1980 Cruiser 5

[blakekennedy]

Here’s a photo of the welds on my original Deluxe Cruiser, also very sloppy, but not as sloppy. I’ve noticed the quality control went pretty downhill in the last couple years with all the cruisers I’ve owned.

 

[TimD]

Hello Bendix II, not quite understanding about SN. It’s BR527625 which shows Feb. 1980. Thank you

 

[Bendix II]

Hello Bendix II, not quite understanding about SN. It’s BR527625 which shows Feb. 1980. Thank you

The SN is stamped before the frame is welded together and painted. The headbadge number is stamped at bike assembly. 0570 is the 57th day of the year 1980. Looking at your SN (its pretty high) and the headbadge number its possible your bike was assembled before the it was welded or painted.

Normally (and it does vary) there is a two to three month or more difference between these numbers.
An example, I have an 80 Cruiser Deluxe. It has a Nov or Dec 79 SN and a Feb or Mar build date number. (Its not in front of me atm). Somethings not right.

It looks like you have a nice example of a Cruiser 5 and it should clean up nice.
There are a lot of us that like to make our bikes our own. There were changes made to this bike... fenders, springer, headbadge, seat & rear rack. Not that there is anything wrong with it.

 

[WillWork4Parts]

Buyers and sellers beware, these 1980s Schwinn Springers are different. If someone else has a pivot bolt different than this in their original Cruiser fork, please, by all means, measure and share that info! These are pictures from my ugly one, so no reason to bring it into the light for better pictures. Lol

The bolt head is recessed with 3 bisecting dashes and the letters VB or possibly a conjoined WB.

Yes, the welds are that ugly originally...and there doesn't appear to be enough length to add a lock washer under the nut like the older springers. At least I tried one and the end of the bolt was recessed in the nut when installed. Without a washer the bolt end sits perfectly flush to the end of the nut, like it was intentional.

I have example bolts that I'll show better pictures of in the light, but I just wanted to show the bolt removed from this fork matches in terms of stamp, length, and thread pitch/diameter.

The VB stamped bolt for the Cruiser springer pivot is 3/8" x 24tpi.

 

[GTs58]

Buyers and sellers beware, these 1980s Schwinn Springers are different. If someone else has a pivot bolt different than this in their original Cruiser fork, please, by all means, measure and share that info! These are pictures from my ugly one, so no reason to bring it into the light for better pictures. Lol

View attachment 2293610The bolt head is recessed with 3 bisecting dashes and the letters VB or possibly a conjoined WB.
View attachment 2293611
Yes, the welds are that ugly originally...and there doesn't appear to be enough length to add a lock washer under the nut like the older springers. At least I tried one and the end of the bolt was recessed in the nut when installed. Without a washer the bolt end sits perfectly flush to the end of the nut, like it was intentional.
View attachment 2293612

View attachment 2293614
I have example bolts that I'll show better pictures of in the light, but I just wanted to show the bolt removed from this fork matches in terms of stamp, length, and thread pitch/diameter.
View attachment 2293613

View attachment 2293615
The VB stamped bolt for the Cruiser springer pivot is 3/8" x 24tpi.

View attachment 2293618

So those fork legs have no bushing and they just pivot on the walls of the tubing?

 

[WillWork4Parts]

I wanted to make a second post to show the difference in bolts...

The Krate era and second gen balloon tire and middleweight springers take a different diameter bolt. It's more proprietary than I thought.

20tpi thread gauge fits better than the Metric 1.25, but it's close enough that a metric on metric nut threads on these older bolts.
The diameter is Absolutely Not a standard SAE size! 13/32" is the closest fractional size to this M10 diameter bolt.

Below is a handful of bolts that I have removed from late 70s to early 80s Schwinn Exerciser bikes. They match the smaller thread pitch and diameter of the bolt I took out of my Cruiser. Not sure why the length was different from 4-3/4" on the top two.

Look at all of the different head stamps though...lol At least the older pivot bolts had the same smooth head shape, they were probably made in house by Schwinn and carried that proprietary metric/SAE combo just like their axles, so that you had to come back to them for proper replacements. In the later years Schwinn just bought bolts from whoever else was making an equivalent, like they started outsourcing everything else.

 

[WillWork4Parts]

So those fork legs have no bushing and they just pivot on the walls of the tubing?

No, Schwinn forks never had bushings in the pivot.

 

[koolbikes]

I wanted to make a second post to show the difference in bolts...

The Krate era and second gen balloon tire and middleweight springers take a different diameter bolt. It's more proprietary than I thought.

View attachment 2293620
20tpi thread gauge fits better than the Metric 1.25, but it's close enough that a metric on metric nut threads on these older bolts.
The diameter is Absolutely Not a standard SAE size! 13/32" is the closest fractional size to this M10 diameter bolt.

View attachment 2293621

Below is a handful of bolts that I have removed from late 70s to early 80s Schwinn Exerciser bikes. They match the smaller thread pitch and diameter of the bolt I took out of my Cruiser. Not sure why the length was different from 4-3/4" on the top two. View attachment 2293622

View attachment 2293623Look at all of the different head stamps though...lol At least the older pivot bolts had the same smooth head shape, they were probably made in house by Schwinn and carried that proprietary metric/SAE combo just like their axles, so that you had to come back to them for proper replacements. In the later years Schwinn just bought bolts from whoever else was making an equivalent, like they started outsourcing everything else.

Great Information & Reference Illustrations.
All the '80's Schwinn Cruiser Spring Forks I have, are the first one you had shown with the recessed bolt head with 3 bisecting dashes and embossed stamped VB.
I'm assuming the reason someone put those washers in where they did, was that they never maintained keeping the pivot bolt tight and may have thought that washers would a better surface to tighten against, more than likely the nut for pivot bolt became loose, maybe fell off and couldn't find a replacement nut, used what they could find, as the pivot bolt on that Spring Fork appears to be correct.
If you have one of these Schwinn Spring Forks, they should be checked if you start to feel any looseness or sloppiness, "the shake proof washer and nut are a very important part of securing this pivoting action". I securely tighten the pivot bolt, then after tightening the nut with washer I back the pivot bolt out slightly to secure and then check for any looseness. Pivot points are a great spot for some of that lasting weatherproof lubricant.

 

[WillWork4Parts]

Great Information & Reference Illustrations.
All the '80's Schwinn Cruiser Spring Forks I have, are the first one you had shown with the recessed bolt head with 3 bisecting dashes and embossed stamped VB.
I'm assuming the reason someone put those washers in where they did, was that they never maintained keeping the pivot bolt tight and may have thought that washers would a better surface to tighten against, more than likely the nut for pivot bolt became loose, maybe fell off and couldn't find a replacement nut, used what they could find, as the pivot bolt on that Spring Fork appears to be correct.
If you have one of these Schwinn Spring Forks, they should be checked if you start to feel any looseness or sloppiness, "the shake proof washer and nut are a very important part of securing this pivoting action". I securely tighten the pivot bolt, then after tightening the nut with washer I back the pivot bolt out slightly to secure and then check for any looseness. Pivot points are a great spot for some of that lasting weatherproof lubricant.

Thank you for confirming the bolt head markings!

 

[koolbikes]

Thank you for confirming the bolt head markings!

It's funny but I think that the letters on bolt head are very deceiving, at first, I thought SA then VS / VB but maybe it is WB for Whitworth British thread?