Schwinn Meridian replacement wheel / axle

[JackMcClarran]

Hello, all!

Just joined this forum to post this, as I feel like I've looked everywhere online and am going nuts; where would one acquire a replacement for a back-right 26' wheel for a Schwinn Meridian Comfort trike? Mine took a pretty severe hit and suffered multiple broken spokes, and I'm not the most mechanically inclined nor financially comfortable. I figured it wouldn't be that difficult, but since this is the wheel that actually propels the bike I want to be 10000% sure I get a compatible wheel, and I've seen more than a few "Oh, Schwinn uses a weird axle so a lot of wheels aren't compatible" reviews floating about online.

If those reviews are in fact accurate and it is a weird axle, how difficult would it be to replace it and is there a particular design that's most compatible with aftermarket / generic wheels? This thing is my primary transportation around town (west TN) and, in an ideal world, I'd love to spend the time to upgrade it into something I can easily keep going for years. For now, though... Cheapest option is best.

Thank y'all in advance for any suggestions and assistance, and happy riding!

[Jesper]

@JackMcClarran
Hello Jack and welcome,
We seem to get a fair amount of questions about these trikes. Unfortinately and quite frequently, when folks have asked questions they have not followed up with the information (photo, owner manuals, written response, etc.) reqested in order for us to help them.

If you can provide photos of the wheel (I would photograph both wheels/hubs), its damage, how it fits on bike, owners manual (if available) imagery & parts breakdown, etc. to assist us it would help. Have you owned it from new, what year is it, what is the serial number?

Without seeing the wheel (steel rim or aluminium) it is hard to say that it cannot be repaired. Broken spokes and warped rim do not mean the wheel is unserviceable. A photo would readily identify if that is possible. Cost of a wheel rebuild (using original hub and rim) might be quicker and cheaper than attempting to locate a new wheel (whether Schwinn or a compatible replacement). The hub is going to be the main part that is unique to the bike so if a shop can true up the rim and just replace some spokes (it might be prudent to have all spokes on that wheel replaced) it should not be a big issue for a shop to repair unless they need to order the specific spoke lengths.

Have you attempted to contact Schwinn?

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I reviewed a manual (dated 2012) regarding this trike (it may or may not apply to your bike), and see that the difference between rear wheels is in the hub and how it mounts to the rear axle. The "drive wheel" has a "keyed" hub (not a true keyway design, no key required per manual) to fit the "drive" side axle which has a machined shoulder with a flat area (looks like a "D" when viewed from the end) to match the hub design. I have no idea why Schwinn required 2 different hubs (I assume an engineering design issue) since both wheels are driven by a common axle with a center of axle mounted drive cog. I believe someone in another trike post (might not have been your make/model) previously mentioned that the "drive" side could be swapped to the other side, but I have no idea as to what was being addressed since no follow-up info/imagery was provided.

In another post an owner provided photos of their hub and axle. Their axle had the same design as the manual that I referred to shows, but their wheel hub had an actual keyway slot which is not shown in the manual and did not make sense considering the axle did not have a matching keyway (see photos). It may be that their model was different, or that they did not have the proper parts (owner stated purchasing the trike used in an unassembled condition). Because of the possible hub difference, I would ensure that if you order another wheel, make sure you get the correct part by confirming via imagery that the part matches your application.