Need help with a small (20"?) CWC frame I found

[IlliniFan]

New guy here, thanks for having me. I found this in the garage of a house I bought and it sparked an interest so I started doing some digging. The style and serial number don't make sense to me. The serial number is D66317 with the Cw stamp, according to the chart I've seen floating around that would be 1948 (iirc), but I can't find anything from 47-48 that looks anything like it. Everything I see has either a curved down tube or the double bars aren't parallel. Can anyone help me figure out what this is? Could it be an older frame that wasn't used until after the war? I'm new at this, so I have many questions, but if I could figure out a make/model that would be great!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[GTs58]

Try searching for 1937 CWC. Don't know if the 20 inchers had the drop stand ears on the rear forks or not.

 

[lgrinnings]

Here’s a 1938. The catalogs show drop stand ears for the prewar models. Also, built-in seat post clamp.

 

[IlliniFan]

Try searching for 1937 CWC. Don't know if the 20 inchers had the drop stand ears on the rear forks or not.

View attachment 1104097

I've been wondering if the 20" models ever had the drop stand ears and if they did when that changed. In my searches I noticed the same thing about the frame shape, with the exception of the drop stand ears, it resembles something more like a late 30's to 1940 full sized bike.

Is the serial number chart for Cleveland's completely accurate? If so, could this be an older frame that just didn't get stamped and used until 1948?

And why can't I find more about 20" bikes? I know Cleveland made frames for bikes that sold under different names, are there certain makes that produced junior size (20") bicycles and makes that didn't?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[IlliniFan]

Here’s a 1938. The catalogs show drop stand ears for the prewar models. Also, built-in seat post clamp.

View attachment 1104180

Ok, great, the seat post clamp is something I didn't know about, so that clamp is a fixed piece of the frame? My frame doesn't have that. That's another indicator that it is post-war. I haven't found much catalog info online, aside from a few pictures from ads, have you ever seen a post-war frame shaped like mine? If so, do you know what model it might be?

So far everything I've seen post-war have either had a curve to the down tube or curved double bars that don't remain parallel all the way to the seat post. My first thought was to restore the bike, but I don't know what to restore it to since it doesn't have any badging. It had a poorly done red/white paint job on it when I found it, but when I stripped it I noticed hints of blue paint underneath.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[IlliniFan]

Here are a few more pics. I didn't know if the measurements, brazing, or anything else would help identify a model. Besides the serial number the only marking I can see is in the last picture, but I don't know what it is or if it has any significance.

 

[Archie Sturmer]

I can't find anything from 47-48 that looks anything like it

Looks like a 1947-C Ohio youth's bike that I saw for sale earlier this year.

Seems that blue repaints over the reds may have been common.
Welcome to the CABE.

 

[GTs58]

Link................... https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/1930s-prewar-roadmaster-shelby-boys-1891345537

 

[IlliniFan]

Looks like a 1947-C Ohio youth's bike that I saw for sale earlier this year.
View attachment 1104301
Seems that blue repaints over the reds may have been common.
Welcome to the CABE.

Fantastic! That looks closer than anything else I've found. Thanks! Is Ohio a model? I've never come across it before.

 

[IlliniFan]

Link................... https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/1930s-prewar-roadmaster-shelby-boys-1891345537


View attachment 1104302

This is another one of those things that has confused me. I've seen a couple other ads or posts that will call it 30's and one or two that will say 1940, and they all look identical to me. I try to zoom in for the drop stand ears and they're either not there or just not visible. I learned in this thread that the seat adjuster is a fixed part of prewar Cleveland's, I cant tell in this post if it is or isn't. I appreciate the post and link, I had not seen this one before. I'm always looking to see how these bikes might have looked.