I put a new set of tires on the Continental this weekend, and it dawned on me that I never shared this bike here after I put it together. Better late than never, right?
I love vintage bikes, and for whatever reason have been a Schwinn guy ever since diving into the hobby. I’ve tried to limit myself to one bike at a time. As a result, I’ve owned, spruced up, modified, fully restored, or flipped a number of them in an attempt to find a “keeper”. All of them I’ve enjoyed for different reasons, and for the first few years thought I’d always be into the heavy balloon tires and nothing else.
But something changed and at one point I found myself with a super nice untouched ‘47 Continental with nice original Blue Poly paint. I kept having an itch to change things on it, so it was sold and found a new home with Sir Mike. Him owning it and keeping it original was what was best, even though that’s the only bike I’ve sold that I would like to have back.
After that one I decided to get back into the big tires and built a ‘46 DX, starting with a stripped down frame with original paint. I pieced it together into what became a slippery smooth 7 speed bomber, but even with the multiple gears and aluminum wheel set, it was still too “heavy”.
I sold the DX and with thoughts of the blue one I owned previously, I bought this black tall frame ‘47 Continental. It was well worn, missing some original parts, and generally neglected for who-knows how many years. Since it wasn’t an overall nice, complete example to start with, I felt it would be a suitable candidate for my intentions.
Having been following the early Continentals for the last few years, I’ve yet to stumble across another tall frame, or another one with Box pinstriping. If anyone else has or knows of another one with either characteristic.. I’d like to see it. Must’ve been a custom order?
The temptation to blast and powder coat the frame was there, but in the end I knew I had to leave the original paint no matter what else I did to the bike. 70 years worth of use and abuse, and the original Berkeley Cyclery decal were aspects of this bike that couldn’t be replicated.
The original wheels and stainless fenders were ditched in favor of a new aluminum wheel set with a Nexus 3 speed, mated up to a rapid fire shifter. Continental brand tires, and Kool Stop ‘Continental’ brake pads were chosen to keep with the bikes namesake. A single brake lever operates both calipers, and a Brooks Cambium saddle keeps with the “old but modern” goal I was shooting for.
It ain’t stock, it ain’t original, and it ain’t clean and shiny and new. But it’s a “real” Schwinn that’s still seeing a ton of miles after 7 decades. I think that’s as good as it gets.
I love vintage bikes, and for whatever reason have been a Schwinn guy ever since diving into the hobby. I’ve tried to limit myself to one bike at a time. As a result, I’ve owned, spruced up, modified, fully restored, or flipped a number of them in an attempt to find a “keeper”. All of them I’ve enjoyed for different reasons, and for the first few years thought I’d always be into the heavy balloon tires and nothing else.
But something changed and at one point I found myself with a super nice untouched ‘47 Continental with nice original Blue Poly paint. I kept having an itch to change things on it, so it was sold and found a new home with Sir Mike. Him owning it and keeping it original was what was best, even though that’s the only bike I’ve sold that I would like to have back.
After that one I decided to get back into the big tires and built a ‘46 DX, starting with a stripped down frame with original paint. I pieced it together into what became a slippery smooth 7 speed bomber, but even with the multiple gears and aluminum wheel set, it was still too “heavy”.
I sold the DX and with thoughts of the blue one I owned previously, I bought this black tall frame ‘47 Continental. It was well worn, missing some original parts, and generally neglected for who-knows how many years. Since it wasn’t an overall nice, complete example to start with, I felt it would be a suitable candidate for my intentions.
Having been following the early Continentals for the last few years, I’ve yet to stumble across another tall frame, or another one with Box pinstriping. If anyone else has or knows of another one with either characteristic.. I’d like to see it. Must’ve been a custom order?
The temptation to blast and powder coat the frame was there, but in the end I knew I had to leave the original paint no matter what else I did to the bike. 70 years worth of use and abuse, and the original Berkeley Cyclery decal were aspects of this bike that couldn’t be replicated.
The original wheels and stainless fenders were ditched in favor of a new aluminum wheel set with a Nexus 3 speed, mated up to a rapid fire shifter. Continental brand tires, and Kool Stop ‘Continental’ brake pads were chosen to keep with the bikes namesake. A single brake lever operates both calipers, and a Brooks Cambium saddle keeps with the “old but modern” goal I was shooting for.
It ain’t stock, it ain’t original, and it ain’t clean and shiny and new. But it’s a “real” Schwinn that’s still seeing a ton of miles after 7 decades. I think that’s as good as it gets.
