Rear cassette Identification

The specs for the Schwinn Traverse, made by Pacific cycles circa 2010, are dearth. What I have seen on the Schwinn Traverse is that it is 21 speed (3x7 Shimano, w/SRAM grip shift) mountain style bike with alloy front suspension. If you are in possession of a stock Traverse, the rear is a Freewheel hub which has a Shimano 7 speed freewheel screwed onto the hub.

A direct replacement would also be a Shimano 7 speed freewheel. There are a few different model numbers, MF-TZ500 & MF-TZ21, to name a couple. A somewhat inexpensive, freewheel removal tool, is necessary to remove the current FW and replace with a new one.

A 1" box wrench, socket & ratchet, or adjustable wrench is used with the FW tool. It does not require the use of a chain whip as the design of the freewheel places the ratcheting mechanism outside of and independent of the securing threads. Fully insert the tool in the splines of the freewheel and use the wrench to rotate the tool and freewheel counter clockwise and off the hub. Sometimes it takes a generous amount of force to break loose the threads of a freewheel. The act of riding the bike tends to tighten a freewheel on the hub. The longer the handle of the wrench, the better for the job. Even then, a cheater bar or some type of persuasion is often necessary.