Vintage Schwinn Bicycle Reference Books & More

New Page as of 5.4.11  Will be adding info as time allows.

This page will cover some of the basics of wrenching on old bikes.  All of this will apply to Chicago era Schwinn bikes, and much of it will also apply to other vintage makes like Colson, Monark, Higgins, Hiawatha.

Most of this info (plus much much more) can also be found in the Tech & Spec 1.2, check it out on the "Books and Catalogs" page.

Things that will be covered once this page is together:

-Overhauling bearings

-Basic wheel truing

-Pedal basics

-Bottom bracket basics

-Handy tools to own

-Adding internally geared hubs

-Adding modern drum brakes

-Updating tires for better riding

-Updating caliper brake pads

-Adjusting derailleurs

And probably a whole lot of other stuff as well.  Any practical suggestions as to other topics would be appreciated.

Old bikes can be made to ride great.  But most old bikes, when found, need a ton of work and parts to make them ride decently again.  Vintage Schwinn bikes, in particular, had high quality parts throughout when new.  And it if often possible to make a 50 year old Schwinn ride as smooth and solid as it did when it was new with just some grease and a few basic parts.

Cranks

    The crank bearings (also known as bottom bracket bearings) on most old bikes haven't seen fresh grease since the factory.  Having fresh grease in the crank bearings will greatly improve the feel of an old bike. 

   It is best to remove the cranks completely from the bike so as to properly clean and inspect the bearings, cups, and cones.

    To remove the cranks you will first have to remove the chainguard, chain and the left pedal.  (While you're at it you might as well remove the right pedal, if they are old you can hit them both with some oil.)  The crank locknut and adjusting cone are both reverse threaded, so clockwise loosens.  There will also be a tabbed washer  between the locknut and cone, this is an important piece that  helps you attain and keep correct adjustment.

   Also note that the bearing races need to be popped out of the bearing cups before the crank can be removed from the frame.  Also note the orientation of the bearing races, the flat side of the cage faces outward.

    Once the cranks are removed, clean the old grease and dirt from all the parts.  Inspect the bearings and related hardware for signs of pitting and excessive wear.  Assemble with grease, making sure the bearing races are oriented correctly.

    Final adjustment is important.  You want the cranks to spin freely, but not have side to side play.  You also don't want the cranks to bind.  Adjust the adjusting cone so that there is a small amount of side play in the cranks.  Then install the tab washer and then install and tighten the locknut.  The tightening action of the locknut will make your initial adjustment slightly tighter, which (if you're lucky) will perfectly eliminate the small amount of side play in the cranks.  Do the cranks spin freely?  If there no side to side play?  Good!  If the cranks do not spin freely or if there is side to side play, back off the locknut and make adjustments.  Make your adjustments in small increments, then tighten down the locknut and check.

Hubs and Wheels

  Then condition of the wheels and tires will determine how nicely an old bike will ride.

   Wheels are composed of three separate parts, the Rim, the Spokes, and the Hub.  If any of these are compromised, the entire wheel is compromised.

   Spin the wheel slowly.  Does the rim move from side to side?  Get the wheel trued. But keep in mind that if the wheel is badly out of true, then the rim itself might be bent.  Is there a spot where the rim dips down, as from hitting a curb?   You might want to replace the rim or the wheel.

  The hubs are the heart of the wheels.  If the hubs don't have fresh grease, the hub internals can get wrecked pretty quick.  When you get a new old bike that you plan to ride, crack open the hubs and inspect the bearings and cones.  If these parts are pitted or worn they should be replaced.  For hubs you may need Cone Wrenches, these are very thin wrenches that allow you to hold the cone in place while you use another wrench to loosen or tighten the thin outer locking nut. 

    Coaster brake hubs made by Bendix are relatively easy to work on.  (And with any luck I'll be adding a schematic here soon.)  Go in from the brake arm side.  Pay attention of the orientation of the bearing cages.  The drive side cone is the piece that wears out most often on these hubs, if pitted it should be replaced.  Red hi-temp grease from the auto parts store works well on coaster hubs.

    Getting the correct final adjustment on your hubs is important.  You don't want the hub adjusted too tight or too loose.  But when you get the right adjustment, you want the locknuts to be cinched down tight so that you adjustment stays in place.  You want no play in the axle, and you want the axle to have smooth and free movement, and you want the locking nuts and cones to be tightened against each other firmly to hold the adjustment.

   Many Schwinn front hubs did not use separate thin locking nuts.  These hubs must be adjusted with the wheel on the bike.  Place the bike in a work stand or flip it over on the seat and bars.  Install the front wheel and tighten the outer axle nuts.  Hold the rim by the fork, can you rock the rim from side to side? (some flex in the wheel is normal, side to side clunking is not)  Then loosen up one axle nut, adjust the cone a bit tighter, then tighten up the axle nut again. Spin the wheel slowly.  Does it come to a gradual stop?  Does it reverse direction after it stops?  If so, good.  If the wheel stops quickly and does not reverse direction, then likely your bearings are adjusted too tight.

Pedals

    Schwinns with one-piece cranks (almost all vintage ones) use standard 1/2" pedals.  The right (drive side) pedal has standard threads, the left (kickstand side) pedal has reverse threads.

  Pedals take a tremedous amount of abuse, and  many vintage pedals are worn out and feel pretty cruddy. Replacing worn-out pedals with new ones is an easy way to drastically improve the ride feel of an old bike.  Unless you're doing an accurate restoration, you'll likely be plenty happy with new modern pedals.

   There are a couple brands and types of pedals that are pretty good.  My favorite low-cost pedals are the Union / Mawri block pedals.  These look like 1970s era block pedals.  They have reflectors, but hey, they're decent quality and look remarkably like the '70s era originals.  Union / Mawri also used to make a bow version, though these seem to no longer be available.

    The modern Schwinn company has put out some oversized looking bow pedals, and these are of decent quality.  Electra uses the same style of pedals on some of their bikes.  These are decent and solid feeling pedals, though they don't look strictly vintage.

    The repop AS cap Phantom repop pedals (with or without reflectors) are also great feeling pedals, but they are now pricey.

    The "Persons" reproduction pedals (Persons blocks with a sort of plain looking end-cap) are good quality, less expensive than the Phantom versions, and look nice on vintage bikes.

     Pedals that I don't like:  The Lowrider bow pedals are cheap and feel cheap,  A guy I know broke the spindle in half on a pair of these from normal riding.

     The "Torrington 10" reproduction pedals, at least the ones that I have come across, are very low quality with poorly constructed guts. The bearing surfaces are rough and not machined at all. Total China junk. These pedals are fine if you never plan to ride you bike, but if you do, then look elsewhere.  The end caps and blocks are pretty nice, and these can be kludged onto modern-ish pedals if you have the time and talent.

 Brake Pads

   I realize that many folks are now into the geared vintage Schwinns, and with good reason.  Geared bikes can be easier to ride, they are more versitile, and they are easier to find in decent condition and are generally more affordable.

     One of the most important updates on a bike with hand brakes is to install Kool Stop Continental brake pads.  Sure, you can install generic $1 a pop pads, but why would you want to cheap out on your brakes?!? 

   The Kool Stop Conti pads are about $12 a pair, and when installed correctly, they are worth every cent.  File a  bevel in the face of the pads to match the profile of the rim, and you'll get great stopping power.

    Do realize that your caliper brakes will have to be properly adjusted in order to handle the increased stopping power.   Adjust your brake pivots to remove play and eliminate binding.

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Sometimes it's nice to update a vintage cruiser for modern riding with a multi-speed internal hub and maybe a modern front drum brake.  These things are relatively easy to do, but there are a few things to know that make this stuff easier. 

The Nexus hubs are a neat upgrade for a vintage Schwinn cruiser.  The Nexus 7 with coaster brake allows you to have 7 speeds and still have a coaster brake.  The Nexus 7 hubs are wider than the stock coaster hubs, so you will have to spread the rear triangle yourself or have a shop do it.

Front drum brake hubs are another great upgrade, but the spacing on these hubs will be wider than the stock front hubs.  In addition the axle on a modern drum brake hub will have a larger diameter and will not fit into a stock Ashtabula fork without modification.  The easy trick it to take a file and create shallow slots on the axle of the modern hub to allow it slide into the old fork.  I'll see if I can't get a picture of this up here in the next day or two.

Tire Updates

  You'll likely find that by simply updating the tires, your bike will ride better.  Vintage tires are typically rated to lower pressures and are often physically heavier.  These two factors make for a slower and heavier ride.

    Replacing old tires is often the cheapest and easiest way to make and old bike ride better.

    For cruisers that take standard 26" tires, I like the Grand Tycoons or the Duros or the Schwinn Typhoon Cord repops.

     For Schwinn Middleweights the Kenda Extra Prima 26 x 2 x 1 3/4 are a great choice and are available in blackwall and whitewall.

    For the back of Sting-Rays and Krates the Duro studded style 20 x 2.125 makes a great replacement tire for the rear.  It weighs half a pound less and airs up 10psi higher.