1980 Schwinn Cruiser 5

[cds2323]

More pics before cleaning.

 

[Rivnut]

Here's a picture of the brace on the front fender that was on my Cruiser 5. I'm only posting it so you can see to what extremes someone had to go to in order to make it fit. Worth it? As Jeff54 say, water will change you mind quickly, but I'm not fond of riding in the rain and I do my best to avoid puddles. On this particular bike, I just like the looks without fenders.

 

[cds2323]

A few more prior to cleaning.

 

[redman007]

Great info!
I was always curious about the fenders on my schwinn cruiser 5. Heres the pics of mine with the fenders it came with...

The fenders, rack and headlight were dealer installed or aftermarket accessories, and did not come on the bike in the box from Schwinn.

 

[cds2323]

And now a few questions.

Since the fenders are aftermarket, is the rear reflector a Schwinn approved accessory or just from the dealer?

Are these the correct pedals?

Was the ACS front hub used on all Cruiser models and did they all have heavy duty spokes? Or is that an option.

I see the generator combo in the 80 catalog. Did the dealer use the zip ties this one has on the wiring or would a metal clip be more correct?

Did I read the date code on the headbadge right? If so, how did a March 80 front hub get used so quickly?

 

[Jeff54]

The fenders, rack and headlight were dealer installed or aftermarket accessories, and did not come on the bike in the box from Schwinn.

Yeah not straight from factory but, that did not stop the dealers from setting up bikes as display or fully equipped. Schwinn dealers I ever visited always had something dressed up.

And those fenders, that's a real mystery too because, Schwinn did not make any other type of bike to fit them. The heavy duty had middle weight so what's left other than cruisers?

And for how many years did Schwinn go without heavy weight S-2 bikes, 'like' 8? was the heavy-duty S-2 in 67? It does not look like it's so in their 67 catalog, 10-12 years?

So, that means, and I've been wondering about this for some time now, perhaps once Schwinn started production of the California cruiser or Klunker, Striped back syndrome had to be taken into account. Si, I guessing by 1979 They pulled out the old dies for discontinued fenders, or created entirely new ones.

.Oh and CDS? That ain't right treating a bike like that, buying and not using it. So, I'm coming over to your place, sneaking into storage late at night, one humid day and spraying that thing down wit ACID!!

 

[Jeff54]

Here's a picture of the brace on the front fender that was on my Cruiser 5. I'm only posting it so you can see to what extremes someone had to go to in order to make it fit. Worth it? As Jeff54 say, water will change you mind quickly, but I'm not fond of riding in the rain and I do my best to avoid puddles. On this particular bike, I just like the looks without fenders.

Yeah but the very next year, I believe, Schwinn/Murray/china or whoever, figured out how dumb that front fork was and stuck fender mounting bracket on the back side of it. and there's that too, you'd have to go the extra distance to get fender bracket long enough to wrap it around like that..

 

[detroitbike]

Wald fenders were what we had to put on the bikes.
Schwinn fenders would never fit that poorly. Also we were instructed
to Rivet the fenders like factory and had all the tools in the shop.

 

[GTs58]

Wald fenders were what we had to put on the bikes.
Schwinn fenders would never fit that poorly. Also we were instructed
to Rivet the fenders like factory and had all the tools in the shop.

You can always tell an aftermarket fender on a Schwinn. The rear braces are always attached to the axle verses the dropout. If a set of shorter Schwinn braces were installed to the Wald fender it sure would look a whole lot better.

 

[Jeff54]

Wald fenders were what we had to put on the bikes.
Schwinn fenders would never fit that poorly. Also we were instructed
to Rivet the fenders like factory and had all the tools in the shop.

Yeah I was just checking all my Schwinn bikes to see if I could see a difference, a 48, 55 deluxe > heavyweights, Then 55, 61, 62, 3 and 4, middleweight, a 97 phantom and even a 2001 Cruiser Classic 4. There's only one of all 10 Schwinn bikes I have where the bracket is about 1/8" wider and therefor different than all, the repop phantom. Also, I had not noticed this before but, even Schwinn's lightweights (Varsity, collegiate etc.) use the same width of bracket.

But they all have something in common. The flat portion of bracket extending from the fender is only sticking out about 1/16 too 3/16" " whereas, both the 2 cruiser's shown here are sticking out 5/8-3/4". All bolt onto the frames verses wheel axel, and those cruisers flat area on brakets there are extra long too.

detroitbike, as you were there, I've been wondering for some time; riddle solved thanks.