Help with a C&V commuter project
 

I've been working on my Schwinn Le Tour III over the last few weeks: new bars, bottle cages, brake lines and housing. I'm working to get a Wald rear carrier installed. Looks like I am better off leaving the quick releases alone and attaching this to the eyelets. Anybody know off hand what type of bolts I need to do this?

should be the same as the bolts on your water bottle cage. i'm sure they will fit, but check them anyway. then take them to the hardware store and match them up.

Or the eyelets arent threaded, and any bolt that will fit through will work w/ a nut on the other end.

It's not threaded. Didn't know if there was a standard size, since I don't have any bolts at the moment laying around.

Here's a tip: especially on the drive side, put the bolt head inside with the nut on the outside. Usually there is not too much room between the eyelet and the chain when you're shifting into high gear. I had to grind down the head of the bolt to about 1-2 mm high to mount the rack on one of my bikes.

Found a bolt that fits, too long. So off to the hardware store tomorrow.

Thanks for the help. Ended up putting another rack I had on. This bike is a beast and I decided against the added heft of the baskets.

A few more questions:

I think the gearing is going to be next thing to tweak. The bike has the original 39/52 crankset up front. I have found no use for the 52 here in Central Ohio. The 39 and the 5 in back work fine for most of my rides, but a granny gear wouldn't be bad. What are my options for this? Can I simply reuse my crank arms and play with different chainring combinations? Do I need to go to a "new" crankset (or scrounging ebay/co-op/Craigslist)?

And while I am fiddling with the crankset, I assume it would be wise to take the bottom bracket out and clean and re-grease. How good are these Schwinn BBs? Better to look at a replacement?