hey guys,

i have an old schwinn varsity that i converted to fixed gear. i want to replace the bottom bracket and crank set but i'm not exactly sure what size i need.

i guess i should take the bb out and just check it. i'm assuming the size is etched into it?

or if you guys have experience with old varsities maybe you already know?

anyway, thanks for your help and i hope i don't get hate mail like everyone else who asks for help

Is the crank a one piece crank?

Varsities have one piece ashtabula cranks, to replace them you need a $20 adapter like the one below, then you screw a normal british thread BB into it and use whatever cranks you want. Getting the BB length and chainline right with them can be kind of an adventure, though, so maybe find a friend with a drawer full of old BB's you can try out before you buy new.

heres my advice based on my experience with varsities: get a new frame.

wow, thanks landgolier. maybe my lbs has that piece and can remove the bb for me, i hope.

any recommendations in a british thread bb?

I kind of doubt they will, but I bet they'll be able to order it for you.

For the price, Shimanos haven't ever done me no wrong. But it also depends on what kind of crankset you plan on using.

this is the cutest thing i've seen on this forum to date, just beating out that super nice icelandic kid asking about how to convert a roadbike to fg.

Stop running sp00ki, thx.

I second the rec to get a new frame unless it's a total 1 mile ride beater, in which case don't spend money on the cranks.

Anyway...

You don't need special tools to get the BB out. Remove the left pedal (15mm wrench and it's a left handed thread), then put a big adjustable wrench on the nut on the crank on the left side of the bottom bracket. It's also left handed threaded, turn it until it falls off (~5 turns maybe). Then stick a screwdriver in one of the two slots in the thing it was snugged against and use it to spin that off the same direction, if it doesn't turn easily hit it with penetrating oil, let it soak in, and try again. The whole crank assembly can then be removed from the right side. There will also be some bearings in little cages falling on the floor right about then, you can chuck those. You'll then see that there are cups in either side of the BB that the bearings were riding in. They are just pressed in, all you need to do is stick a screwdriver you don't care about, a drift pin, railroad spike, a steel tent stake, or whatever in from the other side, rest it against the inner edge of the cup, and hammer it out. Clean it out, grease it, and install the adapter with a hex wrench, making sure it's correctly oriented (it has a left and a right side). You can then put any BB and crank that work together in there, I'd look for someone selling off the stock stuff from a pista or some other cheap complete. You will need a bottom bracket installation tool to do this, $12 or so. You probably need a crank puller as well, $10. This is assuming you have wrenches and hex keys.

Again, this is not really a good idea, these bikes suck and if you're riding it far enough to care about the crank, you need a better frame.

Much cheaper, and easier IMO, to just clean the races and replace the bearings.

Not running-- sprinting an invisible bike.

And to think I got a profile infarction for posting that, reason: trolling.

For ****s sake.

+1

+2

I bet you could get a good price one ebay for that varsity. If it's not in absolute junker condition that is.

That explains it. See if you can get a post deleted Op. It what all the cool kids are doing.

EbAY it IS!

come spring, it'll be up. and i'll let you know how much i get for it.. .. ..

I would just pull the crank apart (takes about 2 minutes). Then scrub/clean the races/bearing and regrease. I have a couple old schwinns from when I first got the bug to try a fixed wheel and the cranks are still fine after a fair number of miles, over 1000 that I put on, plus however many were on it before I found it.

Infraction says my post was deleted even when it was not. What a ****ing jip.

Ha ha. I had one to Jit5 deleted, so I guess it doesn't count.