Schwinn S-2 questions

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IronSpadeCycles

IronSpadeCycles

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Alright guys I've got a question for all you vintage Schwinn guru's out there. My neighbor asked me to find him some tires for his classic Schwinn Spitfire 5 to get it back on the road. It's been sitting in his barn for the better part of the last 10 years. I noticed through a little research that it has 26" S-2 rims. Are these those special rims that need matching Schwinn specific tires or can I use any 26x2.125 tire? He told me he took it to a local bike shop and the guy there said he couldn't get tires for it anymore so he should just throw it away.

Thanks for your help. Later Travis
 
Nope s-2's are regular tires . Any 26 x 2.125 will fit. He is probably like me and really dosent care for the Famous Schwinn product.
 
I agree with the LBS he should throw them away(In my garbage can) :mrgreen: That guy is full of hooey! Just like Uncle stretch said, any 2.125 tire will fit that rim if indeed it is an S-2 wheel.Later & PEACE!!!
 
I had a set of tubular S-2's (marked tubular S-2), 20 inchers, and try as I might, I could NOT get one of my Cheng Shin 20 x 2.125 white walls on them. It seemed like i would need a tire machine to stretch the tires to fit. I'm a big guy, can .... near bench my weight, and I couldn't get those tires on. Are there tubular and non-tubular S-2's?
 
ChadB said:
I had a set of tubular S-2's (marked tubular S-2), 20 inchers, and try as I might, I could NOT get one of my Cheng Shin 20 x 2.125 white walls on them. It seemed like i would need a tire machine to stretch the tires to fit. I'm a big guy, can dang near bench my weight, and I couldn't get those tires on. Are there tubular and non-tubular S-2's?
Click to expand...

No, but there are chicom and non-chicom tires. :p Gary
 
B607 said:
ChadB said:
I had a set of tubular S-2's (marked tubular S-2), 20 inchers, and try as I might, I could NOT get one of my Cheng Shin 20 x 2.125 white walls on them. It seemed like i would need a tire machine to stretch the tires to fit. I'm a big guy, can dang near bench my weight, and I couldn't get those tires on. Are there tubular and non-tubular S-2's?
Click to expand...

No, but there are chicom and non-chicom tires. :p Gary
Click to expand...

By chicom I'm assuming you mean Chinese made? I wondered about that too, but the 26 inch balloon tires on my and my wifes bikes come from China as well and there were no fitment issues with those. Must have got a bad set.
 
as i understand it, the 26x2.125 (balloon tie) size was made up by scwhinn for their bikes (again this is how i understand it, there may be holes in this story though and i dont doubt it), rims that took this size were labeled as s-2. the balloon tire was a hit and soon most other bikes were using the 26x2.125 size making it a standard size. when schwinn went on to make welterweight, middlewight, lightweight tires they demanded tire manufacturers to make seperate tire diameters to fit each rim accordingly. the rest of the market saw no need for the different rim diameters and kept using the same standard rim diameter for their bikes the balloon bikes did.

may be a bunch of bull but thats how it was explained to me by a guy i hardly knew, through 6 inches of concrete, on a submarine in the dark heading the wrong way. :mrgreen:
 
Your right on the mark with the S-2 story! As far as the "Schwinn specific" tire sizes go, completely deliberate. People would have to go to a Schwinn dealership to purchase these tires, and considering that in many production years 25% of bikes sold were Schwinn, good potential tire sales were a selling point to bring dealers on board. Bring them in for tires and possibly sell them the newer bikes, accessories, whatever else you could get away with. Later & PEACE!!!!! :mrgreen:
 
Wow;it was pure luck that I found this thread on the first page of new posts. 8)

Now that the original question seems to be answered; I have a quick one:

What size cone wrench is needed for a 20" S-2?
 
The year does matter and it also is important whether it's a 5-spd freewheel hub, a 3-spd Sturmey Archer hub, a 2-speed blue-band kickback (Bendix Overdrive) or a single speed Bendix coaster brake. Even the coaster brakes come in at least 4 varieties, Red Band, RB2, Bendix 70, Bendix 76.

So it's pretty important to know what you've got there. If you know what year it's from, it will help narrow it down.

Good luck,
--Rob

Jimmy the Gent said:
As far a s I know; it is completely original.
Click to expand...
 
I know its not super helpful but get a $15 micrometer from harbor freight. I end up using mine so much I keep one stashed under the front seat of my car. tube diameters, sway bar sizes, bolt sizes...
 
NLCTVWguy said:
The year does matter and it also is important whether it's a 5-spd freewheel hub, a 3-spd Sturmey Archer hub, a 2-speed blue-band kickback (Bendix Overdrive) or a single speed Bendix coaster brake. Even the coaster brakes come in at least 4 varieties, Red Band, RB2, Bendix 70, Bendix 76.

So it's pretty important to know what you've got there. If you know what year it's from, it will help narrow it down.

Good luck,
--Rob
Click to expand...

I knew I forgot to do something before I posted the question. :mrgreen:

I used to work in parts; I should know these things.... :wink:

It's a single-speed coaster brake from a 1975.

The brake is a Bendix70.

Hope that helps. I'm trying to get the right size for a Christmas present. 8)
 

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