# 1970's? Columbia Tandem



## BRad90 (Mar 27, 2022)

Saw this on the Facebook Marketplace place and made a reasonable offer. Did my research on the year and believe it to be 70's based off the frame rear forks have two vs three going to the back tire. Also, the sprockets looked the same. Very disappointed to find it painted over the original green but will look for solutions in the form to remove the blue. Was original going to be used for yard art tell the wife told me I needed to get it rideable. She has never been on a tandem before, so why not. Won't do anything crazy but make it more enjoyable to ride.


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## Arnold Ziffel (Apr 1, 2022)

I would recommend that you repaint this  ORANGE   or    YELLOW.
Why?  Because it would be among the most visible color choices,  and  at the same time, it would be attractive and look really good.    

These were super popular colors between 1971 and 1975 in Schwinn's line.  Other bike manufacturers had orange and yellow.

Rustoleum has a nice Orange  color  and  maybe  two Yellow shades which are almost alike.

A  tandem is not the most nimble bicycle (like an aircraft carrier or cruise ship  versus  an ordinary  recreational  motor boat) compared to  the typical  one person 10 speed, 3 speed or single speed coaster brake cruiser.
You want SUV's & Cars & Trucks  to  see you!!    You want them to NOTICE YOU from a DISTANCE so they then GIVE YOU THE SPACE THAT EVERY BICYCLE REQUIRES.   Unlike other nimble bikes, you have a larger structure that could get barely hit enough to send you to a serious crash and a Life-Flight Helicopter Ride to the nearest trauma center if you are lucky enough to survive.       Too many folks today are driving while texting and completely distracted,  that  you want them to NOTICE YOU.
This is why most roadies,  meaning cyclists who ride fast lightweight road bikes , will wear obnoxious, loud-colored, bright colored, multi colored  cycling jerseys.    This ugly attire helps make them more visible and since those roadies ride at typically 20 mph average pace speeds,  they are moving very fast for a bicycle and may not be seen far enough in advance, or even noticed at all if not  for wearing the eyecatching ugly jersey, or some other bright clothing.
Make certain that you go with quality new thorn resistant inner tubes and new tires,  and that you install  new Kool Stop branded brake pads on that single front sidepull caliper brake.   This is one time where you absolutely do want the best brake pads that you can buy, and KOOL STOP are them.   Yes, they cost more but they stop a steel wheel better in wet conditions than anything else.   When you have something that big, with two riders aboard, you want the best stopping power.   The Kool Stops are still probably less than twenty bucks.
"So much is riding on that bicycle" :  YOU & YOUR SPOUSE.
It is a good fun bicycle that you'll enjoy if cars see you way before they approach you, so they slow down and give you the normal required minimal three feet separation distance as they pass by.   
I would recommend bright colored helmets for each rider.     It will be even more fun if you already own a pickup truck or trailer that you can transport the tandem  to  a   ride location destination  that  has nice low speed limit roads with very little vehicle traffic.    If you do have a pickup truck, you'll enjoy the tandem.    Tandems don't get used often mostly because most folks want to ride where it is safest,  and  in order to do that, you usually must drive to that location and park the car, and then ride the bikes.    Well,  as  we  all know a tandem isn't  gonna fit inside a Honda Fit or even inside of a Cadillac Escalade, and there isn't a commercially made exterior bike rack that will carry a tandem,  so you're gonna need a pickup truck.   Two people can easily lift a tandem into a pickup truck bed.     The following is super important and cannot be underestimated: BUY THE MOST COMFORTABLE SEATS AS BOTH YOU AND YOUR SPOUSE MUST LIKE THE COMFORT OF THE SEAT THAT YOU ARE SEATED ON!    Only you and your spouse can determine that.   DO NOT BUY A  SEAT BECAUSE IT IS PERIOD CORRECT OR FACTORY ISSUE OR WHATEVER,  IT MUST BE THE THE CHOICE FOR MAXIMUM COMFORT!   If you can't transport the tandem to a good safe place to ride it,   and  also if  both of you aren't seated comfortably,    yall  won't ever want to ride the tandem!


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## johnboy (Apr 1, 2022)

Good info. from  Arnold Ziffel ! My wife and I have a 1964 Huffy "Daisy" tandem. We only ride on bike trails and it fits easily in our Dodge Grand Caravan. Have fun!


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## BRad90 (Apr 1, 2022)

Thanks for the information. I really appreciate it. Will look into those brakes and tires. Bike might be used more for trails than road riding due to having kids. Got to think about their safety also.


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