Alright heres the deal. My girlfriend has a Schwinn Varsity that still has the original 1-piece crank set in which we converted to to a SS for her to ride around campus. I recently picked up a Peugeot that has a Sugino VP crank set and an unknown bb. What exactly will I need to swap the Sugino crank set over to her Varsity?

I was told by the lbs that I will need a whole bb kit which includes a spindle, races, etc., etc. But they said its hard to get the chainline right to due the spindle being a "universal" length and all that jazz. I know this should probably go in the Fixed section, but I really like you guys a lot more. You are a lot more knowledgeable and wise and are always polite. They are just a bunch of punks that rip on everything I post haha.

Also, I was going to swap out her steel 27's for some Araya aluminum 27's that came on the Peugeot along with a Weinmann side pull for the front in place of I believe is a center pull that she has on it now. This this be a pretty painless and smooth swap for everything?

Please let me know guys!

Thanks a lot,
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Sean

You will need a Ashtabula BB conversion kit, and from what I have heard, a cartridge BB - supposedly, they are less fiddly to install in the conversion cups then a traditional cup-and-spindle BB.

The BB spindle length will be determined by the crankset you are mounting, and the amount of offset you need from the chainstay (don't ask me how to determine length - I just keep a boxload of spindles on hand and swap when necessary).

The wheel swap should be painless (I assume you meant Rigida aluminum rims - I've never seen a steel rim with eyelets before) - most you might need to do is swap the freewheel if the chain on the Varsity skips on the Peugeot's freewheel. I would stick with the centerpull though - should perform adequately, if set up right.

-Kurt

Thanks for the quick reply Cudak. But I guess I need a little clarification on the swapping process. This kit that I can buy, what comes with it altogether? You also mentioned a cartridge bb? These are 2 separate pieces right? So I would have to buy the kit which is like the spindle, cup and races, and what else? And the cartridge is what now? Sorry, I know from seeing things what they are, but I am a little slow at names and stuff. Just kinda getting into this whole "lifestyle" if you will. All thoughts MUCH appreciated.

The Ashtabula adapter kit is as follows:
https://harriscyclery.net/itemdetails.cfm?ID=1335

It contains the two adapter cups (and the three bolts used to secure them) that you need to install in the Ashtabula BB shell before installing the bottom bracket assembly itself. After installing the adapter cups, you will need the bottom bracket itself. The length of the spindle (determines how close or far that crankset will be to the frame) is the tricky part that I cannot answer. That said, I am pretty sure you will need a 68mm shell - the 73's are for oversized (wide) MTB bottom bracket shells:
https://bicyclewarehouse.com/itemdeta...te=google_base

Hope this helps.

-Kurt

Hmm....OK well I will have to check into it more. Will I be able to simply remove the rear chain rings and stuff off the Rigida's and thread the free wheel onto it? Thats what I did with her other wheels and the chain line is great.