# crazy Schwinn tire sizes



## dh1 (Aug 28, 2004)

Hi guys, 

Need a bit of help. First I will say that I know this bike isn't necessarily a VRC bike (vintage, but not classic), but I am hoping you guys will be able to help anyway. 

My father picked up a early 90s, perhaps late 80s schwinn mirada from a neighbor. Nothing special, just a bike for him to plod around on when he has my kids over for the weekend. At first glance, this Mirada seemed like a great upgrade from his mid 70s three speed AMF bike that I won at McDonalds when I was 6 years old:thumbsup: . (I was 4ft tall at the time and won a bike with a 23" frame.)

The tires were shot, so he tossed the originals....the problem is that he didn't know that this was one of Schwinn's genius projects. Schwinn specific non-standard rim (not a 26). Without the original tires for reference, I am at a loss as to how to find replacement tire sizes.

Does anyone here know what size tire is supposed to fit the Schwinn Mirada wheel? Perhaps a good source to buy from? He went to a LBS that has sold Schwinns for years and professed to know the correct tire size. Ordered some, when arrived they didn't fit.

I still have and love my old '90 Schwinn Impact, but when you come across a Marada....it's clear why Schwinn went bankrupt. Seriously, who would think making a proprietary wheel with no advantage over others would be a good idea.  
If it helps, I can get serial numbers or post pictures.

Thanks in advance.
DH1


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## grawbass (Aug 23, 2004)

dh1 said:


> Hi guys,
> 
> Need a bit of help. First I will say that I know this bike isn't necessarily a VRC bike (vintage, but not classic), but I am hoping you guys will be able to help anyway.
> 
> ...


Hmmm. I'm not sure about the Mirada. Is the rim slightly larger than a 26" mtb wheel? If so it could be 700D. I'm not sure if Schwinn used those, but GT did in the early 90s. Could also be a Schwinn 26 x 1 3/8 type rim. The fractional sized rims are a different size than decimal sized rims.

I also have an Impact Pro. Basically a Paramount built with cheaper steel. Nice bikes though.


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## hollister (Sep 16, 2005)

s3 or s6 would be my guess


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## 82Sidewinder (Jun 28, 2006)

I didn't think Schwinn was using proprietary tire sizes that late. They did during the 50's, 60's and 70's, notably with the non-standard 26x1 3/4 middleweight tires. 26 x 1.75 tires from other manufacturers would not fit, even though the sizes are the same.

As far as I know, any standard 26" mountain bike tire should fit the Mirada. What size tires did your father order? They could be 26 x 1 3/8" which would definitely not fit a mountain bike rim. I'll take a look through some of my old Schwinn catalogs when I get home to see if there is anything crazy about the Mirada's specs.


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## hollister (Sep 16, 2005)

quick google came back with this

http://www.silfreed.net/blog/364


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## dh1 (Aug 28, 2004)

82Sidewinder said:


> As far as I know, any standard 26" mountain bike tire should fit the Mirada. What size tires did your father order? They could be 26 x 1 3/8" which would definitely not fit a mountain bike rim. I'll take a look through some of my old Schwinn catalogs when I get home to see if there is anything crazy about the Mirada's specs.


He was advised to order a 26 x 1 1/2". Standard 26 inch tire won't fit either. I already tried one of my spares.

Any help offered is appreciated.


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## dh1 (Aug 28, 2004)

*Thanks, I did the same and saw that blurb*



hollister said:


> quick google came back with this
> 
> http://www.silfreed.net/blog/364


But it appears that the tires he used, don't quite fit...unless both that I have here are defective. I have both rims with Kenda 26 x 1 1/2 and they roll lopsided. I've tried over-inflating to get the bead to mate with the rim, but no dice. Took off, remounted, still same situation.  One of the other guys that responded to that link said he fit a stanadard 26 inch tire...BS There is absolutely no way to stretch a standard MTB tire over this rim.

Interesting note, I just noticed the rim tape has 26 x 1 1/2 printed on it.

DH1


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## WheelTired (Feb 10, 2007)

*26x1 1/2.....*

.....(650b) is the only 'weird' tire size i've encountered on relatively modern schwinns. as you've probably found out already when it comes to those designations anything written as a fraction is not an equivalent to the seemingly same size written in decimal form. many dealers order from J&B importers, their part # is 60548 for a blackwall & 59409 for a gum wall. both are a street tread.


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## dh1 (Aug 28, 2004)

the 650b is the same as a 26x1 1/2" (yeah already know not 1.5in).???? This is what I have, but it seems like the tire is just a touch too tall. It pushes off the rim in at least one spot when the tube is inflated. Is 26x1 3/8 a legitimate size???

Thanks
DH1


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## laffeaux (Jan 4, 2004)

Here's a pretty comprehensive list of all of the 26" tires and their acutal rim size. Ther's lots of options, but most are pretty old. Hopefully it helps.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html#fraction


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## dh1 (Aug 28, 2004)

grawbass said:


> I also have an Impact Pro. Basically a Paramount built with cheaper steel. Nice bikes though.


Grawbass, are you from the GR area? at the risk of hijacking my own thread I noticed your profile has yankee springs listed as a fav...I posted in the Michigan forum but didn't really get a lot of response. I am looking for a trail in the GR area that would be kid friendly for a group of 10 or so 8-9 year old cub scouts. I would like to get my scouts out for a group trail ride, but not on the ada/cascade bike paths....more in the woods. Any ideas? The guys at Kentwood cycle reccomended the state game area, other have told me it would be too long for kids. I've never been there.

Thanks
DH1


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## thebigred67 (Mar 29, 2005)

I can never remember the size. I used to call Wilson and tell my rep I got another one those weird 26X1.5 Schwinn things again. They always knew which one I was talking about. Wilson part # 564-716! They are out of stock, and currently overdue. Another idea is a replacement level wheel set. I know not cheap. Those weirdo Schwinn sizes are a PITA!!!


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## 82Sidewinder (Jun 28, 2006)

dh1 said:


> He was advised to order a 26 x 1 1/2". Standard 26 inch tire won't fit either. I already tried one of my spares.
> 
> Any help offered is appreciated.


My catalogs only go up to 1988. Yep, a standard 26" tire will definitely not fit. I assumed the Mirada was a standard mountain bike, but I did some searching around and found an archived discussion on Bikeforums.net. The 1990 Schwinn Mirada used 650B tires (size 26 x 1 1/2, and called 700D when GT starting using the size.)

http://www.bikeforums.net/archive/index.php/t-12362

<<<mechBgon 
Hehe, I also want to add that 650B has been a thorn in the side of American mechanics since... let's see, I believe it was 1990, when Schwinn used 650B rims and tires on the Frontier and Mirada city-mountain bikes. To this day, many shops stock the funky "26 x 1 1/2" tires to fit these, and often the wheels as well. The 1 1/2" designation is mathematically the same as 1.5", of course, but the fractional format indicates it's the "special" tire.

Schwinn's reason for using them? They had begun importing bicycles from China, and the tarrif was higher for bicycles with more than xx millimeters of space between the seatstays at the tire area (this was an attempt to tax mountain bikes more heavily than others). Schwinn built a frame that met the lower tax bracket, but looked enough like a mountain bike to sell. To ensure that no one could attempt to put in bigger tires than the frame would take, they used the 650B wheel and only provided one tire.>>>>

Harris Cyclery (Sheldon Brown's shop) in Massachusetts carries them, and they mention the Mirada by name. Unfortunately, they aren't cheap at $35/tire

http://harriscyclery.net/itemdetails.cfm?ID=1469

Next cheapest

http://harriscyclery.net/itemdetails.cfm?ID=1741

Hope this helps.

Craig


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## dh1 (Aug 28, 2004)

*Awesome info*



82Sidewinder said:


> My catalogs only go up to 1988. Yep, a standard 26" tire will definitely not fit. I assumed the Mirada was a standard mountain bike, but I did some searching around and found an archived discussion on Bikeforums.net. The 1990 Schwinn Mirada used 650B tires (size 26 x 1 1/2, and called 700D when GT starting using the size.)
> 
> http://www.bikeforums.net/archive/index.php/t-12362
> 
> ...


I could have sworn I looked at Sheldon's site about this, but I guess not. Thanks for the info. Hmmmm $70 for tires for a bike that cost $10 at a yard sale. Oh well. FWIW, I think those kendas are the ones I have that I can't get to seat properly on the rim.:skep:

Thanks for all your efforts.

DH1


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## 82Sidewinder (Jun 28, 2006)

dh1 said:


> I could have sworn I looked at Sheldon's site about this, but I guess not. Thanks for the info. Hmmmm $70 for tires for a bike that cost $10 at a yard sale. Oh well. FWIW, I think those kendas are the ones I have that I can't get to seat properly on the rim.:skep:
> 
> Thanks for all your efforts.
> 
> DH1


No problem. The Kendas are most likely the same ones on Sheldon's site, since there are very few tires on the market for that size. As someone else suggested, a replacement level wheelset is another option. My local shop sells basic alloy mtb wheels for about $80 a pair. It's a lot to lay out for a $10 garage sale bike, but you would avoid having to buy a $70 set of tires every few years.

Craig


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## pinguwin (Aug 20, 2004)

DH1,

If you can't find a suitable answer, send me a PM in early May and I'll inquire with a collector who has hundreds of bikes. I'm on an extended vacation right now and can't be in contact with them until then. Not exactly helpful on a timely basis but maybe it will have some info for you and he might even have something to sell you. Don't know, we'll see.

Penguin


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## grawbass (Aug 23, 2004)

dh1 said:


> Grawbass, are you from the GR area? at the risk of hijacking my own thread I noticed your profile has yankee springs listed as a fav...I posted in the Michigan forum but didn't really get a lot of response. I am looking for a trail in the GR area that would be kid friendly for a group of 10 or so 8-9 year old cub scouts. I would like to get my scouts out for a group trail ride, but not on the ada/cascade bike paths....more in the woods. Any ideas? The guys at Kentwood cycle reccomended the state game area, other have told me it would be too long for kids. I've never been there.
> 
> Thanks
> DH1


Can you hijack your own thread lol? I used to live in Kazoo, never GR though so I'm not really familiar with the trails there. Maybe the trail review section here would help.


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## KDS (Apr 29, 2004)

I had one of these Miradas a while back (picked from trashpile). It definitely used 650B wheels, one of the rims was cracked, and the tires were shot, but otherwise the bike was in great shape. A replacement wheel and new tires were far too expensive for a free bike that I intended to give to a friend, and a standard 26" wheel would not align with the brake mount on the frame. So, I tried a set of old 27" road wheels, removed the canti brakes, and used an old set of road centerpull brakes that I had laying around. The wheels fit the frame OK, and there are holes already in the frame and fork to mount the brakes. I gave the bike to my friend, and it worked fine for his needs (townie/commuter type bike). Just experiment with whatever parts you have around before spending any money on it. Good luck with the project.
Kevin


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## tl1 (Dec 21, 2003)

*Schwinn also had their own standard*

...in tire sizes with at least 2 "26 inch " sizes. It's interesting that they also used 650B though.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tire_sizing.html


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## dh1 (Aug 28, 2004)

*Hey guys, thanks for all the help!*

I went to another Schwinn dealer in my hometown and talked to the owner who sold this actual bike to my neighbor when it was new. He pulled 2 new tires from his inventory and swore they would fit. I looked at them and they were the same make, size and model of tires I had that were blowing off the rim.:nono: ANYWAY this shop owner was so insistant they would fit, they even had "mirada tire" handwritten on the inventory tags.

Turns out the Kenda 26x1 1/2 sized tires that my father picked up from the first shop were irregular/defective. To prove it, the shop owner tried a couple times unsuccessfully to mount the old ones, then we took them off and put the two from his inventory on and they fit fine.:thumbsup:

Success at last. I have this bike in my basement right now, but will run some new cables and housings on it and give it a tune up before I return it.


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