Classic & Vintage - Schwinn Breeze TWO SPEED info

20 year old daughter wants to supplement the 80's Trek 400 that I rehabbed for her with an older cruiser bike that she can mount a front basket for her small dog (scratches head)
So I amuse myself, trolling around for old bike (what fun)

locally I came across a Schwinn Breeze, two speed (?) Ad says you back-pedal to change the speeds... altho it looks like it is a coaster brake bike as well

Can anyone tell me anything about this beast? I have not hear from the seller yet, but I'm curious. Price ain't bad. Looks cool.

Yup, it's a two speed kickback with a bendix hub. You kind of kick it back a little bit to shift, kick it harder and the coaster brake works like any other. My dad rode one to school, and my grandfather rode that bike until he was about 85 and some wino stole it.

Coaster brake cruisers are a brewing fad, so these are getting more valuable. What do they want for it? I would imagine if she doesn't like it it would be an easy bike to unload this summer, especially if you're in Madison.

2 speed bikes were relatively common in the 60s, and as the ad says, yes you make a little kick back motion to change the gear, and it does use a coaster brake as well. Ive never rode a 2 speed before so I cant really comment much on them, but I think they are seemingly quite nifty, and I'd like to get one actually, or at least a rear rim with a duomatic.

I believe there is an "automatic" 2 speed hub as well, which will apparently shift for you based on your speed.

If the price is right I say go for it, as you've got nothing to lose, and your daughter will have the best bike in town, go cruisers!

I believe there is an "automatic" 2 speed hub as well, which will apparently shift for you based on your speed.


My family's old one became automatic automatically at times, but that was because it was utterly neglected. Once tuned up this should be as reliable as any other internal gear system.

Best friend in 5th grade had one. Pretty cool but truthfully, it gets kind of tedious after a while, the problem is, when you coast, you inevitably back pedal a little bit and the thing shifts gears without your knowing. You go to pedal and your not in the same gear as when you started to coast.

It looks like the one you have is in great shape. Unsolicited advice. Clean it up as best you can but keep it unrestored.

Thats funny i own a 80s trek 400 and i am trying to fix up a schiwin breeze but its one of the 70s 3 speed models.

I think the 2-speed Breeze was only available as a 1965 model (check the serial number -- the second position should be the letter 'A'), so it would be a bit of a rare bird. I'm not sure why everyone is getting so excited about these hubs -- they weigh 3lbs, 9oz by themselves. A S/A 3-speed (circa 1970 for instance) is around 2lbs, 8oz. (Thanks to Tarik Saleh of the KOG list for the weight research). I guess the pared down, no cable, multi-speed aspect is a bit cool (I used to have one on a '60 Schwinn American). The "Automatic" is still a kick-back though -- just a marketing name.

http://www.bunchobikes.com/auto.htm

Bob Hufford
Springfield, MO

Thats funny i own a 80s trek 400 and i am trying to fix up a schiwin breeze but its one of the 70s 3 speed models

there's a good chance that it will end up being a 70's 3-speed model

the funny thing is... a few years back I bought at a church rummage sale, a MINT condition Raleigh Sprite, broze color... actually there was a mens and womens matching set (this was of course before I knew better). She loved that bike for a year in high school, then found it too old looking... so we traded it at Budget BIkes (if you are ever in Madison, Wisc go to Budget Bikes... you will not believe the thousands of classic bikes they have hanging from the ceiling... the owner has an old bike fetish)

anyway, she rode a newer hybrid till it was nicked. then bought a 10 dollar lemon yellow Schwinn boat anchor... got rid of it, got a Giant upright bike, and then I fixed the Trek I found for 20 bucks on the local sell-before-it-goes-to-the-dump list...

Now she pines for that old Raleigh and the Schwinn...go figure

... I believe there is an "automatic" 2 speed hub as well, which will apparently shift for you based on your speed. ...

As far as I know, "automatic" was merely a misnomer applied to the two-speed kickback. My first bike had the earlier 2-speed Bendix hub, with a gear control which looked like a handbrake lever.

The Schwinn Breeze is a fabulous, underrated Schwinn. They were built by Schwinn, to paraphrase the '73 Catalog, as an economic option for those who didn't want to sacrifice quality. I have owned two. One had a three speed Sturmey Archer shifting mechanism, and my current one is a single speed coaster brake. The things are tanks, just like the Varsitys and Suburbans, and I feel you just can't go wrong with a Breeze! It's a heavy, but very smooth ride. Buy it, and tell your daughter to enjoy!

Captain Kangaroo says, "Schwinn bikes are best." :)


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I ride a REAL Schwinn, unlike the stuff sold today under the marque.

thnks for the help folks
this one got away
called an hour or two too late