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Prewar Schwinn rear drop stands 1933-1939

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mr.cycleplane

Riding my Motorbike
I've been asked many times over the past 40 years about the correct rear drop stands on the Schwinn bikes from 1933-39. I will be only making comment on just the balloon tire bikes of this period. I can't make comment on non-Schwinn stands found on our beloved Schwinn bikes. This information would also apply to Schwinn-built Rangers. I will limit this discussion to the type stand with the Schwinn hooked 'ears' as they are commonly called(see picture #1). For the Schwinn person building up a motorbike-sometimes its just not enough to have a stand with the very distinctive hooked ears. There are three models of the '1446' stand from 1933-9. Schwinn was constantly improving product and very slight improvements sometimes didn't show up as another part number. The first stand(approx1933-5 ) was just a cut down version of the model that came on the 28" wheeled bike(see picture#4). This stand was by far the worst of the three. It had a tendency to 'stretch' the rear fender too far in lock up. the other problem was the fender clip design that came with this stand. The first clip(Schwinn part 1456) laid flat against the fender and after much use and stress to the fender-tore the fender(made two parallel cuts). This problem was recognized by Schwinn(1936) and they made two corrections-one to the resting shelf(moved it back-see picture #5) and to curve the clip so it stood off the fender. At his point it should be mentioned that the Schwinn fender clip has two holes and a very distinct profile(see pictures #8/9). The first and second variations of the stand were for the fenders with flat braces. This means the fender braces came together with a small piece which did the attachment to the rear axel. The third variation of the stand(1938-see picture #6) came about with the development of the 'formed' fender braces that attached to the axel directly. Also the rivet which held the stand to the ears was moved lower and the stand itself was shortened(see picture #7). If I was to assign a year of use for these I would say that the first variation of the stand was found on the b10 models-the aerocycle-and the 1935 cycleplane(this also means basic models of these bikes). These stands are easy to spot as the tire will sometimes almost hit he ground and the angle of the stand in the parked position has a sharper forward angle. By 1936 Schwinn recognized the problems and made simple adjustments to the stand. These stands are easily spotted as the tire sits up off the ground and the upper fender brace and stand angle seems to be about the same. The third variation of this stand came out with the 'bc' model of 1938(see picture #6) where the braces attached directly to the axel. These also when in the parked position-the fender braces align. The ears of this third variation have a different look-namely the rear of the ear slants backwards and the rivet is much lower(compare these in picture #7). Aside from the ears I should mention the two types of channel material found on the stands(see pictures #2/3). In general the earlier stands have a 'concave' cross section. later have a 'three sided' cross section. the first two stands use the concave version channel and perhaps till supply exhausted during the second variation-they started using the three sided channel. The third variation use the three sided channel.
Adding to the problems(some a manufacturing/design issue)are the problems in bicycle assembly and improper maintenance. When using a rear drop stand-after the wheel has been placed in the drop outs-the stand is the first thing to go on the axel. After that the fender braces rack legs washers etc(sometimes a jumble of these to make them fit). You'll know something is wrong if you are having to use too many washers or the fender braces get in the way of the stands function. (A common problem is the use of an early stand (type one and two)with formed braces-the braces get in the way the stand is raised for lock up. The 'fix' for this ends up being a bunch of washers to make it clear.). When a drop stand is perfectly/correctly set up it is an effortless motion to kick it up in place with a smart click into place. I can't tell you the number of times on rides to see improper assembled stands drop the first time the bike hits a small pot hole in the road. Sometimes its the wrong/inferior fender clip. Another problem over time or improper bike assembly is the chain problem! a chain that has an extra link or has over years of use stretched will cause the axel to move back(when adjusted for this stretch)moving the stand closer to the rear fender-making it harder to lock up/stressing the fender clip against the fender. This brief discussion is to benefit those having difficulty even though they think they have the right 'Schwinn' stand. hopefully this will help and if there are questions or archival literature on above topic would like to see it shared. Study pictures carefully as the changes are very subtle(and pictures not award winning!)
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