Convert old beach cruiser to hybrid

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mick

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Hi, and thanks in advance for any help.

Over the summer, I found a rundown old schwinn at a garage sale that I liked the look of so I bought it. With a little help from my buddy who is a huge schwinn fan, I discovered it to be a 1952 schwinn panther. It did not have a tank or original paint, and the seat wasn't salvageable, but with a lot of stripping, sanding, and painting from me, and a lot of actual bicycle work from my buddy (and a seat from eBay), I've now got a neat old rat rod with a cool rusty springer.

It's been fun, but my cycling needs are changing and I don't want to get rid of this bike and it would be wasteful for a guy like me to have two. So, I want to convert my cruiser to a hybrid.

Specifically, I have a women's Giant Innovo that someone gave to me, and I'm thinking I want to use the wheels and front sprocket,etc. from it. I would also use the handlebars but i think the diameter is just too big to fit. SOO... Is this possible? My immediate concerns are the difference in frame widths at the rear tire (the INNOVO is an inch wider) and the changing of the front sprocket and hub (the innovo sprocket hub looks much smaller). I really enjoy reusing old things rather than buying new ones. Am I on a fool's errand here, or could this work?
Thanks,
Mick
 
No Mick, you are not the next court jester, nor on a fools quest.
Hybrid cruiser/MTB?
Cruiser/commuter?
And my favorite look, cruiser/racer!
Just go thru the endless galleries of pictures, get an idea and start searching out parts. Ask here for help finding odd ball pieces you may need or want. Tons of knowledge on this site.
 
it is possible to widen the frame to fit the wider rear hub , I use a 4"x4" block of wood with the application of heat , you want to be careful to keep the axle in line with the bottom bracket / crank hub . there is a "string method" for measuring this but it is difficult to explain without the benefit of illustrstions . I usually use this method to fit wider rims and tires. The front sprocket is even easier , it dounds as if you have a one piece crank now and are trying to convert to a three piece , the good news is there a couple different kits available to accomplish this , you can usually find such speciality tools on ebay but you should plan on picking up some special tools . Just don't let it scare you anf this is easily doable.
 
If you use the wheels and sprocket, then you can also keep the same shifter and cable. As onex29er mentioned, the adapter kit would be the best way to do that. The wheels are 700C or 26"? Brakes may be an issue either way. Luckily, there are kits for brakes also, with bolt on bosses so you can adjust them to just about any wheel. You also may possibly use the Giant handlebars in the old Schwinn stem. When I've tried to make different parts fit, something always didn't fit at the last minute, after I had modified things so they couldn't go back to the original form. I would up with no complete bike when it was all said and done. The kits and adapters they have now really make a big difference. Then you'll have to finish it off with a Brooks saddle.
 
Great advice already, thank you all very much! All the wheels in question are 26", so that simplifies things. I tried out the new wheel today, and it's a tad wide without spreading te frame. I don't want to do that yet, so my plan is to buy a 5 sprocket freewheel (in ace of the current 7 sprocket one. What other parts do I need to buy to compliment that? Is there something under the freewheel I will need to. Change? How about the spacer on the other side of the rim? What is that called? If I get a 5 sprocket freewheel and a smaller spacer on the other side I think I will be golden.
 
Switching to 5-spd and shorter spacer will help, you may need to re-dish (loosen spokes on one side, tighten the other) the wheel to center it.

PTDC0003_zps5b8932d3.jpg
 
I have a similar problem with mine... I have a prewar CWC frame, and the wings that stop the kickstand (gone) are in the way of the derailleur. It fits but the derailleur is at the wrong angle to clear the wing... still digging thru threads... any ideas? I do not want to cut the frame...
 
GuitarlCarl said:
I have a similar problem with mine... I have a prewar CWC frame, and the wings that stop the kickstand (gone) are in the way of the derailleur. It fits but the derailleur is at the wrong angle to clear the wing... still digging thru threads... any ideas? I do not want to cut the frame...
Click to expand...

Doesn't look like the derailleur is sitting at a good angle, not much chain wrap around the cogs. It might have come with a plate that has a threaded hole and "shoulder" on it. This is intended to hold the der in alignment with the drop out. Maybe try putting it on and seeing if a better angle can be achieved, giving clearance for the dropstand ears.
Also, check chain length.
 
Thanks I KNOW the angle is wrong...hehe. That's what was tryin' to tell ya....adding chain doesn't help, you still only have about a quarter of the cogs touching chain when that deailleur is at such a bad angle. Those dropstand ears are big too, no spacer's gonna get me by that.

BUT I should be able to extend a plate back, pushing the rear tire farther back, and hang a derailleur off of it.
 
GuitarlCarl said:
Thanks I KNOW the angle is wrong...hehe. That's what was tryin' to tell ya....adding chain doesn't help, you still only have about a quarter of the cogs touching chain when that deailleur is at such a bad angle. Those dropstand ears are big too, no spacer's gonna get me by that.

BUT I should be able to extend a plate back, pushing the rear tire farther back, and hang a derailleur off of it.
Click to expand...


Ah, I see it now. It was hard to tell with that pic, but now that you've forced me to read I understand :lol:
I think there are/were longer mounts made, but finding one might be tough.
 
Thanks for the info... I may be able to fab something like that...
 

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