Picked this up @ Ann Arbor for $20. Pretty complete - just missing chain, chain guard, shifter, cable and grips. I liked the flared chrome fenders and aluminum rims, and I never had the dough for a nexus hub and thought I'd give it a chance.
Well, after some research I discovered what I had was a 15 year old Giant (Taiwan) built Schwinn.
They made both 4 and 7 speed bikes with Shimano nexus hubs.
Funny thing is the 4 speed is only the overdrive portion of the 7 speed hub so with the "stock" 46 tooth front sprocket the gears went from 52 gear inches in "1" to a whopping 96 gear inches in "4" ! So I fitted a 32 t front sprocket from a girls Wallymart Schwinn to
change the ratios to 38 gear inches in "1" to a normal 70 gear inches in "4" This compares well to my middleweight Schwinn with a SA 3 speed hub:
L gear (.75 reduction) = 52 gear inches
N gear (direct) = 70 gear inches
H gear(1.33 overdrive) = 93 gear inches. There is enough hills around here I seldom run in "H" on the SA hub
anyways.
Tires and tubes were good tho mismatched, and donor bikes provided the chain and grips. Last item I needed was the shifter and cable assy. If you shop for the 4 speed nexus shifter they are rare, pricey and seem to only be available from European sellers - so shipping is expensive too. However, from info obtained here and Sheldon Brown's excellent site - I learned a 7 or 8 speed nexus shifter works great with a 4 speed hub and I was able to buy an entire new assembly off ebay for $12.
https://www.amazon.com/SHIMANO-Revo...77&hvtargid=aud-836408683912:pla-435021991348
A couple tips for setting up the 4 speed nexus is set the clamp screw that snaps in the hub at 100mm out from the end of the cable sheath. This will get you in the ballpark to do final shift adjustments with the barrel on the twist shifter. Also you set the shifter with 7 and 8 speed nexus hubs at "4" and align the marks on the hub to assure correct shifting, and you set the 4 speed shifter at "4" also to adjust the indexing.
It really is a nice solid rider and I intend to keep making improvements to it's appearance.
Well, after some research I discovered what I had was a 15 year old Giant (Taiwan) built Schwinn.
They made both 4 and 7 speed bikes with Shimano nexus hubs.
Funny thing is the 4 speed is only the overdrive portion of the 7 speed hub so with the "stock" 46 tooth front sprocket the gears went from 52 gear inches in "1" to a whopping 96 gear inches in "4" ! So I fitted a 32 t front sprocket from a girls Wallymart Schwinn to
change the ratios to 38 gear inches in "1" to a normal 70 gear inches in "4" This compares well to my middleweight Schwinn with a SA 3 speed hub:
L gear (.75 reduction) = 52 gear inches
N gear (direct) = 70 gear inches
H gear(1.33 overdrive) = 93 gear inches. There is enough hills around here I seldom run in "H" on the SA hub
anyways.
Tires and tubes were good tho mismatched, and donor bikes provided the chain and grips. Last item I needed was the shifter and cable assy. If you shop for the 4 speed nexus shifter they are rare, pricey and seem to only be available from European sellers - so shipping is expensive too. However, from info obtained here and Sheldon Brown's excellent site - I learned a 7 or 8 speed nexus shifter works great with a 4 speed hub and I was able to buy an entire new assembly off ebay for $12.
https://www.amazon.com/SHIMANO-Revo...77&hvtargid=aud-836408683912:pla-435021991348
A couple tips for setting up the 4 speed nexus is set the clamp screw that snaps in the hub at 100mm out from the end of the cable sheath. This will get you in the ballpark to do final shift adjustments with the barrel on the twist shifter. Also you set the shifter with 7 and 8 speed nexus hubs at "4" and align the marks on the hub to assure correct shifting, and you set the 4 speed shifter at "4" also to adjust the indexing.
It really is a nice solid rider and I intend to keep making improvements to it's appearance.
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