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

[HARPO]

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

Hub is 1 49...so I guess that I have one of the last 1948 frames that were laying around...but one of the first hubs for 1949, lol.

 

[GTs58]

Hub is 1 49...so I guess that I have one of the last 1948 frames that were laying around...but one of the first hubs for 1949, lol.

View attachment 1170410

The bottom bracket shell was stamped with a serial number before it was used to build a frame, so the shell must have been laying on the floor hidden behind a box of scrap for months and then the clean up kid found it and tossed it in the bucket.

 

[1motime]

The bottom bracket shell was stamped with a serial number before it was used to build a frame, so the shell must have been laying on the floor hidden behind a box of scrap for months and then the clean up kid found it and tossed it in the bucket.

I think you are guessing! Is there video of that happening? Cameras are everywhere now, not in 49

 

[rennfaron]

Not a guess. I would say it's an evidence based conclusion.

 

[1motime]

Not a guess. I would say it's an evidence based conclusion.

I'm guessing that it was only a guess. Until evidence is produced I'm unconvinced

 

[rennfaron]

Well I think I have 20+ schwinns now (40s / 50s / 60s). I think every one of them has the frame stamped a few months older than the hub (I would have to go back through all of them). The interesting thing is when you get into frames stamped at the end of the year but have the next years component / decal package (If I remember correct a traveler I have is stamped a end of year '62 but has early '63 parts). All the bikes I am talking about are originals. I don't think I have any schwinns that have the frame stamped the exact same month as the hub and not even one month apart, it is usually multiple months. GT has gone into this many times but from what I understand the frames were built and hung / set aside / put away whatever they did with them while they awaited production of the bike. Then some time later, the bike was built and all the parts were pulled to build the bike. From what I understand they didn't build a frame and then the guy immediately sent it to paint, wait on it to dry and then start building the bike. The assembly line / order fulfillment process would only work if frames were stacked / hung / shelved / whatever they did with them and ready to go so all components could be put on them. One thing I am not clear on is how custom orders were handled back then (pretty sure I have seen those order forms but don't recall exact parameters). Like if someone went into the store and didn't see the color scheme they wanted and then the order was put in and bare frame pulled, painted and built. Additionally, I don't understand the process of how many of each model and color went to each store. Like did the store owners fill out prospective order forms saying they need this many of this model with these paint schemes or what (so they had bikes on the floor ready for sale). From reading through some of the Schwinn Reporters it seemed like the stores address their clientele as needed and some specialized more in lightweights and some in heavyweights etc. I would assume it was up to each store to know their target audience and order the bikes they think they could sell and it wasn't managers at the Schwinn HQ figuring out how many bikes would go to each location, what models, and what color schemes. You guys tell me. BUT, I would have to go with GT and the frames from what I have seen are always older than the hubs.

Edit - I should also say that this understanding only works with the serial number dating where it gets precise to the day / month. Anything before that the serials are much more vague. So for instance if I date my frame serial to 11/07/1962 and the hub shows 63 - 1 then this is the logic I reference above.
Serials - https://thecabe.com/forum/threads/schwinn-serial-number-reference.63993/#post-386403

 

[Oilit]

Well I think I have 20+ schwinns now (40s / 50s / 60s). I think every one of them has the frame stamped a few months older than the hub (I would have to go back through all of them). The interesting thing is when you get into frames stamped at the end of the year but have the next years component / decal package (If I remember correct a traveler I have is stamped a end of year '62 but has early '63 parts). All the bikes I am talking about are originals. I don't think I have any schwinns that have the frame stamped the exact same month as the hub and not even one month apart, it is usually multiple months. GT has gone into this many times but from what I understand the frames were built and hung / set aside / put away whatever they did with them while they awaited production of the bike. Then some time later, the bike was built and all the parts were pulled to build the bike. From what I understand they didn't build a frame and then the guy immediately sent it to paint, wait on it to dry and then start building the bike. The assembly line / order fulfillment process would only work if frames were stacked / hung / shelved / whatever they did with them and ready to go so all components could be put on them. One thing I am not clear on is how custom orders were handled back then (pretty sure I have seen those order forms but don't recall exact parameters). Like if someone went into the store and didn't see the color scheme they wanted and then the order was put in and bare frame pulled, painted and built. Additionally, I don't understand the process of how many of each model and color went to each store. Like did the store owners fill out prospective order forms saying they need this many of this model with these paint schemes or what (so they had bikes on the floor ready for sale). From reading through some of the Schwinn Reporters it seemed like the stores address their clientele as needed and some specialized more in lightweights and some in heavyweights etc. I would assume it was up to each store to know their target audience and order the bikes they think they could sell and it wasn't managers at the Schwinn HQ figuring out how many bikes would go to each location, what models, and what color schemes. You guys tell me. BUT, I would have to go with GT and the frames from what I have seen are always older than the hubs.

Edit - I should also say that this understanding only works with the serial number dating where it gets precise to the day / month. Anything before that the serials are much more vague. So for instance if I date my frame serial to 11/07/1962 and the hub shows 63 - 1 then this is the logic I reference above.
Serials - https://thecabe.com/forum/threads/schwinn-serial-number-reference.63993/#post-386403

I actually kept a sheet comparing Schwinn serial number dates to the hub dates (for bikes that had Sturmey-Archer hubs) and @rennfaron is right, the hubs are usually two to four months later than the frames, especially in the '50's and early '60's. (I don't have enough '40's bikes to comment). In the late '60's they started to get closer, so something changed, but I don't know what. Maybe shipping was a factor, since the hubs came from England, but if so I would expect the hubs to be older than the frames because of the time spent in transit. Looking at @Miq 's post here:
https://thecabe.com/forum/threads/1949-new-world-with-stainless-s-6-rims.168654/
- the first thing that strikes me is that a 3 speed hub more than doubled the price of a rear wheel, from $8.00 to $18.50, so it's more likely that Schwinn put them into production as soon as they came in. The fact that the frames are usually older tells me that @GTs58 is right, the serial number was stamped near the beginning of the process, and it was generally weeks or months before the finished frame went out the door as part of a new bike.

 

[Alan Brase]

Rennfaron: what you said about bottom brackets and their application exactly corresponds to what I have seen. My 1940 Superior has the A S& Co crank (It looks like it probably was exactly the same as the one in the catalog oicture, btw) My 1944ish New World is fitted with 1 piece crank and the earlier clover type chainwheels. At least it will when I buy some. BTW, I was mentored by an old bike shop guy about 1960, told me the forged crank was built by the Ashtabula Bow Socket co, hence the nickname "Ashtabula".
And I would echo that the NEW WORLD could be ordered with most any equipment to suit the perceived tastes of the dealer's clientele. Schwinn really tried with their 1940's lightweights

 

[HARPO]

I pumped up the tires (not original I can see) a little while ago to see if they would even hold air...and they did. So, I took it for a quick spin up and down my short street to see how it rode. Amazingly, it was pretty good, and all the gears even shifted!

The tires split open as soon as I had pumped them up, but I just couldn't resist a quick ride.

 

[HARPO]

It's a pretty late bike to have a quadrant shifter, but that may have been what someone wanted or what was in-stock to be used up. There's such a wide variety of New Worlds. Schwinn stayed for a long time with the quadrant shifter. They must have bought up a pretty large number of them and then used them up right up until about 1950 or so. The stainless wheelset makes it an excellent buy.

It was established by @Miq that the frame was made in 1948...but used a January 1949 Hub and sold as such in 1949. So, according to the 1948 Catalog page, the Quadrant shifter was being used that year and apparently carried over onto mine. Probably one of the last ones used.