Find of a lifetime?!?! I could REALLY use help from the experts
 

Let me start with a picture.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...812619154.jpeg

Some facts:
- repaint, powder coated. Original finish was blue as well (per previous owner).
- some components are definitely added at a later time.
- serial number: due to thick coat of paint very hard to say for sure, but I think ‘1487’.
- left seat stay is dented a bit, but it sure rides nice.
- crank arms include “Schwinn” and “Paramount”.
- pedals are Atom

The previous owner thought it to be a 1960s bike, built by Oscar Wastyn.

I know it was discussed by the CR group. And they determined it to be a late 1930s / early 1940s Schwinn Circuit. Correction: I meant to say Superior.

I have more info but let me first post some more pictures.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...cbeb535a9.jpeg

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...1fcb501d8.jpeg


https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...aeb8cb183.jpeg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...1e4512595.jpeg

Additional pictures

I will follow up with the other components that were part of it In a follow up post.

Any help would be appreciated.
Cheers,
Bernard

@b dub

:thumb: Just plain cool as heck is all I can say, I know a little about Paramount's but almost nothing about Circuits this old.

Interesting lugless, cranks are a huge plus, ball end stays are unusual but a known style, funny they were later on all the lower, lugless electro forged frames. :twitchy:

You one lucky lad. ;)

So Superior now?

Looks like a Superior, does the serial stert with a B. I don't think they used the name Circuit back then and the World Racer shows a forward facing read droup out

i wonder what to do with the powder coat finish. Have it removed?
I could for now remove the bottom coating only to reveal the serial number. If there ever were to be a time for a re-repaint this would be it.

Thank you. Yeah I’ve been floating on a cloud the last 24 hours. But I know there is a fair chance someone will chime in to burst my bubble😜

And wait until you read the background story of the seller. We had a lovely chat yesterday morning when I picked up the bicycle.

Of course I had to ask about it’s history and he had plenty of it, and more...

I’ll post it when I have time in a few days.

I recommend to check out the Oscar Wastyn Cycles site.

The museum tab is stunning. Great comparison material with my frame. I’m hoping to stop by the store with my bike.

Acetone and MEK (latter is nasty, wear lug protection) will soften and remove in smaller areas. For larger areas, aircraft striper will do but may take up to 30min to act.

.
...is there some reason to distrust the conclusion reached over on the CR group site ?
The fork looks relatively distinctive. I know little or nothing about Schwinn's from that era.


I would not remove the PC, it is a pain to accomplish. You can paint right over it with thorough roughing of the surface and a good 2 part urethane primer, then go with whatever color and decals you want, with a clear urethane top over that. Works out OK, I've done it once on a bicycle here and have noticed no problems thus far.

No distrust at all. To the contrary. It just doesn’t line up with the sellers story.

I think as long as you didn't bet the farm on it you will be fine, like I said, the crank and BB if original and /or way back period, seat clamp, headset, SP, and?

Even if none of that is original, its old enough to really matter anyway, say its 20 years younger than the frame and the frame is truly 30's or 40's, still a huge win IMO.

Even being way small for me, I would have gone very deep on this, foolishly deep very likely. Value like beauty is in the eye of the beholder, something like this has nothing to do with resale to me, if you want it, you better step up, you may never get another chance and you will be kicking yourself for a very long time as that plays out.

Many here thought I was silly for getting my 58 Paramount that was advertised for $1300 I think. I couldn't get it done fast enough, a $2k ask may have slowed me down a bit but probably not much. and I ended up getting it for less anyway.

Birth year bike, very original, fantastic condition, never gonna see another, BUY, BUY, BUY, do it now! ;)

I think you probably did just fine, congratulations! :thumb:

The PC is way thick and hides some of it’s features. Any other frame and I would agree. But this one I feel requires a special approach.

...which features are hidden ? Of course, from here, I cannot see them, but it does appear to be a pretty straightforward frame assembly, with lugless fillet brazing a the joints, and there doesn't appear to be much detail in the fork crown or the rear dropouts. Again, I'm tellling you this as a favor, removing PC from an entire frame and fork like that is probably better accomplished by someone with a media blast operation.

The strippers that will work are relatively high in toxicity, and in my own life, I kind of draw the line somewhere before those. But I'm happy you are happy with it. :)

It’s all good and thank you. I certainly am not in a rush to do anything.

The best way to get PC off is to burn it off. It's plastic and melts very easily.
Chemical removal in a industrial bath used for preparing aircraft components isn't very straight forward and the PC is surprisingly resilient and patches refuse to move all over the place.
Softening it with a powerful solvent and painting over it works but seems to defeat the purpose of restoration and is not recognized as a acceptable practice for a host of environmental health reasons.
Scrapping/sanding is brutal and very very time consuming and patchy.
I imagine it was sand-blasted prior to the PC being applied so underneath will be already stripped. Sandblasting removes metal so once is more than any frame should endure.
Burning with a soldering blow-torch (like house-painters used to do) is very straight-forward and highly effective. Start with the forks.
The moral of the tale - don't PC bicycles if you want to later change them.
Good luck.
Just a personal observation - removing the PC will probably save the frame's life. PC hides rust that creeps under the layer of PC unnoticed where it can really eat the metal away until it's too late. Especially so if the frame had a lot of rust beforehand. Perhaps not in this case but who'd PC a pristine vintage frame?

Interesting. This is a new one for me.

Yes. All the details match up perfectly to a Superior of the era, and Schwinn didn't make a Circuit back then.

There's nothing here that looks remotely like a Wastyn. It's a fillet-brazed Schwinn frame, complete with that peaked fork crown shared by a few other models from that period.

-Kurt

HOLD ON, I screwed up. Big brain fart. I meant to type Schwinn Superior, not Circuit.

So sorry. I only just now realized my mistake. I have my reasons but I won’t bore you with that.

May the Fourth be with you, b dub ! I agree about it being a genuine Superior. They seem to be a rare model in the late '30s-'50s. Similar to the Paramount and New World they could come in several different "falvors." Track, Single Speed, or Three Speed. The rear facing dropouts look more like Paramount ones than New World ones. Below are a couple of pictures of my '39 or '40 New World dropouts for your comparison.

https://hosting.photobucket.com/albu...720&fit=bounds

https://hosting.photobucket.com/albu...720&fit=bounds

What sized wheels does it have? If interested, I have a Sturmey Archer 3 speed wheel set from a Lady's Superior from the late '40s early '50s.

Great bike. I had a question about the pedals. Those are atom square cage pedals, right? Obviously there is no way to know if they are original to the bike or not. Do you know if they were made in the 50s though? Curious as I have a set that I'll likely use on a '58 Claud Butler I'm rebuilding but I'm not certain of the date. Velobase lists the pedals without dates.

VeloBase.com - Component: Atom (square cage)

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...8bce861a0d.jpg

Superior
 

For comparison my faded rusty Schwinn Superior which I believe is a 1939.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...232b6abc9e.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...d717904a04.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...260f1d189a.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...d67e3e8de6.jpg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...0b23793201.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...3ede02db66.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ec5330d19c.jpg

My gosh, this is it. Found a match. This really confirmed it is a Schwinn Superior.

Is the serial number on your bike located on the bottom bracket or the drop-out?

They are indeed. The seller confirmed that it used to include cages and straps. Several of the components are from a later time like the wheel set but not sure when

On the bottom bracket.

those were made for a long time.
I bought a new set in the late 1960’s
for my Sting-Ray!
so they came 1/2” threading too, thanks to Schwinn.

fun bike. I need to locate the parts and finish my New World with the single freewheel and cottered cranks. Scavenger seller sold off the saddle, seat-post and bars before I got there.