Schwinn-compatible One Piece Crank?

[SummitCoCycleWorks]

Hi all,

I've been around this board for a few years and if there's one thing a person learns from hanging around here is that you never, ever take for granted that some part you find- either in an old bin or on the internet- is going to fit on your old Schwinn.

I picked up a mid-50s rust bucket while on a business trip through Deadwood, SD not too long ago. "Admiral" badge and frame construction leads me to believe it is, or at least it was based on, the base-model Hornet. No skip tooth or set screws in the rear drop outs so I'm thinking I've definitely got a post-war model on my hands. Frame is taking a bath in some PB Blaster at a friends garage or else I'd list the SN and we could know definitively.

So, I apologize for the n00b question but; What do I need to look for in order to purchase a replacement one piece crank (and probably bottom bracket/bearing set) if I can ever get the existing one disassembled? Anyone have a source for reproduction parts or have a nice rusty one they'd want to part with that might match the current patina I'm working with? Unfortunately there's no saving the one that's on there now. The bottom bracket doesn't turn so smoothly and once upon a time Farmer John decided to weld some 1/2" pedals into the 9/16" holes instead of finding some correct replacements so the grinder got a good workout last night...

Sorry in advance if this has been covered, as I'm sure it has at one point, but the search function doesn't like it when you put in "Schwinn" and this is kind of a Schwinn-specific issue... And I guess so long as we're trying to answer this question, does anyone have any tips for sourcing a new headset, too? I'm guessing this one is going to be DOA if I can ever break it free.

Thanks, everyone!

 

[Bicycle808]

Pre-war: rearward facing "track ends"; post-war= forward facing "drop outs".

As for the crank: you mostly have to match the crank to the BB. If you wanna keep it Schwinnish, go with a 28tpi crank and BB. If you want to enjoy life and get a set up that will facilitate buying new BBs/bearings in the future, get a 24tpi crank and BB.

HTH
-rob

ps- some schwinns have a narrower BB shell and take a narrowed crank. As a guy who has "built" (inside joke) a 52 hornet, I can tell you that 24tpi Wald BBs and contemporary 24tpi OPCs will fit it just fine; it doesn't need a special kind of set up.

 

[Bendix]

a longer crank would sure be nice for the summit county hills.

if it were my patina project i'd look for a used cro-mo sugino bmx crank in a 175mm length and a used schwinn bb set (both are 28tpi).

a bmx headset will work, but again i'd just get a good used schwinn one...

 

[Bicycle808]

a longer crank would sure be nice for the summit county hills.

if it were my patina project i'd look for a used cro-mo sugino bmx crank in a 175mm length and a used schwinn bb set (both are 28tpi).

a bmx headset will work, but again i'd just get a good used schwinn one...

The current BMX 1" threaded headsets have 32.5mm cups; these will fit loose in a 50s Schwinn without some sort of shim. I agree that the best bet is to find a Schwinn headset in good shape to replace it.

Long cranks are nice for hills; 28tpi makes me cringe. But it is the Schwinn "standard"...

 

[Bendix]

a longer crank would sure be nice for the summit county hills.

if it were my patina project i'd look for a used cro-mo sugino bmx crank in a 175mm length and a used schwinn bb set (both are 28tpi).

a bmx headset will work, but again i'd just get a good used schwinn one...

The current BMX 1" threaded headsets have 32.5mm cups; these will fit loose in a 50s Schwinn without some sort of shim. I agree that the best bet is to find a Schwinn headset in good shape to replace it.

Long cranks are nice for hills; 28tpi makes me cringe. But it is the Schwinn "standard"...

The Tioga 'Beartrap 2' 1" threaded BMX headset with it's 32.7mm cup diameter has always served me well.

I may be forgetting something since I mostly play with prewar Schwinn frames, but I don't believe Chicago Schwinn headset cup diameters varied from the 30's-70's.










Kinda shiny though! :wink:

 

[Bicycle808]

I've never replaced a headset on a Schwinn from later than the 50s, so I'm not sure. I do know that the beartrap was loose in my ol' Hornet, which I believe was a '52. 'Twas also loose in my Worksmen, but a Worksman headset fit perfectly in that same Hornet. Of course, the safe bet is the Wald 4080.... It'll fit most oddball old American bikes.

Most online specs suggest that the Tioga Beartrap is a 32,5mm, but I've yet to confirm this with micrometers. Fit my True Torch like a glove...

 

[Bendix]

Interesting that you had to use the Wald 4080 in a Schwinn. Typically they are just required in 'other' brand frames with thinner walled headtubes. The funny thing about those is that apparently Wald calls the cup diameter 30mm, not taking the 3 bumps into consideration!

FWIW there was also a Tioga 'Beartrap' MTB headset, the diameter on that would have been 30.2mm.

I can say I've robbed, reinstalled, mixed, and matched Schwinn headsets from several different decades without a second thought. Of course with old bikes there's an exception to every rule- I guess that's what makes them so fun to figure out. :wink:

Now I'm anxious to hear what size the OP's Hornet ends up using!!


Just pulled a Tioga 'Beartrap 2' BMX unit out of it's box, definitely 32.7mm...

http://www.jbimporters.com/web/Advanced ... e45d9drh=4


Wald 4080, the answer to every third headset question on RRB...

http://www.jbimporters.com/web/Advanced ... e45d9drh=4


The cost effective choice for a 'patina' Schwinn...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SCHWINN-STINGRA ... 2a2f69aa5e

 

[Bicycle808]

I didn't use the 4080 in the schwinn; I used some Worksman cups and various bits from other headsets, including a 4080. If you mess with stock Worksmen and Wald 4080s enough, you'll find that a factory worksman will have what seems to be a Wald 4080 in it. It'll have the same YST top nut***, same keyed washer/top cone, appear to be the same bearings.... but, the cups are different. They have longer skirts, seem heavier, and lack the 3 nubs that the 4080 cups have. Worksman also uses a different 27.0 crown race that seems much beefier than the 26.4 piece of tin that ships with the Wald.

** so weird that Wald ships their headset with a Taiwanese manufacturer's top nut...