robbster

I want to replace the stock front double sprocket on my Schwinn 564 with a triple sprocket for hill climbing ( we have LOTS of hill terrain in NW Montana ). Does anyone here have any knowledge, advice and/or experience with this? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
TIA
robbster

Retro Grouch 

What kind of shifters do you have?

9-speed Shimano STI shifters work on either doubles or triples. If you want it to look like a factory installation you'll need a new crankset, bottom bracket, front and rear derailleurs.

A short cage rear derailleur doesn't wrap up all of the chain but, since you generally only use the granny with the largest two or three rear cogs, you can cheat as long as you understand what you're doing. A double front derailleur will probably get the job done but, if it was my bike, I'd spend the money for a triple derailleur with it's deeper inside blade.

mechBgon

1) what is your present gearing, i.e. what are the tooth counts on your biggest and smallest rear cogs, and what are the tooth counts on your two chainrings?

2) you still using 7-speed on the rear?

3) Would you mind losing some of your high gear in the process, or do you want to retain your high gear (or increase it)?

4) do you have a budget ceiling in mind?

robbster

Thanks for the replies. I tried to post up last night, but couldn't make the connection.
As far as I can tell, the bike is set up stock as it came from Schwinn.
I have the following info:
Rear cogs: 24 and 13 teeth
Chainrings: Shimano "BIOSPACE" 42/52 Teeth
Rear: 7-speed,
Derailleurs: Shimano "SPORT LX"
Bottom bracket: Unsure, but I believe it's also a Shimano "SPORT LX"
I ride on both flat(distance) and steep terrain, so I would like to keep(poss. increase) my high gearing. Since I'm on a shoe-string budget, I need to replace as little as possible to make it feasable.
Thanks again
robbster

robbster

Thanks for the replies. I tried to post up last night, but couldn't make the connection.
As far as I can tell, the bike is set up stock as it came from Schwinn.
I have the following info:
Rear cogs: 24 and 13 teeth
Chainrings: Shimano "BIOSPACE" 42/52 Teeth
Rear: 7-speed,
Derailleurs: Shimano "SPORT LX"
Bottom bracket: Unsure, but I believe it's also a Shimano "SPORT LX"
I ride on both flat(distance) and steep terrain, so I would like to keep(poss. increase) my high gearing. Since I'm on a shoe-string budget, I need to replace as little as possible to make it feasable.
Thanks again
robbster

mechBgon

That's good information. Your rear wheel uses a type of cassette that isn't produced any more (no lockring, the 13T cog threads on). Additionally, your frame has a 126mm rear-axle spacing that's not used anymore. So if you want a long-term solution, you're going to need to account for what you do when those cogs wear out.

What I'm thinking is that it may be equally effective to replace your rear cassette with a wide-range 9-speed one (11-34 teeth), the "cassette body" that it's mounted on, the rear derailleur and the shifters, with several benefits:

1) you'd fix the looming problem I described above, where you eventually wear out your cassette and OH NO, they don't make replacements! Sooner or later, you ARE going to face this.

2) you'd get a much higher high gear (an 11-tooth rear is a big boost over your 13-tooth)

3) you'd get a lower low gear than just converting to a road-triple crank, and you'd still have the option to go to a triple crank in the future, if you wanted



Oh noes, mechBgon is making it complicated! But keep sight of the fact that you have those legacy issues back at the rear end, and it might be worth spending your dollars to kill two or three birds with one stone back there, instead of getting a triple crank and then ending up against the wall having to address that stuff anyway when you wear out your cogs.

It would probably be a task for your local bike shop unless you have significant bicycle-repair skills and some bicycle-specific tools like chain whips, a cassette-lockring tool, an axle vise and cone wrenches, and a spoke wrench.


Bigger picture: you might be able to score a more modern (used) road bike for what it would cost you to do that stuff. Among my gripes with the 564 are the unique cam-locking seatpost and the lack of a replaceable rear-derailleur hanger. Plus they ride as stiff as a rock. On my old 684 I faced all of those issues and was much happier in the end with something else.

robbster

mechBgon
THANK YOU!!!Great info. I've just started to cycle again after a 7 year hiatus( marriage,kids,careers,etc).I figured that given the age of the bike that it would, from experience be a more difficult task to modify the 564 than to just get a newer used road bike, but I can't afford one right now.On that subject, do you have any reccomendations as to what a few good choices would be for a good used bike?Also, given that I have a 126 mm. rear spacing, is it possible to find a 9-speed hub/axle that will fit?
Thanks again so much!
robbster
PS Did 15 miles on it in the rain yesterday-I hate the feel of that Biospace set-up.

mechBgon

First of all, I'm pretty sure I have a leftover 38-tooth inner chainring and it's ROUND If you'll send me a private message with your mailing address, I'll send it to you on the house. That right there would drop your gearing about 10% for climbing without sacrificing your high gears in the big ring. I'll see if I have any other leftover stuff that might help you out.

Secondly, a used Fuji Finest or one of their other ones might be worth a look. I haven't kept up on the bike market very well since I gave up being a mechanic but you could also post a thread in the Road Cycling section and ask for recommendations. If you could score a bike that's got an 8-speed or 9-speed rear end plus a triple, you'd be sittin' pretty

As far as the upgrade I was proposing, what I'd do if I were your mechanic:

1) sell you a complete rear hub, then remove its freehub body (the part the gears slide onto) and axle, and install the new freehub body and the driveside bearing parts onto your existing rear wheel. I'd re-use the non-driveside bearing parts and adjust the axle spacing so the result is still about 126mm wide. Then I'd re-dish the wheel so the rim is still in the middle of the frame. Parts & labor for this bit: probably $30 for an economical "donor" hub, and $30 labor?

2) install a 9-speed 11-34T rear cassette, a new chain, an economical long-arm rear derailleur, and a 9-speed shifter set. Just a guess, parts and labor might be about $120 parts and $15 labor for this bit.

3) if possible, I'd get you some round chainrings in 39-tooth and 53-tooth sizes, and I would get good 7075 aluminum ones that last a long time, so figure maybe $40-50 for those.


Result, you would have a 39 x 34 low gear, which is quite low, a 53 x 11 which is a killer high gear, and since it's 9-speed, the jumps between the gears would still not be too radical. And you'd be rid of Biopace plus you would be able to get replacement parts too.

honestcarl35

[QUOTE=mechBgon;2594294]That's good information. Your rear wheel uses a type of cassette that isn't produced any more (no lockring, the 13T cog threads on).

I also have a Schwinn 564. Could you please clarify how I can take this cassette off? Do I take it off counter-clockwise or clockwise?

Thanks

rhenning

Counter clock wise. You need two chain whips to do it. Roger

Tim_Iowa

mechBgon is absolutely correct that you'd have to do some serious mods to the rear to get 8 or more speeds.

Here's some excellent info on those hubs and how to remove the cassette: Shimano Cassettes & Freehubs

I think the most economical solution would be to salvage a triple setup off another bike, and re-install that triple crank, bottom bracket, front derailer, and maybe shifter onto your 564. Look for an 80s touring bike.

Do you have a local bike co-op to consult or search for parts? A local bike dude? A guy with a huge pile of bikes in his garage?