# 1950 Schwinn World



## MantonSmith (Sep 29, 2022)

I bought this World that looks like a 1950. Messenger seat is super nice. Bike looks to be repainted. Has a locking fork that works. Pedals are wrong. And the rims don't match. Wondering what rim is correct and what else is wrong.
 I've been wanting a Schwinn lightweight with a locking fork since I was a kid in the  60s when a neighbor kid use to brag on his Schwinn Traveler with a locking fork and I finally got one. Would this be a Traveler?


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## 49autocycledeluxe (Sep 29, 2022)

travelers were all 3 speeds and started in 1950. that is a great bike! front wheel looks like it could be original, show a close up of the knurling and any writing by the valve stem. the knurling changed sometime in the later 50's.


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## 49autocycledeluxe (Sep 29, 2022)

I am a nut about proper hardware, I would be searching for original front fender hardware as soon as I got it home 🙂


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## rennfaron (Sep 29, 2022)

It's a Traveler because of the tubular fork. The World had a blade fork. Fenders are correct. If it's already a repaint you could add the other decals to finish out the look. The hardware/fenders all look in pretty decent condition. There would have been front and rear caliper brakes. Rear wheel was swapped, two reasons: 1) that's an S-5 wheel and these would have been S-6 (S-5 has an obvious raised ridge in the middle and the front one looks more correct); 2) it has a phone dial hub and they never came like this (Sturmey Archer 3 speed hub). The whole 3 speed system has been removed. Saddle is cool but not original and this would have been a mattress saddle (usually schwinn, wright or mesinger). Pedals would have most likely been Torrington 8s (or this style of Schwinn (sometimes called bottlecap) that is basically their version of the Torrington 8).


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## SirMike1983 (Sep 29, 2022)

If it was Traveler, I am not sure it would have the New World badge and horizontal holes in the head tube. It looks to me like it started as a '49 New World from the tubular fork era that was later retrofitted with Traveler fenders. Looks to have the late 1940s studded Schwinn Built caliper on the back. Good start to a project!


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## 49autocycledeluxe (Sep 29, 2022)

rennfaron said:


> It's a Traveler because of the tubular fork. The World had a blade fork.
> 
> 
> View attachment 1703730




I have never seen a small head badge lightweight with a blade fork. (pre-52?) seems to me blade forks started in the later 50's for all lightweights..  do you have some early examples you could post with the blade fork?


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## rennfaron (Sep 29, 2022)

SirMike1983 said:


> If was truly a Traveler, would it have the New World badge and horizontal holes in the head tube? It looks to me like it started as a '49 New World from the tubular fork era that was later retrofitted with Traveler fenders. Looks to have the late 1940s studded Schwinn Built caliper on the back.



I guess it could be a New World but I assumed the fenders and most of the other parts were correct. Also this could be a repaint or maybe not or maybe partially touched up. Why leave or replace with a traveler seat tube decal? So I figured that must be telling of what it once was. You can't look at the badge and say well it was a New World because of the NW badge. 

The New World badge ran until early '52. 
Here is my 1952 World 








						04/52 Schwinn World - 21” Frame - SA 3 Speed - Coach Green | Lightweight Schwinn Bicycles
					

I made a post recently on a 1950 World that was super nice condition. I was able to come across another one a little younger but just a nice. I generally don’t try and go after two of the same type models so close together in years, but the condition and the story noted below really pushed me to...




					thecabe.com
				



And my 1950 World 








						07/10/1950 Schwinn World – 21” Frame – SA 3 Speed – Black | Lightweight Schwinn Bicycles
					

As stated in a previous post, I almost never see the World models pop up. I was able to buy the bike from a fellow CABE’er and am fortunate to be the next caretaker of this bike. You don’t really come across them like this: all original, first year production example, hard to find model and in...




					thecabe.com
				




Here is 1950-51 traveler (unsure of exact year) (some swapped parts)




Here is my 1951 Traveler


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## MantonSmith (Sep 29, 2022)

All great points. Got a couple questions like what kind of front brake should it have as there is no through hole for a brake because of the lock. And could the high flange rear hub be correct with a replacement rim?


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## rennfaron (Sep 29, 2022)

This is a 1952 Traveler w/ locking fork (swapped bars, updated SA shifter and pedals). There is just a special sized caliper bolt that screws into that threaded hole. I don't have a locking fork accessible right now, so can't be of more help on sizing or specs. Also below is my 1952 World Varsity with locking fork (I have this in off site storage, so don't have it in hand right now).

The high flange rear hub would not ever be correct on a Traveler or World at the time, but could be correct if that were a New World. They were really pushing the three speed setup on those bikes at the time. The rim and hub are not correct (if a Traveler). To @SirMike1983's point, the New World and World Traveler were basically facsimiles of one another at that time, moving from the 40s to 50s and I have said it before but the New World essentially turned into the World Traveler. Trying to figure out if that is a late New World frame or an early World Traveler frame is difficult from pics. Also a lot of the hardware/components just rolled over from the New World to Traveler, so again hard to tell. I was going by the decal and other things. If you see any other decal remnants or pin stripes that could help.


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## SirMike1983 (Sep 29, 2022)

rennfaron said:


> I guess it could be a New World but I assumed the fenders and most of the other parts were correct. Also this could be a repaint or maybe not or maybe partially touched up. Why leave or replace with a traveler seat tube decal? So I figured that must be telling of what it once was. You can't look at the badge and say well it was a New World because of the NW badge.
> 
> The New World badge ran until early '52.
> Here is my 1952 World
> ...




If the fenders are right, you're probably down to a 1950 Traveler - small badge, tubular fork, Traveler fenders, studded Schwinn Built brake. Serial number looks 1949-50 era, so could well be.


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## SirMike1983 (Sep 29, 2022)

rennfaron said:


> This is a 1952 Traveler w/ locking fork (swapped bars, updated SA shifter and pedals). There is just a special sized caliper bolt that screws into that threaded hole. I don't have a locking fork accessible right now, so can't be of more help on sizing or specs. Also below is my 1952 World Varsity with locking fork (I have this in off site storage, so don't have it in hand right now).
> 
> The high flange rear hub would not ever be correct on a Traveler or World at the time, but could be correct if that were a New World. They were really pushing the three speed setup on those bikes at the time. The rim and hub are not correct (if a Traveler). To @SirMike1983's point, the New World and World Traveler were basically facsimiles of one another at that time, moving from the 40s to 50s and I have said it before but the New World essentially turned into the World Traveler. Trying to figure out if that is a late New World frame or an early World Traveler frame is difficult from pics. Also a lot of the hardware/components just rolled over from the New World to Traveler, so again hard to tell. I was going by the decal and other things. If you see any other decal remnants or pin stripes that could help.
> 
> View attachment 1703764View attachment 1703765View attachment 1703769View attachment 1703770



That black one is a knockout - really nice color scheme.


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## 49autocycledeluxe (Sep 29, 2022)

MantonSmith said:


> All great points. Got a couple questions like what kind of front brake should it have as there is no through hole for a brake because of the lock. And could the high flange rear hub be correct with a replacement rim?



I am not near my locking fork lightweight but there is unique hardware for these front brakes as the hole does go all the way through. I'll grab a photo when I get the chance, the bracket riveted to the fender itself is different as well.  

this is an obvious repaint over maroon. you can see where they taped up the seat mast emblem and the maroon shows.


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## SirMike1983 (Sep 29, 2022)

49autocycledeluxe said:


> I am not near my locking fork lightweight but there is unique hardware for these front brakes as the hole does go all the way through. I'll grab a photo when I get the chance, the bracket riveted to the fender itself is different as well.
> 
> this is an obvious repaint over maroon. you can see where they taped up the seat mast emblem and the maroon shows.




Given the way the black paint has chipped in that spot, it might be candidate to try to remove the paint. If it's just house paint or spray paint over original with no prep, it might be possible to strip back to the original red. Not a fun task, but some people are really good at it.


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## rennfaron (Sep 29, 2022)

SirMike1983 said:


> Given the way the black paint has chipped in that spot, it might be candidate to try to remove the paint. If it's just house paint or spray paint over original with no prep, it might be possible to strip back to the original red. Not a fun task, but some people are really good at it.



First things first, pull the head badge off to see if the original color is below.

@49autocycledeluxe good points. I didn't look at those details. And I noticed that the infill around the vertical lettering of the seat tube looks maroon. The decal was applied over the paint so the infill of color would have been the color of the bike, per all my examples shown. Zooming in some, it does look as if they masked around the seat tube decal to preserve it and that is why the interior color of the decal looks red/maroon...
Could just be a glare, but it looks another paint color...


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## 49autocycledeluxe (Sep 29, 2022)

so what we have here is a Traveler minus the 3 speed bits and missing a front brake or a freewheel bike with traveler fenders. interesting that the rear hoop is much later like the 60's by my guess where I don't think they used the freewheel that late.

I'd still li*k*e to see the knurling on the front rim.


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## MantonSmith (Sep 29, 2022)

49autocycledeluxe said:


> so what we have here is a Traveler minus the 3 speed bits and missing a front brake or a freewheel bike with traveler fenders. interesting that the rear hoop is much later like the 60's by my guess where I don't think they used the freewheel that late.
> 
> I'd still lie to see the knurling on the front rim.


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## 49autocycledeluxe (Sep 29, 2022)

here is a blurry photo of my 1950 wheels.... it is hard to tell but they are more of a checkerboard pattern, not sure when they changed them.


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## rennfaron (Sep 29, 2022)

49autocycledeluxe said:


> here is a blurry photo of my 1950 wheels.... it is hard to tell but they are more of a checkerboard pattern, not sure when they changed them.



Yep, that changed in the early-to-mid 50s. Here are mine from '50 and '52 and lastly '55 (respectively). The '55 matches the one on the bike.


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## GTs58 (Sep 29, 2022)

The serial number F360297 was stamped on 12/07/49- F357001- F360972 and the bike undoubtedly was built in 1950 if that helps in figuring out what it was. World as opposed to New World.


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## Oilit (Sep 30, 2022)

A Traveler, and one of the very first in the line!


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## Alan Brase (Oct 1, 2022)

Agreed about the paint removal. On old cars, I have had great success with solvents, especially Wal-mart brand spray carb cleaner. And paper towels.  User applied paint is usually far less strong than the oven baked enamels that manufacturers used. Be really careful around decals/ transfers as they are very delicate. (Loving this thread, BTW. Great pictures. Thanks, guys!)


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