Schwinn Swindler 275
 

I got my Swindler yesterday , put it together this morning after my neighborhood ride.
Pull everything apart far enough to add some fresh grease into the bearings and adjust everything.
Everything went ok until I got finished and found two pretty good size ball bearings that fell out during reassembly . I don’t remember any loose ball bearings except in the front wheel and they were half this size .
From their size , I would say bottom bracket . They fell from chain guard area .
I only pulled the bottom bracket apart enough to see the bearing and I would swear they were in races .
The bike is ok , big enough for me , but definitely feels cheap . I think a new stem and bars would go a long way in making it a better bike . The Springer front end actually works .
I left the fenders off . The rear one had a small dent and they were rattling before I got the bike to got together.
I think it looks better without them . The wheels need to be trued . I need to learn how to do that .
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...3521e3d27.jpeg

BTW , with exception of the outer bearing on the cog side , the rear wheel had plenty of blue grease throughout. I made the mistake of taking it completely apart and had to teach myself how to put the insides back together. Only took a few minutes to figure out how the brake pads went in and how to reassemble without the pads getting out of line .
It'd been awhile since I’d been inside a single speed coaster brake rear hub .

OK , I got this crazy idea .
Once I figure out where the two ball bearings came from :)
I bought a set of custom wheels for one of my Electra C1’s . I’m thinking of swapping wheelsets with the Swindler and my old wheels off the C1 .
I’ll use them directly off the C1 paired with Maxxis Hookworms tires . They are 26X 2.5” . I checked out a tire size chart and the 26x2.5” are only .70 inches shorter than the 27.5X2.125’s .
I don’t think less than three quarters of an inch will make that much difference.
Then I’ll search around in my parts bin for a new stem , that or order one . Then I have a spare set of mini apes I can put on it .
Maybe a set of platform pedals .
The frame looks nice and I’ve always wanted a springer front end . If it feels good after all of the mods , I’ll order a front brake for it .
Oh I just remembered, I’ve got a Shimano Nexus three speed wheelset out there in the garage .
Hummmm , so many directions I could go with this bike .
Stay tuned :)

Truing wheels is fairly easy for side-to side wobble...

Watch...

That was fast. Im still waiting for my 7D to show. Looks good in the pictures, I would love to find a decent Springer for mine.

Years ago I decided to rebuild a bike from scratch. Stripped it down to nothing to clean, repaint and reassemble including the wheels. I relaced them and trued them. I used an old fork I had lying around and a brake caliper. Instead if pads I used a few nuts and bolts and just played it by ear and IMHO they came out pretty good it just took a little patience.

Question for you.

How far away is the stem from the top of the seat post in comparison to your Electra? Is it more of an upright or pedal forward? Thanks

It’s more of an upright than the Electra .
I’ll try to remember to measure the toptube tomorrow when I get back home from the range .
I pickup a Specialized Rockhopper on Thursday. :)
I know , I got it bad . What’s bad is I’m also looking at a Framed Fat Tire MTB .

Wow, you've been bitten bad by the bike bug. Well you have to have a hobby...it keeps you off the streets at night.

Cheaper than collecting cars . :)
I wished I hadn’t bought the Swindler . But it was only $80 . Impulse buy . It doesn’t really fit what I’m into right now . I’m hesitant to invest more money into it .
I may just find where the ball bearings fell out and hang it in the garage until next years “ Relay for Life “ and let it go to raise money for our team .

As promised;
I measured both from the center of seat post at base to the center of stem at the base .
Electra 25 1/2” , Schwinn Swindler 26 1/2” . Give or take 1/16-1/8”
So the Swindler is a little longer in the toptube . I thought it would be . It feels like it has a longer reach that an Electra , but I thought it might be in the bars , but nope , the Schwinn is longer .

And good news , I found where the ball bearings escaped and they are now locked back up inside the bottom bracket . They fell out of the cage when I was greasing up the chain ring side . Some of that awesome Chinese quality . :) . They snapped back into place .
I knew that was where they had to have come from , everything else has smaller bearings .

Thanks for the info. It looked like it was a bigger bike but Im happy I went with the Electra. I think its a better bike from the sounds of it. I do like the springer.

Hard to go wrong with an Electra IMO . Springer forks look cool , but a better bike will give you enjoyment for years .

I had my C1 for 10 years. My knees gave out before the bike did I sold it so I could get one with a few gears and hand brakes.

I’m beginning to wonder if I’m going to have to go the multi-geared route . I’ll keep my C1’s for short neighborhood cruises though .

It wasn't so much the peddling but the stopping. I have a Giant Cypress but setting it up to ride and then coming to a stop is an issue so Im looking forward to having my feet back on the ground with the 7D.

That’s a problem I’m having with my new Rockhopper I picked up this morning.
I bought a medium.
Straddling the top tube I touch the bar . I have to hop onto the saddle as I push off to get going . It’s the 29” tires that make the bike so tall . Just like with your Giant and it’s 700 wheels .
My Roll has 650b tires and is barely ok in the height department.
I wished bike companies would offer their bikes in a 26” option .
not everybody has long legs .

My problem is my arthritis. Its trashed my knees but I can't handle the lean. I had a Moto 3I and really like the bike. It wouldve been nice to have a few more gears but I've ridden 25-30 miles at a stretch. It was shoulders and wrists that took the beating. I thought the Giant would be better but setting the bars to a more upright stance just eliminates the space from the seat to the bars and my balance is what it was with the bad knees straddling the top tube.

Life goes on and least I'm on this side of the dirt just riding a little slower.

I can relate . I too have arthritis.
It’s been a month since my “little” crash on my Roll , and I’m still having issues .
The arthritis in my hands seems to have gotten worse . And my knees are giving me problems. The colder weather isn’t helping any .
I think for the cold weather , I need to pick out a bike to ride and stick with it . My Matte Bark C1 with the 24 tooth cog on the rear seems to be easiest on me right now .
I’m thinking of going back to the mini ape handlebars to take the pressure almost completely off my hands and wrists .
my hands , especially the left one has bothered me for years , but now it’s both hands and wrists since the fall .

Yeah the cold here has been a pain. My ankles have been screaming and with the wet and snow Im not riding.

Replacement Rear Wheel
 

Hello! I am new to the site, but I am trying to find a replacement rear wheel for my Schwinn Swindler and am having a tough time. Would anyone have any advice or know the best place to start? Thanks in advance!

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Here's one place: https://bikeisland.com/cgi-bin/BKTK_...els:%20Cruiser

I've purchased wheels from them in past and have always been satisfied with the product.

I've made a few purchases there too and always received good value.

Thanks for the quick reply!
 

I went and checked it out and apparently they don't currently have any 27.5" wheels... Boo!!! But I will keep this website and check up on them. Thanks!

The OP's wheels are 27.5", not 26". They're a bit harder to locate.

Dumb Question
 

I apologize in advance for the dumb question, but since the 27.5" are hard to find, is it wrong to replace them both with a different size that is easier to replace? Like a 26". Thanks!

It might work if you replace the wheels, tires, and inner tubes with the smaller 26" wheels. There might also be a small issue of the bike being lower to the ground, which will make it easier to hit the pedals on the ground when turning, as well as lower the ground clearance between the chain ring and the ground, allowing the chain ring to be damaged easily.