Just picked up today 1957 Schwinn hornet

[GTs58]

Check out @Boris 's custom reflectors, one of those would be killer on that Hornet.

 

[tacochris]

I was never a flipped bars guy but when i really started to go thru vintage and era correct pictures, alot of kids did that to their bikes back then so i kinda let up on it a bit. You could call it a period kustom! Haha

 

[genesmachines]

Were the rims painted on the regular hornet? I have a 58 boys and girls with painted rims.

 

[phantom]

Looks to be all original to me, can any of the pros here tell me if anything stands out as not being original? FYI I flipped the bars just because I prefer the look. I know it’s not everyone’s taste haha but I dig it

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I like the flipped bars as well. I also run my stems down all the way, as well as the seat post. I have been known to take the guts out of the seat and drill a hole right through the seat post tube and mount the seat directly to it. Gets about another 1 1/2 "s lower. Nice bike you have.

 

[GTs58]

Were the rims painted on the regular hornet? I have a 58 boys and girls with painted rims.

The Hornets had painted rims until the models were revamped as middleweights and with the new 1959 styling. As far as I know there were no 1958 catalogs or any info on the 58 models, but there have been two M-December 1958 Hornets that I've seen that had chrome rims, and a built-in kickstand. A December stamped serial number would be on a bike that was produced during the next year and it seems the Hornets had there new make over for 1959 a tad bit later than all the other models. Here's @HARPO 's 58 Hornet that was built in 1959 but it was using all the 1958 components with the exception of the chrome rims, built in stand and the new style seat post clamp. So technically this 1959 Hornet was built with most of the 1958 specs.

My First Late '50s HORNET... | All Things Schwinn

I bought this one yesterday, along with a late '40s Schwinn Continental (see the Lightweight Schwinn section) from a closed bicycle shop. It's in decent shape, far from perfect, but the first one I've had from the late '50s. Right off the bat, it's missing the tank and headlight and rear fender...

thecabe.com

 

[1937Zenith]

I like the flipped bars as well. I also run my stems down all the way, as well as the seat post. I have been known to take the guts out of the seat and drill a hole right through the seat post tube and mount the seat directly to it. Gets about another 1 1/2 "s lower. Nice bike you have.

Ive always put my seat down as low as I can too. I never thought of drilling the post to get lower though that’s a cool idea. I really think the slammed look sets these bikes off! Appreciate the message. Glad I’m not alone with the flipped bars haha

 

[Rollo]

Thank you for the insight! Gonna find the right grips and seat post clamp and drop the reflectors. Just wasn’t sure if they were supposed to be there or not

These are the right grips ...

 

[phantom]

Ive always put my seat down as low as I can too. I never thought of drilling the post to get lower though that’s a cool idea. I really think the slammed look sets these bikes off! Appreciate the message. Glad I’m not alone with the flipped bars haha

Here is an example:

 

[1937Zenith]

The Hornets had painted rims until the models were all revamped with the new 1959 styling. As far as I know there were no 1958 catalogs or any info on the 58 models, but there have been two M-December 1958 Hornets that I've seen that had chrome rims, and a built-in kickstand. A December stamped serial number would be on a bike that was produced during the next year and it seems the Hornets had there new make over for 1959 a tad bit later than all the other models. Here's @HARPO 's 58 Hornet that was built in 1959 but it was using all the 1958 components with the exception of the chrome rims, built in stand and the new style seat post clamp. So technically this 1959 Hornet was built with most of the 1958 specs.

My First Late '50s HORNET... | All Things Schwinn

I bought this one yesterday, along with a late '40s Schwinn Continental (see the Lightweight Schwinn section) from a closed bicycle shop. It's in decent shape, far from perfect, but the first one I've had from the late '50s. Right off the bat, it's missing the tank and headlight and rear fender...

thecabe.com

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Appreciate the info, someone earlier had mentioned that my wheels are not original anyways. Likely they were taken from a 60s model bike and put on this one as an upgrade. It has a 2 speed kick back red band hub. When I typed my serial into the Schwinn serial # lookup tool it came back as a 57 but I’m not sure how accurate that is. My kickstand is not built in to the frame it is a clamp on setup.

 

[1937Zenith]

Were the rims painted on the regular hornet? I have a 58 boys and girls with painted rims.

Yes mine are not original from what I’ve been told. When I look up 57 hornets it seems to be mostly painted but I do see a few with chrome rims which made me think originally that they might be stock