1967 Schwinn Panther

[westwildcats]

Haven't built one with fenders and a rear rack in years. If i remember correctly, both
the bolt for the seat post clamp, and the screws that attach the rear fenders were longer,
to accomodate the additional width of adding a rack.
Been a lot of years though. Hopefully someone with more recent experience will
chime in. Beautiful bike btw.

 

[GTs58]

Haven't built one with fenders and a rear rack in years. If i remember correctly, both
the bolt for the seat post clamp, and the screws that attach the rear fenders were longer,
to accomodate the additional width of adding a rack.
Been a lot of years though. Hopefully someone with more recent experience will
chime in. Beautiful bike btw.

Yes, the models with the rear carrier used a longer seat post clamp bolt and fender screws. I have never seen a fender brace mounted inside of the dropout though. Schwinn didn't do that. Everything was mounted to the outside.

 

[blakekennedy]

Good eye! I never even noticed on my black Jag where you got the order from, but yes like GT said, they shouldn’t ever be on the inside of the dropout. I really don’t know the order of braces, what is correct, but I always assumed the rack should be the most outside piece.

Now that I’m looking at other bikes, Tim S’ extremely clean American he posted with a rack is also in this order? I mean a lot can change after 60 years, but it is odd to see two very extremely clean and relatively untouched bikes have this fender and rack order. His bike is also a 63 like mine.

 

[mannymota46]

What are the odds that three extremely clean and original bikes have this set up? I scored an all original 1963 American Deluxe the same day as the Panther (currently in the detail booth and taken apart) but luckily have a clear shot of the back set up from the day I got it and the bike also has a brace on the inside of the dropout.

 

[blakekennedy]

I think the odds are it is likely indeed factory. 3 relatively untouched examples, just seems like a pattern. But maybe very short lived? 1963 only? Very odd though, since they started these racks in 59. No way it was like that starting in 59, otherwise we would know for certain if the brace does in fact go on the inside of the dropout for a rear rack equipped bike. I forget if 62 or 63 is when they changed from the more rounded “fins” to the more angular ones. Maybe something to do with that? Still has no reason behind it.

 

[GTs58]

Before this fad started it was the vertical brace, the lower brace and then the carrier. One other new fad I see is the seat post clamp is pushed way down. What's up with that? Raise them clamps up! And nut on the drive side!

 

[blakekennedy]

Yeah its weird. Not sure how to explain that on the seat clamp lol, especially with such original examples. Granted a lot can happen over 60 years. Just interesting. But braces always go on the outside. Like you said earlier, I’ve never seen them mounted on the inside, until I looked deeper into it earlier today.