miamibeachcg

Bought this over the week-end for $140; he was asking $225, but I talked him down because of the rust & it would need new tires (and probably rims).

He said it was a 1962 Schwinn Jaguar - but all the ones I saw have a tank, so I thought this might be a Corvette, which seems to be worth more.

What do I have?

Any suggestions to get rust off handle bars? (I tried cleaning part of the back fender with some aluminum foil & a damp rag and the rust came off easy as pie - but the handle bars didn't change a bit!)

Did I pay to much?

Any info would be appreciated.
[IMG]AA BICYCLE SCHWINN CORVETTE 1AA by miamibeachcg, on Flickr, AA BICYCLE SCHWINN CORVETTE 1AAA by miamibeachcg, on Flickr, AA BICYCLE SCHWINN CORVETTE 2AAA by miamibeachcg, on Flickr, AA BICYCLE SCHWINN CORVETTE 3AA by miamibeachcg, on Flickr, AA BICYCLE SCHWINN CORVETTE 4AA by miamibeachcg, on Flickr, AA BICYCLE SCHWINN CORVETTE 5AA by miamibeachcg, on Flickr[/IMG]

thumpism 

I had a '60 Corvette with a similar front rack and no tank but a Sturmey 3-speed rear hub and hand brakes. I suspect your bike is a Jaguar but the specs varied over the years so I could be wrong. Yours could actually be a Corvette that is older than mine was. I'd have wanted it to be in nicer shape for the money but it's basically an antique more than a bicycle, depending on who you talk to, and pricing by antique dealers goes by different rules.


I'd expect that bike to have Schwinn-sized 26 x 1 3/4 wheels/tires on it but yours might have had the wheels swapped for 26 x 1.75, making it less original and less valuable.

since6

As with thumpism I had a Corvette with similar rack and Sturmey 3-speed rear hub but also with front/rear rim brakes with handlebar brake levers rather than a coaster brake. Also, I note on the seat tube the absence of the elaborate pin-striping/decal (?) that was on my Corvette. Yours as did mine has the extra chrome seat rail, along with the springer seat, but check under the seat as there was an angled section of steel that anchored the nose and was held in place with a bolt, which if it came loose the angled iron would hang down and its sharp corner was a very effective knife edge, still have the scar on my calf to prove it.

thumpism 

Ah, yes...

miamibeachcg

Here is the underside of the seat?
[IMG]AA BICYCLE SCHWINN CORVETTE 9AA by miamibeachcg, on Flickr[/IMG]

thumpism 

Between the flat seat rails at the front is the nut he spoke about. If you remove it the seat will flop backward and expose the little metal tab.

Lovenutz

The chain guard is pre 1959, so it may be older than you think. Did you try the serial number?

curbtender

Put a damp rag on that chain guard and see if an image comes up. I think I see a double T, my guess is a Corvette.

since6

You might want to look at this website which has pictures of the Schwinn Corvette, with the chain guard getting a chrome piece in 1959.

The Schwinn Corvette | 1954 to 1965

https://bikehistory.org/bikes/corvette/


Vintage Schwinn Corvettes were made from 1954 to 1964. They were beautiful bikes. This page shows images and text from old catalogs of this classic bicycle.

miamibeachcg

First thing I looked at was chain guard, but it's so faded I didn't see anything. Am going to look at link now. Thanks all

speedevil 

On those handlebars, you might try an experiment with evaporust (available at O'Reilly's Auto). Soak a folded paper towel in evaporust and wrap it around the handlebar. The wrap the paper towel with cling film to hold it tight to the handlebar. Take it off the next morning and you just might be surprised. Not a fast process, but it can give surprisingly good results. Patience is key.

curbtender

Clint Walker says you're the trail boss, bucko...

miamibeachcg

After seeing how bike looked in the catalog - I'll try to buy some tomorrow!

miamibeachcg

This is what I read on dropout: L 862565? The L was hard to read - MAYBE a C? But I think it was a L - does this number make sense?

miamibeachcg

It is a L

[IMG]AA BICYCLE SCHWINN CORVETTE 9AAA by miamibeachcg, on Flickr[/IMG]

Lovenutz

Built November 6, 1958

The Jag was the top model middleweight coming fully decked out with tank, racks, lights, and 3 speeds.
Without having all the swell doodads, it doesn’t really matter what it was originally. They were the same bike other than the options. The jag was typically a 3 speed, but I think it could be had with a coaster brake and vice versa with the corvette.

Because it has just the front rack, my feeling is that it was originally a vette.

Oxalic acid or evaporust to remove rust.
Hope this helps!

miamibeachcg

It does help a LOT! Thanks all
PS I notice Corvette seem to sell for more - any reason if they were basically the sale bike?

Lovenutz

Sorry, see my edit. I had the date wrong.

The Jaguar would be worth more. But they’re are a lot of factors. Originality, condition, buyer nostalgia... Where are you seeing these prices. For sale on eBay? Sellers can ask for anything. What they actually sell for is a different story.

Just my opinion, but I think 75-140 seems pretty fair for yours given the condition.

Collectors of old Schwinn are all about condition.

miamibeachcg

What is correct date? It still shows Nov 6, 1958

Lovenutz

That's the correct one. I changed it.

curbtender

Local cl listing, https://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/bik...552282321.html

bicyclridr4life

A missing tank is not a viable means of determining the model.
There is a good chance one of the previous owners could have removed it, after all.

curbtender

Yes, but the Schwinn decal on those would have been on the tank instead of the top tube from the photo's I've seen.