# 1953 Meteor



## tripple3 (Aug 26, 2013)

*1953 Meteor more pics and ???*

I got what I think is completely original. Schwinn made a lot of bikes and models; how rare is mine? Ser. number k89498


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## mruiz (Aug 26, 2013)

Is there a decal on the chain guard, stated Meteor? Lets seeee.


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## tripple3 (Aug 26, 2013)

*Better pics*





Sorry about that 1st pic; my cell is not smart


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## mruiz (Aug 26, 2013)

Schwinn discontinue the meteor for the Wasp, as far as I know. They are kind of rare, May I ask how much is the asking price? You pick it up for.


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## tripple3 (Aug 26, 2013)

*Asking Price*

I was riding a few bikes to consider at Vets stadium swap Sun. morning  early. He's a friend of mine with far nicer bikes and many Schwinns. He said he wasnt negotiable on that 1 and wasnt sure he wanted to sell it. I rode it around and came back and paid his wife his asking price. Mark


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## rustjunkie (Aug 26, 2013)

That's a beauty, nice find.


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## looneymatthew (Aug 27, 2013)

*my offer still stands/ if you get bored with it. ill trade you something .*

i saw and rode this bike sun. very nice clean example. 
tryed to trade , and he wasnt going for it.  nice score cool bike





tripple3 said:


> View attachment 110905View attachment 110906Sorry about that 1st pic; my cell is not smartView attachment 110878View attachment 110879View attachment 110880View attachment 110881View attachment 110882


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## greenephantom (Aug 27, 2013)

Meteor was a one-year model. So it's a fairly rare bike, but it's not all that rare of a configuration.  The Meteor was re-named Wasp for '54 and produced for many more years. The Meteor was a mid-range bike, it didn't come with any extra equipment, but was equipped with quality parts all around. Very nice example you've got there.
Cheers, Geoff


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## DonChristie (Aug 27, 2013)

Hey, I saw you and your ride at the swap meet! Definately a head turner! I met you while I was on my 36 Schwinn.


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## tripple3 (Aug 27, 2013)

*Thanks*

I keep meeting new bike folks. I have 2 1936 Schwinns so I just listed my less favorite on CL yesterday. 
This bike came without all the parts a rider like me would have pulled off of it anyway. Thats great!
It has what I want of the "Deluxe" : Standard chain with best front sprocket, long guard, truss and fat fenders. All that in original paint; I am loving this bike more and more.


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## Rivnut (Aug 28, 2013)

*Shed some light, please!*

I found a page from a '53 Schwinn catalog that shows a Meteor but in that picture the Meteor does not have truss bars and has the smaller feather chain guard.  However the Leader shows the same chain guard and truss bars that _tripple3_ posted in the picture of his bike.  In the brochure, the Leader is also shown with the Phantom style chain ring as _tripple3_'s biked, and the Meteor is shown with a sweetheart skip-tooth chain ring.  Can anyone shed some light on the production of the catalogs?

Thanks,
Ed


http://www.trfindley.com/flschwinn_1951_1960/1953_02.html


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## Andrew Gorman (Aug 28, 2013)

My Meteor is set up just like tripple3's, except minus the truss rods.  It's even the same color.


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## greenephantom (Aug 28, 2013)

The feather guard is a catalog error. All Meteors I've seen have had the deluxe guard. Gotta figure it was a lot tougher to re-jigger catalog pictures in the 1950s, so somebody in the catalog department probably just shrugged, said "Hey, just kids' toys anyway." and printed up the cats. Or maybe they changed the guard spec after the cats were printed.  I've also seen them with truss rods (and the correct truss rod fender) and this was an extra-cost option for like $1.69.

Also in the 1953 catalog you can see that names on several of the chainguards were hand-lettered in. Images from the '52 cat were used and just modified them a bit to reflect the presence of guard decals on certain models. Hey, just kids' toys anyway.

Cheers, Geoff


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## Rivnut (Aug 28, 2013)

greenephantom said:


> Also in the 1953 catalog you can see that names on several of the chainguards were hand-lettered in. Images from the '52 cat were used and just modified them a bit to reflect the presence of guard decals on certain models. Hey, just kids' toys anyway.
> 
> Cheers, Geoff




Makes sense, thanks.


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## vincev (Aug 28, 2013)

Heres a leader with the large chainguard.


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## tripple3 (Aug 29, 2013)

*Fenders n bolts*

Nuts showing? I always place the nut inside the fender. How did the factory do it?
I gave it a warm soapy bath. That is a 22 tooth rear cog for perfect gear. What is the correct seat look like?
The deeper I get the more I want to know.


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## schwinnja (Aug 29, 2013)

*Put them on the inside*



tripple3 said:


> Nuts showing?




It's never good form to show your nuts in public!


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## DonChristie (Aug 30, 2013)

Eerily similiar! Heres a good seat reference. Oh and tuck your Nuts inside!
http://www.trfindley.com/flschwinn_1951_1960/1953_meteora.html


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## Rivnut (Aug 30, 2013)

*It's Italian*

The bike pictured in the link must be Italian.  The caption below the picture says its a Meteroa.


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## Cory (Aug 30, 2013)

*I want one to.*

I can't wait to see this in person and take it for a ride. Maybe even talk you out of it. LOL


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## tripple3 (Aug 31, 2013)

*Cash Talks*



Cory said:


> I can't wait to see this in person and take it for a ride. Maybe even talk you out of it. LOL




 much love requires much investment. I paid more for this bike than I normally do.


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