When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Post-War ('40s-'50s) Schwinn Superior List
- Thread starter SirMike1983
- Start date
#eBayPartner Most Recent BUY IT NOW Items Listed on eBay
Oilit
Cruisin' on my Bluebird
Last weekend I bought the black Superior that @MPW1 (Mark W.) was selling on FB. From the side you can see that the front fork is bent, which wasn't so obvious in the original pictures. Mark said he didn't realize it was bent until another potential buyer pointed it out. That buyer passed on the bike but sighting down the frame tubes, they look dead straight so I'm just going to look for another fork. The rear rim is stainless but the front is chrome, I don't know if it came that way or the front wheel was swapped after the fork got bent. The calipers are original, but one of the brake levers and the thumb shift have been replaced. And this bike has no trace of a seat tube decal, which is odd. You would think that if the top tube and down tube decals survived then the seat tube would too. And I've included a picture of the serial number which is slightly different than listed, somehow something got a little scrambled.
I asked Mark if he had any old pictures of the bike from back in the day and he sent one with his brother in front of the bike and another with him and his dad. The one with his dad doesn't show the bike but since his dad was the original owner I'll include it anyway.
I asked Mark if he had any old pictures of the bike from back in the day and he sent one with his brother in front of the bike and another with him and his dad. The one with his dad doesn't show the bike but since his dad was the original owner I'll include it anyway.
SirMike1983
Riding a '38 Autocycle Deluxe
Thanks for that information. I would not write off that fork. They are fairly robust and the steel is pretty soft. I would try Nate's shop in Vermont (Krakatoa) to see if they can straighten it. He recently straightened a badly bent pre-war New World fork for me. Finding another black post-war Superior fork would not be easy, and I think you might still be able to save that one.
The new information moves this bike to one of the early ones based on the 4/49 rear hub.
The new information moves this bike to one of the early ones based on the 4/49 rear hub.
Schwinn Sales West
Cruisin' on my Bluebird
The fork can be re-aligned. As the others have said, it will be just like new when done.
It's better that the fork bent, rather than the frame top and down tubes buckling. If you run into a parked car, or a brick fence, the fork or the frame head will bend. If you run into a lower object like a curb the wheel will bend. What bends during the accident is dependent on the mass and angle of the hit.
John
It's better that the fork bent, rather than the frame top and down tubes buckling. If you run into a parked car, or a brick fence, the fork or the frame head will bend. If you run into a lower object like a curb the wheel will bend. What bends during the accident is dependent on the mass and angle of the hit.
John
Oilit
Cruisin' on my Bluebird
It may be fixable, it can't hurt to try. I've had good luck using a propane torch on aluminum racks to soften the bent part and bend them back straight, but I don't know if that would work on a fork without burning the paint. Maybe I can try on some scrap. It looks like the bend is centered at he lower tip of the fork dart. Mark said his dad kept riding it even after the fork was bent.
Last edited:
WillWork4Parts
Cruisin' on my Bluebird
Yeah, I've not tried straightening an early lightweight fork yet, but I will say that the early ballooner tubular forks are prone to work hardening when they get bent, and the tube likes to dent/pucker being thinner at the area that bends. So, I'd use wood blocks at your fulcrum point to keep from denting.
Schwinn Sales West
Cruisin' on my Bluebird
NO......TO THE HEAT IDEA, just cold bend it.
You do not need to anneal the metal.
Using soft 2 by 4 blocks is a good suggestion because they will deform and spread the load point during the bending.
Just take the fork out and send it off to someone that has the experience. You have a difficult to replace fork, it's already painted to match your frame, it has the same patina, it will be money well spent having it aligned.
John
Miq
Cruisin' on my Bluebird
Think about where you are clamping and where you are applying force with your lever. Those should be directed at removing the bends.
@Krakatoa Nate has much better tools and techniques than what I am showing: Krakatoa's Fork Service
Last edited:
SirMike1983
Riding a '38 Autocycle Deluxe
I think it could be straightened cold. I've done a number of forks in the past but am probably going to be sending mine to Nate going forward. It saves me a lot of time in the sense that I can send off the fork and do other stuff on the bike in the meantime. When the fork comes back, I'm ready to re-assemble. He did a good job on my New World fork. I was pretty slow at fixing forks, and sending it off to someone who does many of them and has a system down just saves effort on my part.
Similar threads
