machinist42

Maybe, but not likely. and certainly not satisfactorily. Those have crappy "cones" which you'd have to use Because 26tpi rather then Schwinn's 28tpi. The spindle has a threaded post which may or may not present issues. Who knows which crank will work with that unspecified spindle length? You'd have to sort it out by trial and error. Good luck with that if you choose that route.

The BB conversion another contributor to this thread mentions is fine, if you don't have ridges in your BB Shell which need to be ground down. Also, anecdotal reports of creaking accompany these conversions, which may or may not be an issue for you. And you've sacrificed the wonderful robust huge bearings which will last forever and the Lifetime Warrantied Cups and Cones which make up the BB for the Ashtabula Boat Anchor known as the crank on the SS.

If you can source it the absolute best option in my opinion is the Schwinn Solution:


Source.

(Though if you want a triple, you'll probably need to find the spindle SR Sakae made for Schwinn Tandems. Good Luck with that! (You could probably kludge the chainline other ways...)

Here are instructions!


source

One of these came up for sale recently on eBay. It's linked above below the photo. It would have cost me more then the bike, so I passed. I'm a cheap bastard.

One other option is to use a spider on the existing Ashtabula Crank so as to get rid of those rather heavy Chainrings and use less race ratios. Some are very expensive thanks to BMX popularity, but there was a steel option on eBay for a while at like $6. A member here used it in an excellent rebuild of his SS not too long ago. Maybe Later I'll edit this and add the link to his thread if you haven't found it yourself by then?

And one BF member went to town and fit cartridges bearing somehow machined into the BB for a relatively modern adaptation. I'll maybe look for that link later too. It's really nice outside, in the 60s but will be Freezing Rain Overmorrow, so I'd rather ride. So it goes? Your loss is my gain. Reading is Fun. Knowing stuff is good. Learn up yourself.

And for your Brooks, using the tensioner won't really do it for that saddle. You want to lace the flaps in which will firm up the top. My Experience and Opinion Caveat applies here.


Have you ridden the bike yet? I always make a bike rideable and see if it "sings" for me before deciding how to proceed. I had the silly notion to take public transportation to pick up what looked to be a serviceable 1964 Super Sport. Tires looked new. I took tools and was able to make it safe to ride home, the broken FD, compromised RD, stuck (at the time and too low) seatpost, and Cruel saddle notwithstanding. It was a joyful 20 mile ride home. Others. like my 1964 Paramount, not so much. The Ghibli I didn't want to stop riding either.

It's all about what works for you so find out if this works for you first. <end of rant emoji>

WilliamK1974

I've managed to strip everything off of the frame except for the Ashtabula crank. If memory serves, it's necessary to remove the non-drive side pedal first. I tried without success to do this earlier today after squirting the area where the pedal axle goes into the crank with PBBlaster. Maybe someone can tell me, but it looks like this requires a 5/8" wrench with a narrow head on it. I thought I had one, but couldn't find it. Seems odd given that I had my Continental's crank apart for cleaning and maintenance, but it was less shabby and neglected than this bike when I got it. All the bearings I've encountered on this bike were stiff with old grease.

Now, I'm not automatically trashing the Ashtabula or anything like that. But since it needs to be given a clean and lube treatment, it seemed like a good time to think about other alternatives that might add some utility and riding pleasure to the bike. The terrain around here is rather hilly and my knees aren't as young as they once were, so every little bit helps. I do enjoy riding vintage. This bike is older than I am, but when I got to see cycling mags in the late 80s, there was still more than a little steel in them then. I would likely have wanted a bike like this were I the age to have had it when it was new.

As far as the Brooks saddle goes, I have another vintage bike, '72 Gitane TdF, that also has a vintage Brooks on it. No model number that I can think of. Looks old, but its leather is tight where this one is loose. I've given it the Proofide treatment every season that I've owned it. It's been a year at least since my last ride on it, but it doesn't stick out as being comfortable or uncomfortable. One problem is that none of my stubby wrenches seem right to turn the tensioner. I like the idea of riding this one as long as it doesn't put me in the ER, ya know?

Edit: I found a wrench that worked and was able to add some tension. Going back out to the garage to get the Proofide.

WilliamK1974

Did you have any issue with the ridge inside of the BB shell? I'm not sure if mine has that or not. Where did your triple come from, and did you have any issues with the chainline? Looks like you've upgraded to bar-end shifters.

top506

Mine did not have the ridge that some have reported.
BB and crank arms are Nevar, rings Viscount/Lambert. The spindle on the Nevar BB coincidentally gave me a perfect chainline with the triple.

Top

Doug Fattic 

William, you might want to try cleaning and lubing and replacing the consumables (if necessary) and try riding your Super Sport just like it is before doing many modifications. When I was in grad school right at the beginning of the bike boom in 71/72, I had a middle aged classmate that bought a Super Sport. Just for context, this was just when bicycling became popular and almost everyone in the US before that time had only ridden bicycles with upright handlebars. That is until they were old enough to get their driver's license. Like many other adult Americans discovered, he fell in love with riding a 10 speed bicycle. He figured that if he liked the Super Sport, he would love the top of the line Paramount. The switch was a disappointment for him. I'm not quite sure what he thought was different but my guess is he found the SS more stable and solid feeling. He could just ride it and look around and not have to think about how to keep it on the road.

Having said that I was happy to graduate from the Super Sport my dad gave me in 1965 to an all Campy Italian racer a few years later. What I have loved about those old Chicago Schwinns is that they can be taken apart and cleaned up and they are almost like new again decades later. They weren't designed to be sporty just solid and comfortable and everlasting.

pastorbobnlnh 

WilliamK1974 barend shifters are the best, IMO. I highly recommend them.

WilliamK1974

Here’s the saddle after two applications of Proofide.