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I got this frame yesterday from a good friend of mine for free... Well I owe her a "Favor" lol. Anyways she told me it's a 74 Schwinn frame but I can't find it when I look up the serial numbers (F96073746) Anywhere? Idk what year or what kinda Schwinn it is but all I know is I've been looking for a frame just like this for my next Motorized Klunker and I'm Soo stoked to strip all the paint off this thing and make it bare metal with possibly a few coats of clear I got some paint stripper and some.wire brushes and hopefully that will do the trick cause it seems like there's latex paint all over it... Who knows but I'm so excited I finally got me a Schwinn straight bar and it has the integrated kickstand as well. Any help identifying this frame would be greatly appreciated though and any suggestions as to what parts y'all think would look good on this build would be appreciated as well. Thanks , Byrd.
 

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I had to go run around the block (internet) to refresh my memory. The '32 camelback' framed Heavy Duti did come out as early as '96…and possibly '95. I'm going to go a step further and say that those forks and sprocket ARE probably original to that frame, and it is likely a 1996 model :banana:.

The pudding...1998, first year Heavy Duti shown in the Schwinn catalog...

Screenshot_20210825-134309_1.jpg

Note the tubular, not forged, flat blade fork and lucky 7 sprocket. Also note the round Schwinn badge.

Screenshot_20210825-134320_1.jpg


The HD is mentioned in one of the '96 or '97 catalogs, can't remember which, but no information or specs are given. It is talked about in the '95 catalog in the same section as the new '32 Camelback' bikes, the Cruiser Supreme and Suburban...but states cantilever frame. I think that is a mistake, but have no proof of it.

Here is a '97...I believe...

Screenshot_20210825-134925_1.jpg


Why? This one has an oval badge, so it predates the '98 catalog bike...and the serial starts with F97 :grin:. I suspected the OP's was a '96 because of the F96 serial, but couldn't remember if that was how the serials worked. Still can't confirm for sure, but I'll take this as circumstantial evidence!

I saw this one on a blog years back, and it was the one that started me down the rabbit hole of the '96, and possibly '95, HDs. I believe it had a F96 serial as well...but it was over a half decade ago, beyond the scope of my 8hour(-ish) memory...

Screenshot_20210825-135241_1.jpg


That's what I got.
 
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are the numbers on the newer ones on the head tube?

I'm not sure if serial numbers mean much on Schwinns anymore by then. I think they stopped being decodable after Pacific got them.
 
are the numbers on the newer ones on the head tube?
On the bottom bracket. They are decodable, but I don't think there is a Schwinn code that covers all, you have to track down the supplier they were made by and use their code.

These earlier ones were made in Taiwan, the 'F' would be the Factory code...what happens after that takes some research :grin: .
 
I'm really starting to develop some appreciation for these Schwinns from the mid-90s until the bankruptcy. I ran across two belt drive cruisers in the '99 catalog...a single and a three speed. Much like the Panther discussed on other threads, these had never blipped on my radar. I'm going to have to update my CL searches!
 
here os one of the last crueiers they did in hungary b4 they went under,has a decal delow the head badge made in hungary
 

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Right on guysi am leaning more towards the 1996 Heavy Duti Frame now.Also if you can see in the pics the factory yellow paint peeking through lol. Well I got some Spray on paint stripperthat worked really well.. I think I'm gonna strip all the paint and polish the bare metal and clear coat it and turn it into a Motorized Klunker...1
 
I’m pretty sure mine is 2010. Frame has the same dropouts as the frame posted by jbyrd66. Made in Taiwan. Love the frame, its a bit roomier than a typical Schwinn Canti frame and very solid. Made in Taiwan with the sn on the bottom bracket. Mine had a v-brake with the not so nice tubular fork compared to the earlier built bikes. all aussie delivered bikes have to have a front bike (just because we ride so much harder downunder). The only negative with the frame is it is quite long in the chainstays compared to more modern cruisers. Still its a great base to start from and a sleek looking frame. Plus you can pick em up cheap. I grabbed mine from an older bloke than me for $150. I used the thick spoke wheels with Shimano 110 coaster and saddle on my 51 Panther.
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As picked up in 2018, used on gumtree.
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1st build with nexus 7.

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2nd build with nexus 4, one piece cranks, different bars, chainguard and saddle.
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3rd and final build. Back to nexus 7 and parts pulled from my Wtp avenger. Se 1” cranks (had to shim head tube as the og fork was 1 1/8”), electra attitude bars, dia-compe moto levers, thumb shifter, vintage mx-550 stem.
 
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@JA331 is there any reason for the switch to Nexus 4, and then back to 7? I'm looking for an internal gear hub, curious about advantages and disadvantages. I would like one without a brake, want to use rim brakes
 
I wasn’t using the HD because i didn’t like the cranks and bars on it so i tried the wheels with the nexus 7 on my avenger. I got the wheels with the 4 speed nexus hub pretty much for nothing and put them on the Hd just to make it a rider. Then i wasn’t using the avenger because it felt too cramped (i’m 6’2”) so i swapped them back. the nexus 7 i have, has a roller brake with a free wheel. If you have rim brakes you can remove the roller assy and fit a cover shimano make for this purpose. The nexus 7 is a great hub. It feels like a close ratio race gearbox in a car as you go up through the gears.

The problem with the nexus 4 is 1st gear is direct but you can under drive it with smart use of sprockets. I had a 36 and 23 on the back which worked well. If you don’t under drive it, 3rd and 4th are very tall. I think 1st on the N4 is 4th gear on the N7. The nexus 4 i have is a coaster and i prefer freewheeling hubs.
 
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Sturmey archer also make some great geared hubs but I’m not a fan of their rotary shifters other than the 3 speed alloy thumb shifter. I find the 3 Speed SA hub on my red menace has enough gears for riding around town. The hub also has a very direct feel compared to the nexus 3 and to a lesser extent the Nexus 7. The freewheel feels awesome too. super smooth.
 
Another thing to consider is the nexus 7 requires you to open the rear triangle out to around 130mm whereas the SA 3 speed doesn't.

1st photo shows the wheels on my Avenger without the roller brake assy fitted.

The 2nd photo is with the wheels back on my HD and the assy reinstalled. Keep in mind if you want to minimise weight the nexus 7 with the roller brake is heavy. The roller brake assy on its own weighs about 1.2kg. I had no choice because my frame doesn't have any mounts for a rear brake.
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The problem with the nexus 4 is 1st gear is direct but you can under drive it with smart use of sprockets. I had a 36 and 23 on the back which worked well. If you don’t under drive it, 3rd and 4th are very tall. I think 1st on the N4 is 4th gear on the N7. The nexus 4 i have is a coaster and i prefer freewheeling hubs.
I've run a nexus4 on a heavy Schwinn Cruiser Four. Tried several crank sprockets and currently run a 49t!

1st gear 49tooth/22tooth= 2.23 wheel revs per crank rev x 26"= 58 gear inches
2nd gear = 72 gear inches
3rd gear = 87 gear inches
4th gear = 107 gear inches
https://ratrodbikes.com/forum/threads/schwinn-cruiser-four.92652/#post-1112761
 

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