Schwinn, Elgin, Western Flyer

[rlhender]

The snow didn't stop me today...Nice pics..The Tank bike is Western Flyer any help on year and what a chain gaurd might look like

 

[Tailwinds]

Aww man, you scored a VERY nice bike with that Western Flyer. I don't know enough about it to spout off about the details, there are a few folks here that can shed some better light.

 

[El Duderino]

i really like the elgin. I havent seen one without the middle bar

 

[ratina]

What's the serial number on the western flyer? Its on the bottom bracket

 

[Jpromo]

Western Flyer looks to be a '47-'49 era. Very nice indeed!

I too love the Elgin and have one just like it. It should be an Elgin Redbird or Elgin Standard as it was later known. I like the sound of Redbird though :wink:

It's my current project, torn apart, correct-ish saddle, crank, new fork all acquired. Also got an Elgin Trigger Seiss horn for it

 

[scott brownsey]

sweet finds

 

[B607]

The red Schwinn without the crank looks like a late 30's C model. Gary

 

[rlhender]

What's the serial number on the western flyer? Its on the bottom bracket

SN on the Western Flyer is A92841

 

['48 Hawthorne]

Here's what the guards off my '46 and '47 Western Flyers look like. Hope the pics help. Sweet CWC bike man, super nice! 8) The down tube looks like a '47. If it has a Morrow Hub you can get an approximate date from it as well.

 

[SCHWINNRAY69]

Great haul!

 

[ratina]

What's the serial number on the western flyer? Its on the bottom bracket

SN on the Western Flyer is A92841

I'm no expert, but if there is no CW stamp after it, it looks like 41 or 42.

 

['48 Hawthorne]

I have this frame stamped A37591 with no CW and it was dated to a '47 by Phil.

The '47 Flyer rat I posted also has a similar serial number with no CW. The rear rack looks earlier though. Either way that thing is awesome!

 

[Road Master]

Hi! The CWC frames that I had, 1946 thru 1955 complete, were all dated by Phil Marshall. On mine the "CW" suffix didn't appear till 1948/49 with no suffix before that. Also in 1948 CWC introduced the seat post clamp with the annular ring on it - a rounded raised ring all the way around the center of the clamp whereas pre '48 clamps were flat. I used to collect AC Gilbert Erector Sets from the 1920s & 30s and Gilbert ALWAYS used up existing stock in the following years sets before they incorporated a new part. I've always assumed that bike manufacturers did the same so maybe a flat seat post clamp COULD be found on a 1948. Well, that cleared up nothing. Make sure there is no suffix after the serial number - sometimes the stamps are light and filled in with paint. If you are going to paint the frame I recommend using Lacquer Thinner to remove the paint on the BB instead of anything abrasive that could damage a light stamping. Also, the suffix stamping isn't necessarily in the same line as the serial number - I have seen them at a 90 degree angle from the SN and sometimes higher up on the BB than the SN line. Bottom line - that is one heck of a find and the chain guard is probably the easiest part to obtain although the Western Flyer models may have used different versions from bottom of the line to top of the line - there was more than one style chain guard available in the '40s. Good Luck and Have Fun! Robert

 

[Jiggysp8]

I have a Western Fyer almost identical to yours. I have been trying to pin point what year it is as well. The items about your bike that I don't find in any other are: The luggage rack, handle bars, and head badge. Yours is the only other Western Flyer I have found with this combination. I have SN G20618 cw. Can anyone help me with the date?