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Wartime Schwinn New World Bikes - We Know You Have Them - Tell Us About Them!!

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Interesting, this serial number falls in the 40-41 range based on the chart here. New piece of information for me. Were these the first SA three speed hubs produced these years?
I think the first SA 3 speed hub was made in 1939. Years right up to the war were not dated. Just stamped AW
 
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9I think the first SA 3 speed hub was made in 1939. Years right up to the war were not dated. Just stamped AW
The pre-war hubs weren't dated with the month and year like the post-war bikes, but they did have a mark for the year, a single digit beside the "AW", I've seen "AW9" (1939) and "AW0" (1940). But some made around the war years weren't dated at all. In this thread, check posts #78, #356 and #309 for examples. I think @GTs58 said the earliest post-war example he's seen with a date was from 1947. Sturmey-Archer may have halted production altogether during the war, but then again maybe not, depending on whether the British government saw enough need. I don't really know.
 
The pre-war hubs weren't dated with the month and year like the post-war bikes, but they did have a mark for the year, a single digit beside the "AW", I've seen "AW9" (1939) and "AW0" (1940). But some made around the war years weren't dated at all. In this thread, check posts #78, #356 and #309 for examples. I think @GTs58 said the earliest post-war example he's seen with a date was from 1947. Sturmey-Archer may have halted production altogether during the war, but then again maybe not, depending on whether the British government saw enough need. I don't really know.
I saw a AW0 on mine I think.
 
I saw a AW0 on mine I think.
It sounds like it's probably original then. As for the rims, sometimes the manufacturers would stamp their name into the surface, but rust and dirt can make it hard to read, and not all rims were marked. I'm still wondering just when Schwinn started making their own S-6 rims, so I'm curious if there are any markings you can see. If not, oh well.
And the AW hub was introduced not long before the war, but it was just the latest model. Sturmey-Archer produced their first 3 speed hub in 1902, if memory serves. But I don't know of any American bike having them until Schwinn introduced the New World in 1939.
 
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It sounds like it's probably original then. As for the rims, sometimes the manufacturers would stamp their name into the surface, but rust and dirt can make it hard to read, and not all rims were marked. I'm still wondering just when Schwinn started making their own S-6 rims, so I'm curious if there are any markings you can see. If not, oh well.
And the AW hub was introduced not long before the war, but it was just the latest model. Sturmey-Archer produced their first 3 speed hub in 1902, if memory serves. But I don't know of any American bike having them until Schwinn introduced the New World in 1939.
Thanks for the info! Really love learning about these lightweights.
 
Gonna hang this one right here for now till I get the hoard cleaned out and gone. Dropped the blackout bars and neck from the ladies bike in it so I have some for it.

1427211
 
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