Nokton

I've recently become fascinated with Schwinn "lightweight" 3-speed bikes, thanks to this page: https://bikeshedva.blogspot.com/p/a-...n-3-speed.html

I've started looking around for one to add to my ever-growing list of bike projects and have found one interesting eBay auction: https://www.ebay.com/itm/354653588144

One of the seller's pictures is below. Can anyone tell me what model this is? Also, is $250 a reasonable price for this bike? I'd dearly love to find a green post-war Superior, but I don't think my chances of doing so are all that great. I'm sure that the pre-war models are likely to be fairly expensive, but which of the post-war models can be found at reasonable, say sub $500, prices with any chances of actually finding one (most likely on eBay)?

Thanks for providing information about this bike in particular, or these bikes in general. If you manage to dissuade me from buying yet another bike, that would be even better

nlerner

Calling @SirMike1983!

daverup 

The seller posting cleverly blurred photo's instead of clear pics would tell me to look elsewhere. His price seems high for a non-pristine 3-speed.

bikemig 

Poor pictures for an eBay sale. Also the seller should list the serial no. which will tell you the year and model. Or you can trust the seller's description if you prefer. My understanding is that you have pretty good recourse against the seller if that description is not correct. That said, a 1950s era Schwinn 3 speed would be a cool bike to own and ride.

SirMike1983 

That's kind of a peculiar bike from around 1952. It has a "New World" head badge, 1950s "World" type graphics, and 1950s "World Traveler" type fenders. The English-made brake levers were used by Schwinn in the 1952-53 time frame (after the Schwinn-made levers, but before Schwinn adopted the Weinmann aluminum ones). With bikes right on the cusp of two generations, it can be hard is hard to tell is whether it is an oddball bike, or whether someone swapped the parts. This one was made just as the 1940s era bikes were giving way to the 1950s models. If in doubt, ask for more or specific pictures from the seller. Some of the photos are kind of blurry, but a reasonable seller will try to work with you.

Post-war Schwinn frames run a little larger than the comparable Raleigh frames. A "standard" Raleigh Sports frame is about 21 inches, whereas the Schwinn is closer to 22 inches in the standard size. The tall frame Raleigh is 23 inches and the tall Schwinn closer to 24 inches. The Schwinn frame is a little more laid back than the post-war Raleigh Sports frame. Tall frame Schwinns from before the 1960s are hard to find. The one in the auction looks like a standard 22-ish inch frame.

Keep in mind the tire selection is limited in that Schwinn S6 rims use 597mm tires instead of 590mm. One learns to live with it...

A post-war Superior is going to be a hard bike to find. It seems like not many were sold because they struggled to find a market niche (the post-war Superior is a lot like a New World with a few peripheral upgrades, it was probably hard to justify the extra cost when buying). A nice, lively green alternative would be a 1950s World Traveler in Opal Green. I once owned one - also a nice color. They're a bit more common than the Superior (though still not terribly common).

Nokton

Thanks for the informative replies! I've reconsidered the bike in my original post and will keep hunting. It's sure a good thing I have so many other bike projects to keep me busy...

That is a gorgeous bike, SirMike1983 I'd love to find something half as nice as that.

daverup 

This is another option, from my local CL.



Not a lightweight, but in nice shape with a better price.
The shipping on one of these is going to be very expensive.
https://up.craigslist.org/bik/d/marq...615626634.html

Nokton

Thanks, I appreciate the suggestion, but I think I'm going to bide my time and find just the right post-war Schwinn.

Which means, of course, that I'll probably get frustrated and end up with a bike just like the one you suggest...

SirMike1983 

You may want to try a Want ad at the Classic and Antique Bicycle Exchange (www.thecabe.com) . There are a few guys who collect Schwinn lightweights there and will sell a bike, and sometimes you get balloon tire bike collectors who end up with a lightweight they don't want.

The red bike in your link doesn't look bad to me necessarily, it's just that if you want a green bike, it may be worth waiting to find the color you want.

ElevatedEdge

Price seems high to me as well. From what i can see, looks like there is corrosion that would need to be take care of, and drivetrain pictures are non-existent.