1953 (ALL Chrome??!) Chicago Schwinn

[greenephantom]

Certainly there were some oddities produced at the factory. Promo bikes, favors, award bikes perhaps. But I'd wager that the vast majority of chromed Schwinns knocking around today (with the exception of the later road bikes) were done after the fact by collectors and tinkerers.

As a side note, the early springer was available in all-chrome for a brief while as a dealer upgrade / replacement part.

The patchwork nature of the OP's bike would tend to point towards it being someone's project bike. Still, a neat ride that could be make even better.

Cheers, Geoff

 

[how]

These all chrome bikes were NEVER EVER made by Schwinn and everyone you'll see was just a regular bike done by someone with
too much time on their hands. Schwinn NEVER had any variation no matter how small from what was offered in the catalogs.
If it wasn't in print it wasn't allowed to be made!
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Schwinn Continentals came all chrome , made by Schwinn

 

[GTs58]

Schwinn Continentals came all chrome , made by Schwinn

I'll have to totally disagree with that. The Paramounts were offered in chrome for some years including the Paramount tandem, but that was about the extent of Schwinn factory chrome frames.

 

[schwinnderella]

I'll have to totally disagree with that. The Paramounts were offered in chrome for some years including the Paramount tandem, but that was about the extent of Schwinn factory chrome frames.

You are basically correct and certainly chrome continentals do not appear in any Schwinn catalogs, However I would wager that a dealer selling a lot of bikes in the early 1970's could have special ordered and received a chrome continental and Schwinn would have been happy to make it.

 

[GTs58]

A COPO chrome Continental would be cool but special orders like this would be very unlikely. Ever see a Schwinn order form? Dealers had no chrome frame options on the spec sheets so ordering a chrome frame would be like ordering a bucket of chicken teeth from KFC.

 

[Metacortex]

These all chrome bikes were NEVER EVER made by Schwinn and everyone you'll see was just a regular bike done by someone with
too much time on their hands. Schwinn NEVER had any variation no matter how small from what was offered in the catalogs.
If it wasn't in print it wasn't allowed to be made!

A COPO chrome Continental would be cool but special orders like this would be very unlikely. Ever see a Schwinn order form? Dealers had no chrome frame options on the spec sheets so ordering a chrome frame would be like ordering a bucket of chicken teeth from KFC.

I believe detroitbike and GTs58 are correct, the Schwinn ordering procedures were very specific during the bike boom years and there were no custom orders allowed, not even on Paramounts. In fact according to the Reporters (dealer newsletter) and especially the dealer News Flash bulletins I've read, Schwinn's chrome output during the boom years was severely constrained. Because of this they first dropped the chrome forks on Continentals in Sept. '70 and on the Super Sport a few months later at the start of '71 and finally the full-chrome option on new Paramounts was dropped at the end of '72. In Nov. '72 dealers were advised that orders for '73 chrome Paramounts would come painted in Silver Mist unless the order was revised.

If there are any chrome framed Continentals they were most likely not done by Schwinn or were some sort of factory insider custom job as there was no way for a dealer to place such an order. Thinking about inside jobs or maybe special builds for executives, most would have chosen a Paramount or fillet-brazed model vs. a lowly Continental. This may explain why '73 and later chrome Paramounts do turn up from time to time even though they couldn't be ordered that way by a dealer.

 

[how]

I'll have to totally disagree with that. The Paramounts were offered in chrome for some years including the Paramount tandem, but that was about the extent of Schwinn factory chrome frames.

That is wrong, i owned 2 of them myself, and have seen others, Bike Tech in Detroit has had them also

 

[GTs58]

That is wrong, i owned 2 of them myself, and have seen others, Bike Tech in Detroit has had them also

I assume you are talking about Paramounts.

 

[how]

I assume you are talking about Paramounts.

I owned 2 chrome continentals, they were factory made. I didnt at the time know what I had, and gave them away, they were owned by neighbor he bought 2 matching ones for him and his son that he gave to me, I rode them both for awhile them gave them away. They had the decales from the factory, they were not homeade

I am not so sure Schwinn was as strict as you guys think, I was also an owner from new of a Schwinn Town and Country 3 seat bike. There a lot of rumers about these bikes only being 12, I have seen about 6 myself and have corresponded with others that owned them from new. One guy had one in his family, after owning it for about 20 years his father gave it back to Schwinn and they restored it in the Chicago factory for him. Bet persons dont believe that, but I saw many pictures of before and after

My brother still has the 3 seater.

 

[GTs58]

Over the years I must have seen over 200 chrome Sting Ray frames. Popular thing to do back in the day, and putting a set of factory correct decals on your newly chromed Continental would have been no big deal. Decals were plentiful at the Schwinn dealers. I'm a very optimistic pessimist so anything could be true.