Schwinn Unicycle

[Drosentreter]

I learned how to ride a unicycle by hanging on to the clothesline. I guess that tells my age. It was long before everyone had a clothes dryer in the house.

I do not remember the brand, it was purchased from a local bicycle wholesaler called John T. Bill. It was a "nice quality" unicycle kit (nicer than a Schwinn Unicycle), no wheel, no seat, no pedals, just the fork, a seat post, and hub and crank arms. The significance to my life, was that was the "first ever" wheel I laced and trued. I got help lacing that wheel from Tony Quijada our John T. Bill sales rep. Tony would later work for United Import (Peugeot), and finally Schwinn Sales West.

I would love to be 18 again, but know what to do with youth. Have fun with that unicycle.

John

I’ve heard that is a good way to learn. We have a clothesline but I didn’t want to chance tearing the wire down as my mom would kill me haha. I started with the wheel backed against a block on a small decline and just hopped on and started pedaling lol.

 

[Schwinn Sales West]

Thanks for the replies and the information. When I bought the uni one of the crank pins were loose and missing the original nut. I appreciate the advice as I flipped one around today based on the suggestion that one had to be facing the opposite direction to keep the cranks tight

I think I found the date code, 3/77? Is this what a date code looks like? It was the only thing I could find on the tire that had numbers that might correspond to a date.

View attachment 1775078

The tire inflation is rated for 60 pounds.

View attachment 1775079

As others mentioned about inflating tires to different pressures for different reasons what allows this tire to be inflated to 60 pounds? Is it the thread count in the tire cords, thicker rubber, etc? I know different tires are constructed with different methods to allow higher air pressure but I am curious to how Schwinn was doing it back when this was built.

Also, I didn't take pics but the front and rear of the seat appear to be in good overall condition with minimal scuffs. Thanks for mentioning the Schwinn Giraffes in some of the posts, now I have another bike I am looking for!!😆

I do not know what the tire construction difference was, but it's a better casing than they used on the lower pressure Westwind tire models. Keep in mind that the rim is also sensitive to tire air pressure. The 1 1/4" S5 S6, the 1 1/2" S4, the 1 3/4" S7 rims have no problem holding tires up to 60 PSI. But I have seen 2.125 S2 rims deform and bend wider in width due to over inflation. So you need to use the increased air pressure with a little thought, the rim is the limiting factor. In general, just my biased opinion, Carlisle Rubber made some of the crappiest tires and tubes ever sold in the bicycle industry. Sorry, I understand we like them today because we strive to restore the bikes back to original, but keep in mind, the tires were not very good in quality even when they were new 40-50 years ago.

Your Unicycle does have a Schwinn serial number. It's not on the tire, that might be a tire manufacture date code. I believe the Schwinn serial number is around the center of the hub, it's not on the frame legs as I remember. I don't know how to read the date code, maybe others can help after you find the number.

The crank cotters are 10mm, maybe 9.5mm? You buy the cotter pins by the diameter of the hole in the crank arm. Then the work starts, you need to file the cotter tapered face "To Fit" the cotter to your application. Park Tool made a tool to hold the cotter into a vise while you were filing the face. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER use the supplied nut to pull the cotter tight into the crank. You will always strip the cotter and need to start over. The cotters are soft metal, you need to use a crank cotter press to press the cotter tight into the crank arm. Park Tool made good cotter press. After the cotters are fitted, and pressed into the crank arms, then install the nut and flat washer and just snug the nuts up to lock the cotter in. As a Plan B, if you do not have access to the correct cotter press, you can use a brass drift or hammer against the cotter, and a second hammer to hit the brass drift or brass hammer. Don't just hammer directly on the cotter because it will easily deform.

John

Again, for others, on any three-piece crank bikes like this Unicycle or a New World the cotters need to be facing in different directions to compensate for the degrees it moves the crank to the crank spindle. It does not matter which side is up, just as long as the two sides face in a different direction. To answer your question, putting the cotters in different directions is not to keep them tight, it's to make the crank arms tighten into a straight line and not look bent.

 

[Xlobsterman]

I learned how to ride a unicycle by hanging on to the clothesline. I guess that tells my age. It was long before everyone had a clothes dryer in the house.

I do not remember the brand, it was purchased from a local bicycle wholesaler called John T. Bill. It was a "nice quality" unicycle kit (nicer than a Schwinn Unicycle), no wheel, no seat, no pedals, just the fork, a seat post, and hub and crank arms. The significance to my life, was that was the "first ever" wheel I laced and trued. I got help lacing that wheel from Tony Quijada our John T. Bill sales rep. Tony would later work for United Import (Peugeot), and finally Schwinn Sales West.

I would love to be 18 again, but know what to do with youth. Have fun with that unicycle.

John

Now there is a company name I completely forgot about! Wasn't one of the Torres brothers (Henry or Mike) their sales rep in So. Cal.?

 

[Xlobsterman]

Hello,
I am still new to the CABE so not quite sure where to post this at. However, while it is a nearly completed project it is quite a neat one. Not sure on the year as I could not find stampings anywhere but guessing the 70's?

View attachment 1774511

I had to clean it and put a tube in it (hence the project piece..) but it still retains the original tire and had the original tube.

View attachment 1774514

View attachment 1774515

View attachment 1774516

Overall it was quite easy to clean up and ended up being a pretty neat display piece as I am to old to ride unicycles anymore....

View attachment 1774517

Hope you all are doing well.

Any Unicycle with steel crank arms is dated before 1978 or 79. After that, they all went to alloy 3 piece crank arms.

 

[Xlobsterman]

My unicycle displayed.........

 

[Schwinn Sales West]

Now there is a company name I completely forgot about! Wasn't one of the Torres brothers (Henry or Mike) their sales rep in So. Cal.?

Mike Torres, worked for me at SSW as an outside sales rep after he spent time as an inside sales person. Over the years they both could have worked at John T Bill Company. It's trully a small industry, more like a large family.

John

 

[rustystone2112]

I learned how to ride my unicycle in about an hour by riding in the grass . The wheel rolls slower which made it easier and saved the seat , my knees , hands & head from injury

 

[Schwinn Sales West]

Any Unicycle with steel crank arms is dated before 1978 or 79. After that, they all went to alloy 3 piece crank arms.

View attachment 1775208

Good observation on the cranks. I believe the cotterless crank arms were steel on the unicycle.

John

 

[RM Special]

Hello,
Thanks for the replies and information that everyone has shared. When I got this uni it was missing a nut on the crank arm and had to source one from the hardware store which ended up being a 7mm metric nut? I was disappointed that the nut that was available was not the same thickness as the original but it was the only one I could find.

My uni appears to have the same petals that are on certain Schwinn Air Dyne exercise bikes? They do not look like regular petals off of a bicycle of the era. The hub # is 876042 if that means anything as I have never heard of a specific number being stamped to a hub. That would be very interesting if that is where the date code is located.

I used plan B with the brass punch to press the cotter pin as tight as possible before tightening the nut. Unfortunately, it really didn't matter as someone else had beat on them before I showed up.🤪

 

[Schwinn Sales West]

That stamped number in the center of the hub is what was used as the serial number. The dealer recorded it at the time of sale. I do not know how to determine the date of manufacture from the unicycle serial number. I'm sure someone will add to this to help you out. As was prevously stated, the "cottered crank" unicycles were earlier Chicago production, and the cotterless crank unicycles were the later builds.

John