Hi all...

I have a 1986 Schwinn Prelude. It is a 12 Speed setup and I wanted to buy these 700c Wheels for the bike. It's has a 8/9 speed compatibility on the hub, but I want to know if I can use spacers to accommodate the lack of gears or just not get them. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

Thanks in advance..

Hmm... No idea whats the spacing in the rear end for that bike, my best guess is that you bike is spaced 126mm... the new wheels no matter how many speed you can put in there (8.9 and 10)... those wheels are 130 mm in the back.

You can do something called cold setting or just use the wheels forcing the frame a tiny bit so the wheels fit in your bike, you bike is made of steel and you shouldnt have a single problem doing that.

No idea if your cassette will win in the wheel, shimano is not super consistant with spinelines, im not a shimano person ok? so I really dont know if the spineline of a 7 speed will fit the 8/9/10 speed one. As for the spacers you are asking about, yes you can put them, as long as the cassette is tight shouldnt be a problem.

Hope this helps.

Yes, adding spacers behind the cassette is a common practice, and there's no negative consequences. Add enough so that the front lip of the cassette overhangs the freehub body so the lockring can compress it without bottoming against the freehub.

However, before buying the new wheel make sure that the overall axle width matches your frame. Or you could spread the frame if necessary.

So there's no serious reason not to buy and adapt these wheels, but IMO you'd probably be better off with wheels that match the bike, unless you're planning for future upgrades.

I do plan on making future upgrades to this bike, but as far as the gearing, as the guy above specified, the splinelines of the gears may be different. I have 6 gears in the back and I don't know if it's a freewheel or a cassette. Most likely, it's a freewheel, but I need to know the difference, so I will know what to look for for future wheel purchases...

Wheel spacing/compatibility is a bit of a hit/miss kind of thing, but you have a good chance of it working. We dropped a 9speed/cassette wheel and hub into the backend of my son's 86 Fugi 12 speed. Just a slight spread on the frame (by hand) and it works perfectly in friction mode. New Chain was in order. You are updating from 27" wheels? That may cause a few more issues....or not.

measure the spacing and report back... 126?

Cool! That leads to a question I have about this. My bike also has a 6sp cassette and I wanted to upgrade to 9sp. I presumed that downtube shifters were gone by the time 9sp cassettes came out so I thought the idea was out of question but I hadn't considered friction mode (of course, a 9sp rear derailleur would be req'd) and chain too but then, would the chain rings need to be changed? If so, it would sound like a wholesale rebuild of the drivetrain would be req'd to go from a 6sp to 9sp cassette.

I would like to remove (what another poster called) the "dork" disk. Would this require spacers too? The one I have is just plastic.

Those are not compatible wheels but you could force them and make it work if you want. You will be going from 126mm current rear axle to 135mm for the new. So have to pull apart on the frame when putting it in but it could be done. Current could also be 130mm instead of 126mm, but 126mm is more likely.

Cannot of course re-use the existing freewheel on the new wheel. Need to get a new cassette to put on it.

Need to alter the brake reach a little when going from 27 inch to 700c size. Usually can be done OK, I think.

Lots of incompatibility issues, but if you want to then go ahead I'd say.

You will need a cassette and chain that matches your wheel, either 8,9 or 10. You should be good to go running in friction mode.

I did a similar conversion on one of my old Cannondales. Jammed in a 130 wheel, new chain and kept everything else.

I did a full brifter 10 speed conversion on a different Cannondale and my steel bike.

The good old Suntours on my son's Fuji worked just fine on the 9 speed cassette. Sprint Grouppo, DT Shifters and RD. He has since upgraded the RD to a Superbe. Handles the range just fine....Friction mode. (Ditch the Dork Disks!)

Shimano makes indexed 9 & 10 speed downtube shifters, so you could have an indexed downtube set up if you want.
If you stick with friction, I would think your original rear derailleur will work.... but probably not with indexing due to cable pull ratios.
I've used old "6 speed" cranks with my 10 speed bike... works perfectly

I had updated my old 79 Schwinn LeTour from 27s to 700s and from 10 speed to 14...I tried the 18 speed...but it just wouldn't quite go there, frame interference with the chain....But I DID try it! The brakes just reached. Just a little flexing on the frame.

Excellent news! A project for next spring.

Spacing is 126 and the bike already has Weinmann 700C wheels on it. Short-reach brakes are installed on it as well.

Can you give me a list of affordable wheels, so that way there won't be any altering the frame or whatever? The wheels are already 700C, so there's no conversion on that.

That's a nice setup.

If I DO decide to change the bike more than usual, as far as indexing gears (because I'm not too good with friction mode), will a indexed shifter, derailleur, and cassette of an 8-speed Shimano setup work for my bike; even if I have to 'jam' the wheel into place with the frame?

Also, these wheels that I was looking at were 135, so that might be pushing the limits too far in my opinion.

So your current wheel(s) are damaged, and you want to replace them. Easily and economically?

I copied this from some other thread. It's a rec from another. New set of 700c wheels that use a freewheel, not cassette. They are 130mm for the rear, so would require you spread the frame a little.
I'd suggest print it out and take it to a bike shop and ask if they can get them or if they have something like that.

Link: https://bikeisland.com/cgi-bin/BKTK_S...ls&ProdID=2178

Yes, as long as all the parts are compatible (brand & "speed").

Sounds great. Thanks!

Thanks. I might do it this way because I use my bike on the roads and sometimes I can't stay in one gear and friction mode will kinda throw my judgement off.

That era of Schwinn was freewheel, not cassette. Stick with freewheel, as the options are still plentiful and typically less expensive than similar quality cassettes. From what I remember of my LeTour (same exact color scheme, actually), the rear spacing would not accomodate a late model cassette anyways.

Specs are here:

https://www.trfindley.com/flschwinn_1...0/1987_17.html

Everyone's advice about spacers is spot on. Good luck with your Schwinn...I miss my old LeTour (stolen, sadly).

Check out ebay and CL for quality, affordable wheelsets before buying a cheapo brandless set...as a beginner commuter my buddy went that route and regretted it as soon as he got them home. If you do go the cheapo route (no offense meant, I go that route often) for wheels, bone up on greasing the bearings, properly adjusting the axle nuts, preloading spokes and truing the wheel - cheapo wheelsets are cheap in part because the manufactures do not perform and post-production processing, and usually leave a lot be desired in terms of the amount of grease they use for the bearings.

If you are interested in a quality wheelset that will last you many bikes, check out these:

https://store.velo-orange.com/index.p...te-wheels.html

Retail is pricey, but I picked up a used 700c freewheel set for a great price (ebay) and could not be happier. A big plus, which is hard to find with 126mm spaced 700c sets: factory sealed hubs. Love 'em, and expect them to last long into the future.

This is my setup that I may want to use. What do you think of it...?

7-Speed Cassette:
https://www.nashbar.com/webapp/wcs/st...ssociationsCmd


https://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product...0052_208234_-1 (Spacer)


Wheelset:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/AEROMAX-RACE...ht_3467wt_1398


7-Speed Shifter:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/400318114120...84.m1436.l2649

Good advice there. I posted my last setup that I thought it might work and happened to see this one. Can you let me know of what you think...?

Those are shift levers only, none of the other hardware that you will need. Keep looking.