zjrog

Not like I need another bike. But my daughter brought it back home last summer, it was my wife's. Daughter picked up a nice 1998 Scwinn Passage specced out a lot like my 1998 Cannondale R200. Full Shimano RSX. So this hybrid has been sitting and got me thinking... Which isn't always a good thing...




I have a N+1 problem anyway. 1986 KHS Fiero roadbike, 2006 Cannondale CAAD8 roadbike, 2010 Performance Access XCL 9R 29er, 1991 Trek 7000, 1989 Trek 950, 1990 Fisher HooKooEKoo... 1992 Trek 1400 roadbike loaned to my son in law.

So. What to do with the Schwinn Searcher? I'm thinking about the parts I have laying about. And I thought, why not swap out the 3x7 gripshift and straight bars for a 3x9 Sora set on drop bars with cyclocross brake levers as well? I need a quill to 11/8" adapter and stem, not sure the length needed yet. I have 12-32 and 12-36 9 speed cassettes. My 29er has Sora 3x7 on Salsa Woodchippers, but rolls with a suspension fork and 700x54 tires. I'd been considering a second set of wheels to roll 700x40s for the 29er. So why not run that size on the hybrid instead of 32s?


For giggles. 700x54s don't fit this hybrid. I doubt they fit the rear.

I have ridden this bike maybe 50 miles outdoors. This bike was my recovery bike on a trainer after knee replacement 9 years ago. My wife is unable to ride anymore, so it currently serves no real purpose...

Just some brainstbrainstorming right now.

hokiefyd 

Nice bike -- and a really interesting stem! It looks like the stem pivots at the base, and the angle is adjusted with that set bolt. I don't think I've seen one like that before.

DorkDisk

To me, it looks more like a cheaper version of a Girvin flex stem, so it would be a suspension stem, and not an adjustable stem. If so, the bolt would be to preload the elastomer.

Girvin Flexstems had poor reviews BITD, I have one somewhere with a rock hard elastomer.

zjrog

It is a Girvin Flexstem. I never liked it, my wife loved it, came on the bike new in 98. Surprisingly, the elastomer still has some give in it. Regardless, it is history, I don't intend to use it.

This is a shorter frame than I prefer, but I am thinking my Grand daughter might be ready for it in a year or so. Can't believe she is almost 5 foot tall at 9 years old... Anything I do to make it fun for me, ought to be good for her. She expressed an interest in skinny tire bikes like my roadbikes, but she has to learn on other bikes first. Swapping this to drop bars will be a good thing for her later on. Hmmm. Sounds like I found a purpose for this bike! She is getting 24" mtb for XMas, she will learn shifting and such at least, and I'll keep an eye on how it is treated.

zjrog

Thanks. Bike shop bike, not box store. But the front derraileur is mounted with a bracket off the bottom bracket. Odd. Well. To me. Looks like a stop at my local bike Collective for somewhat better mechs is in order.

Girvin Flexstep. I never liked it, wife loved it. As mentioned above.

DorkDisk

By 98 there were few true 7 speed only hubs, with most running a spacer. However, it is worthwhile to check if your hub can handle 8+ speeds since S gimped their low end hard in those days.

If you see a spacer in the cassette stack towards the spokes first, you're likely good to go. If you see brown steel of the freehub body, you will likely have to look into a freehub replacement to get a proper 9 speed cassette on there.

E type front derailleurs were developed for rear suspension frames where it was a pain to add a seat tube nub.

zjrog

E type, Never heard of that, but makes sense. That might need to be changed. As I suggested, some newer derraileurs just might be in order. But I will see if the existing units will cover 9 speeds. Also the crankset might not be able to cover the narrower chain. I found Shimano 105 1055 RD covered 9 speed cassettes in friction mode, on a 92 trek 1400 I picked up last spring, and let my son in law use. I used a wheelset that needed a spacer for the 7 speed cassette.

The hubs are Shimano RM40s. I have the exact same hubs on my 98 Cannondale R200, with 7 speed. No spacers. Same with my daughter's 98 Schwinn Passage. I fully serviced her hubs when she got the bike. Also, no spacers. They were dirty, but otherwise in great shape. On my R200, I have a set of Shimano 561 wheels. Not suitable for my weight on the road, but on the trainer, the are just fine. I did also use a spacer for the 7 speed cassette. I considered swapping in the Sora 3400 brfters on that bike, but the gummed up RSX brifters cleaned up just fine... (reminds me, I should do that same cleaning for the RSX brifters on my daughter's bike this winter...)

I have a set of wheels I can use for the hybrid with proper 8, 9, 10 speed spacing.

DorkDisk

The cranks will work with a 9-speed chain, and the derailleurs will work with 9sp indexing. However, the front derailleur uses a different cable pull than road brifters; you may need a road triple front derailleur to use those cranks, with a compact cage if possible.

As for parts, I wouldn't worry about age, but rather condition and quality; older nice parts are still nicer than new low-end parts.

zjrog

From my 2x6 and 3x6 days, I have an older Exage 400 RD. I doubt that it would cover 9 speed indexed, but who knows. I have a Tiagra FD that is braze on ready, so I just need to find a proper clamp But likely, I may try it as is with 9 speed first. At the bicycle collective, I always buy the better components I can find. (Wife says I spend too much money and time there!)

I had tried 10speed chain on my old 2x6 crankset from my 86 KHS, and it was sticking between rings. But that crankset also had a wobble to it, not sure f it was the crankset itself or a worn out BB So if the 7 speed crankset will handle 9 speed, great..

hokiefyd 

I bet it would. If it says it's SIS compatible, it's certainly worth a try. It looks like it is from internet pictures -- it appears to be similar to an older Deore or STX derailleur. I bet it has very similar geometry, and should swing across a 9-speed cassette. A 9-speed cassette is 36.5mm thick, and a 7-speed's about 32mm thick. There's a good chance your derailleur can cover the extra distance.