Help with 3 speed Schwinn
 

I picked this up yesterday - complete with vines growing in the spokes. I think I can de-rust the rims, pedals, etc but I'm concerned about the tires. Can anyone help me determine if these are the odd sized wheels and, if so, where I can get economical replacement tires.
Help and pointers on other components such as the internal hub would be nice. I plan to service the BB and headset.

http://img686.imageshack.us/img686/2111/dscn0223p.jpg
http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/8607/dscn0222.jpg
http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/7831/dscn0224e.jpg

Giant made in Taiwan mid-1980s bike. Read the side of the tire but I believe that bike used normal 26 x 1 3/8 tires. The hub is a Shimano 3 speed which requires no maintenance. When/if it breaks you just replace it as with most things Shimano. Roger

I'd read the side of the tire but they are so trashed nothing is visible. Not SA hub - interesting. My wife may like it (she wants to keep it simple) or she'll show nicely once cleaned and refitted.

Schwinn tires for that bike would be 26 1 3/8-1 1/4. If that's what you have, it's an odd size and best I can tell the only tire available is a Kenda. The ISO diameter of those rims is 597mm and they are either S-5 or S-6 -- I think S-6. If that's what it has, they will be steel and somewhere on them they will say Schwinn and probably S-6. My wife has an old Schwinn Breeze and I found those markings on the rim when I trued the wheels. But, I agree with rhenning that the bike probably does not have the Schwinn rims -- probably has what is called EA3, or 650a, which is a rim with a 590 mm iso diameter. Tires for that rim are, best I can determine, all 26 1 3/8 (no other widths seem available) and are readily available from many manufacturers including Kenda, Panaracer, Michelin, and Schwalbe. You can find Kenda tires in that size for $10 with free shipping on Amazon but someone says that they are actually mislabeled 27" tires and won't work. Harris cyclery has a good rundown n these tire issues.

Looking at the pictures, I can't tell if those are the old Schwinn rims or not. They don't appear to be quite the right shape for a Schwinn rim, but they do seem to have the "knurled" embelishment along the middle of the rim. Probably going to have to measure if you can't find some markings on the tire, rim, or tube.

+1. Not a "real" Schwinn IMO. It was probably built by Giant. Derust, replace the chain, lube and polish. It'll work.

I bet someone bought them to put on a standard 26" wheel like a MTB in which the rim passes right through them,ask me how I know:rolleyes:

I thru out 5 NOS Perelli's that I bought off of ebay that I got for a few mountain bikes I had laying around about ten years ago becuase I thought they were made wrong.

I recently got this exact bike, but in even worse condition. My LBS had the right size tires. I don't think they're hard to find. I believe the size was stamped on the spoke-side of the rims. They were a little tricky to put on, so be patient.

The biggest issue with mine is that the shifter is gone (though the cable is still there). Also, one of the struts that holds the fender is gone. Does anyone have any suggestions?

I have a surplus handlebar lever shifter from a modern 3 speed project that's on hold. I'm going with a twist shifter for that project. I can pass it along to you, assuming I can find it.

Fender brackets are available. For example: http://www.ecrater.com/product.php?pid=4645430

It may not match the original exactly, but I'd guess what's important is functionality and a decent appearance, not originality. Big problem is that you buy a fender bracket here and tires there and some shifter cables to boot and before you know it your cheap bike isn't so cheap anymore. I recently bought a Raleigh Sports for $30. Spent more than the whole bike just for the new spokes.
Put Schwalbe tires on it and they were a very tight fit. Are all 650a (26 1-3/8) tires that tight? What did you do about tubes. I'm going to try tubes for 650b (iso 584mm) tires. About the same width as the 650a but with presta valves. The only tubes designated for the 650a I can find are Shrader valves.

You can get low cost tires for it here:
http://www.niagaracycle.com/index.ph...er_id=&sort=3a

I would check to see if the rim indicated s-6 on it, which indicate it is the odd Schwinn size.

That would be most appreciated. However, will modern shifters work on older Shimano hubs? My impression was that they're fairly temperamental. Can anyone confirm this? Currently it's functioning as a single speed in the middle gear.

Yeah, I keep telling myself I only bought a frame with rims. I've already spent as much on tubes and tires as the rest. The current solution for the fender is using some thread to pull it away from the tire, so I would like something a bit more elegant/durable. Thanks for the link.

I seem to recall having to do quite a bit of pre-stretching to get the tubes on. And they do have Scrader valves, which is what the rims were drilled for. I can check to see if I have the box for the tubes when I get home, but I don't think they specifically said 26 1-3/8. The owner of the shop told me they'd fit and they pretty much did.

rhenning is correct. It is a Giant-built Schwinn Collegiate, so it should take stock 26 x 1 1/38 tires (650A or 590). There were a few made with 24" tires, but they're rare. No need to buy special Schwinn tires.

As far as the hub, I can't remember if it has an oil port on it. Is it a 3CS hub?