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ADVISE PLEASE ON SCHWINN BREEZE TIRES!

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Callahooney1

Wore out three sets of tires already!
Folks, do you know if the Schwinn Breeze takes a certain specific tire to fit the rims, sort of like how an S-7 rim requires a 1-3/4 tire? Can a 26 x 1 3/8 tire fit or does it require a different size tire? Thank you in advance.
 
Not near as bad as the S7 situation.

26 x 1 3/8 I. S.O. 597 mm for S-5 and S-6
 
I believe that tire manufacturer, KENDA, is the only manufacturer of this 37mm - 597mm (26 x 1 3/8 SCHWINN tire).

I own a bunch of five speed Collegiates which also have the same wheel size as the Breeze, Speedster, Collegiate, Racer, and other nameplates from Schwinn that have this tire size.

***** The important distinction is that the TIRE must have 597mm rim bead seat diameter, NOT THE 590mm of the common-NON SCHWINN tires.

IF THE EXISTING TIRE THAT IS ON THE BICYCLE DOES NOT HAVE 597mm ON THE TIRE SIDEWALL, IT SIMPLY MEANS THAT THE EXISTING TIRE IS LIKELY MORE THAN FORTY YEARS OLD, BEFORE THE ADOPTION OF THE INTERNATIONAL STANDARD OF MARKING BICYCLE TIRES WITH THE RIM BEAD SEAT DIAMETER SO THERE WOULD BE NO MISTAKE OF THE EXACT SIZE NECESSARY WHEN REPLACING TIRES.


The KENDA 26 x 1 3/8 ( 37 - 597 ) TIRE is a great tire, that replicates the popular 1970's era Schwinn tread pattern design.
My experience is that the BLACKWALL version is Longer Lasting than the GUMWALL version.
My experience is that the GUMWALL sidewall portion begins to exhibit age and cracks perhaps due to UV (sunshine) exposure and perhaps
temperature changes (weather) etc, the GUMWALL tire deteriorates a little sooner than the BLACKWALL tire.
Both the GUMWALL and BLACKWALL will give you more than your money's worth.
These tires are relatively inexpensive at approximately $19 each NEW with free shipping from a few major bicycle parts suppliers on the web/amazon/and ebay.
******These KENDA TIRES are difficult for the novice to get the tire seated properly on the wheel where you do not have a HOP because of uneven seating by a novice. (Any person that has experience replacing bicycle tires will find it easy enough to do, but first-timers or those that do not have much experience may find it challenging.................................go slow and do not use anything that would tear the rubber at the wire....)
***********YOU CAN USE ANY 26 x 1 3/8 INNERTUBE SINCE A RUBBER INNERTUBE HAS ENOUGH FLEXIBILITY AND STRETCHYNESS*****
You cannot use the common generic 26 x 1 3/8 (37 - 590) tires that are common to all other manufacturer's bikes.
The reason is that the 590 mm rim bead seat diameter is TOO SMALL TO FIT THE SCHWINN RIM which requires the 597 mm Schwinn size.
There are a few ancient really obscure old English makes of the late forties and fifties that also use this 597mm size which has been commonly called the Schwinn 26 x 1 3/8 37- 597mm because only Schwinn had used this beyond the fifties, millions of Schwinns in the 1960's and 1970's did use these 37 - 597 (26 x 1 3/8 tires). Everybody else (other bicycle manufacturers) did use the 590mm 26 x 1 3/8 for their similar sized bicycles.

You may wish to buy heavy-duty thorn resistant tubes if the geographic location where you live and ride is notorious for goathead thorns or other "stickers". Again, you can find these thicker, heavier rubber tubes for about the same price as regular tubes.
Remember that your local bike shops and many on the web, will carry the Bontrager tubes which are lightweight. You see the road bike crowd champions light weight for every component. Bontrager as well as others make very good products, but these regular tubes are thin and light and certainly are not thorn resistant. These standard lightweight tubes are good except they puncture easily.
DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES BUY ANY AGED (NOS) new old stock TIRES , and DO NOT BUY ANY USED TIRES!!!
That is a terrible idea. You do want NEW fresh tires. The KENDA tires are fantastic and ride great, IF YOU GET THEM SEATED PROPERLY!!!
IF YOU CANNOT GET THEM SEATED (uneven hop....), ONE OF YOUR LOCAL BIKE SHOPS CAN FOR WHAT I'D IMAGINE A MINIMAL LABOR CHARGE. There are YOUTUBE videos showing how to Seat These Tires Evenly and Smoothly. Go slow and be careful not to damage the wire bead area while attempting to properly seat the tire.

You will really like the ride of any SCHWINN with 26 x 1 3/8 37-597 KENDA tires!!!
 
Thanks for the detailed info. I'm going to look at videos to make sure I'm doing things right while seating a tire.
 
Some dishwashing soap (Ivory) on the tire bead makes setting the bead easier. Also get rid of any dirt of heavy rust on the rim inside bead.
 

These KENDA k23 Schwinn 26 X 1 3/8 (597mm) tires are currently available in WHITEWALL version, or the standard BLACKWALL version, or the GUMWALL version from The Bikesmiths in Wisconsin (414) 332.1330 thebikesmiths.com
The quantity of the WHITEWALL k23 (597mm) versions that they have had just days ago in inventory likely indicates that KENDA has very recently done another production run of the WHITEWALL k23 Schwinn 597mm (37-597) 26 X 1 3/8 tires.
the_bikesmiths (EBAY) They are a good company with a long record of superb customer service with a 99.9% rating.
You might possibly find the Kenda k23 Schwinn (597mm) tires from perhaps another excellent long-time web competitor to them at perhaps a slightly better price from time to time. I don't know as I haven't explored all the current vendors and their competitive prices, I am just speculating on what has sometimes occurred in the past with different vendors who carry these Kenda tires.
Do investigate thoroughly where you might get the best current deal on & and the availability of the version that you want for your classic Schwinn. Certainly those guys in Wisconsin are good, but so are at least several others that are their direct competitors on the web. This info and link is simply to inform the Classic Schwinn Owners that these tires are available. Choose the supplier of these tires that you like the best & that provides the best total cost to you.
 
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