Illustrated Service Guides  & Vintage Bicycle Repair

    Schwinn Tech & Spec Guide 1.1 is here.  400 pages of information on 1950 - 1980 Chicago made Schwinn bikes.
  Click on Service Guides for more info on this and other projects.  Purchase the Schwinn Tech & Spec Guide at www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/schwinn-tech-spec-guide-11/7602441 .

    You can also purchase the Schwinn Tech & Spec Guide from me directly, I now usually  have several copies on hand.   Cost is $29.95 plus $4 media mail shipping.   Email me at:  geoff@greenephantom.com  for info.

     Bendix wrenches now available!  Double ended with slight
rotational offset for optimal placement.  For working on coaster Bendix hubs two wrenches are required.  For working on 2 speed hubs only one is required.   $22 plus $3.50 shipping for a pair.  $12 plus $2.50 shipping for just one.  (Schwinn catalog not included.)  Laser cut steel, nothing fancy, will last practically forever.  One end is 7/8", the other is 47/64".  These work on Bendix  hubs from the 1950s (smooth shell), 1960s (red  band) and 1970s, USA and Mexico. 

   Old Schwinn bikes have been a passion of mine for well over a decade.  Although these bikes are relatively easy to work on and understand, there are fewer and fewer bike shops that are able to work on them competently.  It seems that with some guidance the average person could work on their classic bike with good results. 

    So I'm writing and photo-illustrating some Tech Guides for people who want to wrench on their own bikes, but who don't want to go it alone. 

    Many of these Guides are intended for the owners of vintage Schwinn bikes, and detail Schwinn-specific quirks and tips.  Several of these Guides detail the repair of multi-speed hubs that were manufactured in the 1950s and 1960s, and this information will also be applicable to other brands of bikes. 

   Click on the "Service Guides" tab to the left for additional information.

   For local bike service, see below.

Vintage Bicycle Repair 

- Hub Repair 

- Chicago Schwinn Overhaul Service

- Wheel Building

- Fender Rolling

   If you're lucky enough to live in the greater Portland Oregon area, and have a vintage hub that needs to be overhauled, or have a complete and decent condition Schwinn that you would like overhauled, I do offer these services for a fee.  I know not everyone has the time and inclination to wrench their own bikes, and having the time and tools and the space to do it is also somewhat of a luxury.  I have a modest full service bike shop tucked away in the basement, and have fifteen years of Schwinn-specific experience to back it up. 

             Contact me at:  geoff@greenephantom.com

Hub Repair 

     Hubs that I service include:  All Bendix coaster brake, New Departure coaster brake, Bendix Two speed Manual Shift, Bendix Two Speed Automatic (red, yellow, and blue band), and Sturmey-Archer Three speed, freewheeling and coaster.  Limited parts availability. 

    I can also service New Departure DuoSpeed and Triplspeed hubs.  No parts availability.

     I can also service Atom drum hubs and the Schwinn Disc Brake hubs.  Limited parts availability.

Chicago Schwinn Overhaul Service

    Complete Schwinn bicycle refurbishment service is available pending my schedule.  This service is typically limited to pre-1972 bikes, but exceptions can be made.  Full service includes general cleaning, rust removal (chrome only), alignment check (frame and fork), overhaul of all bearings, replacement of worn parts, brake pivot adjustment, wheel truing and dishing, complete re-assembly and tuning, and a road test.  Brake pads, tubes, and cables as needed.  Price depends on starting condition and needed parts.  Work is satisfaction guaranteed.

    Is one of my overhauls cheap?  Nope, but it might well be less than the big bike shops charge, and likely more comprehensive.  Will it be the best your Schwinn has ever ridden since it left the showroom floor?  Very likely.

Wheel Building

    I'm limiting my wheel building to vintage applications.  You can mix it up a bit, toss a Nexus 7 internal hub into a vintage S-2 hoop, or toss some modern alloy hoops onto old-school Bendix hubs.  Or we can build you up some vintage wheels with old hoops and old hubs.  Let me know what you've got to work with and where you'd like it to go.

Fender Rolling

   For Middleweight and Heavyweight fenders.  Dents can be removed from your vintage fenders, and in most cases the paint will be intact.  Usually the fender struts will have to be removed, but sometimes small areas can be done with the struts intact.  If you're going to be repainting fenders, you should really have them rolled first.

   I don't do the fender rolling, I am merely promoting it for Missing Link Bicycles at NE 72nd and Sandy.  If you've got vintage fenders that you'd like rolled, take them to Missing Link.  Joe will be glad to help you out.  Check him out on the web at www.missinglinkpdx.com and keep in mind that his site is still under construction.

Well, scroll on up and click around on the navigation box to see some of the great stuff on this site.  I've tried to make it informative and entertaining.  Enjoy!

    Cheers, Geoff