Schwinn Varsity parts.

Good luck on that. Typically when a derailleur cable clamping screw strips you end up replacing the derailleur as it's very hard to work out a makeshift solution that has sufficient cable clamping force.

If the threaded hole(s) in the derailleur body are still in good shape and just the screw is missing you may be able to work something out but it's not a small part you'll find an exact replacement for and you'll have to get very creative. You might want to talk to a local machinist about matching threading and possibly cross drilling the hole into an appropriate machine bolt. Still probably easier to slap a replacement derailleur on there.

Hope you can figure something out,
-Dave

What year varsity? If it is a newer - big box - bike, then I wouldn't worry too much about asthetics and jimmy up a solution. The first thing I would try is get a bolt/screw small enough to go in the hole and put a nut on the back end. If that didn't work, then I would tap the hole for a slightly larger bolt. If you dont want to go that route, thread the cable through the hole and put a small clamp, like a sinker, on it or bend it around and use a zip tie.

If all else fails, you could solder the cable in place.

If you muck it up, a front der is pretty cheap to replace.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by greenbikeclub [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

Hi. I have a Schwinn Varsity and I need to replace a screw. Namely, the screw that locks in the shifter cable for the front derailleur. It's a stout screw with a rounded hex-like end and a hole through it to feed the cable. I have not been able to find this screw anywhere including two local bike shops and Home Depot. There is also an inner metal jacket (flange?) that the screw feeds through, not sure what it's called.

So if anyone could suggest alternative screws or something I can use without having to buy one screw online, that'd be appreciated.

My best approximation of what it looks below, drawn horribly by me in Paint.

[IMG]cyclingforums.com1000Open ↗[/IMG]

Presuming that you need the bolt assembly which secures the derailleur cable to the derailleur, if YOU have an electric drill + a (small) vise, then you can make your own ...

Depending on the "tools" which you already have, you may need to buy a small drill bit (2.0mm or just under 2.0mm should work) ...

• steel is actually a comparatively soft metal
  
• it will only be difficult to drill if your bit is dull
  

Just drill the hole a little offset from the head so that the cable gets snugged down by the washer & bolt that you use ...

Depending on the derailleur, you may need to file a flat spot on the bolt, too [do THAT first -- that is, fit the bolt to the hole].

Depending on how handy you are & how well you judge the offset, you may-or-may-not need to drill more than one bolt.

It does NOT matter whether you use a Metric or SAE bolt .... use whatever you have-or-can-buy which has a matching nut & approximately the correct diameter ...

Shorten the finished bolt as necessary.