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

[GTs58]

@Miq
Here's @BFGforme 's 1945 DX. I don't believe the post war lightweights used the same BB shells as the balloon models but I'm thinking they were possibly stamped with a serial # around the same time. When these shells were used to build a frame is unknown, and it seems that the early post war serial # C series was used in multiple years. It looks like that blue New World has the smaller gauge drop out and supposedly the 47's had a thicker heavier gauge drop out.

What's interesting is that Schwinn was making BB shells and stamping them with serial numbers at a rate of 1500 to over 5000 per day in 1948. If we say that they only made 1000 per day at this particular time these two BB shells were produced only 4 days apart.

 

[cyclingday]

This insightful material, graciously provided by Mark Mattei.

Thank you, Mark!
Much appreciated!

 

[Miq]

@genesmachines is contributing this H serial New World to the list.

K2 Morrow hub and some pin stripes still visible. The saddle looks replaced but it is basically all there. Kickstand doesn't seem like a Miller 3 piece.

 

[GTs58]

This insightful material, graciously provided by Mark Mattei.

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View attachment 1899356Thank you, Mark!
Much appreciated!

I seemed to have missed this posting. Thank you @Mark Mattei and @cyclingday for this informative contribution!

 

[cyclingday]

Maiden voyage on the,
1942 Victory/War Model.

This is the same bike posted by 63Caddy in the registry.

 

[Miq]

Love that bike @cyclingday! Glad to see it out in the wild.

This info stuck out for our New World thread:

New World Defense Models and Pricing

1941 New World Models before OPM (Office of Production Management) Restrictions

New World W3MFC Defense Model Specs

Clearly they were preparing for the wartime changes already in Oct 1941. Enameled Handlebars, and New Schwinn Head Fittings stick out to me.

It seems like the idea of "Blackout" parts is not what they are thinking yet.

The I serial bikes on our list take us into this territory all they way up to Victory Wartime New Worlds. We started to talk about this in Aug, 2021. You had just come across this @cyclingday :

and @HUFFMANBILL had introduced the Victory Bikes ad from Sept 1942:

Good to see more pieces of the puzzle showing up. Defense models (W3MFC) were the first step to directing Schwinn operations toward wartime production but once the US entered the war, the restrictions very quickly became much more severe. The ONLY Schwinn bike being sold to the public became the Victory New Worlds (VW1M) and the Defense models were no longer offered. In my head, the I serial New Worlds are a mix. Some being Defense (up to about I35XXX) and some being Victory bikes (Starting around I55XXX).

 

[cyclingday]

It looks like the Defense Models ran from about October 1941 to March of 1942.
Then the Victory/War Model was produced from April 1942 thru 1945.
During the Defense Model stage, there were 12 companies building restricted bikes, but then, that number was reduced to 2 when the Victory model campaign started.
Huffman and Westfield were the chosen two, with the caveat, that no manufacturer’s name or brand be displayed on the bike anywhere, so as to not create an unfair marketing advantage over the competition during that time of great sacrifice.
But, it appears, that AS&Co/Schwinn, continued to build the Victory/War model, New World throughout the war years, headbadge, decals and all.
Did any other manufacturers continue building bikes during this time?
I wonder what the circumstances were for this provision?
We’re the Schwinn built bikes solely for industrial purpose, as the Cycle Truck was?
The advertisement posted above, appears to support that.
If you worked in defense in some capacity, then you could get a Schwinn built bike.
What better recruiting tool do you need?
You can ride a Huffy if you work at the bakery, but sign up for the war effort, and you get to ride a Schwinn.

 

[SirMike1983]

The victory bike, reconsidered:

Reconsidering the Victory Bike in WWII – Bike Battles

bikebattles.net

"But the Victory Bike was not a victory for American bicycling; instead, it served to differentiate American adult bicycling for transportation from global cultures. In a multitude of ways, the Victory Bike program hobbled bicycle manufacturing and severely limited bicycle use rather than promoting it. Its name confuses matters, and tricks our understanding of the meaning of the bicycle’s past, present and future. This paper argues that we should reconsider the program as a defeat rather than a victory."

 

[WillWork4Parts]

Did any other manufacturers continue building bikes during this time?

I wish there were more conclusive date stamped documents for other manufacturers like what we have here for Schwinn...
There were blacked out CWC, Columbia, and Colson models though. There's even a Colson model badged "Defender."
I'll limit my non Schwinn comments in this thread though.

 

[cyclingday]

I wish there were more conclusive date stamped documents for other manufacturers like what we have here for Schwinn...
There were blacked out CWC, Columbia, and Colson models though. There's even a Colson model badged "Defender."
I'll limit my non Schwinn comments in this thread though.

Exactly!
Non Schwinn comments pertaining to this discussion are most welcome!
Did the other manufacturers get to display their brand on those Defense/Victory models?
And, we’re they being rationed to Defense workers needs only?
If those brands were able to get their bikes distributed for defense work, with their logos intact, then it seems that Huffman and Westfield were the ones to lose out, if they had to make their bikes as generic as possible to meet the requirements they agreed to, so that they could supply bicycles to the general public.