1949 Schwinn B507 Special Order-The Yellowtail

[Freqman1]

I t was with a heavy heart that I learned of Roland's passing. We had done business for about ten years. I finally had the chance to visit him and his wife a couple of years ago and we spent about three hours looking through all his buildings while the wives talked. The one bike I saw that I really wanted was this one. Roland bought this bike from the family who special ordered it for their son. As the story was told to me he had muscular problems and they hoped this bike would inspire him to get better. Unfortunately he was never able to ride the bike. If you saw Roland's spread sheet he named most of his bikes and this one was called the "The Yellowtail".

Fotrunately I was able to strike a deal for me to be the next caretaker. I also received the original warranty card along with the envelope and letter from Frank V. Schwinn responding to the mother that they were in the process of doing the bike in the special color. A person would be hard pressed to find a 70+ year old bike in better original condition than this one. Except for the seat and the tires showing some age the rest of the bike is like the day it rolled out of Chicago. I still need to wipe the shop dust off it and give it a good detailing but then its done. RIP Roland.

 

[Andrew Gorman]

That looks sharp!

 

[IngoMike]

Amazing original condition.....color is cool and should have been a regular offering.....so clean, I would think it was restored without the story/history.....Its bitter/sweet and a nice acquistion....Cheers!

 

[cyclingday]

Incredible bike, Shawn!
It’s just so amazing to see one of these bikes that’s still in new old stock condition.
It doesn’t look like it’s ever been ridden!
Amazing!
Please post a picture of the provenance materials/letter, if you don’t mind.
Thanks!

 

[markivpedalpusher]

Absolutely stunning bike in person! Congratulations!!

 

[Santee]

Wow , such a beautiful bike. The one off color scheme sure is pretty.

 

[Schwinncoll]

I can tell you the story is legit. I saw the bike in person at Rolands and know the story also. Was originally posted on the schwinn forums (remember those?) and no one believed the people. Roland did and got the bike. It was damaged slightly in shipping but! Roland worked for Allstate Insurance. Not only was it in good hands but he knew who to talk to and where to take it to get the damage repaired correctly and color matched.

 

[Freqman1]

I can tell you the story is legit. I saw the bike in person at Rolands and know the story also. Was originally posted on the schwinn forums (remember those?) and no one believed the people. Roland did and got the bike. It was damaged slightly in shipping but! Roland worked for Allstate Insurance. Not only was it in good hands but he knew who to talk to and where to take it to get the damage repaired correctly and color matched.

It is my understanding the bike was purchased off eBay and when I visited Roland never mentioned any damage. There was also no damage shown in the pics he posted of when he received the bike or when he first put it together. I believe you may be confusing the damage that occurred to the Aerocycle when it was shipped and the resulting repairs. This bike has had no work done to it.