corvette question
- Thread starter coastie
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Don't know about the shifter. That's not a factory Schwinn shifter. That bike was made between '54-'58. '54 was the first middleweight. The chainguard changed in '59 to half chrome with the "V" shape. Look at the serial no. stamped on the left rear dropout by the axle. First letter is month, second would be year. Example...if the number started K8, it would be Oct. of '58. Gary
I'm going to have to disagree. That's the code for the 60's, but for the 50's it's a little different, search for: schwinn serial numbers and click on the chart. My 53 Schwinn was K53332. If it was 6 numbers it would be a 60's model, 5 numbers after the letter is usually 50's.
1. The serial system in the early-mid 50s got really screwed up. So serials in '54 also turned up in '56 and '52s also match '57s. So if you keep scrolling on the serial list, you'll find another match. The number of digits after the letter is important too, since it switched from 5 suffix digits to 6.
2. The Austria hubs were ripoffs of Sturmey Archer. As far as I know, the indexing should be the same. That shifter is not original anyway. The issue is that most stick shifts are not indexed, rather they are just friction based. I wouldn't recommend a non-indexed shifter on an internally geared hub. They rely on precision to function correctly (and to not wear prematurely) and friction shifters don't give precision. You'd find it falling out of gear all the time and you'd shift into neutral while riding. They work well for derailleurs but would be terrible for a 3-speed. You should be able to get a Sturmey Archer trigger shifter on ebay or here for a few bucks; that'd be my recommended course. Unless is it an SA shifter with indexing (where it clicks and locks into 3 distinct slots) then it should work for you.
2. The Austria hubs were ripoffs of Sturmey Archer. As far as I know, the indexing should be the same. That shifter is not original anyway. The issue is that most stick shifts are not indexed, rather they are just friction based. I wouldn't recommend a non-indexed shifter on an internally geared hub. They rely on precision to function correctly (and to not wear prematurely) and friction shifters don't give precision. You'd find it falling out of gear all the time and you'd shift into neutral while riding. They work well for derailleurs but would be terrible for a 3-speed. You should be able to get a Sturmey Archer trigger shifter on ebay or here for a few bucks; that'd be my recommended course. Unless is it an SA shifter with indexing (where it clicks and locks into 3 distinct slots) then it should work for you.
That's a '58 which would have been my guess because of the seat on it.
Regarding the shifter--all 3-speed brands have different spacings between their gears. So they all have different pull lengths for each click. So if that's an indexed Sachs, or a Shimano 3-speed shifter, it will have different spacings than a SA shifter. Somebody on here may recognize the shifter though and let you know.
These are the SA stick shifts that I'm familiar with:
Regarding the shifter--all 3-speed brands have different spacings between their gears. So they all have different pull lengths for each click. So if that's an indexed Sachs, or a Shimano 3-speed shifter, it will have different spacings than a SA shifter. Somebody on here may recognize the shifter though and let you know.
These are the SA stick shifts that I'm familiar with:
Gary
Starting in 1958, then I agree.
