In the age of eBay, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, etc., to my mind the good old swap meet is still the place to find vintage bicycles. I found this rare late 1940s Schwinn New World this spring (2026) at a swap meet in the midwest. When I saw the New Departure "Triplspeed" shifter on the handlebars and the corresponding New Departure three-speed rear hub, I knew this bicycle to be rare. In the moment, however, I had no idea how rare. To the best of my knowledge, the New World's serial number, 23621, stamped on the bottom bracket, the built-in kickstand and tubular fender stays, stainless steel S6 rims, etc., date the bike from 1946 to 1949. The New Departure three speed hub was offered by the Schwinn jobber as a premium upgrade, in a short-lived attempt to compete with the influx of British lightweights and roadsters fitted with the highly dependable Sturmey-Archer three-speed hub. The Sturmey-Archer AW hub is often described as virtually "bombproof." Not so for the American New Departure three-speed counterpart. Amazingly, however, approximately seventy-five years after its introduction, the New Departure hub on my New World shifts flawlessly through all three gears.
The bicycle you see here is a far cry from Schwinn's flagship model, the Paramount, debuting in 1938. But I've no doubt this custom New World would have thrilled the entry-level rider of the postwar years with its exotic three speeds. It is a curiosity of the collecting fraternity that such an ungainly specimen as this commands a place in the American hierarchy every bit as proud as the bicycle hand-built by Emil Watsyn.
The bicycle you see here is a far cry from Schwinn's flagship model, the Paramount, debuting in 1938. But I've no doubt this custom New World would have thrilled the entry-level rider of the postwar years with its exotic three speeds. It is a curiosity of the collecting fraternity that such an ungainly specimen as this commands a place in the American hierarchy every bit as proud as the bicycle hand-built by Emil Watsyn.
Pride, like rarity, of course, does not equal market value. As a collector who rides, functionality counts. While the New Departure Triplspeed is an interesting historical novelty, Sturmey-Archer hubs actually work. Still, the promise of the swap meet goes on forever.
Late 1940s Schwinn New World with New Departure Triplspeed Hub & Shifter
©Daniel Dahlquist
©Daniel Dahlquist