometer is indeed a Stewy Warner item

thanks to this image posted by GTs58

states that this Crown branded cyclometer was contract produced by Stewy...





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## Oilit (Nov 12, 2022)

Balloontyre said:


> @Oilit
> No markings on rims that i can find, hubs look aluminum?? with sliding oil port cover,  #K2470
> @juvela , dunno about the speedo driver?
> View attachment 1723990
> ...



No markings may be right. In the ads, you notice that it just says the rims are "New Schwinn". They may not have even started calling these "S-6" yet. But the spokes are closer to centerline than the pre-war rims, so I'm guessing these are tubular S-6's. And they look like they may clean up nice!


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