Fresh curbside schwinn find build questions **PICS ADDED**

[kgmcpheeters]

Hey everyone. I was pulling into my driveway the other day and a neighbor had a pretty blue schwinn frame and fork sitting by the trash can. Having no idea if I even wanted to build it I still had to grab it, since the price was right and I couldn't stand to see it go to waste! Serial number is BP510590, so I know its a Feb 1978 bike, but cant figure out the model. Are all the road bike frames the same? From what I can see it could be most of them...I dont have it in front of me but I believe it only has cable guides for brakes, not for shifter cables, leading me to believe it might be a varsity.

Anyway, long story short, I decided I'd build a fixie out of this thing. Add another beater bike to the collection that people can ride and I dont have to worry about if the roads are wet or not so I can take it out. And I want to see what all the fuss is about fixies. Seem kind of strange to me, but people seem to love em so figure why not! My question is, could I buy this (if I can find one on craigslist they're only like $30, but even if I have to buy it new $87 is cheaper than building it up from parts) : http://www.walmart.com/ip/Thruster-700C-Men-s-Fixie-Bike-Black-Red/23810254 and swap the parts? I know nothing of the specs of either bike, so was hoping someone here would have some insight for me. Hoping to use wheels/tires (its got alloy wheels), headset, stem, bars, crankset, seatpost, seat.

Thanks everyone!!

 

[Bicycle808]

Basically, 70s Chicago Schwinn "road bikes" came in a few different flavors...
-The "nice ones" were the Super Sport, Superior, Sports Tourer, and Paramount. The Paramounts were lugged; the rest were fillet brazed. All of these had threaded BB shells, except the Super Sports (American shell for one-piece crank). You can tell the Sports Tourers from the Varsities and stuff by the larger diameter (I think it was 26.8mm? Maybe 26.6mm") seatpost. More than likely, this is NOT what you found at the ncurb.

-The electro-forged 27"-wheeled Schwinns were Varsities, Continentals, and Suburbans. Electroforged bikes almost loom fillet-brazed, but they're actually flash-welded, and they weigh a ton. You can tell these by their really skinny 13/16" (20.7mm) seatposts. All will have American BB shells. The 27" wheeled Schwinns will have steeper seat and head angles than the 26x1 3/8" models, and will have shorter chainstays, which might seem counter-intuitive, but there it is. The Suburban was the cheapest, usually with upright bars, fenders, and a single front ring with a 5 speed rear. The Varsity will have either upright or drop bars, usually a 2x5 drivetrain, and the forged flat-blade fork. Continentals were the nicest; they were 2x5 as well, but with more alloy components, drop bars, and a nicer (lighter and stronger) tubular-style fork. If your fork is the forged type, t's not a conti. But, a Varsity frame is exactly the same as a Conti frame; it's the fork and many components that are different. All of these tend to have guides for derailer cables.

The "lightweight" 26x 1 3/8 (aka S6, aka 597mm) wheel Chicago Schwinns are electro-forged, with forged forks. By the 70s, the Racer model's name was changed to the Speedster. Speedsters came in either 3speed or singlespeed models; the 3 speed model had a gear guide on the top tube, and a hanger for the pulley on the underside of the toptube, just before the seat-tube. The Collegiate model is the same frame, but set up for derailer gears; they came in both a 2x5 with front and rear, and a 1x5 with rear derailer only. If I had to guess, I'd think yours is a singlespeed Speedster, due to a lack of guides. These bikes have longer stays and slacker angles than the 27" frames, and they can easily fit a 27" wheel/tire...

There were many Panasonic-built Schwinns in the 70s and other makes beyond; keep in mind that Schwinns built outside of Chicago will have their own system of serial numbers, and some folks have erroneously ID'd a Schwinn as a certain year when, in fact, it was a later imported bike. Posting pictures will help.

As for the "Thruster"; that site gives few specs, but some of the stuff will fit, and others won't. The wheels will fit, but brake reach may be an issue. The picture on your link shows old-style nutted brakes; if they're still outfitting the Thruster thusly, those brakes will fit your frame, but I'd bet that the pads won't reach the rims. The crank will fit, but you''ll need an American-to-Euro adaptor in order to fit the crank and BB in your Schwinn. The headset will NOT fit; it's hard to tell from the pic, but that does look like a 1" threaded headset--- the stem may or may not fit your Schwinn's fork, depending if it's a 22.2 or a 21.1mm stem. (No specs provided on the Thruster site, but your Schwinn takes a 21.1mm stem.) Seatpost won't work; saddle can be clamped into whatever guts you get for your 13/16" seatpost for your Schwinn. If you're using those wheels, obviously the tires will fit the rims, and I feel 99% sure that those tires will clear your Schwinns frame and fork. Maybe 99.9% sure. Keep in mind that, just b/c WalMart calls it a fixie, that doesn't mean it's necessarily a fixed gear. A lot of those bikes are singlespeed freewheel bikes, but they call them fixies b/c WalMart is of, for, and by morons who don't know anything-- and they seem to think that "fixie" is still a viable marketing term. It may well be, for WalMartians, who can be counted-on to be roughly 10 to 15 years behind current fashion. That being said, even if "Fixie" is a doomed trend, fixed-gear drivetrains are a lot of fun.... and that's a good way to go for a Schwinn lightweight frame.

Overall, though, I'd say you'd be better off building your frame up with used and salvaged Schwinn bits, and then buying a better-quality fixed gear wheelset and tires to fit it. There's a lot from that Thruster than can be used, but other stuff that can't. You could probably build a better, stronger, and less-kludged fixed gear on it for the same amount of money, if you tossed on a Schwinn headset, and old stem-and-bars from a Schwinn donor bike, and a OPC and then went with something cheap/decent for the sheels. Just my $.02.

HTH
-Rob

 

[Wildcat]

Lots of good info there. That frame and forks, if they aren't damaged, would sell for at least 25 bucks on CL. Post up some pics and that may point you in the right direction.
For a true fixie, there are no brakes except on the cranks as you try to slow it down. I would put hand brakes on, you'll still have a fixed gear but be able to stop right when you want.
If you have old wheels of different sizes laying around, maybe you could find what size it had by trying them on.
You could also do a build thread on it as you go, getting all the advice and info you'll need

 

[Bicycle808]

I agree; brakes are a "must" for anyone riding on public roads... Yes, you can skid-stop a fixed gear bike without brakes, but it strikes me as irresponsible to rely on one's ability to skid-stop when other ppl's safety is at stake. (I find it hard to skid-stop a fix in a panic situation, with no time to plan for it...) I find that a decent front brake is all I need for a fixed gear bike, but if you're running a flip-flop hub with a freewheel, having the rear brake is helpful for freewheelin' rides.

Here's my disc-fix Worksman:

I get all of the keep-it-movin'-no-coastn' goodness of a fixed gear drivetrain, but with the sure-fire-stoppin'-power of a good front brake.

 

[us56456712]

Two winters ago Target had 3 fixies that they didn't sell in the summer and were asking $35 each for them. They were cheap bikes with 28 spokes and 3 piece steel cranks but I thought I might find a use for the parts. I didn't buy one, but perhaps I should have. The chain looked a little weak on these. 4 years ago my Son had a fixie in NYC and the chain looked like something from a motorcycle. The handle bars were cut down to just the width of the grips so you could ride between cars. NYC has become a much friendlier bike town since then and has provided bike lanes so he now has a touring bike. He got rid of the fixie. His feeling was you needed a heavy duty chain as this was the only way to stop. The parts bike you are looking at probably has flimsy 28 spoke wheels and a standard duty chain. I am not sure if they would hold up to a heavy frame and torque from and emergency stop, especially if you weigh more than 160 pounds. There is a review by someone that weighs over 300 pounds under the Walmart bike so perhaps it is OK. Just my thoughts but I have folded 36 spoke quality concave alloy wheels just on a high speed turn and I only weighed 150. That Schwinn frame probably won't flex when you lock them up, I just wonder about the wheels and chain? Could be a fun, inexpensive and unique project.

 

[Bicycle808]

Yeah, I gotta say, the fixed-gear city bikes that were "fashionable" a few years back were goofy.... the chopped-down bars don't allow easier passage between cars, b/c the rider's shoulders and hips are a factor; the narrow bars just make it impossible to climb hills, and difficult to sprint. The same sense of "Style" also dictated a lack of brakes, which outside of a velodrome is just goofy and, in most places in the USA, illegal. As for riding brakeless in NYC: that's Darwinism at work; don't care how beefy your chain is, that's deathwish stuff right there. Run whatever chain you want, and a front brake.... arrive alive.

 

[us56456712]

Yeah, I gotta say, the fixed-gear city bikes that were "fashionable" a few years back were goofy.... the chopped-down bars don't allow easier passage between cars, b/c the rider's shoulders and hips are a factor; the narrow bars just make it impossible to climb hills, and difficult to sprint. The same sense of "Style" also dictated a lack of brakes, which outside of a velodrome is just goofy and, in most places in the USA, illegal. As for riding brakeless in NYC: that's Darwinism at work; don't care how beefy your chain is, that's deathwish stuff right there. Run whatever chain you want, and a front brake.... arrive alive.

My son rode his fixie with no brakes in a 100 mile road race. On the downhill sections he ended out taking his feet off the pedals and sticking his legs out to rest his legs. On a fixed gear bike there is no rest. He took his bike on the train out of NYC to a small town for the weekend only to discover that the town was full of road bikes for the race. The guy he went with had a road bike and wanted to do it so they both decided to try it.

 

[Bicycle808]

My son rode his fixie with no brakes in a 100 mile road race. On the downhill sections he ended out taking his feet off the pedals and sticking his legs out to rest his legs. On a fixed gear bike there is no rest. He took his bike on the train out of NYC to a small town for the weekend only to discover that the town was full of road bikes for the race. The guy he went with had a road bike and wanted to do it so they both decided to try it.

I bet the rest of the peloton just loved his presence in the paceline... I'm surprised he was even allowed to enter the race-- riding brakeless and with no way to moderate your cadence is dangerous within the context of a group road ride. Sticking his legs out is a gamble too, not only b/c it's super hard to re-engage the pedals if you're moving fast (kinda like sticking your hand into a throttling woodchipper--ask me how I know), but also b/c, on a brakeless bike, no-legs means you have NO WAY OF STOPPING or even SLOWING DOWN. So, if another rider was to fall or unexpectedly stop, that means your son would have to run him over, unless he could somehow steer the bike at-speed with some incredibly low-leverage sawed-off handlebars.

At least he's posing in a safer direction nowadays, with the in-town "touring" bike. I'm guessing his next bike will be a "Gravel Grinder", as those are the almost-current trendy bike.

 

[patman73]

i don't think fixed gears are fun when you hit rough roads or steep hills !

 

[us56456712]

I bet the rest of the peloton just loved his presence in the paceline... I'm surprised he was even allowed to enter the race-- riding brakeless and with no way to moderate your cadence is dangerous within the context of a group road ride. Sticking his legs out is a gamble too, not only b/c it's super hard to re-engage the pedals if you're moving fast (kinda like sticking your hand into a throttling woodchipper--ask me how I know), but also b/c, on a brakeless bike, no-legs means you have NO WAY OF STOPPING or even SLOWING DOWN. So, if another rider was to fall or unexpectedly stop, that means your son would have to run him over, unless he could somehow steer the bike at-speed with some incredibly low-leverage sawed-off handlebars.

At least he's posing in a safer direction nowadays, with the in-town "touring" bike. I'm guessing his next bike will be a "Gravel Grinder", as those are the almost-current trendy bike.

They were pirates, as they didn't know about the race before they got there and it was too late to sign up so they just joined. The legs out was toward the end and by then they were far behind. Aid stations were not a problem but they wouldn't give them a ride back on the bus, without the armband which was a problem. The guy with the road bike wanted to ride back, but with a fixie that would have been too hard. They hitched and a pickup gave them a ride. Then the cops would not let bikes on the train back to the city as there were too many bikes from the race. They said we came on the train. The cops didn't care, so they hitched again into the city. Now he uses his heavy duty touring bike to go camping and rode it to Vermont last summer for a wedding. He had a vintage steel Colnago for a years which got stolen from his NYC apartment. So for awhile he had the fixie and several bikes in pieces in his hall. Then he got the same brand full carbon race bike that won the 2012 Tour de France (how could this be as they use a different type and frame bike for each riding terrain?). He didn't like the way the full carbon bike rode, he liked the steel Colnogo better so last spring he sold the carbon bike. He is like me, he has had a lot of bikes. He has no car so his justification is that expensive bikes are cheaper than a car. 16 and 15 years ago he was on the US "A" Ski Team. I wouldn't worry about him being able to ride any bike or negotiate on one in a race as he has advanced elite level athletic abilities. There are still 6 international guys skiing in the World Cup that he competed with. He sits on his butt for 14 hour a day for his job and can still bike 100 miles, roller blade 15 miles and roller ski 20 miles. He roller skis for 2 hours in Prospect Park at least 3 times a week plus the occasional 100 mile bike ride. Ah youth, but I could never have done that and I was in good shape when I was 34. It would have been a real strain for me to do half of any of these distances when I was 34. I could have done half, but it would take me a week to recover, he can do this over and over. He kills me when he visits home and we ride. He is just out taking it easy. By the third day Dad is puny and whimpering.

 

[deorman]

Fixed gears are for velodromes and acrobats. Chicago bikes weigh a ton.

That being said, definitely run a front handbrake on the street, no matter what the drivetrain.


These views do not neccessarily reflect the views of RRB owners, staff, or members, or any sponsors, and are the sole responsibility of the elitist jerk who posted them.

 

[kgmcpheeters]

Y'all NEVER cease to amaze me Thanks for the great info, 808! Snapped a couple pics of the frame this morning. Based off what you said I suppose I won't go the thruster route, unless I can find one super cheap on craigslist. I think at that point it would be worth it just to grab the wheels if nothing else. I believe that they come with a flip flop hub. I had planned to run no brakes, but your argument for them is more than enough to convince me. Hmm...still not convinced I'll hang onto or build this thing, but its not costing me anything sitting there, so might as well hang onto it for awhile.

 

[kgmcpheeters]

Also wanted to say, 808 your worksman is rad! good looking bike.