ccollins81

Okay.. so I just bought an 09 Schwinn Cutter and cut the handle bars down about six inches altogether and slapped on new grips recently. Today I biked through my first rainstorm.. and vowed to get fenders. Only problem is due to the bigger tires and caliper brakes (which don't help me stop for s**t), I don't have enough clearance. SO I think I need smaller tires. Thing is I'm pretty sure these rims are crap considering I JUST had to get them Trued (sp?) after having it a month and a half. SO I might need new rims. I don't know what kind what size what tires blah blah blah so I need guidance. I think I want deep v's because they seem durable. Looking to spend less then 200 bucks altogether with tires, tubes, hubs, and all. Possibly WITH the new fenders. Wth should I do?!

tjspiel

Replace your brake pads with Kool Stops for better braking.

It looks like your Schwinn came with 700c X 28 mm tires. You need to stick with the 700c family. If you want skinnier, you could go down to 25s or 23s. This will make your ride rougher but may provide enough room for full fenders. As an alternative to changing your tires and using full fenders you could try something like SKS Rack Blades. They don't provide full coverage but if you put a longer mud flap on the front one, they'll keep most of the road splash off of you.

I'd give the wheels more time before I replace them. They may have gone out of true because they weren't tensioned properly.

Doohickie

I have a 2009 Cutter and I think I had the wheels trued after 100 miles or so because they were getting out. They've been okay since. I looked at mine and it really looks like there'd be enough room for fenders. I would go with something like a clip on, especially in the back. Think about it: If you flat, you have the horizontal drops to contend with. Having a fender on there will only make it worse.

Anyway, enjoy the Cutter. I love mine.

snafu21

Get some cheap or clip-on MTB fenders, and a set of softer brake pads. Clean the wheel rims with Zippo/Ronsonol first.

https://www.allterraincycles.co.uk/product/111681.html

slcbob

Unlikely rim quality ("rims are crap") is the issue. The wheels are likely not staying true because they were cheaply built and not uniformly tensioned in the first place. Hopefully whoever corrected the true did both, though it is possible to remove a wobble (true) without doing the additional work of tensioning.

With your budget, get the Kool Stops, do the rim cleaning, maybe some new smaller tires (e.g. 700x24 vs. 700x28 or whatever you've got), but more likely you just need to jury rig fenders around the fork crown & seat stay tightness and the small change in tire size is moot. Lots of creative options, see Sheldon Brown fenders and search here.

threecarjam

If you just want new wheels and aren't set on Deep Vs, you can get a solid set of Sun CR-18s with Formula flip-flop hubs from Ben at https://www.velomine.com. Shipping to Chicago is pretty fast and cheap, as he's in central Illinois. They aren't flashy or super hip, but they are solid wheels that shouldn't give you any problems - I run them on my ss/fixed Bianchi.

Or you might check out Smart Bike Parts at Armitage/Humboldt, they have a bunch of ss/fixed/flipflop wheels in the store, including all manner of garishly colored deep section rims, and have very fair prices. I got a similar set of wheels for a touring bike (27" Sun rims, sealed hubs, new 6 speed freewheel) along with new tubes, rim strips, a new set of Conti Ultra Gatorskins, and some other crap from them installed for $200 out the door. They've got your Kool Stop pads and both snap-on and regular full fenders too, if you're getting new wheels/tires/pads/fenders then they should be able to give you about the best price you'll find anywhere, plus sounds like you might want some help/advice with both your purchase and installation. They don't always do the absolute finest work, but they are nice guys who will work with you and help make sure you get rolling and stay rolling. And if you kind of want something but don't need it, they'll tell you you don't need it. Not a ton of upselling there. I always appreciate that, because I am a sucker and will buy almost anything for my bike if it's shiny and seems neat.

I feel like I'm always pimping for Smart Bikes, but I guess I am. If you're on the near northwest side of Chicago, it hits the sweet spot of cheap prices, fast and dependable service, and a (relatively) very small dose of attitude (this is a hipster Chicago bike shop, after all). And for me, it doesn't hurt that they're right around the corner from me, and will feed you beer while they work on your bike. Good god, I'm like a commercial. Ok, done.

One other note - if you do decide to get new wheels, you either will then have a spare wheelset for winter abuse (which is helpful in Chicago) or you can probably sell them to someone else pretty easily who needs a spare wheelset for winter abuse, or for a conversion. For the record, I'm always on the market for another spare wheelset for either or both of those things.

ccollins81

You guys have been awesome. Few questions! Why lighter fluid? And what kind of Kool Stops do I need for my caliper brakes on the 09 Cutter? I think for now I'm going to stick with the original rims and maybe get the front one tensioned as the back one is acting great, and save up for a pair of the deep Vs (I like how they look.. got my eyes set on either matte black or the snakeskin image ones!!) unless there's a decent reason not to get those (if so fill me in. I have no idea what I'm doing). I was looking at Thickslicks as far as smaller tires go. I'm running on the stock 28mms. I just don't want to lose alot of traction but they would make my ride better I think.

Smart bike parts is awesome though. I've had only one bad visit where I felt really out of the "club', which lead to my wanting to ask someone else. Anytime the owner is there though, he really helps me out for a good price. Good honest store owner, that guy. I'm also right around the block. My only gripe is why the eff I haven't been offered a beer yet!!

neil

The problem with your wheels wasn't the rims, it was the spoke tension. Cheap bikes come with poorly set up wheels, so they go out of true almost immediately. (Even with a lot of better bikes, it all depends on whether the shop you bought it from fixed the machine-made wheels before selling it) So long as the truing was done well, they should stay true for quite some distance, so long as you're not too rough on them. So don't bother doing anything with the wheels. If they lose their true again, take them someplace different (or learn to do it yourself...it's not that hard).

And yes, better brake pads will greatly improve your stopping performance.

So really, all you've got to worry about is tires. What size do you have now (it looks like the 2010 stock on that bike is 700x23, and should have plenty of clearance)? I'm thinking that if you have a 700x28, then just one size down should do you (700x25). Fenders set up properly don't require a whole lot of clearance.

As for what tires - I couldn't tell you. I'm happy to run stock tires until they wear out, and then replace them with something midrange. My current tires are Vittorias, and I'm happy with them, though Continentals seem more popular for this purpose. If you want a low-grade bike with awesome tires, Schwalbe produces the king of tires. Specific tire model depends on your intended use and personal preferences for feel. For riding on roads, slicker is better, though racing tires are usually too soft for the road debris that daily riding presents them with. Higher pressure tires give a harsher, faster ride.

slcbob

I don't know this specific bike model, but I think the difference between 700x28 and 700x25-23 is NOT so large that all of a sudden fenders are going to have lots of breathing room.

I'm having a flash back of what I thought was a Sheldon page, perhaps is a forum thread, showing all kinds of clever jury rigs for fender fitting in tight places -- split the fender at the fork crown, etc. Unfortunately, can't find it to link to at the moment.

Jude

Especially if you like your brakes making a horrible shrieking noise that can never be fixed.

That was MY only experience with Kool Stops.

slcbob

Ahhh! Someone who didn't like the taste of the Kool-(stop)-Aid that everyone else guzzles up. Don't have a Brooks saddle either, do you?

Sangetsu

A 23mm tire would be best. It's narrow enough for low rolling resistance and fender clearance, but wide enough to have a decent contact patch. Quality tires are important, I've been using Specialized tires for more than 25 years (yikes), and I recommend them. I run 19mm tires on my fixie, not because I care for them, but because someone gave me a set for free. They aren't that harsh, as my Vivalo has a plush frame, and I wear decent shorts.

The Chinese made Schwinns are a terrible lot. Paint quality is poor, the anodizing/coating on the aluminum parts is laughable, I could go on and on. The poor braking you are describing is likely due to the coating used on the aluminum rims. Good quality brake pads will help. From time to time I "dress" my brake pads by removing them from the calipers and rubbing the friction side with a rough file or coarse sandpaper. This removes the glaze which forms on the pads after heavy use and makes braking much smoother and quieter.

Heavy regular riding is eventually going to cause wheels to get a little out of shape. Some go faster than others, but all wheels need to be trued regularly. Anal types use a spoke tension gauge and truing stand to get things just perfect, while the rest of us use a simple spoke wrench and check for trueness by watching the rim of the wheel as it rotates between the brake pads.

Jude

Not now, no, cause I'm in a different country with no bike...and my Brooks got wrecked a few days before I left, conveniently