56 Traveller Violet

[SirMike1983]

I thought I would revive this because there is a bike on Facebook that also appears to be a 1950s 3-speed with transitional brake handles and calipers. The calipers look a lot like the "Schwinn Built" but have a rounder faces and no inscriptions on the front. The levers are the Birmingham-style, hinged types. They look at first glance like the Schwinn-built but are actually of the English type. Schwinn later went to the Weinmann parts.

The bike has a 1950s-style Sturmey window shifter. Serial number is on the rear dropout. Bike is being sold on Facebook (not mine) if anyone is interested.

 

[Oilit]

I thought I would revive this because there is a bike on Facebook that also appears to be a 1950s 3-speed with transitional brake handles and calipers. The calipers look a lot like the "Schwinn Built" but have a rounder faces and no inscriptions on the front. The levers are the Birmingham-style, hinged types. They look at first glance like the Schwinn-built but are actually of the English type. Schwinn later went to the Weinmann parts.

The bike has a 1950s-style Sturmey window shifter. Serial number is on the rear dropout. Bike is being sold on Facebook (not mine) if anyone is interested.

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I wonder if this one has the first-year type winged head badge? It's too far for me but if I was closer I'd at least have to go look.

 

[Alan Brase]

This brings back some memories for me as my first adult bicycle was a badly worn 1953-4 Schwinn Traveler my dad bought in 1959. Dad was able to teach this 10 year old how to clean and restore the ball bearings including replacing the races in the front hub. For some reason, mine had a Brampton hub.
My bike was the lovely green but about 1962 as a 13 year old I took ALL the paint off and took it to the Schwinn store where they got it repainted Flambouyant RED! I put on 52 tooth front sprocket, removed the fenders and put on drop bars. It served me pretty well until I bought my first 10 speed as a young adult in about 1971. Very soon after that it got STOLEN! But persistance paid off and I recovered its remains. Missing the rear wheel, seat, brakes and bars. Adding insult, later the garage it was in burned down. But I DID just recently find my original fenders and very likely bars and chainwheel. So, I suppose I need to make it green again. though the violet is pretty!
Anybody have a good paint mach for the green? Are decals available? Mine was later than the "World". I always suffered from World envy, I say.
What tires are available for the S6 rims? Or should I put on more modern rims/tires?

 

[SirMike1983]

I thought I would revive this because there is a bike on Facebook that also appears to be a 1950s 3-speed with transitional brake handles and calipers. The calipers look a lot like the "Schwinn Built" but have a rounder faces and no inscriptions on the front. The levers are the Birmingham-style, hinged types. They look at first glance like the Schwinn-built but are actually of the English type. Schwinn later went to the Weinmann parts.

The bike has a 1950s-style Sturmey window shifter. Serial number is on the rear dropout. Bike is being sold on Facebook (not mine) if anyone is interested.

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I recently refurbished a complete set of these "transitional" type brakes. They are Made in England and of a Birmingham pattern, taking a conventional pinched brake cable. The levers are Birmingham pattern as well, with the swivel on the handle. The levers look a lot like the Schwinn-built type, but are different in some dimensions and mount to the bars using a pair of top-down screws rather than the single bottom-up screw. I still have not seen any literature on exactly how long they were used (it only seems like a couple of years before the move to Weinmann brakes and levers), or why they were briefly used and then dropped (cost/value maybe?). Weight, function, and stopping power all seem comparable to the earlier "Schwinn Built" calipers, with the later Weinmann being lighter and having somewhat better stopping power. Kind of a short-lived and interesting aside that they went to British-made parts briefly.

 

[Schwinny]

A note being that the first Weinman alum calipers were not "approved."

They were just engraved with block style letters, "WEINMANN" and "made in Switzerland" in block on the other side. The unseen rear of the arms have no markings.
I have a set...

 

[Spacecowboy]

A note being that the first Weinman alum calipers were not "approved."

They were just engraved with block style letters, "WEINMANN" and "made in Switzerland" in block on the other side. The unseen rear of the arms have no markings.
I have a set...

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I happen to also have a complete set of these as well but from a jc higgins ladies 3sp made by steyr. The undated higgins rear hub was used in the 55-60 timeframe and was as close as I could get to putting a date on it.

 

[72 rover]

I just picked up a 52 World Traveler and my brake calipers are unmarked on the front but stamped Made In England on the back. Not sure if these are the transitional ones.

The brake pads are marked FIBRAX 26 and also Made In England.

 

[Oilit]

I just picked up a 52 World Traveler and my brake calipers are unmarked on the front but stamped Made In England on the back. Not sure if these are the transitional ones.

The brake pads are marked FIBRAX 26 and also Made In England.

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I'd say those are the transitional calipers. The Schwinn levers and calipers have slightly different details, and are marked "Schwinn"

 

[SirMike1983]

Those look like English-made brake parts that Schwinn used for awhile after the "Schwinn Built" but before the Weinmann types. They look like they're in good shape. Be careful with the small screws on the brake lever clamps. The metal is on those screws is pretty soft and the screw slots tear pretty easily. Try turning the nut if you can rather than the screw.

 

[SirMike1983]

Found this in a mid 1950s Schwinn parts catalog - says they were made by Phillips.