Agent_Smith

I am just getting into restoring this Schwinn Suburban (early 70's?). Overall the bike is in good/great shape except that the rear wheel is bent beyond repair. An initial inspection shows the gear cluster (5-speed) is stamped Shimano and the outer holed plate has 'Schwinn Approved' stamped on it.

Is the wheel and hub/gear cluster all one unit or can I just get a wheel? Potential sources of parts?

The tire size is 27 x 1-1/4.

Any pointers to parts sources is appreciated. BTW, I already did a quick search of fleabay and the local Craigs list....

Thanks

J

SurferRosa

Online pics of vintage Suburbans show an external rear derailleur and freewheel hub, so you could always source the necessary new parts: 27" rim and spokes.

Of course, the least expensive thing to do is find a donor 27" wheel that already has a 5-speed freewheel so you know the hub spacing (120mm) is the correct fit.

See if you have a bike co-op nearby. And if you add your location to your profile, someone local might be able to help.

albrt 

Yes, bike co-ops get huge numbers of these. Your biggest problem might be that they get thrown away rather than held for sale - that also might be why you're not seeing them available online. The original was almost certainly heavy steel and is not in great demand except for occasional refurbishment of old Schwinns.

The gear cluster (freewheel) should be transferable unless it is a Front Freewheel System.

A non-Schwinn 27" wheel will work if you just want to get the bike rolling, but there are plenty of Schwinn wheels if you look around.

Agent_Smith

Thank you for the reply. Just so I am clear, one suggestion is to get a 27" rim and spokes, and then configure it with the existing hub?

SurferRosa

Yes. But I believe a vintage Suburban is a low-level bike that may be a better candidate for a used donor wheel rather than spend $100 for a rim, spokes, plus the time (cost) of building it up.

Jeff Wills

I beg to differ! Having sold and serviced Schwinn bicycles in the ‘70’s and ‘80’s, I have to say that the Suburban was at the upper level of Schwinn’s “electro-forged” bikes. It was 2 steps above the Varsity, on par with the Continental, with upright handlebars and color-matched fenders. (By today’s standards it’s a tank… at least 40 pounds.)

That being said, the rear wheel is identical to the one used on the Varsity and Continental. I would be looking for someone who has a stash of old Schwinn parts. An intact 27” rear wheel should not be hard to find.

(I have a 5-speed Suburban in my garage. It’s going to be a post-retirement restoration project.)

albrt 

You could build a wheel using the old hub with new rim and spokes if you think you would enjoy that experience, but the cost would be around $100 and if you have never built a wheel it would probably take at least 8-10 hours.

The value of a used wheel wheel like this is approximately $5 to $10. I have four or five similar wheels at the co-op in downtown Phoenix. I have to fight with people not to throw them away, just in case somebody wants to rebuild an old Schwinn. So if you can find a local co-op or used bike store, that would be the more economical approach.

Reynolds 531 

Suburban is more like a Varsity. Continental wheel has quick release, (as well as hollow forks).

A varsity rear wheel should be real easy to find.

albrt 

Gotta be careful, though. A lot of the electroforged bikes had 26" x 1 3/8" (iso 590) wheels. Need to make sure it is 27".

Jeff Wills

Suburban had the tubular fork, just like the Continental and the “deluxe” mattress saddle. The Continental had QR hubs, although I think later years had bolt-on rear hubs.

Vintage Schwinn

Jeff Wills is mostly correct, however the 5 SPEED model of the SCHWINN SUBURBAN has the SHIMANO freewheel which is Distinctly Different from that of the VARSITY, the Continental, and, the 10 SPEED Suburban model.

My guess is that AGENT SMITH has the 5 SPEED model that was SHIMANO equipped, with the Model J 14-32 shimano built freewheel and the Shimano rear derailleur that can shift the big 32 tooth first gear cog.

The VARSITY, the 10speed Suburban & the Continental, ALL HAVE the Model F 14-28, FRENCH made freewheel, and the vastly inferior Huret Allvit rear derailleur.

It is my personal opinion that you would be an idiot if you do not seek out and specifically acquire the MODEL J 14-32 freewheel, whether you have any electroforged Schwinn 10 speed or 5 speed. ***THE REASON IS SO SIMPLE: the significant improvement in Hill Climbing Ability is worth an old Schwinn's weight in pure gold! Because the Schwinns do weigh a ton, that 32 tooth first gear cog is a MASSIVE UPGRADE to every VARSITY, CONTINENTAL, 10speed SUBURBAN , and every 1964-1969 Collegiate.
You can also find a Maeda SUNTOUR 14-34 freewheel with five gears from the early to mid 1970's, as that would give you the ultimate in Hill Climbing......Shimano also produced some 14-34 five gear cluster freewheels during that time that are great too. The Suntour 14-34 may be easier to locate now. Neither should be difficult to locate on Ebay, or here, or over there from someone on the cabe. Both the Suntour 14-34 and the Shimano 14-34 are great five gear cluster freewheels, and should not cost very much. Hundreds of thousands of them were produced between probably 1971 and 1977. My 1976 Takara 732 is equipped with the Suntour 14-34 five gear freewheel and a SUNTOUR V-GT luxe rear derailleur.
******IT IS SUPREMELY IMPORTANT THAT IF YOU DO UPGRADE WHATEVER BICYCLE from a 28 cog or less, to something with a big 32 or a gigantic 34, YOU WILL NEED A JAPANESE REAR DERAILLEUR THAT IS CAPABLE OF SHIFTING A 32! The Europeans CANNOT reliably shift anything beyond 28. You do not want a second rate Crappano-low
or Hur-junk, or a Simply-krap-ex rear derailleur.
The Huret Allvit is the best overall European derailleur in terms of durability and reliability but it is distant second rate performer compared to anything SHIMANO and Maeda SUNTOUR offered after 1968.
THE late sixties thru 1982 chicago end VARSITY, THE electroforged mid sixties thru the seventies CONTINENTAL, THE '64-'69 COLLEGIATE, & THE 10speed SUBURBAN have the exact same French made 14-28 freewheel, and a HURET ALLVIT schwinn approved rear derailleur.


THE 5 Speed Model of the Schwinn SUBURBAN (1970-1976 before the FFS system arrived for '77) ---and--- THE 1970-1977 COLLEGIATE have the Model J 14-32 shimano built freewheel. **********THAT IS WHAT YOU NEED TO SEARCH FOR....................It Will Make A Huge Improvement to any Electroforged SCHWINN 10 speed or the earlier Collegiates with the French 14-28 freewheels and Huret Allvit.
*******************IT IS MY OPINION THAT THIS IS THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT UPGRADE THAT ANYONE CAN MAKE TO AN OLD ELECTROFORGED SCHWINN.
Yes, it is my opinion that this is more important than changing to Aluminum wheels. Aluminum wheels will give you improved braking, especially in wet conditions, and the aluminum wheel upgrade will make the bike slightly more sporting, but even with aluminum wheelset, the dang old electroforged Schwinns will have you wishing that you had a better Hill Climbing LOW GEAR, unless you are already extremely physically fit, like Chuck Norris, or a triathlon finisher. Well, if you don't have any hills where you ride, then hooray, and then you'll be okay with the Huret Allvit and French made 14-28 freewheel that came on millions of Continentals, Varsities, 10speed Suburbans, and '64-'69 Collegiates.
You might find it interesting to know that there was a 1977 era variant of the "varsity" that was way better than the VARSITY because it came with SUNTOUR derailleur.....this specific 10 speed model was The SCHWINN SPORTABOUT / The SCHWINN RUNABOUT. (same bike except one had the racing handlebars like Varsity and the other had tourist handlebars& tourist saddle like the old Varsity tourist ) Suntour rear derailleur was massively better than the Huret, just like the Shimano rear derailleurs were massively better than the Huret.



Comparison of the 14-32 Model J freewheel from the 1970-1976 FiveSpeedSUBURBAN and the 1970-1977 COLLEGIATE

-----------as compared to the 14-28 Model F freewheel that is on millions of CONTINENTALS, VARSITIES, and TenSpeedSUBURBANS, and also the '64-'69 Collegiates.




MODEL J 14-32.........................32..........26..........21..........17..........14...
MODEL F 14-28.........................28..........24..........20..........16..........14




The 1971 SCHWINN SUPER SPORT has the same 52/39 ashtabula one piece crank as the 1967 and later VARSITY/CONTINENTAL/10speedSuburban.
The 1971 SCHWINN SUPER SPORT has the same 14-32 freewheel gearing as the five speed SUBURBAN(1970-1976) & the five speed COLLEGIATE(1970-1977)
The SUPER SPORT is not an Electroforged Schwinn, but it was not anything that you would ever call a lightweight bicycle in that Seventies incarnation with the one piece crank.
That '71 Super Sport did have aluminum wheels. Its frame geometry isn't as relaxed as that of the electroforged models....e.g. the Varisity/Continental/Suburban/Collegiate,and variants
Certainly, the '71 Super Sport is significantly lighter than a Varsity/Continental/Suburban but it still probably weighs about 34 to 35 pounds in stock form with the original seat.


HERE IS THE ANCIENT Gear Number CALCULATION so that you can compare Gear Number "charts of each possible gear selection that you could shift into"

Front Chainring sprocket is your NUMERATOR
Rear sprocket is your DENOMINATOR

Example:
You have a bicycle with a 45 tooth front Chainring sprocket, and you have a 15 tooth rear sprocket, and the bicycle has 27 inch wheels.

Front CHAINRING sprocket DIVIDED BY Rear sprocket = "result"

Then You Take that "result" and MULTIPLY IT BY the Diameter of the wheel = GEAR Number

So with our example:

45 divided by 15 = "result" of 3

45 divided by 15 = 3

3 X 27 = 81 GEAR Number


*********You Do This Super Simple Calculation for each possible selection********

IMPORTANT:
USE 27 as the wheel size for all 700C wheels , and of course use 27 for 27 inch wheel bikes.......REASON IS SIMPLE, 622mm(700C) is very very close to 630mm(27 inch)

USE 26 as the wheel size for all 597mm, 590mm, 584mm, 571mm and 559mm wheeled bicycles......

******************THIS simple calculation is relevant and extremely useful in comparing similar bicycles. Don't let the childlike simplicity have you believe that it isn't.


If you were to multiply your calculated GEAR Number by PI , you will get the relatively close approximation in number of INCHES that your bike travels with each revolution of the pedals

From our above example;
81 GEAR x 3.14 = 254 inches .....(then divide by twelve to get a more meaningful measurement of the distance in feet.....)
81 GEAR x PI
PI is 3.14
81 GEAR x 3.14 = 254 inches
254 inches translates into approximately 20 feet travelled with each complete revolution of the pedals




You can calculate it out for yourself but if you look at electroforged 1967 and later Varsity/Continental/Suburban 10 speed has 52/39 front and 28-----24-----20-----16-----14 in the rear.
THE BEST POSSIBLE original unchanged hill climbing Combination from that is the SMALL 39 FRONT and the 28 rear................that combination gives you a 38 GEAR Number

Did You Know that the Seventies era Collegiate with 597mm twenty six inch wheels, of course, and 46 front and 32 rear.....that combination gives a 37 GEAR Number
THAT 37 Gear Number IS BETTER THAN WHAT THE Varsity/Continental/Suburban 10 speed CAN DO!!!!!
The 1970-1977 COLLEGIATE has BETTER HILL CLIMBING CAPABILITY THAN THE Continental, Varsity, and Suburban 10 speed, and better than the SUBURBAN 5 speed.
Though the 1970-1977 COLLEGIATE has the exact same 46 front and 32------26------21------17------14 rear as the 1970-1976 Suburban 5 speed has, THE DIFFERENCE IS THAT THE Collegiate has 26 inch wheels and the SUBURBAN has 27 inch wheels.
The Five Speed SUBURBAN has a first gear(LOWEST GEAR CHOICE) of 46 front and 32 rear .....which calculates out so that gives a 39 GEAR Number
Now, of course, the Sixties era COLLEGIATE was horrible in comparison when talking about HILL CLIMBING ABILITY, as there is a HUGE DIFFERENCE between the 1964-1969 and 1970 -1977 Collegiates. DO THE MATH IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE THAT IS SO. 46 front and 28 rear IS A HELLUVA LOT WORSE than the 46 front and 32 rear of the 1970-1977 Collegiates.
..............Similarly, CALCULATE FOR YOURSELF WHAT A SIGNIFICANT Hill Climbing Improvement Capability that ANY BIGGIE COG FREEWHEEL WILL OFFER OVER THE TYPICAL 28 VARIETY.
.....................................Certainly, you obviously realize that that SMALLER FRONT CHAINRINGS can also IMPROVE HILL CLIMBING CAPABILTY, just like going with a BIGGER REAR COG..................you can choose however you wish............you can do just the rear, or maybe both the rear and front, or perhaps just only the front, or DO NOTHING AT ALL IF YOU ARE SATISFIED AND DON'T NEED ANY IMPROVEMENTS IN GEARING TO ASSIST YOU ON STEEP HILLS.
************Remember though on a typical BEACH CRUISER or any bike with just a single front chainring, it is extremely simple to change to swap out for a smaller chainring BECAUSE YOU HAVE NO FRONT DERAILLEUR.......On the typical ashtabula one piece crank single speed beach cruiser, this is where you can get ONE DECENT ENOUGH gear ratio that you can live with...............You can also swap the rear cog also on most beach cruisers......typically ancient such coaster brake beach cruiser type bikes have ONE of something between sixteen and twenty two in the rear, and they generally have ONE of something between forty and fifty-two in the front......Fifty-two was common on fifties and early sixties era made in USA boys bikes but nobody uses that much steel in the last half century.......You get the picture, in order to get some reasonable acceptable gearing on a single speed if you had a big front, then you would need a corresponding larger sized rear cog................now certainly with internal two speed and three speed hubs that could change the final drive gear ratio, you could have something that otherwise might need some twelve year old kid with the strength and size of Jethro Bodine to pedal it up any hill.
This is just the overly long way of telling you that there are relatively simple solutions to improving the gearing your ancient coaster brake beach cruiser -OR-/and OR your ancient ten speed that weighs a ton, or similar derailleur equipped 5 speed or 7 speed tourist cruiser, or your ancient STURMEY-ARCHER equiiped 3 Speed or even the 333 SHIMANO hub equipped 3 speed from the 1970's............. My motto would be keep it simple, and concentrate on whatever seems to be the most practical solution for whatever old bicycle that you or a family member may have. None of this stuff is terribly difficult for anyone who has never done any work at all on an old bicycle. Ancient bicycles are incredibly simple.
You don't need very many tools. You can probably get some local bike shop in your area to do certain things for a relatively reasonable price......Youtube and websites like this and the cabe and others, and you will get folks that will try to help you do it. You won't destroy anything by trying to Do-It-Yourself......yes, you might be cussing like crazy and frustrated until you get it back together in proper order and shifting perfectly, but you'll get it. For example, your local bike shop can install a new chain for a reasonable cost...
If you have any ancient bicycle that you are working on as a project, or want to know most everything that you might need to know, if that need arises.......grab an ex-library copy of the GLENNS COMPLETE BICYCLE MANUAL for about eight bucks total cost including shipping from one of those mega used book sellers on Fleabay that have hundreds of thousands of Ebay transactions................you might be able to find a copy for less than $8 total cost, The version that you want has a kid with white athletic tube socks with three black upper stripes on the top of the socks...............the kid is riding a Schwinn............that is the 1973---1977 era softbound original 1st thru probably 25th printing that probably sold maybe half a million copies.............every Library in America had at least one copy of the GLENNS COMPLETE BICYCLE MANUAL during the 1973-1975 era. It is the best and most encompassing bicycle book ever done on ANCIENT bicycles, specifically those bikes sold and marketed in the United States during the era, circa 1935 thru 1971.


A USED Aluminum 27 inch WHEELSET FROM SOME 1975 to very early eighties era 10 SPEED can be found for almost nothing. Yes, you may have to do some remedial work such as doing some attempt at "truing" these nearly fifty year old wheels......Do Not Go Crazy With The Spoke Wrench Though, UNTIL you know what the hell you are doing with each slight quarter turn... You might get lucky and find a used wheelset that the prior owner kept true and straight and simply changed out for something 700C or other new wheels for whatever reason.

New 27 inch and 700 C aluminum wheels can be purchased but the most inexpensive of these probably aren't of the same assembly quality as those that came as original equipment on Fuji, and Panasonic bikes during the 1978 to 1982 era. Somebody here will be able to direct you towards those inexpensive new wheelsets that are of the most acceptable assembly quality and workmanship. There are undoubtedly some good ones that are inexpensive too.

bboy314

It would be helpful to know whether the OP is looking to restore with exact replacement parts, or just fix the bike up to make it rideable. The word restore on its own can mean different things to different people.

Vintage Schwinn

Lets clarify a few things:

REYNOLDS 531 is TOTALLY WRONG in saying that the Schwinn Suburban is Varsity like!

SURFER ROSA is TOTALLY WRONG in saying that the Schwinn Suburban is a Low Level bike!

albrt is WRONG in saying that some electroforged Schwinns were 26 inch (590 iso)..... He, albrt DID NOT REALIZE OR JUST FORGOT that ALL ELECTROFORGED "lightweight" 26 INCH SCHWINNS ARE 597 iso and they are NOT THE SAME AS THE common everybody else 590.......
So Do Remember that Electroforged SCHWINN lightweight models with 26 INCH WHEELS are all 597mm.
26 x 1 3/8 (37-597) is the tire size SPECIFIC TO THESE ancient Electroforged Schwinns of the 1950's/1960's/1970's/Thru the 1982 Chicago END
The "Common Everybody Else in The world 26 x 1 3/8 tire (37-590) DOES NOT FIT ANY OF THE ELECTROFORGED SCHWINNS with Original Equipment Wheels!!
There is a GIANT made lugged frame with 3 piece crank that was marketed as the 1983 onward Collegiate, it has the Common 590 everybody else 26x 1 3/8 (37-590) because it is simply a GIANT Bicycle with Schwinn badging and decals!



As JEFF WILLS so correctly stated, the Schwinn Suburban was decidedly UPMARKET of the VARSITY .
The SUBURBAN 5 SPEED ALSO FEATURED FAR SUPERIOR EQUIPMENT (the Shimano built Model J 14-32 freewheel & the Shimano built GT-100 (1970-1973) & the Shimano built GT-120 (1974-1977) REAR DERAILLEURS which were both significantly better than the Huret Allvit on the Continental/Varsity/10speed Suburban.

As Jeff Wills also said, THE SUBURBAN has the TUBULAR FRONT FORK, it has the TUBULAR FRONT FORK (same one as Continental has), it has that TUBULAR FRONT FORK ON ALL THE CORRESPONDING SUBURBAN MODELS* (1970-1971 3 speed models........1970- onward 5 speed and 10 speed models)
Now there are a few days in 1974 where the assembly line was out of tubular forks so ordinary blade forks went on a few

Jeff Wills

Thanks for the validation, Chuck.

I knew the difference in freewheels- I just didn’t want to muddy the waters with the variations. A Varsity wheel and freewheel would work fine on a Suburban except that the low gear would be higher than stock. That might make a difference to the OP… we don’t know,

The Suburban sitting in my garage is a 5-speed. Maybe when it’s restored I’ll bring it to the Rose Bowl ride. Once I’m retired… right now I’m just tired.

pastorbobnlnh 

The range of the freewheel sprockets also depends on the kind of terrain Agent Smith will ride the Suburban. While the 14-32 is great in a hilly area, I would immediately replace it with a 16-24 (probably 16-18-20-22-24) here on my nearly pancake flat barrier island.

If Agent Smith lives in a flat area with little to no hills, riding with closely spaced gears to compensate for wind direction is a sensible choice. But, if Agent Smith is planning a cross-country expedition on a Suburban, stick with the original freewheel.

Jeff Wills

To misquote “The Incredibles”:

”THAT would be totally EPIC!!”