1949 Schwinn New World...Yes, That One...

[HARPO]

BTW...here's the Serail Number on the bike @Oilit just bought. So, if we go by the letters of the alphabet, does this make mine an earlier frame...along with a lower number?

 

[rennfaron]

If you're interested in Sturmey history, there actually was a handlebar shifter that pre-dated the quadrant - this was the barrel sleeve turnbolt shifter. But this is another subject for another time.

You mean a top tube shifter, right?
Those barrel shifters are cool. I see them all the time on feebay. Did they go on early schwinns?

 

[rennfaron]

BTW...here's the Serail Number on the bike @Oilit just bought. So, if we go by the letters of the alphabet, does this make mine an earlier frame???

Only one of your images came through

 

[HARPO]

Only one of your images came through

Check the photo above it...

 

[1motime]

For anyone keeping Records, here's the serial number on the bottom...and check out the welding...







View attachment 1170009

View attachment 1170010

Early frames were hand brazed and metal finished. Paint does not stick as well to brass as to steel. More labor intensive also.

 

[SirMike1983]

It looks to me like the E-series frame above is newer - it has an electroforged bottom bracket shell. The U-series looks like a traditional, smooth shell. Schwinn restarted the alphabet at some point not too long after WWII. I have a C-series post-war New World from 1947, for example.

 

[HARPO]

@SirMike1983 Crazy that a lower letter and number equals a newer frame.

 

[GTs58]

It looks to me like the E-series frame above is newer - it has an electroforged bottom bracket shell. The U-series looks like a traditional, smooth shell. Schwinn restarted the alphabet at some point not too long after WWII. I have a C-series post-war New World from 1947, for example.

View attachment 1170156

The three piece crank hanger shells were not electro-forged where the one piece crank shells were all electo-forged except for the chain stays to BB joints.

 

[rennfaron]

The three piece crank hanger shells were not electro-forged where the one piece crank shells were all electo-forged except for the chain stays to BB joints.

Yup. And the way I have always understood it was that the AS&CO (smaller BB) was a superior upgrade / sports-tourist option (better parts) and the typical clover style (larger BB) was the standard issue NW option (base package). You could build them however you wanted. I don't know if that is right but it makes sense. And you can't swap the AS&CO crank out for the clover and vise versa. Like @GTs58 said, they are different sized BBs designed for each respective crank assembly.

 

[GTs58]

BTW...here's the Serail Number on the bike @Oilit just bought. So, if we go by the letters of the alphabet, does this make mine an earlier frame...along with a lower number?

View attachment 1170011

Your serial number E series is a 1948 number, not a 1949. What's the date on your hub?