Anybody know what this was originally?

[Oilit]

I've been looking at this old Schwinn lightweight with an odd derailleur bracket. The seller lists it as a Schwinn New World, but I'm thinking maybe an early Continental? I'll post the serial if I get it from the seller.

 

[WillWork4Parts]

Parts look World-like, besides the obvious late model stuff. Seat tube to top tube looks fillet brazed, but it looks like the smaller 1" clamp, not the oversized Continental tubing...from here at least. Not sure I've ever seen a non-Paramount with a brazed on derailleur mount...slotted for something French??

 

[Robert Troub]

Definitely a franken-bike

 

[J-wagon]

Wow. Interesting gear setup sturmey archer 3 speed with multispeed rear derailleur.

 

[SirMike1983]

Looks like a one-piece crank and the smaller tube size, so not the fillet-brazed Continental. I would agree it's a mixmaster of parts.

 

[The Spokemaster]

Don't let Ralph Nader see this bicycle

 

[49autocycledeluxe]

when did they stop using the small round head badge? 1952? shifter and fenders are later than the stem and brake levers.

the head badge will say something other than the World if it is something else

 

[SirMike1983]

If that three speed shifter is original, it would date the bike to 1948 - 51. The solid silver face shifter was used only very briefly before the window shifters came in. The brake levers pre-date the transition to foreign sources. My guess is someone took a late 40s or very early 50s New World and some years later added a bunch of stuff to it.

 

[49autocycledeluxe]

looks like some cool pedals on there as well.

 

[Oilit]

If that three speed shifter is original, it would date the bike to 1948 - 51. The solid silver face shifter was used only very briefly before the window shifters came in. The brake levers pre-date the transition to foreign sources. My guess is someone took a late 40s or very early 50s New World and some years later added a bunch of stuff to it.

I didn't think about the one-piece crank, but you're right, that rules out a Continental. I know some of the early lightweights had an option for hybrid gearing, but would they have used that derailleur bracket? The bracket looks factory, at least from what's in the pictures.