53 schwinn traveler

[Spacecowboy]

Thanks rennfaron.
Yea, its just art. I look at them as a guide to specs to build the final image or bike,. A spec is like they were sourcing the dynamos from Europe, where at the time, having them on the front wheel on the left was the thing for thier traffic pattern, maybe to activate it easier or whatever the initial reasoning was. The brand isn't mentioned at the time, so it doesn't matter.
Guide things to me are more like pedals are all different, so use whatever. Also like the lights are all different but the bracket is the same because it was the only bracket they needed. The stamped stem is a lack of the artist to know the difference.

 

[Spacecowboy]

I notice my last post I wasn't too concerned about pedals, and lol, now a year and half later I was out shopping for a beatup a.s. bottlecap set at monroe to replace the one and a mismatched one that came with the 53. Almost went for them, but held off and in the meanwhile bought a corvette frame off ecargobay5.

While hunting though the Waterford catalogs I noticed what seems to be artistic renderings of early bow pedals for the 53 traveler, 53Continental and 53 Jaguar. I searched a bit around for topic about the 50s bow pedals and didn't find it, so am dropping the images here before I forget, and go look at various pictures of these bikes that people have restored or preserved.

I just found it odd I was already using the style right pedals, in my current opinion of the renderings. I knew bow pedals had to have started at some point before stingrays but didn't really look into when that started.

I realize the corvette and Jaguar aren't lightweights, but the 55 vette illustration yielded a side angle of the early bow style. I was kind of hoping the lightweight pedal i.d. chart would've answered my question but it didn't go back before 1960.

 

[GTs58]

I notice my last post I wasn't too concerned about pedals, and lol, now a year and half later I was out shopping for a beatup a.s. bottlecap set at monroe to replace the one and a mismatched one that came with the 53. Almost went for them, but held off and in the meanwhile bought a corvette frame off ecargobay5.

While hunting though the Waterford catalogs I noticed what seems to be artistic renderings of early bow pedals for the 53 traveler, 53Continental and 53 Jaguar. I searched a bit around for topic about the 50s bow pedals and didn't find it, so am dropping the images here before I forget, and go look at various pictures of these bikes that people have restored or preserved.

I just found it odd I was already using the style right pedals, in my current opinion of the renderings. I knew bow pedals had to have started at some point before stingrays but didn't really look into when that started.

I realize the corvette and Jaguar aren't lightweights, but the 55 vette illustration yielded a side angle of the early bow style. I was kind of hoping the lightweight pedal i.d. chart would've answered my question but it didn't go back before 1960.

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The Traveler was the first Schwinn that I know of to be equipped with the screwed on block bow pedals at least as far back as 1952.

 

[Spacecowboy]

Thanks, Gts58. I've been guessing as much. I read thru the 54/55 corvette and saw alot of your posts about parts being borrowed over from the traveler.

I did see the really nice black 50 traveler with a.s. bottlecap pedals, so the answer is probaly both. I was able to order up a pair screw bow pedals.

 

[Oilit]

Here's another Traveler with the Melas light, sold on FBM out of Elyria OH. I had noticed the light was different but I didn't realize what it was until I was reading back through this thread. Thanks for refreshing my memory!

 

[WillWork4Parts]

Here's another Traveler with the Melas light, sold on FBM out of Elyria OH. I had noticed the light was different but I didn't realize what it was until I was reading back through this thread. Thanks for refreshing my memory!

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Looks like the seat and pedals were "updated" at one point...so we don't get to see that transition to bow pedals...but this is another one with that funky light plating on the handlebars and what looks like another Brampton shifter and hub setup.

 

[Spacecowboy]

Thanks, great looking paint and decals. (Well for red) That's awesome, same light, so mine isn't a local fluke. Nice, even got a wired rear light. Looks like the same made in england generic caliper.

It's seems that 52/53 timeframe with change of monarch in england schwinn starting getting parts from the rebuilt German factories shortly before they formally became west germany.

Most of the chrome on mine when I got it looked like that. I found some modern bars that have the same flat style and come straight back. After that the only thing I found were wald867, which while they come straight back theres a rise to them.

The light plating I've noticed, I thought maybe it result of the original owner living a block away from lake erie. Interesting to know it was a production thing. Im not going to worry too much about finding the bars then.
After reading up everyone's posts on the early corvettes yesterday, now I know why can't find that some of the traveler parts.

 

[SirMike1983]

It was a market-driven decision to source parts. Schwinn was value-oriented when purchasing parts for lightweights in the 1950s and 60s. Schwinn also was willing to change suppliers if a better cost-to-performance could be had. They used Brampton hubs, and later Steyr hubs, when Sturmey was short on stock or too expensive. They purchased Phillips levers and calipers for a time, then moved to Weinmann. Union was similar in that it positioned itself as maker of decent quality but affordable parts that Schwinn could use.

The shift in the US market over the course of the 1950s also increasingly favored European bike and parts imports, particularly from West Germany. The German share of bike imports to the US jumped from 26.6% in 1954 to 53.5% in 1956, while the British share of the imports segment dropped in that same period because the German bike and parts firms were getting better at making a reasonably good product at an attractive price.

 

[Oilit]

It was a market-driven decision to source parts. Schwinn was value-oriented when purchasing parts for lightweights in the 1950s and 60s. Schwinn also was willing to change suppliers if a better cost-to-performance could be had. They used Brampton hubs, and later Steyr hubs, when Sturmey was short on stock or too expensive. They purchased Phillips levers and calipers for a time, then moved to Weinmann. Union was similar in that it positioned itself as maker of decent quality but affordable parts that Schwinn could use.

The shift in the US market over the course of the 1950s also increasingly favored European bike and parts imports, particularly from West Germany. The German share of bike imports to the US jumped from 26.6% in 1954 to 53.5% in 1956, while the British share of the imports segment dropped in that same period because the German bike and parts firms were getting better at making a reasonably good product at an attractive price.

You're talking about parts, right? I see a lot more old English bikes than German. None of the German makers established a strong brand identity in the U.S., they mostly built bikes sold under various retail badges.