Okay, so I now have a 24" Schwinn that I don’t use as much because of my new MUni. So my question is, what should I do with it now?
I’ve got a couple of ideas, but don’t know if they’d work. I was thinking of trying to put a 26" wheel on it and use it for commuting, but don’t know if the frame is big enough. It seems to have relatively good clearance, but I don’t know. Anyone tried this?
I was also thinking of putting on a 20" wheel, and using it for either freestyle or trials. But it has a sloped fork, so wouldn’t be as useful for freestyle, and when working with trials, I’d have to deal with the frame flex.
Anyone have any ideas of what I could do with my Schwinn? I’m looking for actual answers, but I’ll give points for creative “alternative” uses as well. (No, scrap metal is not an acceptable answer!)
Keep it around as a porch cycle, and do your backwards riding, idling, and juggling on it, at least that’s what mine get’s used for.
Another option is to simply give it away to a local kid, or to share it,[give it away] with a local juggling or unicycle club. What’s more valuable; a heavy durable unicycle or a bunch of riding partners?
I tried it for MUni, resulting in what I called my “Piece 'o Schwinn.” But with a skinny, low profile tire, on road only, no steep hills, you might be okay. Don’t waste your effort for anything with hard pedaling though. The Schwinn frame will flex, and your tire will make farting noises as you pedal.
I have an old beater Schwinn that’s been around since my earliest days of riding. A dozen or more people have learned to ride on it. Keep it as a loaner or teaching beater. Then if it’s still in your way, sell it to one of the people who learns on it.
Alternately, spray paint the whole thing white, and hang it on the wall. This makes nice art, but is a waste of a good Schwinn. It’s a better end for an old Troxel, Stelber, or other junk uni that’s not good enough to learn on.
Maybe you don’t remember, but I rode Moab this year on my “Piece o’ Schwinn.” I can’t wait to go back next year with a better quality Muni!
So are you specifically talking about a 26"? If I did put a 26er on it, it would be specifically for road riding, since I’ve got my Muni for everything else.
You had a “Schwinn,” not a “Piece 'o Schwinn.” Half of that was demonstrated by the fact that you were where you were when we met up with you (on the connector trail between the small and large loops). But mostly, the fact that you still had the stock wheel on there.
It’s only a POS if you start with a really old Schwinn (upgraded to cotterless but keeping the wobbly old bearings), cram in a 26" wheel, use spacers to try to wedge the frame wider at the top and a hose clamp to try to hold it rigid… and it makes farting noises whenever you ride uphill or downhill.
So for strictly road riding, a 26" wheel in a Schwinn frame may work. But if you have the means, you should get a 28"/700c/29" for that. Keep the Schwinn as a general backup, and a teaching cycle.
Well it sure looked like a Piece 'o Schwinn to me, but I didn’t realize there were subtle variations. Paco rode write by me in the Uphill Challenge, and I’m pretty sure there were no farting noises happening at least from the unicycle.
So are there such similar distinctions regarding my (former) Piece 'o Savage? I crammed in the knobby but didn’t need any hose-clamping. Plus I broke it right where you told me I would. Does that qualify?
I think I’ve decided that for now, my Schwinn will be my commuter/ freestyle hybrid, since these are what I do mostly on unicycles after MUni. My next question is this. How short of crank arms can I feasibly go on a 24"? My legs are going to be pretty strong after my MUni training, so going up or down hills on short crank arms shouldn’t be too difficult. I want to try pretty short cranks, but I want to be able to do freestyle on my uni as well. What are your experiences with short cranks?
I have tried a range of crank lengths (down to 102 mm) on my 24".
102’s are good on the flat, quite relaxed at reasonable speed. I’ve
ridden slopes up and down to about 15% but not easily. Freestyle on
102’s would be challenging. Generally, short cranks need quite some
getting used to in my experience, much more so than long cranks.
Klaas Bil - Newsgroup Addict
“the helmet is to protect the brain, not replace it. - iunicycle”
I can’t wait to go back next year with a better quality Muni!
