# Schwinn Builtin Kickstand Troubleshooting



## ricobike

Today's task was to figure out why the builtin kickstand on my Schwinn Collegiate rider was wobbly and not holding the bike up very well.  This bike had seen a lot of use in it's day so I figured that the spring on the kickstand was worn out.  Since I don't normally work on Lightweights, I didn't have a replacement kickstand in the stash, so I proceeded to disassemble it to replace the spring with one from a donor kickstand.  The Schwinn service manual (Vol 2) has a pretty good section on how to remove the spring.  Here's a link to rustjunkies thread to the kickstand section:

http://thecabe.com/forum/threads/schwinn-service-manual-volume-2.81579/page-3#post-508130

I replaced the spring, and it still had the same problem.  Kickstand would wobble up and down when in either the up or down position.  Looking closer at it, I could see that the pin that holds the spring in place was worn and not engaging the cam correctly.  I replaced that pin with the pin from my donor kickstand and voila, problem was solved.  I have a few bikes with similar problems so I'm pretty sure it's a common problem, but I couldn't find anything about it in searching around.  Hence this thread.  Hopefully it will help anyone having the same issues.


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## PCHiggin

Good info.Sometimes the cam gets loose in the tube.Schwinn had a kit to fix that problem.


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## island schwinn

It was more prevalent in the mid to late 70's from what I've seen.had several newer Schwinns with the repair kit installed.


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## Metacortex

More info on the repair kit (for a different problem than the worn pin) here: http://thecabe.com/forum/threads/schwinn-kickstand-repair-kit-what-are-these-for.104884/#post-684131

In most cases when the pin is worn it is only worn on the side facing the cam, so removing, rotating 180 degrees and reinstalling the pin will generally fix the problem without needing a new pin. The pin is a 3/16" diameter by 3/4" long steel dowel. There is a guy on eBay selling them individually: http://www.ebay.com/itm/SCHWINN-KIC...ORNET-LOT-216-/262851219121?campid=5335809022

However you can get several of them for a lot less knowing the dimensions: http://www.ebay.com/itm/METAL-DOWEL-PIN-3-16-X-3-4-PACK-OF-10-/161241567755?campid=5335809022


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## momo608

The pin is not a tight fit in most cases and would spin around with use and end up stuck on the worn out area in short order, replace the pin. You can get those pins in hardware stores, they need to be cut to length which would necessitate either grinding or a dremel or similar cut off wheel. They are hardened.


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## ricobike

Thanks for the ebay link Metacortex.  The kickstand is still a tiny bit wobbly so I think that my donor pin has also seen some wear.  I looked around my parts boxes for something that would fit tightly that I could cut to length and came up empty, so I just ordered some of the dowels from ebay from your second link.  I'm cheap, but for $5 for 10, the simplicity is worth it .


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## schwinnbikebobb

Here is a pic of one I recently changed with a new one.  I was a little surprised that it helped but the kickstand still had play in it. The sprag must be worn too.


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## Metacortex

schwinnbikebobb said:


> Here is a pic of one I recently changed with a new one.  I was a little surprised that it helped but the kickstand still had play in it. The sprag must be worn too.




I *think* you mean the cam. The sprag is the actual kickstand part (usually including the spring, collars and pin). For some reason many people have those terms confused.


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## schwinnbikebobb

You are correct sir!!!  Cam it is.


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## PCHiggin

Probably a loose cam.I saw 2 repair kits on ebay.They work great.I have a couple as well.......http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-NOS...248379?hash=item1e9f2877fb:g:4NMAAOSw~OdVVj-W


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## ricobike

island schwinn said:


> It was more prevalent in the mid to late 70's from what I've seen.had several newer Schwinns with the repair kit installed.




It looks like when Schwinn changed the angle of the kickstand in the 70's to a more vertical position to solve the stress on the kickstand holder when someone sits on the bike with the kickstand down, it caused another problem.  I was wondering why I've never really had any problems like this with my balloon or middleweight bikes.  I checked some of those and found they that had as much or more slop than the lightweight I was fixing, but the bikes didn't have any problem staying upright.  By moving the kickstand more perpendicular to the ground, the play to the right side will cause the bike to push forward, causing the problem I was having with it not staying upright.

I did get those pins off of ebay and they appear to be an exact match, but I decided not to bother with changing it out right now.  It seems to be good enough, but I'm glad I'll have them if I need them in the future.


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## frampton




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## ricobike

Sheesh, was this really 4 years ago?  Man, time flies.  I did use one of the pins I bought on another lightweight, worked perfectly.  Had to replace the cam on that one too, it was totally worn out.


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## Jeff54

ricobike said:


> Sheesh, was this really 4 years ago?  Man, time flies.  I did use one of the pins I bought on another lightweight, worked perfectly.  Had to replace the cam on that one too, it was totally worn out.



Yeah, I use-to just reverse the pin and all was good but expected yours was the cam, to be sure.


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## Rivnut

I used a roll pin from the local Ace Hardware store.


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## bloo

They also have solid steel pins like the Schwinn ones.


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