Schwinn Electro Forged Frame Dilemma

[SirMike1983]

I located a nice, 1950s-era Schwinn Traveler in opalescent green in an online sale. While working on it the other night, I noticed the down tube seems a bit bent. I thought it might be front end damage, but the fork was straight and the top tube was straight. I put a straight edge on the frame and found the down tube is indeed bent, but the fork and top tube are not. I checked the headset and steering, and there was no binding. No cracks or ripples in the tubes.

Is this some kind of manufacturing anomaly with the electro forged frame joints? Is it front end damage that some how bent only the down tube and nothing else? Anyone here who would try to fix this, or ride as is?

 

[Andrew Gorman]

Slap a straight edge on it and see if it is bent. It looks bent, but maybe it isn't. String up the frame and see if it tracks OK, ride it and see if there are any problems. A bend in a gas pipe frame like this is not a fatal flaw.

 

[rhenning]

My guess is it at one time in its life it had a hard front end crash. Roger

 

[Gordon]

I would think if it had been impacted hard enough to bend the tubing it would have damaged the paint as well. Perhaps they found it necessary to tweak it during assembly to get it to line up with the hole in the head tube.

 

[Ridge Rider]

The head tube angle stills looks good. Take it for a ride and take your hands off of the bars to see if it wants to turn quickly to the left or right .if the bike rides true enjoy it as is.
Dave

 

[SirMike1983]

The head tube angle stills looks good. Take it for a ride and take your hands off of the bars to see if it wants to turn quickly to the left or right .if the bike rides true enjoy it as is.
Dave

That ended up being what I did. I took it up to a vintage bike shop near me, and they all said the same thing as I heard here-- it's not off by much, and if the bike rides OK, go with it. It does ride pretty well and does not pull much either way. It's not any worse than my other bikes.

http://bikeshedva.blogspot.com/2016/07/1954-schwinn-traveler-3-speed.html

 

[Eric Amlie]

The bike looks great!
In these latest pics I can't tell that there is anything amiss at all.

 

[mruiz]

Nice find Mike