> I still think both were converted. Would not a > truely made track bike have rear opening dropouts > like the Velox bike?
Derek, There are examples of quality track racing bicycles with forward facing dropouts - the old Bianchi bikes are an example. If you come across an old photo of Fausto Coppi racing on the track, take a look at the rear fork-ends on his machine. If he's on a Bianchi, they will have forward facing drop-outs. Of course, that doesn't prove anything about those Schwinn New World bikes. In fact, to me, their drop-outs seemed too short for a proper track racing bicycle. But I would be surprised if both those machines were meant to be ordinary bicycles. Take a look at the cranksets. The eBay bike has a three piece crankset and the other bike use an Ashtabula type of very high quality. (Note the flutes machined into the arms.) Perhaps these bikes are conversions but it would seem that, if so, this was a common conversion for this model. I wonder if these weren't set up for racing on outdoor grass or cinder ovals? Cheers, Fred Rednor - Arlington, Virginia