Schwinn Exerciser

Hello and Welcome,
A few months ago while out hunting for bikes I ran across this very pristine Schwinn Exerciser. It appeared to be in working condition although it did sound and feel like it needed the chain and crank lubricated. The boots I was wearing prevented me from giving it a proper test ride. I had been keeping my eye out for an exercise bike or trainer for this winter season. I really had something more modern in mind. But this vintage Schwinn seemed just perfect for a guy who loves old bikes.

Above: At this point I have wiped it down with Armor All Cleaning Wipes. I do not use the Detailing Wipes that leave everything shiny. "and slippery" The the Orange Citrus wipes are great for greasy stuff. But I have found the normal Armor-All Cleaning Wipes work great and leave everything clean. I know the "super shiny look" on vinyl looks great to some. But to me it just looks fake.
I also lightly lubricated the chain with White-Lightning "Easy Lube". It is a clear light oil, similar to sewing machine oil or electric motor lubricant. Because it is used indoors, I wiped the excess lubricant off the chain with a paper towel.

Above: Check-out the vintage Schwinn cable driven speedometer and odometer. How is that for high-tech? And the adjustable resistance that you actually have to turn by hand. It takes real discipline to turn it up and down to simulate hills when your feeling like a nice flat ride. And the wind-up timer with a bell. You can`t beat that with a stick! Over the course of a lifetime this thing will pay for itself in battery savings alone...ltms

Above: And how can you have anything but love for the vertical oval Schwinn Head Badge? It is a little blurry (I`m a lousy photographer) but under Schwinn it says Chicago.

Above: Resistance is provided by this center-pull brake with felt pads. Before I try to explain how it works, It might be better if I take another picture. (see below)

Above: You may need to click on the pic (enlarge) to see the diagram.
The resistance adjustment knob is basically just a threaded rod.
It goes through the dash to a hanger/bracket with a nut threaded on the end underneath the bracket. The nut can not spin because it is cradled under the bracket. So when the knob is turned the threaded rod pulls the bracket/hanger up wards. The bracket has a notch on each end which hold the top of each of the two actuator rods in place. The lower end of the rods are attached to the caliper where the straddle cable would normally attach. So when you turn the knob it raises the bracket which pulls the 2 rods upwards. As the rods are raised they actuate the brake caliper. Pretty cool stuff. There is a spring on each rod connector and one just above the nut under the bracket. These are for when the tension is released the rods are held in place and noise is reduced.

Above: After I rode the Exerciser several times I noticed there was a grind in the one piece crank. And it sounded really bad. The old Schwinn crank is not super smooth anyway or I would have probably noticed it sooner. Above is the cause of that grind. I don`t think I have ever found a crank or bottom bracket bearing in this bad of shape.

Above: This is the threaded screw-on race/cap from the same drive side bearings. It has some bad scoring and a few tiny chunks missing. I call it a race/cup because on a old one piece crank it is both. I popped a new bearing into the cage cleaned them as best as I could "indoors" then re-packed them with grease. I found an identical race/cap in the shop, so I replaced it. The left side bearings and cups were in much better shape. So they got wiped-off and re-packed with fresh grease. It was very cold the night I did this. When the weather warms-up I`ll take it apart in the shop and replace all the bearings and any cups or races that are worn out.

Above: I was hearing a lot of cable noise. So after oiling the cable housing did not help, it was time to try something else. Removing the speedometer cable is a lot like removing a t.v. coax cable. The only difference is the ends of the cable are not round. After removing the cable from the housing at the speedometer end. I lightly rubbed it down with grease and replaced it. The only problem was I was still getting lots of mechanical noise from the speedometer.

Above: Like I always say "never throw any good vintage take-offs away". I just happened to have a spare in the shop.

Above: After removing the cable at the speedometer end, this unit is simple to remove. There is a thin lock-nut type nut that you remove from the bottom of the speedometer. (same place the cable hooks-up)

Above: Once you remove the thin nut this bracket just slides right off the post. It might even fall off. Then the speedometer can be easily be removed from the dash.

Above: I am removing the rubber bezel trim for use on the replacement speedometer.
I will not polish the replacement until I see if it works. Not a big deal since the install is so simple. As it turned out the replacement was seized up. Oh brother!

Above: I am putting a few drops of the same "Easy Lube" into the threaded cable receiver post.

I will also put a drop or two of oil into this hole on the side of the threaded cable receiver post. Now I will try to free it up.

Above: A very small slotted screwdriver just fits into the slot where the cable goes. Now I just turn it by hand for a few minutes. Then just when I was beginning to think that this was not going to work it loosened up all of the sudden!

Above: This time I am sure it is going to work. So I went ahead and polished the housing with Turtle-Wax "Chrome-Polish / Rust Remover". Just a little bit on a paper towel did the trick. And yes I know the shop bathroom looks a little messy. But I have seen it look much worse than that! (:

Above: All polished, installed and ready for testing. Not very scientific, but here is how I tested it. I know at my cruising pace I ride 9 miles in 30 min. So I run the odometer up to 333.0 miles. Now I set the timer and look at the clock and ride at my cruising pace for 30 min. Nine miles right on the nose. Sweet!

Above: Here is something I thought was kind of cool. This Exerciser has a lock-ring and a fixed cog. So if you ever see one of these in the trash, you might want to salvage it just for those parts alone.

Above: Here is the Schwinn Exerciser with the new Avenir Ergo grips installed. After a while the cable started making noise again. I guess it is just plain wore out. So I took a zip tie and moved the cable to a different position and zip tied it to the frame and that did the trick. I searched the shop that night in the cold and found three speedometers complete. Except one was missing one part. Yup you guessed it, I did not save the cable for this one!

Well fellow bicycle lovers and cog heads. I think that about covers it for now.
Until next time Please RIDE SAFE and Remember to Always Sauvetage, de restauration et de recyclage!

PS Please do not respond in French because I do not speak it. I thought, It might to nice to say "Rescue, Restore and Recycle" in a different language once in a while.
Cheers, Hugh