Budster66

How do I remove rear tire with the 3 speed gear assembly 😳😳

bboy314

First, determine the brand of 3 speed hub, probably Sturmey Archer or Shimano. In either case, you’ll probably see a ring or nut that must be unthreaded, near where cable attaches to hub hardware, before loosening axle nuts on either side. If it has a coaster brake, there will be another bolt to remove at the brake arm too.

Pompiere

I assume you are referring to the Schwinn bike and not the car? Shift it into high gear, to remove tension from the shift cable. There should be a barrel that is threaded in both ends like a turnbuckle where the cable enters the axle. It should have a jamb nut that you will have to hold while you loosen the barrel. Some are hex, some are knurled. Unscrew it all the way to separate the cable, then you can loosen the axle nuts and remove the wheel. You may have to loosen the brakes to get the wheel back on after you fix the flat.

To put it back together, install the wheel with the chain around the sprocket. The chain should have about 1/2 inch of deflection when it is the right tension. Reattach the cable to the barrel. Put the shifter in the second position, sometimes marked N. Adjust the cable tension with the barrel until the shoulder of the shift rod is even with the end of the axle as viewed through the hole in the axle nut. Tighten the jamb nut to lock the barrel. Check that all the gears shift properly and you are done!

Pompiere

Good point, I forgot that a bike from that era might have a coaster brake.

tcs

Hey, if it's not stock, the OP is going to have to describe what they got.

The 1956 Schwinn catalog shows factory equipment caliper brakes and specifies a Sturmey-Archer AW 3-speed, probably with an alloy (aluminum) hub shell:



Fun fact: Shimano had yet to build their first hub gear in 1956.

If you're just patching the tube, cool. If the rubber is dry/shot/crumbly/cracked, PAY ATTENTION TO THE MARKED TIRE SIZE. The specs say the 1956 Schwinn middleweights were fitted with S-7 size tires. Those are ISO47x571mm - an unusual size in 2024, but available.

repechage

Hopefully writing about bikes, the 1956 Chevrolet Corvette had a 3 speed manual as standard.

the trick on a Sturmey archer equipped bicycle is to readjust the shift indicator chain after assembly.
sheldonbrown I think still has a lesson on that.

Jeff Wills

The Sheldon Brown pages are still there:
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/sturmey-archer.html
but I didn’t see anything about removing and reinstalling the rear wheel.

That being said, I learned how to do this on my first 3-speed Schwinn when I was 10 years old. The only thing I can add to the above is to tighten the axle nuts enough to keep the axle from shifting but not too tight. The nuts are relatively easy to strip and are an unusual thread.

repechage

one does need perspective, you are correct.
I was faced with a rear flat tire on my 3 speed Sting-Ray when I was 8 years old. So, I did discount exposure to basic rear wheel removal and installation.
way back I did find a bicycle maintenance book at the public library in the adult section. A bit intimidating wandering through those aisles.
on the Sting-Ray the hidden procedure if figured was to remove the rear brake pads if the tire was inflated- it was much wider than the rim. No problem going out as the tire was limp. No quick releases.
one just has to think things through.