1943 Schwinn Wartime New World - 23" large frame w/ lots of black out parts

[1motime]

Is it a tall frame? That would be an impressive score indeed, if it were.

Good eye! Makes a special bike that much more. I like it!

 

[1motime]

I agree, but don't know much about those hub types. I most likely would have thought that the rear hub was original if the seller had not said it was updated in his listing info and followed up and said the same again after I reached out. I reached back out to the seller just now and he said he got it around 10 years ago (I thought he flipped it quick) and the person he bought it from had it in the family for a long time. I can only assume that was information somewhat passed on to him from the previous long time owner or else he would not have brought it up and made such a point about it. The patina is from an outdoors life right off the coast of SoCal.

The listing said this, "The bike is original except that the original coaster-brake rear wheel was at some point swapped for a Schwinn single-speed freewheel, with a nice very high-flange hub. The change also required the change of the chainring to 1/2" pitch, from the original 1" pitch. Given these upgrade parts are also quite vintage, I suspect the change was made in the 1950s." ​

Anything is possible. No reason to change the hub. It makes perfect sense with the rest of the bike

 

[Oilit]

Why can't the rear hub be original? No reason for a coaster with caliper brakes. This is a platform bike so anything in the catalog was available?
Great bike. Probably not a lot of use. Looks like the atmosphere and time made the patina. Even with that the Persons seat has held up better than most Mesingers.

Good point! If you have a rear coaster brake, you're not going to have a rear caliper, and I don't see wear on the chain stay from a torque arm either. There's one rusty spot, but it doesn't look big enough. I'm not convinced that bike ever had a coaster brake. If it's still got the original tires, I'd think those are the original wheels. The only thing that really looks out of place is the chain ring.

 

[GTs58]

While you have your tape measure out, check out your crank. My 43 black out dog legged crank is a 7 incher. It's said the New Worlds used a 6 1/2" crank, but with a 23" frame they may have used a 7 incher.

 

[rennfaron]

While you have your tape measure out, check out your crank. My 43 black out dog legged crank is a 7 incher. It's said the New Worlds used a 6 1/2" crank, but with a 23" frame they may have used a 7 incher.

6 1/2"

 

[rennfaron]

A new development in the answers to the questions on the original setup... The coaster brake note, per the seller, checks out. And not just that, it was a ND 2 speed setup. Also, I need to soak the rear rim, but I am pretty sure the entire wheel was replaced. The front wheel is original and is painted white with black pin stripes. The rear rim looks to be a superior rim of the time and is rusted good. I do not see any white paint. I have a couple other of these superior rims and they were badly rusted just like this and same type rust (those superior rims rust really bad in the right environment).

I looked on the inside of the stay and bingo, there is a wear area in the right spot. This is different than surrounding patina and the paint is worn and has a definite bite into the paint.

I also see where the guard was attached. I wonder if it was a hockey or one of these types? I don't know if they have the same spacing on where the bracket sits on the stay...

ND 2 speed shifter location - hard to tell in the photos but there are definite impressions/bites into the paint where a shifter was clamped on and the wear does not wrap or extend to the bottom of the tube which definitely confirms it was that setup (they clamped on to the top and sides but the bottom was open). I originally wasn't looking that far back on the top tube, but once the 2 speed setup clicked I looked and there were the clamp marks.

 

[1motime]

Pretty good detective work! Changes were made. The wear marks tell all. So if it was a coaster than the caliper brakes were added later. Wonder the reasoning why the rear is mounted backward.

 

[rennfaron]

Pretty good detective work! Changes were made. The wear marks tell all. So if it was a coaster than the caliper brakes were added later. Wonder the reasoning why the rear is mounted backward.

Thanks! I am glad the clues came together because I was stumped last night. Some daylight and fresh eyes put 2 & 2 together. I had also forgotten about the 2 speed ND setup and was just thinking about the typical ND coaster.

If those brakes were added later, it must have been a few days later haha, because they look very original to the bike. Plus they are blackout levers and calipers. That would be very impossible to add later because sourcing blackout would be very hard and they would not have been blackout if put on later. I RARELY see those blackout parts (I would have to look back at my archive to see if I have any NWs archived with blackout brake setups).

 

[1motime]

Sounds like it might have been a bike shop / dealer update.

 

[SirMike1983]

Looks like you can see finishing filing done around the frame joints through the paint around the head tube joint.