Schwinn Clairmont 4-Stroke

A Future Pilot

A Future Pilot

Member
I'm finally starting a build thread for my bike! I still have a few more questions before I purchase all the parts though...I figured it'd be better to consolidate all my questions into my own build thread, instead of having them scattered about the forums :)

So here are the pictures of my stock bike:
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I'm going to be using the BlowByU Huasheng + Qmatic kit on it :)
 
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My first question: See next post.

Here's some picks of my current crank and sprockets:

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Also my second question...The worksman wheels I'm buying come with a front drum brake. I was wondering if the stock rear brake would be fine to leave once the front drum is installed. Here's the stock brake:

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OK, so I'm going to buy BlowByU's 3 piece crank as well as their 1 to 3 piece crank conversion kit. Does anyone have any experience with this? Do I need a separate freewheel?

Thanks!
 
Your brakes will be fine and you don't need a separate freewheel.

The cranks will be a nice replacement, although you'll lose your chainguard unless you mod the mounting.
 
I'm ok with losing the chainguard...I'm going to try to do as few mods as possible :)

Can I just take off the 7-speed sprockets from that wheel and put them on the worksman?
 
No, the Worksman wheel is coaster brake. It won't have the provision to allow that sprocket cluster to be mounted.
 
Is there any way to have a 7-speed freewheel on a worksman wheel? If not how good of a wheel is this one: http://www.piratecycles1.com/al5frwpiad.html ? (I'm like 230ish pounds...will that wheel be as strong?)

Will my sprocket cluster work with that wheel?
Also will the BlowByU sprocket work with that wheel? Or will I need to get a separate sprocket with that wheel?
 
First I'd like to say that you chose wisely with this bike. I've built two of them myself. It has a strong frame, good brakes, fits the 4 strokes well and looks great. I would recommend if you have a bench vise and propane torch (or even better a MAPP or oxyacetalene torch), that you try heating and bending the crank arms so they will clear the engine and transmission. I used a MAPP gas torch from Home Depot. You need to remove the crank from the bike and remove the chainring from the crank first. You have to heat it where you want to bend it till glowing red and use a pipe slipped over the crank arm to bend it. Two 30 degree bends on each side will do it. Then you can keep the original chainguard, bearings and pedals. The heat burns off the chrome so make sure you have good ventilation when you do it and you'll have to paint it afterwards so it doesn't rust. It's cheaper but more labor intensive than buying the wide crank and adapter. I think it turns out better in the end.
 
Here's a link to my Clairmont build thread.
http://motorbicycling.com/showthread.php?t=35873
One thing I will warn you about is that the fenders on the bike will fail and cause a nasty crash if you do not strengthen them or remove them. I made my own fender brackets and struts out of 1/8" steel barstock. Also, if you don't remove the paint from the braking surface of the rims you will have compromised braking and your brake pads will melt and fail prematurely. You can remove the paint pretty easily if you remove the tires and use this tool with a drill.
http://www.harborfreight.com/4-inch-polycarbide-abrasive-wheel-brush-94015.html
While you have the tires removed, check for and remove any burrs on the inside of the rim. I found a few where the rim is welded together. I removed them with a dremel. Also check to make sure the spoke nipples are completely covered by the rim strip. Either of these will eventually cause a flat. Also adjust the wheel bearings so the axle turns freely. Personally, I prefer to use better tires than stock, especially if you are heavy. The stock ones are pretty cheap. The wheels themselves are decently strong. Maybe swap out a strong mountain bike rim like a Sun Rhino Lite if the rim starts to warp. I've got close to a 1000 miles on my almost identical Schwinn Landmark wheels with little wheel truing needed and no broken spokes. I weigh 180 lb.
 
I didn't read all your posts so I guess you won't be doing the wheel mods if you're buying worksman wheels. I think the stock v-brakes are superior in performance to a drum brake but that's your choice. Drum brakes or disk brakes are a better choice if you want to use a monarch fork.

I wouldn't be concerned with keeping the multispeed freewheel. I buy these multispeed bikes because they have good brakes. There's not enough room on the handlbars for the shifter so I remove the shifter/cables and adjust the rear derailler limit screw so that it stays in the middle gear. It works well in this gear. There's an added bonus that you can use the shifter cable guides for the throttle cable. If you use a coaster brake hub it will be narrower so you will have to bend the rear frame stays closer together because the hub will be narrower. You will still need the derailler to tension the chain. If you want to keep the rear v-brake (recommended), then make sure the rear rim is an aluminum one made for v-brakes. Steel rims do not work well with v-brakes.
 
A Future Pilot said:
Is there any way to have a 7-speed freewheel on a worksman wheel? If not how good of a wheel is this one: http://www.piratecycles1.com/al5frwpiad.html ? (I'm like 230ish pounds...will that wheel be as strong?)

Will my sprocket cluster work with that wheel?
Also will the BlowByU sprocket work with that wheel? Or will I need to get a separate sprocket with that wheel?
Click to expand...

A 7 speed freewheel will only work on a freewheel hub. It can't be put on a coaster brake hub. The Pirate Cycles wheel looks good and will accept your freewheel. You will need the appropriate freewheel tool and a chain whip to remove it. 12 gauge stainless steel spokes should be extremely strong as long as it's built well. My experience with Pirate Cycles is that they sell only top quality stuff. I have no experience with worksman but have read some bad reviews of them. The BlowByU sprocket will not work on the pirate sprocket adapter. The hole spacing is different. Just get the sprocket from Pirate if you get their sprocket adapter.
 
Just one more note. I may be wrong but I think Terry at BlowByU is away from his business for a while and isn't taking orders. You may want to find an EZmotorbike dealer near you for the kit.
 
OK, so new plan on the wheels. I bought these: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mag-Alloy-2...ccessories&hash=item25717b8901#ht_6791wt_1398
The guy here suggested them: http://www.motoredbikes.com/showthread.php?24551-The-quot-BEST-quot-wheels-for-Motorized-bikes so I know they work :)

I'll also be using this adapter for the sprocket (and I bought a 62T sprocket from them as well): http://kingssalesandservice.com/top-hat-sprocket-adaptor/
And that way I can keep my 7-speed sprocket cluster as well! :)

I'll just be keeping the v-brakes I have now with these.
I also already bought these fenders and I'm waiting for them to ship: http://ecom1.planetbike.com/7047.html

Also, thank you very much for the help! Your build looks awesome!! I'll be posting new pictures on here as soon as I get everything...I'm SOOO excited!!!
 
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OK, so another question...what all special tools will I need to do this? Crank remover? Sprocket remover? What else? (And where can I find those?)

Thanks!
 
Those wheels look OK. Personally I prefer a hand built spoked wheel for its strength to weight ratio. They look like they'll be fine. The disk brake mount for the sprocket is a great way to go. Why such a large rear sprocket? Do you have some steep hills around you? The normally recommended sprocket with the EZMotorbike kit is a 56t. The 62t is a good climbing gear but will limit your top speed a little. I also like the Planet Bike fenders.

As for tools, you don't need any special tools for removing the one piece crank. A large adjustable wrench, an old screwdriver, and a hammer are all you need. You might need special tools for installing the three piece crank depending on the style of the bearings. If it has loose or non-cartridge bearings you can probably get by with the same tools as above but there are bicycle specific tools that do a better job. If you are installing a crank with cartridge bearings, you need a splined bottom bracket tool. I'd also recommend a torque wrench. With the three piece crank it's important to get the right torque for the bolts that attach the arms to the spindle. If you ever need to remove the crank arms you'll also need a crank arm puller.

For the freewheel, you need a special freewheel remover tool . There are several types of freewheel removers. You have to get the one that fits into your specific freewheel. Once removed, you don't need any tools to install the freewheel onto the new wheel; you just screw it on. It has right hand threads which tighten when you pedal.
 
So actually I ended up contacting bicycle-engines.com and they had the one piece crank in stock, minus the sprocket. So I got that and a hexagonal sprocket from amazon, that I've heard works with a little enlarging. I'm just gonna use that until (if ever) I have problems with it, then I'll upgrade to a 3 piece kit from SBP.

As of right now, everything is purchased except for a phantom bike chain tensioner (which I'll be buying today), and the freewheel remover tool (which I'll be looking into to see which one I need).

I went with the 62T cause I do have some pretty serious hills here (and honestly there's one in particular that I'll probably have to pedal up anyway even with a 62T!)

Thank you so much for your help abikerider!! Now I'm just waiting for everything to ship, and I'll be posting more pics!!
 
Before you buy the Phantom Bike tensioner, talk to them to confirm it will work with a 62t sprocket. I'm not sure but, from the pictures I've seen, it looks too short to work with a sprocket that large.
 
Thank you very much for the heads up! :)

I called, and they said that because it's adjustable it'll work for any size sprocket.
 
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