I'm looking at this bike which is on Craigs List and won't be able to see it until after July 16. Bob Hufford and Stan Cooper believe it is a Schwinn Twinn from about '80-'81. What are your thoughts? Has anyone had any experience with these models, and do you believe, if it is in fair and working condition (as claimed by the seller), worth $75? Thanks for any help and guidance. (Sorry about the picture quality. They were taken by the seller.) Here's a a link to Tom Findley's catalogue page. Pictures below.
https://www.trfindley.com/flschwinn_1...90/1980_42.JPG

Schwinn Twinn Sport it is. Where's the rear brake?

Twinns in stock configuration usually range anywhere from $75-100 for reasonable examples to easily over $200 for nice ones and beauties.

I'd say you can't go too wrong on this deal, although I wouldn't put too much emphasis on speed with this machine - they're nothing but stretched Schwinn Suburbans when it comes to ride and weight. Nevertheless, put a nice RD on it, some barcons, and you're good to go.

Take care,

-Kurt

Kurt,

Thanks for the advice. If the Catalogue page is correct it had a rear hub expander brake. Speed is not a concern, but I imagine this baby could fly down a steep NH hillside!

That same-side drive is cool, and it avoids the more common crossover drive's problem of needing a right-threaded left crank arm and two left-threaded right crank arms.

Either that or a lot of Loctite

-Kurt

".....Where's the rear brake?"
My first thought until I saw the brake rod.

Those handlebars must be REALLY heavy!

I believe the "rod" you see is actually the kickstand. As best I can tell, but have no pictures to confirm this, a brake cable runs to the rear hub brake (which is more of a drag brake or down hill speed modulator, than a real stopper). I found these pictures from an old ebay listing showing a '71 version of the rear hub I suspect is on this bike.

I'm not sure about the handlebars but the listed weight on the bike is 50+ pounds. It must be Scwhinn EF steel, although BobHufford wondered if they are fillet brazed .

It will need to go on a diet. I imagine it has steel rims and bars. Hard to tell about the seatposts. If they are those skinny Schwinn ones, not much can be done.

The listed weight on the fillet-brazed Sports Tourer single was 31 pounds so 50 doesn't seem unreasonable for a tandem (the Paramounts came in at 43 pounds) and this photo from a recently complete eBay auction for a Twinn Sport looks like fillet joinery and not EF.

Bob

"I believe the "rod" you see is actually the kickstand."

I was beginng to wonder too when I went back and looked at the picture.
It sounded good at the time

Well, I've decided to buy this old tandem. The daughter and wife said go for it. The seller was enthusiastic to sell it to someone who liked older Schwinns. She was also willing to wait until I could travel over to the NH-ME seacoast region to pick it up about July 18. I'm not far from NH-VT line in the mountains, and as they say in these parts, "Ya can't git thar from har!". Plus I leave in a few hours to go to northern NM for a class during the next week.

Can't beat the $75 price. When I have it I'll post the before pictures. Clean it up, take care of the handlebar issue, grease, tires, cables, etc., ride it for the remainder of the summer, than decide how to improve it over the winter. If I'm going to keep the wife and daughter happy, I'll need lower gearing for hill climbing and it will have to stop adequately. My wife asked yesterday, "Is there a place for me to rest my feet while you still pedal?"

Thanks for everyone's thoughts and help!

I returned from my trip to NM last Sunday and was able to travel over to Maine to look at the Twinn Sport and I decided for $75 I couldn't go wrong. The pictures the seller had provided were a bit out of focus. So here are some shots I took today, pretty much as I brought it home except the front tire wouldn't hold air so I threw on a spare wheel. I also have losely attached a center pull brake to the rear bridge but it has no blocks nor is it cabled.

Over all it looks nice. I'll do a quick cleaning and lube to make it road worthy for the remainder of the summer and then plan to do a major overhaul during the winter. To begin with I'll put on new saddles, tape the front bars, add rear upright bars (for the daughter and wife), and remove the toe clips. The front caliper is bent so I'll use another center pull there. I also plan to attach a ratchet type adjuster for the rear drum brake to use as a drag brake on the decents.


I still wonder about the joints. Some look fillet brazed, others look welded, and a few look Electro Forged.



Overall it shifts very nice but braking is terrible. One other problem is that the Captain's chainring is a 40 tooth (110 BCD) and the Stocker's chainring is a 36 (maybe 118 BCD), so the pedals are out of sync. I think I have the needed rings to solve this challenge, but I might be begging from my buddies here at BF-C&V. BTW, it was built January 29, 1979.

Nice bike for a nice price. The drag brake sounds like a good idea, I should consider this for my twinn, except I would need to be creative hanging a rear caliper on mine.

I wouldn't stick with the drop bars on the front, I'd opt for uprights.

Make sure the rear uprights are wide before the rise, I'm not passing judgement on you, but speaking from experience.

When I picked the bike up the first thing I looked for was a brake bridge over the rear wheel. I was glad when I found one.

I don't mind the drop bars since I ride on the hoods most of the time. I do plan to replace the levers which will loose the the safety extentions.

I've already mounted the new Captain's saddle and the Stoker's upright bars. Despite my wide bottom, the new combination works!

I recommend a quick release for the stokers saddle.

Oh, and changing the rear tire, something that wasn't obvious to me at first was that I didn't have to remove the brake cable, but rather remove the locknut and slip the backing plate w/brake shoes off of the hub.

If you read the article on Sheldon Brown's site about the Electroforge process, it explains why all the joints on a frame cannot be electroforged. Since the framemembers are acting as the welding rods, if they are already connected, you cannot draw an arc. Also since the process consumes part of the tube material, the center tube must be welded in last.

Great idea. I have one which might work. If I have a chance I'll try to see if it will do the job.

Thanks for the tip on the rear wheel. I had wondered how that might work.

Thanks, it has been a while since I read that article. Sometimes EF joints are so perfectly smooth, they are difficult to distiguish from a fillet brazed. This has such a mix, including what look like TIG welded joints. I suppose it was just practical to utilize all three processes.

Nice!

I'd love to play around with a tandem, but haven't yet found one that is "our" size. I am 6' 1" and Mrs. K is 5' 3". I can't ride a small and she can't go too large!

If your ever in the SF Bay Area, I have a nice Univega tandem that might do the trick. I'm 5'11, and used it with my (then) 10 year old daughter on lots of metric centuries.

Please get those crank arms in sync! Its driving me nuts! LOL! Nice bike!

I'm 6' 1" while Ms. PB is 5' 4" and my daughter is 5' 5." I sould know by the end of the week how it fits them. I'll let you know how they fit.

I know, I know! As I mentioned earlier, the Captain's chainring and the Stocker's chainring are two different sizes and two different BCDs. A 40 and a 36 tooth, respectively! I need to check all my spares to see if I can come up with matching tooth counts.

pastorbob,
FWIW, I just went and checked my Sport Twinn Tandem, and the 36 tooth is the one you want to keep. I'm 5'10 and my wife is 5'3", we can ride it just fine and the seats aren't down all the way. It is great fun, but takes some getting used to, especially the starting/stopping part. It doesn't quite turn as quickly as my De Rosa, either

Enjoy the ride, it is an exercise in cooperation. I figure if a husband/wife can enjoy riding a tandem together, the marriage will last forever!

We are actually overdue for a trip up there. My wife has relatives in Danville. One of these days...one of these days....!

Danville? I'm the next town south - San Ramon, maybe 5 miles, if that. If you ever get up here, gimme a shout. We can go for a ride and have lunch at Norm's. Norm's is in DT Danville, and has some pretty good chow.......