Schwinn Continental Serial Number K7177

[JunkerC]

Good morning: I am restoring my late father's Schwinn Continental Maroon Serial # K7177. The bike is complete except for replaced handlebar grips. Is it possible that the bike was built prior to WWII? My reason for asking is that in addition to the Sturmey Archer 3 speed hub, there is also a derailluer fitted. Would the derailluer hve been a Schwinn factory option? The bike still has most of the decals intact including one marked Sam's Bicycle Shop which was a long standing Rochester NY Schwinn/Raleigh bike shop. The frame has the welded on kickstand mount with tapered unpainted stand. Dad had dismounted the handlebars and flipped it for a lower stance riding profile. The family legend is that Dad rode the bike during WWII 2 miles each way back and forth to Kodak Park in good weather due to gas and car tire rationing. My understanding is that Kodak promoted bike riding by providing inside the gates secured bike racks. Question: is it possible somehow to see if the bike was really built and sold pre-war or was the frame stored until just after the war with the bike being built prior to the Schwinn fire?

 

[SirMike1983]

A Continental with a welded kickstand would be a bike frame from after WWII. The Continental was a post-war only model and the lightweights before the war had bolt-on kickstands rather than weld-on. The three speed Continentals were mostly made from 1947-52, but there are a few 1946 models with some different features. Posting a picture of the bike will help on the details.

 

[rennfaron]

No possibility that it is a prewar continental, because that doesn't exist. K serial is known to be a wartime-to-late-wartime serial, but since the continental was only introduced in 1945/1946 that would put it around that period (see this thread for the first year continental). The derailleur would not be factory spec and would be fitted on after. There have been some that have turned up with added components like that. Always add pics!

 

[GTs58]

The K serial numbers were used war time on the New Worlds and some of the first continental‘s built had those K serial numbers. If your bike has the white background decals it’s most likely a 46 or later. Schwinn was producing retail bikes in 1945 and that could possibly be one of the first ones built if it doesn’t have the later decals. There have been quite a few K serial numbered continentals show up here with 1947 Sturmey hubs.

 

[49autocycledeluxe]

I'd like to see some pictures.

 

[JunkerC]

The decals do not have a white background. The 3 speed derallieur is a british "Cyclo". The front fork has a cyclometer showing 1306 miles. Fenders are chrome, not painted. I have the chain guard, but it is off the bike as it will not clear the derailleur. Saddle is marked Schwinn. The warning bell is off the bike, but it is a british postman's large striking bell. Possible late WWII as gas rationing was in place post VJ day.

 

[49autocycledeluxe]

 

[Oilit]

The decals do not have a white background. The 3 speed derallieur is a british "Cyclo". The front fork has a cyclometer showing 1306 miles. Fenders are chrome, not painted. I have the chain guard, but it is off the bike as it will not clear the derailleur. Saddle is marked Schwinn. The warning bell is off the bike, but it is a british postman's large striking bell. Possible late WWII as gas rationing was in place post VJ day.

I don't understand why the chainguard won't clear the derailleur. My bike (a pre-war New World) in this thread:

1940 New World with a Bayliss-Wiley rear hub. | Lightweight Schwinn Bicycles

A couple of weeks ago I bought a 1940 (D8727, but the "8" is hard to read) New World with a derailleur three speed rear hub. The derailleur itself is a Huret Alvit, so no older than the late '50's, but the rear hub is an English Bayliss-Wiley. I found one piece of advertising on the...

thecabe.com

 

[detroitbike]

I don’t know
It sounds fishy to me.
Is it like my Paramount pictured ?
I also have the identical setup on an early Continental….

 

[detroitbike]

Yes these bikes do exist !
Better Shifter pic