"78 Traveller Single Speed Wheel/Hub Options

[The Eye]

Sorry for this dupe but something weird happened with the formatting of my
first post.

I have '78 Schwinn Traveler.

I recently converted this bike to a single speed, using the existing crank
set and freewheel. The rear wheel is beat up and out of round. I want to
upgrade the wheels.

What options do I have? The current wheels are 27 ¼ and want to replace
both.

What rear wheel size and hub would be best suited for single speed use on
this bike? The drop outs are horizontal.

Do I need to find a 27 ¼ rim? Can I use 700C rims and tires?

Thanks

The Eye

 

[Sheldon Brown]

The Eye wrote:

> I have '78 Schwinn Traveler.
>
> I recently converted this bike to a single speed, using the existing crank
> set and freewheel. The rear wheel is beat up and out of round. I want to
> upgrade the wheels.
>
> What options do I have? The current wheels are 27 ¼ and want to replace
> both.
>
> What rear wheel size and hub would be best suited for single speed use on
> this bike? The drop outs are horizontal.

A regular track hub would work well for this. See:

http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/fixed-hubs.html

You don't say what the spacing is, but I'd guess 120. If it is 126, a
couple of spacer washers would be needed.

> Do I need to find a 27 ¼ rim? Can I use 700C rims and tires?

If your rear brake has room to lower the brake shoes by 4 mm, you can
switch to 700c with no problem.

We stock inexpensive singlespeed/fixed gear wheels in both sizes,

See: http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/fixed.html#wheels

(Any fixed gear hub/wheel can also be used as a freewheeling
singlespeed, the sprocket threads are the same.)

Sheldon "Fixed Is More Fun" Brown
+-------------------------------------------------------------+
| I still feel that variable gears are only for people over |
| forty-five. Isn't it better to triumph by the strength |
| of your muscles than by the artifice of a derailleur? |
| We are getting soft...As for me, give me a fixed gear! |
| --Henri Desgrange, _L'…quipe_ article of 1902 |
+-------------------------------------------------------------+
Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041
http://harriscyclery.com
Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com

 

[Chalo]

"The Eye" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> I have '78 Schwinn Traveler.
>
> I recently converted this bike to a single speed, using the existing crank
> set and freewheel. The rear wheel is beat up and out of round. I want to
> upgrade the wheels.
>
> What options do I have? The current wheels are 27 ¼ and want to replace
> both.

If you're not picky about what you want, and you are not to heavy or
hard on your equipment, you can get simple, cheap wheels with aluminum
rims from a local bike shop for 50 or 60 bucks a pair. They will more
than likely need grease and adjustment in the hubs and tensioning and
stress relieving on the spokes if they are to be reliable in the long
term. Any shop that will include this service with your purchase is a
worthy friend to you, but it would be reasonable for them to charge
something for it.

Spending more money than that on wheels will buy you features like
stainless steel spokes; smoother, better-sealed and longer-lasting
hubs; and "double wall" hollow-section rims. Such features usually
improve a wheel's strength, weight, ease of maintenance, and
longevity. Most importantly, a more expensive wheel is likely to have
been carefully built by hand. Competent hand building is the best
possible assurance of a strong and reliable wheel.

As Sheldon Brown pointed out, the amount of adjustment room in your
brakes will dictate whether you can use 700c wheels on your bike.
700c tires are available chiefly through bike shops, and they come in
a huge variety of widths and styles. 27" tires tend to be much
cheaper, lower in quality and variety, and more widely available at
department stores and hardware stores. Both sizes are valid choices,
and your choice depends mostly on how tightly you wish to limit your
costs.

Chalo Colina

 

[Jeff Wills]

"The Eye" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
<snip>
> What rear wheel size and hub would be best suited for single speed use on
> this bike? The drop outs are horizontal.
>
> Do I need to find a 27 ¼ rim? Can I use 700C rims and tires?
>

Sheldon and Chalo have given you good advice.

FWIW: I have a single-speed built around a old Raliegh frame that came
with 27 x 1¼" wheels and centerpull brakes like your Traveler. I
mounted a set of 700C wheels with no problems.

Changing over to 700C wheels and tires could be pricey, unless you
find a "deal" on some old wheels. I have a garage-full of bike parts,
so it was no problem to build up a set of wheels around cheap hubs,
stainless spokes and Mavic rims.

Jeff