'39 Serial No. 5

Those wide flanges on the wheels give the old fixed wheeled bike that classy look and those handlebars are clearly pre-war as you state. Unless you live in a very hilly area there is a lot to be said for the fixed wheel bikes. Those not used to them cannot appreciate how well they climb moderate hills with toe-clips on. The wheel in effect pushes the rider on the up-stroke and your foot then can pull the pedal much better.I may of course be talking to an expert so the above isn't new. Seeing one of these takes me back to my fixed-wheel days. Thanks for sharing the picture.

@pentaxuser I wouldn't say i'm an expert on track bikes but I have owned a couple of fixed gears ( I refuse to call them a fixie), though I have plenty of experience with bikes as I am USA Cycling certified race mechanic and have worked in shops for the last 8 or so years which is also nearly a third of my life now. And yes you are correct that they make if much easier to climb but unfortunately its the downhill that hurts me

Excellent take of this old track bike. My dad use to go to the 6 day bike races in NYC as a kid and he'd loved to have seen this image. The B&W image is executed perfectly.

Thank you, I got the low down on this bike the day I shot it but went back today and gave him a print of this in exchange for a recording of the story. This exact bike has won many races including the 6 day races and as mentioned above was going to the Olympics till Bill (the original owner) was drafted into the army. Bill got the bike in '39 and road it clear into the 70's and 80's so it has seen a few races in its day

For those of you that are interested in the story behind the bike here it is, also I'm not a writer so please excuse my informal write uphttp://photorhyno.tumblr.com/post/105579382067/ole-88-serial-no-5-schwinn-paramount-is-a

That's a very interesting photograph. I'm an avid bicyclist, but know nothing about the bikes, wheels, gears, or any of that. But I enjoy beautiful things, and this bike is amazing. It's incredible that the frame lasted that long, having been ridden so hard.

Thomas Bertilsson said:

T It's incredible that the frame lasted that long, having been ridden so hard.

Click to expand...

Thomas, professional track bikes made to withstand the rigours of 6 day races were incredibly tough machines as were the riders. A Brit called Reg Harris who was a champion just after WWII was so powerful that he was able to kink the chain when he was explosively accelerating as press pictures revealed and we are talking about a taut chain with very little flex in it.

Beautiful old bike, and I appreciate all the discussion above. As for the photo, the depth of field is great. The bike really stands out against the slightly soft background - done just right.

excellent photograph - beautiful bicycle ! thank you for sharing.