Topic: Schwinn sx2000 sprockets. Bike tech?

[Don R]

My daughter was given a Schwinn SX 2000 it needs a new schimano rear sprocket cassette. I know it's a department store bike and cheaply made. She is not going off road anyway. My question is where to get one and how to know which one? It had 7 speeds on the rear but one sprocket is gone.

[underachiever]

If it's a cheap bike what you probably want is a 7 speed freewheel. Just be sure to match the number of gears on the rear (right side) shifter to the number of sprockets on the rear freewheel. The Shimano freewheels seem to be the best of the cheap options. It probably came with a 14-28 or perhaps a Megarange 14-34 sprocket sizes. The 14-28 will shift better but the 14-34 has a really easy bailout gear for the hills. If you change from the 14-28 to the 14-34 then you may have chain length issues in your big front ring to big rear sprocket combination, not that you should be using that gear anyway.

To get it off you need the appropriate freewheel tool, either the shimano, the Park FR-1 or the Park FR-7 fits better if it's a falcon freewheel. It's very unlikely to be a 2 or 4 pin suntour given it's age. Otherwise if the freewheel is damaged anyway, if you can remove the 2 pin cover on the end of the freewheel (which many people confuse with the way to remove it) this takes it apart and you can then remove the pawls and clamp it in a vice and turn it off counterclockwise.

Or have the shop remove it for you for a couple of bucks. The new one just threads on and is tightened when you apply pressure to the pedals.

As for where to get one, try a bike shop. Check your yellow pages. Any shop should have one in stock of one brand or another. All 7 speed freewheels are compatible with one another.

tony

[Don R]

Thanks, We don't have a local shop anymore. I did have the former owner of our schwinn shop have a look but he was reluctant to tear into it claiming the bike wasn't worth the investment. I disagree, it's like new exept the sprockets and the chain is a ittle rusty fron sitting unused. I'll pop it apart and take it somewhere to a shop. If I don't fix it i'm sure my wife will buy her a really nice new one. $$$

[Hinomaru]

While in the process of restoring my ’72 Schwinn Continental, I came across this site:

http://www.thebicyclepartsshop.com/store/index.php?c=parts&n=3404771&k=Shimano&t=Brand&s=sr&p=1

[vames]

Replace the whole wheel with a Shimano Nexus internal 3-speed hub laced to a 1x 1.75" rim. Derailleurs/cassettes are like big greasy open sores on bikes, and what recreational rider needs more than three speeds?

[Duke McDukiedook]

A lot of the newer Schwinn stuff unfortunately is poop, not worth usually trying to work on.
My wife had a cheap walmart special that had the races gouged, bearings ground down on her wheels and crank, I tried to fix it with new balls and lube it up as much as possible in the hubs and crank but it was on it's way out the door. $100 bike indeed.  Don't even get me started on when I tried to true those damn cheapy steel wheels on it, had more than a few spokes go snappy snap in the process.

Maybe some experts on Schwinns can give some insight as to around what time period Schwinn bikes went to complete Chinese crap and are not worth working on. I would guess around the 90's and later.

[Don R]

I poped it apart, the freewheel is broken, it cracked around the threads of the hub.