Schwinn cruiser a BBSHD candidate ?

jangles

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Tucson, Arizona
I'm looking at doing a conversion of a 1985 Schwinn Cruiser 5 speed .Does anyone know if this has the right bottom bracket or at least one that will work with a BBSHD ? I haven't bought it yet and I have to drive 120 miles just to see it so I cant really answer any questions about this bike but I do have the serial number if that will help ? Here is a pic of it . TIA
 

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https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=80319 Looking at old schwinn catalogs they stopped in 1984. If it's l;ike that, then it has a one piece crank. Often requires an adapter so that the BBS sits off center in the bottom bracket. Hopefully someone who has done this can be of more help.
 
aroundqube said:
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=80319 Looking at old schwinn catalogs they stopped in 1984. If it's l;ike that, then it has a one piece crank. Often requires an adapter so that the BBS sits off center in the bottom bracket. Hopefully someone who has done this can be of more help.

Thanks for the link but I've already read that 5 times and I'm still confused . I said 85 because thats what the serial number indicates but it could be an 84 altho the front forks look different . I will post a pic of it in the OP .TIA
 
What king of BB do you think this 1984-85 Schwinn Cruiser would have ? I would love to convert it but need to identify but its 120 miles away from me. TIA
 

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That's a one-piece crank, which uses a larger diameter bottom bracket shell than the BBSHD is designed to fit into. Luna Cycle sells eccentric cups that allow BBSHD and BBS02 drives to be attached to that kind of shell.

https://lunacycle.com/american-style-eccentric-bb-to-bsa-adapter/
 
Chalo said:
That's a one-piece crank, which uses a larger diameter bottom bracket shell than the BBSHD is designed to fit into. Luna Cycle sells eccentric cups that allow BBSHD and BBS02 drives to be attached to that kind of shell.

https://lunacycle.com/american-style-eccentric-bb-to-bsa-adapter/

So just ading those parts and it will let a bbshd bolt on ? Thats very cool , now to find some decent brakes for it . It has a 5 speed cassete , whats your take on that ?
 
I would think that the 5 spd cluster will be fine. Humans have little power, and need gears, but when you add
the power of a mid drive, then gears don't mean so much. I wouldn't mess with it until you have it going,
see what you need, and make a judgment call then.

The brakes on the other hand, are in need of help. More power, weight, and speed,.. means better brakes.
If you look on the Bay, you might be able to find a cheap enough front fork that has a disc mount on it.
You'd have to change out the hub though.

I've seen 'rear axle mount' caliper brackets, but I don't know how well they work. You might be able to do a rear hub
swap as well, and add a disc set up back there too.

Swapping out hubs can get expensive though, unless you do it yourself, or have a friend thats willing to do it.
 
jangles said:
Thats very cool , now to find some decent brakes for it . It has a 5 speed cassete , whats your take on that ?

There are no 5-speed cassettes. That's a thread-on freewheel.

freewheel-vs-k7.jpg


I think you're likely to break your rear axle (repeatedly) by adding the chain tension and road speed a BBSHD produces. A bike with a cassette rear hub (as opposed to a freewheel rear hub like that one) is a much better bet.

Yours is a simple and cheap bike that's made specifically to go slowly for short distances. It has one single brake that's barely adequate for the near walking speeds the bike is intended to reach. I think you would be hard pressed to find a significantly worse bike to convert with an over-30 mph capable motor like BBSHD. I don't think you should do it; I merely told you how it would be possible. It would be more satisfactory and ultimately a lot cheaper to start with a bike that's competent at high speed already.

With a full tune-up and the addition of a second brake, I think your cruiser bike would be a good candidate for a hub motor conversion that tops out in the 15 mph range.
 
I was just going to say the same thing,..I suppose your in love with that bike, or maybe the price is right, but it's not
a good e bike candidate. You already have to change the BB, and get new cranks and chainring, plus the adapter.
Now it's the rear hub, freewheel, and brakes.

It would bee better to keep looking foe a more suitable ride, now that you know more about whats needed.
Just about anything would be lighter too.

You will also need to know what kind of battery you will need, and how it is going to be attached/fit to the bike.
 
Well thanks guys for the help . I love the cruiser look so I'll do whatever I have to to make it work . I dont know if there are any cruiser bikes that will make Chalo happy :mrgreen: but that's okay , I appreciate your input . I'm used to running wayyy over 120 on motorcycles that aren't built for those speeds either . Thanks again . :thumb:
 
That Schwinn has a 1" threaded headset, so you're either going to need to purchase a fork (which will be equipped with studs for caliper or "V" brakes only; I've never seen one with disc mounts) or have a mount welded to the Schwinn's fork. The rear brake is inadequate for anything but slow speed, but probably will be OK if you have good front brakes. You may encounter a problem with the chain line, but a Lekkie chainring will solve that problem.
 
jangles said:
What king of BB do you think this 1984-85 Schwinn Cruiser would have ? I would love to convert it but need to identify but its 120 miles away from me. TIA
WIthout being able to see the actual BB shell, can't say for certain, but based on the crank part I can see, it's probably what they call "ashtabula" or "one-piece crank" type. It's not generally a threaded BB shell, and it's much larger diameter than the common threaded BB shells, so you need adapters.
 
jangles said:
Well thanks guys for the help . I love the cruiser look so I'll do whatever I have to to make it work . I dont know if there are any cruiser bikes that will make Chalo happy :mrgreen: but that's okay , I appreciate your input .

For what it's worth, the last e-bike I built was based on an old cruiser of mine-- but with two strong brakes, triple clamp fork, stout wheels, and a 24mph maximum speed. I made it mostly from salvaged parts, but it wasn't feeble.

Your bike is outclassed by the BBSHD, and I think it will probably take more trouble and money to make it right than it would to find a more capable bike. But if that's what you want to do, I can relate.
 
Chalo said:
jangles said:
Well thanks guys for the help . I love the cruiser look so I'll do whatever I have to to make it work . I dont know if there are any cruiser bikes that will make Chalo happy :mrgreen: but that's okay , I appreciate your input .

For what it's worth, the last e-bike I built was based on an old cruiser of mine-- but with two strong brakes, triple clamp fork, stout wheels, and a 24mph maximum speed. I made it mostly from salvaged parts, but it wasn't feeble.

Your bike is outclassed by the BBSHD, and I think it will probably take more trouble and money to make it right than it would to find a more capable bike. But if that's what you want to do, I can relate.

yOU GUYS ARE RIGHT , i JUST GOT A LITTLE EXCITED WHEN i SAW THAT BEAUTY . a BLAST , oops sorry . from the past if you will . I called and passed on it . Now I dont know what to do . Info on the new cruisers is so limited and sellers dont know what they are selling . I could put a BBSHD in the AWD fat bike I already have and disconnect the back wheel . I'd probably have to run two batteries , one for the front motor and one for the mid . But I really want that old style beach cruiser look . Ow well , for now it's all on the back burner . Thanks for your input . :thumb:
 
Have you looked up electric beach cruiser? There are quite a few. Expensive though. Keep looking, you'll find
a good candidate.
https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&biw=1680&bih=1012&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=zgZrXJqNJ6XjjwTa6q6gAQ&q=electric+beach+cruiser&oq=electric+beach+cruiser&gs_l=img.1.0.0j0i7i30j0i5i30l2j0i8i30j0i24l5.74284.75913..78213...0.0..0.196.726.0j5......1....1..gws-wiz-img.......0i8i7i30.e6LlVgTjmzQ

This ones got 'the look' :)
 
Hey Jangles, I think your donor bike looks great. Very classic look. I agree with Apl, add your mid-drive then upgrade things as necessary. Have fun.
 
No, not what I want . I like the old style Schwinn cruiser . I already have a custom Harley .

I also have two e-bikes now . One is an BTN Eunorau AWD Fattie and n E-Torque City cruiser . Now since that Schwinn doesn't have brakes and is a free wheeler I'm thinking of the Kent Bayside . Theres one on sale here for$59 . I think I'll go pick it up and get started . If/ when it falls apart I'm only out $59 . I'm 70 now and it'll probably out live me anyway !

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Kent-26-...m587GTmm2314Yb4CiIrByTw4x2V3_PcxoCYpUQAvD_BwE
 
jangles said:
No, not what I want . I like the old style Schwinn cruiser . I already have a custom Harley .

I also have two e-bikes now . One is an BTN Eunorau AWD Fattie and n E-Torque City cruiser . Now since that Schwinn doesn't have brakes and is a free wheeler I'm thinking of the Kent Bayside . Theres one on sale here for$59 . I think I'll go pick it up and get started . If/ when it falls apart I'm only out $59 . I'm 70 now and it'll probably out live me anyway !

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Kent-26-...m587GTmm2314Yb4CiIrByTw4x2V3_PcxoCYpUQAvD_BwE

If you're going for rim brakes, linear pull/v-brakes would provide better stopping power for e-bike speeds. Cheaper caliper brakes may not cut it.
 
jangles said:
I also have two e-bikes now . One is an BTN Eunorau AWD Fattie and n E-Torque City cruiser . Now since that Schwinn doesn't have brakes and is a free wheeler I'm thinking of the Kent Bayside . Theres one on sale here for$59 . I think I'll go pick it up and get started . If/ when it falls apart I'm only out $59 . I'm 70 now and it'll probably out live me anyway !
I'd avoid frames that are that cheap. At 70 you don't want to find out how well you'll stand up to a front fork collapse or a broken chainstay weld.
 
Here you go. Ridden this bike a couple thousand miles at least. My favorite of 4 ebikes so far. Still making improvements with this 42 tooth chain ring next. Very excited about that. Next build is a 2004 Schwinn cruiser 4.
Tear it down and figure out the bottom bracket adapter. It’s a no-lose effort. Happy trails friend.
 

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jangles said:
I'm looking at doing a conversion of a 1985 Schwinn Cruiser 5 speed .Does anyone know if this has the right bottom bracket or at least one that will work with a BBSHD ? I haven't bought it yet and I have to drive 120 miles just to see it so I cant really answer any questions about this bike but I do have the serial number if that will help ? Here is a pic of it . TIA
 
Probably a one piece crank needing an adapter. Eccentric possibly, Google bbshd eccentric adapter
 
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