# Came across this bargain deal at Amazon Schwinn Tandem - thoughts?



## workbench (Mar 6, 2017)

Came across this at Amazon. Schwinn Twinn Tandem 20"/ one size Wheel Bicycle, Grey One Frame Size. Disc brakes and aluminum.... for $440? What do you guys think? Worth it for an entry level tandem?


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## mactweek (Oct 3, 2011)

stay far far away. This is barely safe for a trip to Starbucks.


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## Scott n (Jul 18, 2017)

Schwinn now is much different than schwinn pre-2000's. They are department store bikes now and are made for people who think 10 miles is a really long ride, and pull their bikes out once or twice a year. Stick 2 people on the wheels and components they use and you'll be walking back with a bent wheel.


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## workbench (Mar 6, 2017)

hard to resist the disc brakes, front shock... and the bargain price. yeah i know, you get what you pay for... i am thinking that as long as the frame is decent, i can upgrade the parts as they wear out.


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## bachman1961 (Oct 9, 2013)

With 15 customer reviews, you should get a feel for how much of a gamble it is by others that have it and comment on it.
$440 isn't a big gamble when it comes to bikes but rummage sales or Craigslist type searches might yeild you an original Schwinn from the good old days or some other brand at a used /bargain price.

$60 to $80 seems like a yard sale type price if you find some out there... That one as alum frame is a plus for weight and the fork although low-end, is primarily designed for comfort. with out big hits of excessive loads, it might be fine for a time and can probably be swapped out later on if needed.


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## TandemNut (Mar 12, 2004)

Yeah, that's a bargain. Notice that the crankset has all the chainrings as one piece, so not replaceable. The fork appears to be a QR fork. I like the frame design from a stiffness standpoint, but the BB's look way low for anything other than pavement. 
For perspective, a rear hub that will actually hold up under off-road tandem use costs about what this whole tandem costs. Even factoring in the sourced-in-Asian price discount, it seems a bit of a stretch that this thing will do much more than take up garage space and be hard to get rid of once you figure out that putting nicer parts on it is still "Lipstick on a pig". The parts kit is about the same as you'll see on a $99 Walmart bike. 
For perspective, Cannondale, which part of the same company as Schwinn, sells their 29er' tandem for around $3k. Very likely built/assembled in common facilities; the Cannondale has a good parts kit (crappy geometry though). If it costs CSG (the parent company) that much to produce the Cannondale, what sort of crap parts were needed to build the Schwinn? 
I don't want to rain on anyone's parade, but bikes like that bargain schwinn are basically throw-away stuff built to be ridden a few times, then hung in the garage to rot. Believe me, if there were any way to build tandems less expensively and have them hold up to actually being used, I would have done it 15 years ago.


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## Okayfine (Sep 7, 2010)

Workbench, what's your use case for this tandem? As a neighborhood run-about or a pub-crawl machine, you could make a case for it. But, then, you could make an easier case for a cheaper used bike off CL or eBay. Or Schwinn's Tango (beach-cruiser style tandem).

If you are looking to this bike to start tandeming, including either trying to convince a new stoker or to take off paved paths, this is not your bike. You're already attempting to pass off the low cost and parts spec as something you can upgrade over time. But that would be further money wasted.

The tried-and-true path to starting tandeming off road is the CL/eBay Cannondale. MT1000 and its brethren are solid, if basic, bikes, mostly build by the "old" Cannondale. They'll be more capable, will often come upgraded by their previous owners, and will have decent resale if you decide tandeming isn't for you. 

Sure, the C-dale is likely $1000, but there are usually plenty to choose, shipping a tandem is ~$100, and for that you're ready to ride without the stop to try to upgrade the Schwinn so it will stop. You'll also have the ability to pick from a few sizes of C-dale to fit you and your stoker, where the Schwinn looks like a one-size-fits-all.

The Schwinn also appears to weigh the same as my steel, coupled, full-suspension tandem...


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## Fleas (Jan 19, 2006)

I own a '97 C'dale MT1000 AND I have ridden a Raleigh tandem comparable to the Schwinn in the ad. The Schwinn is a solid bike for flat land cruising. You'd have tons of fun on it if you were just cruising easy paths, or taking the kids for a ride. If you got into some hills, or any sort of low-traction situation, you'd soon discover that the Schwinn is lacking in braking power and traction. When you go to upgrade the brakes and tires, you'd find that what you want, like 2.4" tires and 203mm rotors, won't fit. The head tube is narrow and a mile long as well, which may preclude any sort of fork swap.

The old C'dale is a basic bike, but we have had tons of fun on it. I've also lent it out to other people who have had just as much fun. That's why we still have it. All I've done to it is to put smaller idler sprockets on it for more ground clearance, and I put a better fork that can use a big rotor and big tire.

-F


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