Tandem Cycling - Quick Question: Old Schwinn vs. new Walmart

I was thinking of getting a tandem so I go on longer day or weekend rides with my son. I to have a trail-a-bike but I bet a tandem would be more stable and nicer especially once he gets bigger.

Anyway, on the local craigslist I found an 10 speed Schwinn for about $300 but after looking around I could get a Wal-Mart type 21 speed (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000LELCIE/) for even a little less money.

So what are your thought would the Schwinn be worth it? I'm a little hesitant since it's probably quite old (early 70s?) and only has 10 gears which might not be so nice on hills.

Skip the Wallmart bike . . . 21 gears may be tempting but quality of bike and components are bottom of the barrel. Looks good and shiny . . . but you can't make a silk purse out of sows ears!
While Schwinn may be old and need some cleaning up, it would be better quality.
Make an offer of $200 and see what happens!
Just our input.
Pedal on!
Rudy/zonatandem

I would probably go with ZonaTandem here. The ultimate answer is more likely... Either one will likely suit your needs. The main one being, is a tandem really for you.

Scwhinn
+
Decent company
Decent frame
Decent Components
Depreciation already done (if you find you would like to get rid of or replace in a couple of years, you can probably get out of it what you have in it)
-
It's old
It might have been sitting out under a tree for the last 10 years
It might need some older pieces replaced

Kent (from Wal Mart)
+
New with warranty
If you really hate it after a couple of days you can take it back to Walmart
Index shifting
-
Index shifting (I have helped a couple of people with Walmart bikes and index shifting, it MAY be difficult or impossible to get it adjusted just right.)
If you've been reading this forum you would know it might come out of the box, even new, needing some parts replaced
The components are as cheap as they can get by with
If you have it for a couple of years and want to sell it and/or replace it you won't get your investment back (you will eat the depreciation)

Anyone else can chime in, but this is a fairly comprehensive list of why one over the other. We wished we had this dilemma, we had the option to buy new (we went with a Trek T900) or wait, and wait, and wait as in 5 years I have only seen 2-3 tandems for sale locally that weren't fancy (read expensive, high end) tandems and those were usually used bikes like the Kent.

Personal opinion, I would get the Scwhinn, but do try to negotiate the price, on our second tandem we had to drive 5 hours one way for it but got a nice used Univega Tandem and Yakima Sidewinder carrier for the price of a new Yakima Sidewinder. (We made the trip into a little family weekend vacation, it was very nice.)

I have a different opinion here. Keep in mind, its just my opinion as I have owned a mongoose wanderer for about a year now but dont have any experience with schwinn tandems.
I would go with the new cheap tandem.
I wont disrespect a vintage schwinn as it would be very cool to own one in good condition but I just dont think it would be practical or upgradable. A vintage bike, or anything vintage, is a good headturner and would be nice to go out on a sunday just to show it off, just like a classic car. The schwinn is probably made up of all chrome plated heavy steel components, weighs well over 60 lbs and flexes like a noodle. Thats if its in good condition. If its not in good condition, you will probably need tires, tubes, cables and brakes and a lot of wrenching time.
Also, as you pointed out, its probably not gonna be easy to muscle it up a steep hill. Keep in mind, I never owned or rode an old schwinn tandem, this is just my speculation of what it would be like.
Now I can base my opinion on a cheap tandem more accurately because I own one. It did require a lot of wrench time and dialing everything in out of the box. Once thats done its very usable. The first thing to break was the freewheel as I expected it to. My stoker and I are about 300lbs. together and have steep climbs of 20% grade here. This broke the freewheel and bent the axle with only 27 miles on the bike. Since then I upgraded to 40 spoke 700c wheels with a freehub. Since the bike is new, everything on it is upgradable. The bike is in the 40lb range so its easy to get in and out of the car or on the rack. The big aluminum frame is nice and stiff. It has an eccentric. Sure I have to get it in the gear I want before I start the climb as it doesnt shift well under a load but Im not racing it. I have done other upgrades to it but none were necessary except for the rear wheel, oh and maybe the shifters, I hate twist grip shifting.
Just my 2 cents. Either way Im sure you will have fun with it. Good luck

cbike, obviously, dropping several thousand dollars for a new tandem will result in a nice quality bike. But, I have to disagree that the Kent from Walmart should be overlooked or skipped if thats what your budget will handle.

If I had to get either, I would get the new one that has some warranty and recent parts. An old vintage bike while cool, may be a pain to find parts for if needed.

We recently got a Kent. We knew going into it that it was a $250 bike and not a $2500+ bike, however, that said, we have already put several hundred miles on it and much of that on the bumpy and rocky dirt C&0 Canal towpath. Everything performs just fine. I know being a $250 bike some components may wear out a little faster. But I also know for the difference in price, I can replace those parts as needed several times over.

Don't get me wrong, I am not trying to dis higher priced, higher quality bikes. Someday, we hope to be position to grab one ourselves. But until our budget can handle this, our Kent tandem looks as if it will serve us very well and so far, we have no regrets.

One warning however. Do NOT get this Kent, or any department store bike, and go out riding as soon as you get it home. This bike as well as other department store bikes we have bought all were put together hastily and were not even close to properly adjusted. Be sure to spend a little time checking bolt and screw tightness, adjusting the brakes, derailer and check the bearings for proper tightness and lube. All of this stuff is easy to do if you know how. If not... take it to a local bike shop and have them do it for you. They will likely throw out a few smart ass remarks about buying a department store bike, but those are easy enough to ignore.

I have a different opinion here. Keep in mind, its just my opinion as I have owned a mongoose wanderer for about a year now but dont have any experience with schwinn tandems.
I would go with the new cheap tandem.
I wont disrespect a vintage schwinn as it would be very cool to own one in good condition but I just dont think it would be practical or upgradable. A vintage bike, or anything vintage, is a good headturner and would be nice to go out on a sunday just to show it off, just like a classic car. The schwinn is probably made up of all chrome plated heavy steel components, weighs well over 60 lbs and flexes like a noodle. Thats if its in good condition. If its not in good condition, you will probably need tires, tubes, cables and brakes and a lot of wrenching time.
Also, as you pointed out, its probably not gonna be easy to muscle it up a steep hill. Keep in mind, I never owned or rode an old schwinn tandem, this is just my speculation of what it would be like.
Now I can base my opinion on a cheap tandem more accurately because I own one. It did require a lot of wrench time and dialing everything in out of the box. Once thats done its very usable. The first thing to break was the freewheel as I expected it to. My stoker and I are about 300lbs. together and have steep climbs of 20% grade here. This broke the freewheel and bent the axle with only 27 miles on the bike. Since then I upgraded to 40 spoke 700c wheels with a freehub. Since the bike is new, everything on it is upgradable. The bike is in the 40lb range so its easy to get in and out of the car or on the rack. The big aluminum frame is nice and stiff. It has an eccentric. Sure I have to get it in the gear I want before I start the climb as it doesnt shift well under a load but Im not racing it. I have done other upgrades to it but none were necessary except for the rear wheel, oh and maybe the shifters, I hate twist grip shifting.
Just my 2 cents. Either way Im sure you will have fun with it. Good luck

1) I doubt that the Kent pictured in the link weighs 40lbs.

2) if you've got to upgrade wheels to make it work, you're getting into some money. Say you paid $275 for the bike and $150 for a nicer rear wheel and cassette, you're at $425, which is enough to start getting you into getting a used Burley, or KHS.

My take is that if you want to ride casually around the neighborhood, or do the social group ride, the Kent may well work. If you want to ride it further and faster (and climb 20% grades) there are better answers than starting with the Kent and upgrading.

1) I doubt that the Kent pictured in the link weighs 40lbs.

2) if you've got to upgrade wheels to make it work, you're getting into some money. Say you paid $275 for the bike and $150 for a nicer rear wheel and cassette, you're at $425, which is enough to start getting you into getting a used Burley, or KHS.

My take is that if you want to ride casually around the neighborhood, or do the social group ride, the Kent may well work. If you want to ride it further and faster (and climb 20% grades) there are better answers than starting with the Kent and upgrading.The OP's question was between the Schwinn for $300 versus Kent for $243. Even without any upgrades, the Kent is still quite a bit ahead of the Schwinn:

- stiffer frame without any rust
- stronger 26" wheels, if you're gonna break the freewheel on the Kent, you're gonna do it on the Schwinn just as easily
- better V-brakes versus long-reach calipers on the Schwinn with no leverage

Dollar-for-dollar upgrades on the Kent versus same upgrades on Schwinn will still have the Kent ahead all the way.


But yeah, if you're looking into the $400+ range, there are great values in very nice used tandems available. Burleys can be had for around that price. Couple of Santanas popped up on Craigslist in my area for just a little more than that.

I'll put in another nod for a new department store bike. The Mongoose Wanderer will be good as long as you take the time to set it up. Straight out of the box, it had some serious issues, such as very undertensioned spokes and wheel hubs that were too tight.

On the bright side, the fact that it's new means that you'll be able to adjust everything without hurdles (no rust, no stripped bolts, nothing stuck or unforeseen). In addition, it's easy to upgrade because everything is standard to modern components. V brakes, 135mm rear spacing, eccentric bottom bracket.

We finished a metric century on a Mongoose Wanderer and I didn't ever feel like the bike was holding us back.

We are on our second Kent. We gave the first one away after two years rather than move cross country with it. We bought another as soon as we located another Wally's in our new town. We have had the new one two years as well. In two years of near daily riding with a weekly (sometimes twice weekly) food run with Bob Yak loaded (100lbs+) the rims are as straight as when new. I can definitely feel the frame flex when I have my SO onboard and the loaded trailer. Only at rest. Once underway I always feel in control. I just picked up a Schwinn World Tourist for $30. Heavy. $300 for ~1970's vintage? Maybe if I was a collector and did not intend to ride the thing. The Kent is not our only tandem. IMO a super cheap ride like a Kent is a better idea when it is a back-up bike or grocery getter. Or you just want something to ride around the neighborhood with. Given the scenario faced by the o.p. the Kent is a no brainer. If the Schwinn cost $100 there might be a dilemma.