Drop Center Rims

[frankenbike]

I have a couple of prewar Schwinn bikes with the wrong (replacement) 26" rims. Are Schwinn drop center rims different from other manufacturers' drop center rims or will they interchange. I already have some prewar drop center rims available (not Schwinn) and if these are the same it will save me the trouble of trying to locate original Schwinn rims. Thanks, Gary.

 

[cyclingday]

Most prewar drop center rims were made by Lobdell, or Williams, with subtle differences that distinguish them from year to year.
So, depending on the year of your bike, you will want to mate up a pair of like profile rims for that year.
As far as I know, the only prewar rims that Schwinn actually made, were for the 1938-Superior.

 

[GTs58]

Most prewar drop center rims were made by Lobdell, or Williams, with subtle differences that distinguish them from year to year.
So, depending on the year of your bike, you will want to mate up a pair of like profile rims for that year.
As far as I know, the only prewar rims that Schwinn actually made, were for the 1938-Superior.

Knowing Schwinn, if they describe a part using their name, they made that part. Not many prewar bikes pass thru my hands but I believe Schwinn made their drop centers probably before 1938. There has also been some lit where Schwinn was saying "Schwinn's new rims" and this was before the S-2's

 

[cyclingday]

Those were made by Lobdell.

 

[GTs58]

Those were made by Lobdell.

So on every 1938 model Spec sheet it states......... Rims--SCHWINN, beaded deep drop center, chromium finish. It does not say Schwinn Approved nor Lobdell. In the previous years they had the same description for the rims, minus the SCHWINN. So you say the Lobdell had subtle differences that distinguish them from year to year. Were all these on Lobdell inscribed rims or were some unmarked?

 

[cyclingday]

They were unmarked for the most part.
Some do show up with a ink stamped, Lobdell script on them, but the stamp was easily wiped away during scrubbing/cleaning.
When the flat type precursor to the S-2 type rim was introduced in 1941, it had an engraved Lobdell script near the valve stem hole.
Schwinn still advertised this type as though they had actually made them, but they were in fact made by Lobdell for Schwinn.

 

[GTs58]

Schwinn made most of the parts to build bikes at times and they brought the Balloon tire to life and I find it very hard to believe they didn't make any drop center rims for the Balloon bikes. So there were minor differences in the drop center rims that are said to be Lobdell made, so is there a chance some were not Lobdell? Schwinn made their lightweight rims in different variants but no Balloon rims until the Tubulars? Too hard to believe!
So a new tire was designed by Schwinn that fits their Superior rims and it seems Schwinn also made a drop center for that tire.
I find this subject interesting and it's probably a minor detail that nobody has really ever paid any attention to. I've been told for years by the masses and many collectors, and even a Schwinn Dealer, that the serial date is the date a Schwinn frame was built but I've proved that to be total BS along with waking up a few expert collectors.

 

[cyclingday]

That’s the rim that I mentioned at the beginning of this conversation,
It has the engraved Schwinn script, and it was made of stainless steel.
I don’t know if Schwinn actually made that rim, but it was unlike anything else in their line up at that time.
In later years, the tires that were branded by Schwinn, were made by Carlisle.
So I wouldn’t doubt that the Zephyr tires mentioned above were made for Schwinn by one of the established tire and rubber companies at the time.
On the slight differences of the hooked bead drop centers mentioned above.
That was more of a year to year variation, than within a batch of the same year parts.
The profile changed between 1933 -1947
In the trade publications of the time, you would see advertising for drop center rims from Lobdell, and Williams in every issue.
I’ve seen plenty of rims with the Lobdell stamp and the later engraved script, but I can’t say, that I’ve ever seen a Williams rim.
They obviously sold enough rims to survive for decades, because they advertised in every issue of the main trade publication at the time.
So, I suspect, that some of the rims that we assume are Lobdells, were actually made by Williams.
There isn’t any branding on those rims to know for sure, except the occasional Lobdells that show up that still have their rubber stamp visible.

 

[frankenbike]

Thank you for the responses, very informative! The bike in question right now is a restored prewar cycle truck and the rims are made like the s-2 but there is no knurling or any stamping on the outside of the rim. No way of knowing that they are original but I suspect they are replacement rims (NOS ?). When I can get the bike out I think I will pull a tire and check for markings on the inside of the rim and take a wheel to my local metal expert to see if he can determine if the rim is in fact stainless steel. It never ceases to amaze me how much knowledge is available here. I have searched countless hours on the net and still have to ask here because the info is just not available short of being hidden in a book somewhere. Thanks again, Gary.

 

[mrg]

I thought the only thing Schwinn actually made was the frames, they sourced most of their parts from Wald?, Persons, Messenger etc. Ashtabule made stems, forks cranks, pedals were made by a few company's that stamped Schwinn on them and Schwinn branded tires were made by Goodyear, Carlisle & Uniroyal. but Schwinn did make the S2's and the non & knurled S2's are dbl walled on the inside and different from the square Lobs and look different on the inside.