# S2 Rim



## Boris (Mar 1, 2015)

Saw a double knurled S2 rim with deep groove and a Bendix made in Mexico brake arm. Could someone tell me if this might be either the 80's repop or the Phantom repop? I know there was a recent thread on this, but can't locate it at the moment.


----------



## GTs58 (Mar 1, 2015)

According to Craig, his wheels are from the 70's and this would coincide with the Mexican Bendix. But what balloon bikes did Schwinn produce in the 70's?


----------



## Jeff54 (Mar 1, 2015)

there's 2 bendix "Made in Mexico"   76 which were on Schwinn's till 83 and pretty sure there's a 74 also. . right about the time Schwinn's rims started getting crappy, 74. I thinks dats why me keeps tinking in 74 their rims was made in Mexico too. they can be on almost any bike of Schwinn's and others, cruisers middleweight and lightweights. I just bought a brand new one, '76' off epay to replace the rusted one on 80 cruiser. Even brand new they're ready to rust! So. I polished, cleaned the heck off it, and coated with clear coat. Sealed the SOB. .


----------



## PCHiggin (Mar 1, 2015)

GTs58 said:


> According to Craig, his wheels are from the 70's and this would coincide with the Mexican Bendix. But what balloon bikes did Schwinn produce in the 70's?




Spitfires '77-'79 Cruisers '80+ They were middleweight frames with S2 rims and wide bars


----------



## PCHiggin (Mar 1, 2015)

BTW,I believe the Bendix Made In Mexico hubs were long gone when the Anniversary Phantom arrived in '95.They used a Shimano hub


----------



## GTs58 (Mar 1, 2015)

PCHiggin said:


> Spitfires '77-'79 Cruisers '80+ They were middleweight frames with S2 rims and wide bars




I've had my hands on a couple of those bikes and not one has/had Schwinn stamped rims like in Craig's schwinnstore picture. Thanks for reminding me these started out in the late 70's. :o


----------



## vincev (Mar 1, 2015)

I cant check right now but I think I have one on a sting ray


----------



## GTs58 (Mar 1, 2015)

vincev said:


> I cant check right now but I think I have one on a sting ray




But is it a 26" S-2? The rims that Craig is selling are 26". Funny, Dave did not mention what size wheel he was talkin bout. 

Not sure if this make any sense or not. 

Quote:
YOUR BIDDING ON    ONE AUTHENTIC GENUINE  STAMPED SCHWINN S-2 RIM - 26 INCH  36 hole-THAT TAKE THE 26 X 2.125 TIRES,,,RARE TO COME BY NEVER USED RIM ,THEY USED THIS S-2 RIM ON MANY SCHWINN BIKES LIKE THE  PHANTOM,,,,PANTHER,,,,STARLET,,,HORNET AND WHIZZER MOTOR BIKES AND MANY OTHERS,,,,SCHWINN MADE A FEW RUNS OF THE S-2 RIMS IN THE 1950S,,1980S AND 1990S,,THE RIMS IN THIS AUCTION ARE NOT THE SCHWINN REPOPS USED ON THE 1990's USED ON RE POP PHANTOMS .*THIS SET IS 1970S *AND ARE  STAMPED


----------



## vincev (Mar 1, 2015)

GTs58 said:


> But is it a 26" S-2? The rims that Craig is selling are 26". Funny, Dave did not mention what size wheel he was talkin bout.
> 
> Not sure if this make any sense or not.
> 
> ...




Now I am curious.I will have to get to the back building and see if the 20 incher is made in mexico.


----------



## Jeff54 (Mar 1, 2015)

Here's 1970 and 1986 Mexico Bendix too, just scanned e-bay and found these F/S:


----------



## Jeff54 (Mar 1, 2015)

Now I'm thinking, maybe it was 1970 that I started thinking Schwinn sold out and made rims in mexico..

And I think the bendix 70 brakes were on the huffy and Murray's of the day.


----------



## Duck (Mar 1, 2015)

I've got 5 or 6 of the "no Schwinn" version in the S-7 designation. Hechto de Mexico all the way down to the plating that didn't even stand up to scrub brake pads. Three of them sported 76's when acquired.


----------



## Boris (Mar 1, 2015)

GTs58 said:


> But is it a 26" S-2? The rims that Craig is selling are 26". Funny, Dave did not mention what size wheel he was talkin bout.




I'm sorry. Yes, it's a 26" rim. If your reply harkens back to my post in the "Rookie Collector Biggest Mistake" thread, then I guess you got me a good one HA HA.


Dave Marko said:


> My biggest mistake, was assuming that a bike that was for sale on the other side of the country was a 26" bike. Turns out it was 24". Ask every question you can possibly think of.



...and yes Vince, "harkens" is a schtupid word too.


----------



## vincev (Mar 1, 2015)

Dave Marko said:


> I'm sorry. Yes, it's a 26" rim. If your reply harkens back to my post in the "Rookie Collector Biggest Mistake" thread, then I guess you got me a good one HA HA.
> 
> ...and yes Vince, "harkens" is a schtupid word too.




where do you get all those dumb words?


----------



## Boris (Mar 1, 2015)

vincev said:


> where do you get all those dumb words?




Fourth grade. You'd know that, if you would have made it past the third.


----------



## vincev (Mar 1, 2015)

Dave Marko said:


> Fourth grade. You'd know that, if you would have made it past the third.




OK,I was busy trying to look up girls skirts in fourth grade.


----------



## Boris (Mar 1, 2015)

Hey, you should move to Portland it ain't illegal here.


----------



## vincev (Mar 1, 2015)

I read about that.Do you have any pictures yet?


----------



## Jeff54 (Mar 1, 2015)

GTs58 said:


> According to Craig, his wheels are from the 70's and this would coincide with the Mexican Bendix. But what balloon bikes did Schwinn produce in the 70's?





The stamping of letters look odd. don't ya think they'd all align up with the direction of the S, and the last N wouldn't be so close the the RxR track?? 
I mean the S And C look like they're heading fairly straight and then it falls apart. Kind of like my handwriting. Never could keep the letters straight unless there's a line.. The N is out of place with the other N as if each letter was stamped in by hand.


----------



## GTs58 (Mar 1, 2015)

I donno man. But there must have been a damn good reason why Schwinn started side stamping the rims in the mid 60's. 

Edit: Here's my theory on the crappy crocked *over struck *stampings that you see on the rims that schwinnstore has for sale on eBay. Didn't Schwinn stop stamping the rims altogether sometime in the 70's? So this guy grabs a ton of 1970's unstamped worthless stock from the defunct Schwinn stores and then has them professionally stamped by an unprofessional stamping outfit just so that he could sell them at outrageous prices like all his other authentic parts.


----------



## PCHiggin (Mar 2, 2015)

*No Stamp For '79*

My '79 Spitfire 5 Has  S2's without the stamp. The knurling isn't crisp like my older ones but the chrome is nice and they run true.


----------



## Duck (Mar 2, 2015)

GTs58 said:


> I donno man. But there must have been a damn good reason why Schwinn started side stamping the rims in the mid 60's.
> 
> Edit: Here's my theory on the crappy crocked *over struck *stampings that you see on the rims that schwinnstore has for sale on eBay. Didn't Schwinn stop stamping the rims altogether sometime in the 70's? So this guy grabs a ton of 1970's unstamped worthless stock from the defunct Schwinn stores and then has them professionally stamped by an unprofessional stamping outfit just so that he could sell them at outrageous prices like all his other authentic parts.



It's always been my contention that the "Schwinn" branding was part of the same die that stamped the tracks and therefore was stamped at the same instant the tracks were- the "droopy" Schwinn branding was almost certainly done post production. Your conclusion seems valid, to me.


----------



## Jeff54 (Mar 2, 2015)

GTs58 said:


> I donno man. But there must have been a damn good reason why Schwinn started side stamping the rims in the mid 60's.
> 
> Edit: Here's my theory on the crappy crocked *over struck *stampings that you see on the rims that schwinnstore has for sale on eBay. Didn't Schwinn stop stamping the rims altogether sometime in the 70's? So this guy grabs a ton of 1970's unstamped worthless stock from the defunct Schwinn stores and then has them professionally stamped by an unprofessional stamping outfit just so that he could sell them at outrageous prices like all his other authentic parts.




Next time I get a set of half stamped rims, has to take photos. It was in the early 70's I became discouraged with Schwinn bikes The quality of the chrome was apparent. I knew nothing about how Schwinn was falling behind the competition, losing it's market place except, by 73 I wanted a Peugeot. I knew that foreign bikes were made lighter and it was time for the heavy, clunky Varsity/Continental of mine to move over. And it wasn't just that it was the obvious difference in the quality. I can't explain it now, after 40 years but,  it was a difference in the new bikes, something was different they started looking cheap. 

The chrome was not as thick and lustrous, RxR  tracks were dull.. The center stamping was of the most visual proofs of quality where a kid could proudly claim it's genuine. I was under the opinion that Schwinn did not build their rims any longer but, Mexico did. Lots of companies moved to Mexico then, and I spected Schwinn did too. During that period I didn't have time nor money to investigate but, could see them on the street. And when I did, have the cash fer a new bike, guess which one I bought? 

And, it's not that their rims were not stamped, it's that they got over stamped. the 'Schwinn tubular s' can be found on the sides of the s-2's on occasion. Sometimes whole and others half and less. Rather than having been stamped after the tracks (knurling, I knew them only as RxR tracks back then)  they began stamping them before and got rolled over by them. 

The last set I had like that were 1978's. A stingray Tornado where the back rim had half the logo while the front was whole. . I didn't shoot photos but next time me gets a set, I'm logging em. My 80/81 Chestnut Cruiser 5 had 1 rim with 3/4 a stamp the other without. 

But that earlier photo ya got, that's a fake, a counterfeit. 




That's hand stamped which means, nothing of that rim could be trusted. I can't completely recall but, in the 60's there must have been rims which were very close to looking like Schwinn's RxR tracks because, I clearly recall how that Schwinn Tubular S stamp was the mark we trusted.

Moreover I think the answer to; "Why did they put them on the sides?" is: They didn't, Schwinn Chicago didn't make them any longer, somebody else did. .


----------



## PCHiggin (Mar 2, 2015)

Duck said:


> It's always been my contention that the "Schwinn" branding was part of the same die that stamped the tracks and therefore was stamped at the same instant the tracks were- the "droopy" Schwinn branding was almost certainly done post production. Your conclusion seems valid, to me.



 The Tracks were  actually made by  rollers that formed the rim from a tube of steel,hence the "Schwinn Tubular" trademark and stamp.


----------



## Jeff54 (Mar 2, 2015)

PCHiggin said:


> Quote Originally Posted by Duck View Post
> 
> It's always been my contention that the "Schwinn" branding was part of the same die that stamped the tracks and therefore was stamped at the same instant the tracks were- the "droopy" Schwinn branding was almost certainly done post production. Your conclusion seems valid, to me.
> 
> The Tracks were  actually made by  rollers that formed the rim from a tube of steel,hence the "Schwinn Tubular" trademark and stamp.




Keep looking cause when you see them, later type, and there's variations from whole to 3/4, 1/2 and less to no stamp at all. Cut off at the top of the lettering.  The only explanation to less than is; when some of the Schwinn tubular S lettering is not whole the tracks/knurling is at the top edge of the missing lettering. It would have to be stamped first and knurled over it.  

Moreover, for whatever reason, the press that stamped "Schwinn Tubular S' was floating around, A loose jig. Like the poor imprinting  of the RxR tracks, quality control sucked. That roller impressing the RxR tracks was getting filled with metal dust and not being cleaned, the jig for pressing the letters loose. That's not the "Schwinn Quality" that made its name.

In early 70's I didn't understand manufacturing processes, but I did understand a noticeable difference in what was in the 60's to what it wasn't in the 70's.. they didn't shine as before, something cheap became obvious, it was for that single reason I looked away.

Prob rightfully so to. as we know now if it wasn't for the stingray they'd gone belly up. Competing with Murray and Huffy's junk wasn't an easy task, they were everywhere while Schwinn was only at dealer, and more expensive. Schwinn had to cut the cost, but they didn't cut the competitor in price. 

They not only failed to keep up with lighter bikes, but failed in quality and price as well.


----------



## Duck (Mar 2, 2015)

Well now, I've just learned something- Thanks.


----------



## GTs58 (Mar 2, 2015)

Duck said:


> Well now, I've just learned something- Thanks.




I'm not quite sure what you just learned because I just read a bunch of BS.  

One reason why the chrome suffered in the early 70's was due to the record volume of production, so a shorter time in the chrome vat.


----------



## Duck (Mar 2, 2015)

GTs58 said:


> I'm not quite sure what you just learned because I just read a bunch of BS.
> 
> One reason why the chrome suffered in the early 70's was due to the record volume of production, so a shorter time in the chrome vat.



 How else can the Schwinn stamp being askew be better explained then, in your opinion?


----------



## GTs58 (Mar 2, 2015)

Duck said:


> How else can the Schwinn stamp being askew be better explained then, in your opinion?




Oh, that little fact. That rim of Craigs is undoubtedly a stamped forgery. And what gets me is people are buying them. Here is an ad for two, and no pictures of the "Very Deep" stampings. Probably the same misaligned hand stamped fakes like the ad with the single rim. Try not to get a headache reading his text.  
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SCHWINN-S-2...838?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item232c728066

Schwinn never produced their rims in Mexico.


----------

