1940s - 50s Continental List

[GTs58]

@Flat Tire has/had a really nice one.
@Champy has a couple.


Possible 1946 early 47

I have a question........ | All Things Schwinn

So, I acquired a bike over Christmas. I have a pretty good idea of what year(ish) it is, but I'm having a hard time getting any information for it. I'm sorry I haven't figured out how to upload pics, from my phone, yet. It's a Schwinn Continental with a Strumey Archer 3 speed. The...

thecabe.com

 

[SirMike1983]

Thanks. I wish his pictures had made it onto the site. It looks like he tried linking to a location on his hard drive and so they never made it online. I'll drop it in the 1946-47 era with a question mark. If it ever re-surfaces we can finish classifying it, but at least it's up there for now. Hopefully we'll see it again.

The chart is updated. I've put in some headings. It looks as if, roughly speaking, there are three eras of Continentals. The first is the earliest bikes with the plain paint schemes, then come the classic era bikes with the features and schemes we're used to seeing, and finally come the late ones with the thick and ornate painted pinstripes.

 

[GTs58]

Thanks. I wish his pictures had made it onto the site. It looks like he tried linking to a location on his hard drive and so they never made it online. I'll drop it in the 1946-47 era with a question mark. If it ever re-surfaces we can finish classifying it, but at least it's up there for now. Hopefully we'll see it again.

The chart is updated. I've put in some headings. It looks as if, roughly speaking, there are three eras of Continentals. The first is the earliest bikes with the plain paint schemes, then come the classic era bikes with the features and schemes we're used to seeing, and finally come the late ones with the thick and ornate painted pinstripes.

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We need a lot more complete originals to get a better grasp for dating this model. At this point, it's somewhat confusing and with the wheelsets being changed out and Tandem BB's sure doesn't help. Here's another with incomplete info. SN # U66517. I'll keep looking for more.

1956 continental ?? | General Discussion About Old Bicycles

1956 continental custom racer ?? hi I got this with 2 other bikes and I am stumped ser # U66517 I thought these came out in 1960 and its not in the 56 Schwinn book also there is a C M stamped by the serial # any body got any thoughts?

thecabe.com

And another incomplete piece. No CM stamping. Frame, fork and guard for sale on eBay.

Schwinn Continental Frame 1940s klunker vintage LIGHTWEIGHT RARE!!! 26" | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Schwinn Continental Frame 1940s klunker vintage LIGHTWEIGHT RARE!!! 26" at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

 

[GTs58]

I wonder if this is @rustjunkie s Blue Conti?

It's Sunday what Schwinns did we find this week. 9-28-14 | All Things Schwinn

It's Sunday what prewar/vintage Schwinn bikes-parts-history did we find this week??? Post some pics and tell us the story behind the find!!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

thecabe.com

 

[rustjunkie]

I wonder if this is @rustjunkie s Blue Conti?

It's Sunday what Schwinns did we find this week. 9-28-14 | All Things Schwinn

It's Sunday what prewar/vintage Schwinn bikes-parts-history did we find this week??? Post some pics and tell us the story behind the find!!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

thecabe.com

View attachment 2049211

no that’s not the same frame

 

[WillWork4Parts]

I'm starting at the bottom of the "Continental" thread title search list(rabbit hole). I immediately turned up this bike that deserves a spotlight here. I'm stuck on it not having a Serial to display with it.

I know @badbob used to own it, maybe @detroitbike still does, do either of you have a picture of the serial number? ...Maybe some more info on the suspension handlebars? Pinstripes look like the mid 50's era, but it has the pre-52 script brakes and levers.

TOO COOL!!!

 

[WillWork4Parts]

Second, I found this parts swapped F/F set, not sure about it being original Opal Red paint. Is that silver base coat or bare metal? https://thecabe.com/forum/threads/1956-continental.64244/

Sorry, just noticed this was a duplicate of GT's. I'll start typing the Serial out as well, that way it can be seen/searched/linked other than when the serial makes it to the list. S/N: U66517 with CM stamp.

I realized a couple of other things too, the U#####s and T#####s do come up in the Schwinn Serial Records for regular frames, that could get confusing for folks that don't know the difference. The Schwinn Serial Records don't note the special frame descriptions anymore after 1951 either, such as C, CT, S-10, TDM, or WZ.

 

[SirMike1983]

I am not certain as to the exact point at which the late-style stripe scheme comes into use. It would be nice to have more 1952/53 era bikes showing when the change occurs. The late ones are unusual bikes as it is, and that black one is really odd with those bars.

 

[SirMike1983]

We need a lot more complete originals to get a better grasp for dating this model. At this point, it's somewhat confusing and with the wheelsets being changed out and Tandem BB's sure doesn't help. Here's another with incomplete info. SN # U66517. I'll keep looking for more.

1956 continental ?? | General Discussion About Old Bicycles

1956 continental custom racer ?? hi I got this with 2 other bikes and I am stumped ser # U66517 I thought these came out in 1960 and its not in the 56 Schwinn book also there is a C M stamped by the serial # any body got any thoughts?

thecabe.com

And another incomplete piece. No CM stamping. Frame, fork and guard for sale on eBay.

Schwinn Continental Frame 1940s klunker vintage LIGHTWEIGHT RARE!!! 26" | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Schwinn Continental Frame 1940s klunker vintage LIGHTWEIGHT RARE!!! 26" at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

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Yes - what I think might help is a bottom section in the chart for bikes/frames where we have a serial number but not enough to even try dating them. A bare frame like that blue one would be a good example of something that can go in a post-script of frames we know exist but which there just isn't enough data to put in to the chronology.

 

[WillWork4Parts]

While on the subject of paint and seeing red... I'd like to help clarify some paint color names. The Opalescent Violet that lasted up until 1964 on the Stingrays is different than the color on my bike. It's not just a matter of coats/shades either. There are plenty of other examples of this color on the Continentals/Superiors/Worlds posted here on the CABE too, an earlier version, that I have noticed without the silver base on the frame even. This is the only call out of the earlier Opalescent paint lying on the generically purple spectrum that I have seen made by Schwinn. I think it's best if we move forward using that color name on the bikes dated before the roll out of Opalescent Violet.

I want to make this clear because it irritated me so much, between being told that my bike is red and being misinformed about the meaning of the CM stamp, that I stopped working on that bike!


Here are the Opalescent(translucent) color call outs that I have found.
These are clips from the 1954 Schwinn Bicycles Parts Accessories Catalog. It would be nice to see earlier catalogs to know for sure that is when Opalescent Violet started being used, but that matches what I've seen on World Traveler examples.

Notice that Violet was offered on Factory frame/fork colors, but not in touch up paints yet.


Opal Spray Lacquer touch up cans called out in this 1955 Paramount Cycle & Supply catalog.

Opalescent Violet called out in this 1956 Schwinn Parts and Accessories catalog.

Also note the Dark Red call out for the OPAQUE single stage paint that everyone typically calls Maroon, just like on the B6 and earlier Worlds/Continentals... Schwinn did not call out Maroon anywhere else in this era.

Opal Green Gold Lacquer doesn't make the list for touch up colors, but it sure is on the can in this 59 Louisville Cycle & Supply catalog.