“Pig Bikes”?

[Oldbikeguy1960]

You could use a 26" Schwinn Phantom or Jaguar style springer or a 26" Monark springer with a 20" front tire. A 16" wouldve came on a Krate but to me thats too small for a 24" rear. You could run a 24" wheel on the fromt as well, that would be a nice look.
Huffy made some 24x1.75 slicks in the late 1960s for an S-2 style rim but if you have an S-7 rim you may have more trouble finding one. I don't recall a 24" S-7 slick. You could find a 24" balloon wheel reasonable to match your front wheel and do the 24x1.75 slick or a 24x2.125 Carlisle Lightning Dart tire. They look cool on these bikes.
What's your serial number? We can decode it to the day it was made if you are interested.

 

[stevengerard]

What's your serial number? We can decode it to the day it was made if you are interested.

Thanks for the advice, yeah, I am not married to any specific rim. Part of me is more than happy to buy new rims, provides more choices of tires (hopefully) and will at least reduce some of the weight of the bike.

Serial number is E137194

 

[Oldbikeguy1960]

Coppertone isn't the easiest color to spray and get right, like a lot of the radiant colors. Most of the Pig Bikes were bright colors, and usually more than one. But black works as well.
I have the red 1962 Schwinn Typhoon 20" Pig Bike in a thread here. It is the same frame as your Tornado, and the last year for that frame style.
I bought a lot of red parts to go on mine because I was planning to go with the original Radiant Red but the paint was too bad to save. If I were doing it again I wouldve went black and chrome.
Your bike would look great without a repaint with some chrome. Honestly I would use one of the repro Monark springers on it with your choice of front rims. I have seen the 24" frames with 20" wheels front and rear and that can look good as well.

 

[Oldbikeguy1960]

Thanks for the advice, yeah, I am not married to any specific rim. Part of me is more than happy to buy new rims, provides more choices of tires (hopefully) and will at least reduce some of the weight of the bike.

Serial number is E137194

The frame numbers were stanped on May 22, 1961. Look on bikehistory.com for the serial number and it will give you a link to the 1961 Schwinn Catalog.

 

[stevengerard]

thanks, looks like I have some great options, Fortunately I'm in Chicago so there are plenty of resources. I'm close to Barnad's Schwinn, and those guys have been of great help restoring my '64 Flamboyant Lime I've had since i was a kid as well. I can probably test out a few rim combinations. The nice thing about 24s is it is more of an "adult" ride. But anyway I go I think I'd have fun cool bike the knock around with.

I don't beleive the '61 catalog has this bike in it. I think the frame was a midyear change or after the catalog was printed. i'll take a look but the only info I found on this bike was a couple of threads on here and a few guys on a FB group were able to narrow it down for me. I guess its the double straight cross bar thatforms the seat stays which is unique.

 

[stevengerard]

yep, just checked that, gave me the 5/22/1961 date but catalog shows single bar cross bar and states it came in red and ivory. This was clearly a black bike from the start.

 

[Oldbikeguy1960]

I had only seen the double continuous straight bar in 1962, the others broke off at the seat tube and picked up as different bars to the head tube. But I havent seen it all.

 

[stevengerard]

I had only seen the double continuous straight bar in 1962, the others broke off at the seat tube and picked up as different bars to the head tube. But I havent seen it all.

someone said this was a mid '61 introduction and transistioned to the Typhoon for '62. 1962 has the Skipper and Tiger with curved double tube and Typhoon with straight tube but single bar. So this is the only one with that double straight tube transitioning to the seat stays.

 

[Oldbikeguy1960]

someone said this was a mid '61 introduction and transistioned to the Typhoon for '62. 1962 has the Skipper and Tiger with curved double tube and Typhoon with straight tube but single bar. So this is the only wit that double strait tube tranbsistioning into the seat stays

That is not actually true, as you can see in this photo of my 1962 Typhoon frame. The photos in the catalog make it look like a two bar 1950s frame.

It has the twin continuous straight bar and the serial number is clearly 1962.
Rob

 

[stevengerard]

'58 Tornado
View attachment 1158242
'60 Tornado
View attachment 1158243
'61 American
View attachment 1158245
'62 Typhoon
View attachment 1158246

Were all of these originally 20" bikes or were any 24" or 26"