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Pre war vs post war rake and trail

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rickyd

Wore out three sets of tires already!
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Is there a major difference in prewar vs postwar rake and or trail? The 48 is my daily rider and with a bit of momentum it can be ridden hands free. The 40 which I really like is much different, I believe if you turned the bars loose it would go down. Setting stopped the front wheel wants to flop to one side or the other. The 48 has a one inch shorter wheel base and of course seats are different. Thanks in advance for comments etc Rick
 
My original wheels had warped rims and bent spokes. After upgrading to a pair with straight rims and replaced the spokes and trued them, I noticed the balance improved significantly. New tubes and tires also smoothed things out.

Looking at the photos of your two bikes, the '48 which has better balance, has shiney rims, new(?) tires, smaller handlebars and no fenders. The '40 has pretty much the opposite plus a klaxon horn on one side.

Try taking the fenders off the '40 and put the wheels and handlebars from the '48 on it and see if the balance improves. If after that, there is still a difference in the balance, that would narrow it down to the frame or fork.
 
This is a good one for @tripple3

All I can say is, if the fork is bent there is no chance you'll be able to ride with no hands.
Thanks for the mention Gary @GTs58
I've been playing with different bikes like this for a lil' bit.:cool:
I can adjust my hips, and straighten out a bent bike, if I find its' rhythm.
Different gears/geometry will roll pretty straight, once its rolling.
Some bikes are "Squirrly". I keep a couple fingers on the bars of Aero King.
Wide bars help balance everything out.
It's a lot easier rolling, downhill is best.:D
To answer the question, yes, I think the head-tube angle is different on the early Schwinn frames.:)
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Off topic, but on the '48, are those Torrington Dallas handlebars? they look cool! how do you like riding with those bars?
 
Off topic, but on the '48, are those Torrington Dallas handlebars? they look cool! how do you like riding with those bars?
I think those bars are Wald knock offs of the Torrington dallas bar no hole or script. I love them I ride in the hills around here and believe they put body in a better position to pull. I've since turned them over so as to not be quite as low. Currently think of a smaller front sprocket also! I own two old mountain bikes but prefer the Schwinn ha
 
I think those bars are Wald knock offs of the Torrington dallas bar no hole or script. I love them I ride in the hills around here and believe they put body in a better position to pull. I've since turned them over so as to not be quite as low. Currently think of a smaller front sprocket also! I own two old mountain bikes but prefer the Schwinn ha

Sure would be nice if someone reproduced the Dallas bars, bet there's a market for them (hint, hint ;))
 
When I was young, I had multiple ballooners, and rode no hands for long distances on anyone of them with no problems. I'm afraid to let go today. One thing I've noticed, when I've had bikes on the work-stand, is some of them, even with the fork correctly in the head tube, you don't dare leave them facing straight. They will suddenly turn and wham against the side of the tank. [I hope I phrased that right] It's not that the fork is loose in the head tube, it's just that it flops over easily, compared to others. Maybe this makes a difference when trying to steer no handed.
 
My suggestion was to tighten down the bearings in the head tube just a bit .. And On the bike stand I always bungee cord the front wheel.. Especially handy when taking the bike off the stand.. Just don’t forget to take it off before you push the bike..
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