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Schwinn American - May 2, 1958

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chopperMil

Look Ma, No Hands!
Just picked this Schwinn American up at a local estate sale offering 80% off. The listing for the sale included a vintage Schwinn so I just had to check it out. There sits this guy in a dark garage marked $225.00; so I paid $45.00. I get home excited and checked out the serial number E814880 on Anna & Pat's website and find it was stamped on May 2, 1958. Fun! Then I checked the Schwinn catalogs and it appears the American skipped a few years including 1958. So what do I have here? I plan to remove the basket and then go from there. What's up with the Bendix 2-speed? It's not a kickback so what is it? The Bendix shifter is frozen. The rear 26" S-7 Schwinn Westwind still holds air. The front is shot. Any insight or comments would be appreciated. I love all the great insight and expertise this site provides. When I go to social gatherings and am asking what I'm reading, my reply is The Cabe!

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Second rule of collecting Schwinn information-do not use that site. 😜

Pat and Anna's site is mixed up, incomplete, a PITA and misleading.

The American was produced from mid 1954 thru the 1958 model year. The name was then dropped from the list in 1959 and thru the first half of 1961. It was reintroduced in the second half of 1961. During its absence the model name was changed to Speedster. When the American was reintroduced the name Speedster was dropped.
 
Got it and noted! Thanks a million! Any idea why American/Speedster/American occurred? Marketing?
I have no idea why they did that. Quite possibly to coin the name speedster for later use and they didn’t want to add another model to their lineup at that time.
 
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