My new project: Schwinn Racer hack

Doesn't look too bad from this distance...

I wanted a decent city bike to run errands on recently, in order to cut down on my dependency on automobiles. It seems like such a waste to drive a gas guzzling, polluting monstrosity just to go a mile or so to pick up one or two items.

I used to own a Schwinn Typhoon for that, but the design of that bike leaves a bit to be desired. It always seemed to be a lot of work to push that tank through town! And that was considered a middleweight!

Ye olde Typhoon.

I wanted something a little more elegant, something along the lines of the Raleigh 3 speeds. Indeed, I somehow developed a fascination with the old Sturmey Archer 3 speed hub, so I started hunting on Craiglist for a likely subject.

The dear old Sturmey Archer AW 3 Speed hub!

I decided that I wanted to go with an older Schwinn 3 speed, ala the Speedster or Racer models because there seemed to be a lot of them around, and I wanted a pretty stout frame. Thanks to the patented Schwinn Electro-welding process, the Speedsters and Racers definitely were stout! Plus, the rest of the components on these models were above average, including the forged handlebar stem, decent quality "American" style one piece cranks and, of course, the Sturmey Archer AW 3 speed hub.

I suppose I have a little bias as well, for back in the prehistoric days of my youth, Schwinns were considered the cream of the crop by my circle of friends! I think I still look at old Chicago Schwinns in that light, although I really don't feel very nostalgic about the Varsity, (my first 10-speed!).

At any rate, it didn't take long to find a suitable subject. I found one on CL for $120. I went over and looked it over. Basically sound, but the the paint under the downtube had been destroyed! The right pedal also felt off, (turned out the crank was bent just a tad), but generally, a usable example of a Schwinn "Lightweight". I talked them down to $100 even and took it home.

When I first looked at the bike, I thought the bike looked almost complete. After getting it home and making initial adjustments, I was better able to ascertain what was needed. I found that a piece of the saddle's frame was broken. The fenders were pretty roughed up with some wrinkling that would have been next to impossible to smooth out. Also, there were a few dings in the steel rims which were original incidentally, the weird Schwinn size. Fortunately, a previous owner had found the proper tires and they were practically new! I could use these until I was ready to upgrade. The chainguard had a small dent which I should be able to straighten. Finally, I confirmed that there was indeed a bent crankarm.

A dent at the "C" of Racer, and the right crankarm had a slight bend.

 The paint, (coincidently the same shade red as my old Typhoon), is badly scratched up, especially under the down tube where hardly any of the color coat is left. The chrome is generally in good condition and even the red handgrips are in fine shape!

First upgrade! (A Brooks saddle with seat clamp inverted to accept it.)

After cleaning and adjusting the first thing I replaced was the saddle. The old Schwinn branded Messinger had a broken cross member. I wanted to use my old Brooks B17N for now. Although it's too narrow for an upright riding position, and has a broken bar, (I can clamp the break with the saddle clamp and use it for a while), I like having the hoops on the back for a saddlebag, and I like riding on a leather saddle. It's comfortable enough for short hops. In order to make the Brooks clamp work, I had to invert the seatpost so that a fat section of post presented itself to the clamp. Incidentally, at this point I should point out that there was absolutely no rust on the inside of the frame. Both the seatpost and the stem slid out easily. That's always a good sign when buying a old bike!

I did a little research online and discovered that this particular bike was manufactured in July of 1971, so when you think about it, this bike was in pretty good condition after 44 years! By the way, here's the link I used to find the bike's age.

I decided to replace the fenders since it would have been impossible for me to smooth out the originals. I was going to buy a new set of Wald chrome fenders but discovered that the Wald fenders only come in very wide or very narrow widths in the 26 inch size. Rummaging through my assortment of fenders, I found some Velo Orange 700C X 45mm Alloy fenders which looked very close to the original fenders in size! I only had to cut off a few inches from the front. The V-O fenders were a sort of dull silver, but a few minutes of buffing with "Simichrome" brought out a nice bright shine which came very close to the original chrome!

VO alu fenders getting a Simichrome treatment.

 In trouble-shooting the crank arm problem, I bought a new set of cheap pedals and installed them. The crank still felt odd. so I reasoned it was a bent arm. I then removed the pedals and took a long length of heavy steel tubing and, inserting the right arm into the tube, I gave a steady, hard push. This method probably only works on a frame as strong as the Schwinn's, but it does indeed work. Otherwise, I would have removed the crank from the frame.

So, here is my Racer in it's current form. The paint job is still hopeless. It will get a paint job in the future, probably a powder-coat. I also plan on getting rid of the steel rims. I found a set of Sun CR18's in the more traditional English 26 inch size...nominal tire bead seat diameter of 590mm...otherwise known as 650A! These are really nice rims and will increase the effectiveness of the rim brakes quite a bit. I haven't yet decided on what I will use for hubs for these rims. If the 3 speed on the bike now proves to be reliable, I will probably use it. If not, I will look for a more modern version of the 3 speed hub, or maybe I'll go with a 2 speed hub! Those look fun.

Shown here with the new saddle, fenders and pedals.

I have to say I am still betting used to a 3 speed, but I like it so far! It seems perfect for around town traveling. I would hesitate to go to 2 speeds because I find I use all 3 in this rig.

I've had a couple of minor problems with the bike so far. One is a popping sound that seems to be coming from the front wheel. I think the bearings may be binding, although I had adjusted them. When I did adjust them I noticed a fair amount of damage to the axle's threading, maybe there is some travel occurring  that is binding the bearings.

Another problem may come from my lack of experience with a 3 speed. I'm not sure it's adjusted perfectly. Sometimes the shift rod seems to hang until I shift the pedals back and forth. I'll have to play with it some more. Could be that the hub is a little sticky and may need more or better lubrication.