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20" Balloon

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Overhauler

Finally riding a big boys bike
Need to identify, it's been painted, and it's missing its badge...looks like it's been put together....
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I'd say it is a prewar Juvenile. Whatever it is, I LIKE it! I don't see it in the Schwinn catalog I have, but it looks like the fork may have been changed. Knowing the serial number would help to nail it down further. Is the headtube drilled for a badge, and if so, what is the spacing? More photos would also help - rear bridge, front of the fork at the shoulders/crown, and the underside of the bottom bracket housing... Is it possible it may be a different brand... Rollfast? The frame looks exactly like a DX to me, but I am not an expert here, just another bike nut with a fair sized group of stuff on hand at home.
The seat post clamp is throwing me a little as I think it is a little different than similar age Schwinn stuff on hand as well. Let me look and see if I have photos of what I believe to be similar aged smaller sized bikes. This is the clamp (integral, not removable) on the '36 model 24" wheel size "B0" - Note it doesn't have the slight bead rolled into the clamp that yours does. My other 24" is a shorter frame where the clamp is through the upper rear stays. Sorry, I don't have any prewar stuff in the 20" size, and only a couple of 24" ones (Great, now I have something else to look for!?!)
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My other prewar 24" is a shorter frame where the clamp is through the upper rear stays.
This one:
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It looks like the later model postwar Juvenile I am currently working on with the exception of the rear dropouts and the fork. Here are a couple of shots of the '49 model I am in the process of doing. This is a bike that is still undergoing buildup ideas and this is not the planned end result, as the other parts are not in hand yet. Close but not there yet.
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This is another 20" prewar, but it was said to be a CWC bike when I did it up some years back, but the seat post clamp looks more like yours.
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I have a 20" Prewar Colson, but the seat clamp on it lacks the bead as well.

Hope you get the right answer!! And if you take more photos, I'd love to have another look.

REC
Roland E. Culberson
 
Seat post clamp looks like a post-war CWC patent; CWC often used badges with 2+7/8" in between mounting holes.
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Sometimes the kids bikes did not get all of the design changes of the top of the line models, (e.g., drop-out style).
 
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I got it home, can't find a serial # because of the repaint, has rear facing dropouts, rear hub is a New Departure Model D, the pins are still in for the badge and are 2 1/2" apart, has a newer looking front wheel, the seat looks newer also, here are a few close ups.....
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Ok, I found my CWC codes, looks like maybe a 53 if there is a CW behind it, can't get back to it till tomorrow, but were the rear facing dropouts still in use.....
 
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The drop outs on the 26” CWC bikes in the early 1950’s changed somewhat to be more horizontal, and with extra holes for fenders, racks and chain guards, but they were still oriented toward the rear. I believe that the smaller kids bicycles just did not receive all of the design changes, due to cost.
I believe that it may be common for some other makers that rear facing drop outs were an indicator of a pre war bike.
 
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