matkdel

So, I bought a Schwinn Traveler, vintage unknown, from a nice dude on craigslist for $100. Highway robbery, but I'm competing with NYC bike prices.

The idea was to build myself a solid commuter while letting my younger brother get some time behind the wrench so he could practice for his dream build (something about a "Pista Concept", I don't know).

Anyspray
Bike as it sits now:


stripped parts plus clips, straps, bars, lever acquired on the cheap.


Since I listen to people on the internet I just bought a set of Mavic cxp22/formula wheels from velomine, sized 125mm.

The chainring is 118bcd, and it's becoming clear that the chances of finding a 165mm 118bcd crank are, well, remote at best. Is it time to start looking at some low end crank sets, or should I stop being a nerd and use the weird 170mm silstar cranks that came with the bike?

The brake came off my bro's Langster, am I sol trying to use it; should I fish out the brakes that came with the bike or pucker up for a long-reach?

What's the deal with chain line? Can I even buy a crankset before my wheels show up? If I buy a crankset and end up needing a new bottom-bracket can I screw up the chainline? For once, I'm finding Sheldon Brown difficult to understand on the subject.

Lastly, what am I missing here? As far as I can tell I need crankset, sprocket, tires, and maybe bottom bracket and brake to finish this thing up, but I get the sense that I'm missing something...

Thanks, and I promise I wont paint it, or ride without toeclips.

Yours Truly

JohnDThompson 

That chainring looks to be from a Sakae Ringyo "Apex" crank, which was available with 165mm arms but AFAIK has been out of production for many years already. Many 80s vintage mid-level Japanese bikes came with that crank, and the smaller sizes often used 165mm arms. Is there a bike co-op nearby from which you might scavenge something?

Otherwise, the 118mm BCD is a bit of an odd-ball. If you're not stuck on using that specific ring, a different crank would give you more options.

EpicSchwinn

For my traveler conversion I used the stock cranks and chainring. 170mm arms are just fine especially if you get narrower pedals as far as pedal strike is concerned. Your pedals look really wide but it would probably be easier and cheaper to get some "track" pedals than hunt down an obscure 165mm crankset. My rear wheel is an all city track hub laced to an Alexrim DA28 and the chainline is perfect with the chainring bolted on the inside of the spider. If that year of traveler is anything like an 87 it shouldn't be too much of a headache to convert. If you want to know the vintage, there should be a number stamped into the headbadge. The first three digits are the day of the year it was made (001-365) and the last digit is the last digit of the year (3=1983). Here's a link to a ton of scanned Schwinn catalogs if you want some more info on your bike: https://www.trfindley.com/pg_schwinn_cats.htm

matkdel

That's the crankset. I can't find anything online, and I was at a co-op-y place called recycle-a-bicycle yesterday and neither location had anything remotely close (or at least they wouldn't sell to me).

Eh, I'm certainly not stuck on 118, just stuck on the prospect of keeping the cost down.

thanks

matkdel

Wow, noice bike

Yea my pedals are wide as a mofo. I was tempted to pick up some mks gr-9s but nixed it as an unnecessary expense. I think your and my cranks are totally different. My right crank is enormous, has holes for the second ring, and a guard, there is no way I'm getting it on the other side of the chainring. It's looking more and more as if i should get some Origin Single Speeds.

Kayce

Chainrings wear out, and need to be replaced fairly often(maybe once a year). Where as your cranks should last as long as the frame does. So finding an obscure cheapish crank now, will cost more down the line when you need to find obscure chainrings. Buying new cranks with a chainring alread will save you money in the long run.

dontpassthefenc

judging just by the schwinn decal and headbadge, its a late 70s.. should be easy to decode from the stamped numbers though (does it say japan on the headbadge?)

matkdel

sold

vw02

lulz

EpicSchwinn

qft. Does anyone really replace their chain ring every year? I'm 24 chainrings overdue and I notice nothing.

matkdel

Further frustration:

I think I'm going to have to return those velomine cxp22's on order: my front fork has a 91mm O.L.D.

I didn't even know what an O.L.D. was until 20 minutes ago.

fastbartender

what's the problem, the fork ends are too thin to get the axle in there? file flats on the axle

matkdel

I don't understand, do you mean file the hub down? The difference is almost a full centimeter.

rustybrown

Htfu and man handle it to give yourself clearance.

Set hub in place, grab fork ends and pull. Hub will fall into line.

Sixty Fiver

How far do you ride in a year ?

A good chain ring will last tens of thousands of miles.

seau grateau

This. A lot of those frame measurements are to be taken more as suggestions on this type of project.

matkdel

Just tried this, works perfectly, ridiculously easy, time to harden the **** up.

matkdel

Okay,

I'm ready to buy the remainder of the components, but I'm worried about making another sizing mistake. I've settled on the origin 8 crankset here and a EAI sprocket here.

Will these be okay for my chainline in light of the bottom bracket I've got? Should I buy a lockring aswell? Am I missing anything? Do I need a new bottom bracket?

dontpassthefenc

On my schwinn le tour, I just reused the stock bottom bracket, chainring on the inside, then shimmed the cog with some scrap steel rings meant to be machine bushings. The chainline is off by a few mm's still but that just means more danger points to augment my street cred.

ianjk

IMO this is bad idea, very bad

Several years ago, I broke the fork ends on my Schwinn world when I did this. The forged fork ends cracked and I had to toss the fork in the garbage. Judging from the corrosion on the crack, I rode a whole winter with one fork end almost broken all the way through and the other cracked 50%.

ianjk

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prooftheory

You need a 107 mm bottom bracket spindle with that crank like the link you posted says. We have no idea what the existing BB is. You definitely need a lockring if you are riding fixed.

You also don't seem to have a chain. If you go with the cogs that you linked to the chain must be 1/8 inch rather than 3/32.

rustybrown

Understand what you're saying. I've worked on a ton of box store monstrosities. And they're still getting people to work.

Essentially, just cold setting the fork. These fork ends are hardened steel. Would venture to say that an older Schwinn would be more than capable of handling the stresses. Even the softer box store hi-ten frames rock it well. With those, 100 mm o.l.d. dimension is just a courtesy label.

Basically, as long as it's tracking straight, no worries.

Paul01

I've been a serious rider for more than 40 years and have never replaced a chain ring.

ianjk

Until the fork ends break off.

Soft high-tensile steel will tend to bend.

Hardened/forged steel will tend to break.

Forgot that I still had this in a box of junk down in the basement. Schwinn fork off of an 80's World model, running wider axle than "stock" both ends were cracked almost all the way through, I broke them off with almost no force using 6" pliers:



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