ciclista_pazza

I bought a 1979 Schwinn LeTour that came with the original steel rims. I asked the bike shop about aluminum rims and they were kind of discouraging the idea of replacing the rims since they said rims are so expensive. Since then, I've seen a few threads on this site talking about Sun CR18 rims and I noticed those are fairly inexpensive and I've heard they are good quality. However, I'm not seeing any of those in the 27" size, which is what I need for my bike.

I've also seen some posters on this site mention they prefer to use steel rims but said they installed a hub brake to make up for the lack of braking ability with the steel rims. I'm going to have the bike shop put the Kool Stop salmon brake pads on the bike. Would people here recommend getting replacement aluminum rims for a bike this old? Or installing a hub brake? I don't necessarily mind spending the money to get the aluminum rims put on as I really love riding the bike and don't want to put myself in danger by riding on steel rims. However, I've also seen some people on here say just having the Kool Stop brake pads made all the difference. It rarely rains where I live, but I still fear being unable to stop quickly (though I'm not sure yet how much of a difference the Kool Stop brakes will make).

Also, if some of you do recommend the aluminum rims, as I mentioned, it looks like the Sun CR18 rims in the 27" size are mostly out of stock across the US, so are there other similarly inexpensive options that people would recommend?

Miele Man

I'd check for alloy 27" wheels at a local bicycle co-op if you're fortunate enough to have one near you. Alloy rims give far better braking when wet even if the wetness is from riding through a puddle.

Or, you might be able to put 700C wheels on the bike if you are able to lower your brake pads about 1/2 inch.

Cheers

ThermionicScott 

If you're going to ride the bike, absolutely! Kool-Stop brake pads help you get the most from steel rims, but sometimes that's not as much as you need...

Shopping for bike parts can be frustrating these days; I'd consider buying some 700C wheels, which would open up your options.

Thankfully, not that much! Less than 1/4" will do it.

ciclista_pazza

Thanks! I stupidly just had 27" puncture resistant tires put on so I guess I'm going to have to stick with 27" rims too. It seems like that's how it is for me a lot of the time, where I realize something too late. I don't know why the bike shop I bought the bike from discouraged getting aluminum rims. I wish they hadn't and then I could have just gotten the larger wheel size which I would prefer anyway.

ciclista_pazza

Thanks! There is a coop near me, but I don't have a car so not sure how I could get them home. I don't think the coop will put them on but can check.

Maelochs

Do you need a 6-7-8 freehub, or more? What is your dropout spacing?

Miele Man

If you just asked them about aluminium rims rather than aluminium wheels, they might have thought that you wanted just the rims and were going to get them to lace the new rims to your old hubs.

Cheers

ciclista_pazza

No, I think they knew what I meant. Unfortunately, at the bike shop I bought the bike from, the guy said he'd never heard of the issue with steel tires being an issue with braking in the rain. That bothered me a lot since even I know that and I know next to nothing about bike mechanics! So I think he just didn't realize the importance of changing to aluminum.

ciclista_pazza

Wow - I'm not sure. That's definitely over my head

Iride01 

If you happen to find a wheelset already made with the CR18 rims in 27" with a hub that has the correct spacing for your frame for a decent price to you it might be worth it. However when I had the same idea for my 78 Schwinn Varsity a dozen years ago there wasn't any to be found.

Sure the rims themselves are cheap, but then you have to have someone lace them to your hub. Then you have to make sure the spoke count matches and if the ERD isn't the same, then you have to get all new spokes. So while you can do it yourself, it quickly gets to not worth the effort for that bike.

I got rid of my Varsity. The 27" wheels even 12 years ago really limited my choice of tires. I might could have put 700C wheels on it, but the other limitations of it just meant having to part ways with any sentimentality I had about it. It was the one bike I owned the longest and bought with my own money.

So take that all for the less than 2¢ it's worth. If you think you are going to ride a lot, then you'll really like a new bike. I know I regret waiting over 41 years to get a new bike.

Miele Man

Two toe-straps or strong zip-ties and two long metal angle brackets reshaped to this.




Cheers

ciclista_pazza

Thanks! I actually have another bike - a modern Fuji hybrid - that i rely on for a lot of my biking. But I've always loved vintage bikes and actually sold my Brompton so I could purchase the Le Tour since it just seemed right to me (and only have room for 2 bikes in my place). I really love riding the Le Tour. It's so much more fun to me than riding my 2018 Fuji hybrid. But I will mainly use the hybrid for the difficult stuff like bringing home groceries from the store or riding in the rain.

ciclista_pazza

Cool! I like it!

ciclista_pazza

I realize now that I might just wait until the pricey 27" puncture resistant tires I just bought wear out and then might consider the aluminum rims since then I could go for the 700 size. I'm also getting the Kool brake pads put on this weekend so I'll see how it does after that. Does anyone know if installing a hub brake would be very expensive as a temporary solution for the braking issue?

bikemig 

These wheels are available, Sun CR 18 rims, 27 inch wheels:

https://www.velomine.com/index.php?m...roducts_id=739

Maelochs

Before you invest in 700c rims make very sure your brake arms are long enough. The difference isn't much but if you cannot get the pads fully onto the rims, they will hit the tires and .... well, have a friend ready to video ....

You can get decent 27" wheels but it might cost $120-$150. I had to replace a wheel on my Cannondale, I think it was $60-$70 for the rear wheel. But you Need to know your dropout spacing. Almost all modern hubs will be 130 mm while your Schwinn is probably 126 or maybe even 120 mm.

Also .... how many cogs on the cassette? That is how you tell .... I am betting it is a 5- or 6-speed cassette or cluster? I am also betting it is a freewheel and cluster, not a freehub and cassette, which means you either need to shop for another of the same or you will need to buy a cassette as well as wheels. Another $30 or so, no big deal in the grand scheme of things.

Miele Man

I think that a hub brake will cost you quite a bit more than a new wheel would. There's be the cost of the hub brake and then t he cost of the spokes and then the cost of having a shop build up the wheel. Unless you're able to lace and true the wheel yourself.

Btw, Kool Stop makes brake pads for use with steel rims.

https://www.modernbike.com/koolstop-...teel-rims-gray




Cheers

ciclista_pazza

That's good to know. I'll probably skip the hub brake. Thanks for the tip on the Kool Stop pads for steel rims! I'll check those out.

ciclista_pazza

Oh - very cool! Thanks!

ciclista_pazza

Oh man, I know none of that information. One of the members posted above a link to this wheelset - https://www.velomine.com/index.php?m...roducts_id=739 - do you think that would work? I'm realizing now that this is all a little more complicated than I originally thought. If I were to buy that wheelset, will it be an easy enough thing for the bike shop to put on? Or is it only complicated when you are "lacing rims to the hubs" as someone said. I'm embarrassed to say that before this thread, I thought "rims" were the full wheel with spokes but now am realizing rims are probably just the outer "circle" part. D'oh.

But I guess if I had a full wheelset, it's all complete so there is no "truing" or other detailed work the mechanic would need to do - is that right? And do I worry about the "brake arms" you mentioned with that wheelset? All this is so over my head.

Maelochs

I Think the listed wheelset will work. I had an old Schwinn but I never bothered to measure it ..... but I think by 1979 126 mm was the standard and had been for years. It wasn't until (I think) 1985 that 130-mm 700c wheels started to become popular.

I wish I could tell you for sure. I can tell you that if it were my bike I would buy those wheels, or something similar. But of course, if I am wrong, You have to pay the price.

ThermionicScott 

One idea to consider: if you have good braking habits, you favor the front brake for most situations. So, if you just bought an aluminum-rimmed 27" front wheel at the co-op, that would get you most of the benefits without needing to buy a whole wheelset and worry about the rear spacing and how many gears and all that.

This is more or less what I did with my old Armstrong 3-speed. I left the rear wheel alone and relaced the front hub to a CR18 rim. Now it's way safer to ride in the rain.

Miele Man

That wheelset should be a drop-in switch with what you have on your bike now. Note it says for 5-6-7 speed.

With that wheelset all you'd need a bicycle shop to do is remove your existing freewheel. That wheelset rear wheel has has 126mm rear spacing and uses a FREEWHEEL. The odds that a 1979 bicycle would have a freehub are very small.



Yourself can take the tires and tubes off your 1979 bike and put them on these new wheels. Good practice for if you puncture on a ride and want to repair the tube or change it rather than walk.

An image of the rear wheel of your bike that shows t he number of cogs on the wheel would be a great help. Especially if you can take the wheel off the bike and also take a side-on image of the rear gear cluster.

Cheers

VegasTriker

From the site listing history for the Le Tour models: https://bikehistory.org/bikes/letour/ for the 1979 Le Tour
"Here's Schwinn's brand new 28 pound 12-speed high performance bike with new and exclusive features never before offered in this price range... self-centering rear derailleur with six-cog cassete freewheel- downtube shifters for smooth, quiet, more positive shifting..."
I was a bit surprised to see that Schwinn used chrome steel wheels on these bikes as it was an easy way to lighten the weight of the wheels and thus the whole bike by using aluminum rims. This is the first year Schwinn began to make the Le Tour in Chicago rather than importing the bike from Panasonic in Japan and slapping a bunch of "Schwinn Approved" labels on the bike and components. This verifies that it does have a freewheel, not a freehub and that it has a 6 speed freewheel It may mean that dropping a set of newer used 700C wheels isn't possible.
Here is how to measure the spacing https://www.halowheels.com/frame-spa...d-information/
what you may find is: "126mm rear – Older 5 and 6 speed road bikes" versus "135mm rear – QR MTB, Most QR disc road bikes:

ciclista_pazza

Cool! I'm ok with sticking to 27" tires/wheels. So does what you're saying about my bike mean I can put this wheelset on - https://www.velomine.com/index.php?m...roducts_id=739 - with no issues? The poster above said I need a 5, 6 or 7 speed for that wheelset to work. You said this Schwinn is 12-speed but also mentioned 6 speed freewheel. I don't know whether the requirements for that wheelset that it be 5, 6 or 7 speed is referring to the freewheel (6 speed) or the bike (12 speed). Is that something you or another poster can clarify? If so, I'm ready to buy that wheelset.

Update - nevermind - I see in the link for that wheelset that it is referring to the freewheel. Great. Looks like that will work. Thanks for everyone's feedback! This was all very educational for me too.