I recently bought the bike and it seems that the grease has dried up in all the bearings. Even the front fork doesn't want to turn unless some pressure is applied to the handlebars. Since it is an otherwise nice Schwinn Le Tour, it has a 25" frame (I'm 6'4") which is a major reason I snatched it for $30 at a charity store. Fork badge says "Chicago."
I've never worked on a Schwinn. I understand that they used a lot of proprietary components - most notably Schwinn tire incompatibility - that I'm a bit reluctant to start trying to take things apart without some hand-holding. :-)
To start the project, I'd like to find out a couple things first:
- How old is the bike? Has a # stamped on the crank carrier # SP405526
- Where to find a freewheel wrench to fit this old Schwinn hub?
- Any words of advice that you think I should know in this restoration?
I've worked on Raleigh, Miyata, Hercules and Ross but have always avoided Schwinn. Over the years, most all of my bike tools have gotten away - I don't think I even have a spoke wrench anymore so I'll be starting over on this retirement endeavor. Thanks, Dax