Re: Packard Bikes
Posted by Leeedy On 2020/4/1 11:29:06
Quote:
Packard newbie wrote:
Very nice machine, Leon. Quite the suspension system and the drum brakes were 'state-of-the-art' for that time, yes/no?
Does 'key-lock' mean you could actually lock the front forks as an anti-theft feature? Chris.
Knee-action suspension (pardon moi if I don't call it a "springer") on American-made classic bicycles was pretty much expected on the top-of-the-line deluxe models beginning in the 1930s and running into the 1960s. On Schwinn-Built bicycles it was the suspension system that debuted in the late 1930s. Initially it was only on the most expensive models and then became available as an extra-cost option on lesser ("junior") models made by the company.
Bicycle guys (who think Schwinn means "God" but don't know any better) will yell about this, but Arnold, Schwinn & Co. (AS&C) copied the Schwinn suspension from the Cleveland motorcycle... and Cleveland copied it from yet another motorcycle brand.
Other USA bicycle makers had various designs for suspensions. Some were awful. Some (such as Cleveland Welding Company) were quite good and unique. Some even had rear suspensions in the Classic Era. Suspensions were also popular in the late 1800s to early 1900s. For instance the Pierce Pan American bicycle (made by a branch of the company that made Pierce-Arrow automobiles) was a very early example of front and rear suspension.
As for drum brakes on bicycles in the Classic Era (1920-1965) these were largely popularized in the USA by AS&C but were also available on bicycles from other makers such as Westfield (maker of Columbia) and European brands such as Raleigh. But yes, state-of-the-art for 1941.
And yes, the front fork on Schwinn-Built Autocycle Deluxe models including "Packard" brand locked with a Yale Junior key as a theft-preventive feature. This feature was introduced in the mid-1930s and became an optional extra-cost feature on lesser models. Other USA Classic Era brands also had various forms of key-locking front ends or front wheels. Among these were Cleveland Welding Company, Murray Ohio Company, Manton & Smith, Monark-Silver King,Incorporated, and others. There were also aftermarket systems that did likewise.This Post was from: https://packardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?post_id=220730