Classic & Vintage - Winter project done (Schwinn 2 speed content)

This was one of the projects that starts with a part.

Last fall I bought a bin of misc old school bike parts. In the bin was a Bendix coaster brake hub. I thought it was a one speed, but research proved it was a manual 2 speed hub. It felt pretty gummed up, so I found some diagrams on line & took it apart & cleaned it up. The parts inside were caked with old grease, but had no wear. I had no shifter, but reading bikamper's posts on here, I just needed an old Shimano 333 shifter, bell crank & a cut down pin. After I picked up one of these from Iowegian in for the trade section, I was set.

But what to build it up in? Weight wise, the hub is a pig. I initially was thinking clunker style bike. I have a mid-80's MB2 that would be a good candidate. But I wanted to keep it simple and only have a coaster brake, so I thought the exposed canti posts on the frame would look bad. How about a road bike? Which one wouldn't be killed by the weight? Enter the Schwinn "lightweights". I found a neglected Schwinn Continental frame at the bike coop that I picked up for a trade. So I laced the hub to a 27 inch rim I had laying around.

I was going to switch out the Ashtabula crank to a 3 piece with the converter kit so I could up my front chainring tooth count, but I wanted to make sure the hub shifted ok first. Come to find out the direct drive gear is low & the shifted gear is high. So the 40 tooth Ashtabula ring works great with the hub gearing. Something about a coaster brake bike looks right with the Ashtabula crank.

Since weight & steel was no issue. I had some old Bullmoose bars in the 21.1 diameter required by the Schwinn headset that I threw on.

This bike rides like a tank and is an absolute joy to ride on. The Bendix hub is smoother & less sloppy to shift than any Sturmey Archer hub I've used. It doesn't have the annoying clicking that the SA hubs have either. I haven't ridden a coaster brake bike in over 30 years. Riding this bike makes me feel like a kid again.

Thanks for reading.

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm26/mparker326/DSCF0711-1.jpg
http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm26/mparker326/DSCF0714.jpg
http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm26/mparker326/DSCF0713.jpg
http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm26/mparker326/DSCF0712.jpg

That's really cool. I like it. I wouldn't mind having a coaster brake bike for kicks.

When I read the title I thought it was going to be some kind of 2 chain ring setup. This is much better, very stealthy.

Very cool idea. I was thinking it needs fenders, but the more I look at it the more I like the simplicity. Any pictures of opening the hub and spilling its parts?

Very cool idea. I was thinking it needs fenders, but the more I look at it the more I like the simplicity. Any pictures of opening the hub and spilling its parts?

Bob:

I was thinking fenders & a Pletscher rack as well. The only fenders I have that fit are some Planet Bike plastic ones & they simply don't fit the look. I need some steel Wald fenders.

I didn't take a pic of the hub internals but Bikamper did. My hub internals were the same as his. http://www.flickr.com/photos/21499296@N08/4141382633/

Interesting thing about the Bendix is the planet & sun are inside the cog.


That's really cool. I like it. I wouldn't mind having a coaster brake bike for kicks.

Justin: You should really try it. It is a hoot to ride. Sheldon didn't factor in the fun when he dissed coaster brake hubs.

This is what my version of that type of bike looks like. The picture is 3 years old but I added the manual shift Bendix last summer without changing the look of the bike. Roger

Hey, I heard my name mentioned. The Schwinn turned out really nice.

Here is what my 2 speeder became. Dumped the coaster brake parts and riding the hub as a 2 speed fixed gear.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/bikamper/P9160171.jpg

And also a breakdown of the hub. Comes apart with just a screwdriver and a Crescent wrench.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/bikamper/BendixDismantled.jpg

That is awesome, I really like it. Some Wald fenders would look great, but I agree that it still looks very nice in it's current forum. After looking at road bikes so much, it's amazing when you see how simple a bike really can be.

My winter beater has a coaster brake. I would recommend using a front brake for emergencies though. When/if coaster brakes fail, they fail catastrophically.