Any Schwinn Tandem Experts Here?

[edsiajb]

I am a bike collector/rider but don't know much about Schwinn bikes. I have a Schwinn compact tandem (like the later Town & Country) and am trying to obtain more information. My web searches have not been very productive on this particular bike.

It appears to be Serial no T 20, and has the wartime hat in ring All American headbadge. There are three "Schwinn" decals as follows: Forward top tube, rear down tube and large chain guard. The forward seat tube has a round Schwinn cross decal. There are no model designations on the bike.

Three generations of a family owned this bike. The second generation replaced the rear wheel with a modern wheel/Shimano 3 speed hub...and replaced the brakes, pedals and saddles. Thankfully the second generation was wise enough to save most of the original parts....including Torrington blackout pedals. I acquired the bike from the third generation. Sadly, the front fender is missing, as is the original rear wheel.

Any information regarding this model, possible production year, etc. would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Tikibar]

It looks rather like the tandem in this 1946 Schwinn catalog. I'm thinking early post-war with the AS&CO chain ring, double adjustable handlebar stem and the gold Schwinn script. Would have thought the front wheel would have had a brake hub though. Might be worth posting photos to show the larger chain guard on the other side and the original pedals.

 

[GTs58]

With that serial number I'd say that's one of the very first few built! :eek: There were only minor changes through out the years and production ended with the 1963 models.
At the beginning of 1949 there seem to have been 1000 produced, or maybe just the rear BB shells were stamped with a serial number. By 1961 the serial numbers were only up to 3900 +.
01/19/1949 ------------------ T001000 ----- T001217 -(TDM)
By 1950 there may have been 3035 built or possibly just the frames were built and stored. .
07/24/1950 ------------------ T002663 ----- T003035 -(TDM)
1961---------- T003913 +. I've seen one 1963 model but I did not record the serial number.
Here's a 1961 model with a mess of wrong parts on it. Seller doesn't have a clue on the year. Serial number is T003913
http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-5...0001&campid=5335809022&icep_item=322971441852

1961

1945

1946 model

 

[kentercanyon]

Don't quote me but I've heard Schwinn built all the "lady back" tandem frames in the first two years of production and sold them from the end of the war until '62 from the same stockpile. What changed was the names and the parts build, but all of them had the S4 rims and the same wide rear bars.

 

[GTs58]

Don't quote me but I've heard Schwinn built all the "lady back" tandem frames in the first two years of production and sold them from the end of the war until '62 from the same stockpile. What changed was the names and the parts build, but all of them had the S4 rims and the same wide rear bars.

I highly doubt that is true, Schwinn didn't stock pile over 5000 T&C frames. Here's what I know. The first ones did not use the T00 serial numbers, they used the pre war style lightweight three piece crank style stamped numbers. When they started using the Tandem specific T00 serial numbers in the later 40's they were machine stamped and the numbers were stamped on the BB shells prior to any frame building. These shells were stock piled, not the frames. Many of these pre-stamped BB shells with the T00 prefix have also shown up on some lightweights built in the late 40's and early 50's. The last T&C's built in 1963 were in the T005000 range.

 

[Roger Henning]

They were still making that style tandem in the Paramount Shop in the 1970s. They were known a close coupled bikes. I sold one in Madison at the Brazen Dropouts Swap a couple of years ago. Drop bars and Campy derailleurs. I also at one time owned a T&C T005143 and that was built in the early 1950s. Roger

 

[kentercanyon]

I highly doubt that is true, Schwinn didn't stock pile over 5000 T&C frames. Here's what I know. The first ones did not use the T00 serial numbers, they used the pre war style lightweight three piece crank style stamped numbers. When they started using the Tandem specific T00 serial numbers in the later 40's they were machine stamped and the numbers were stamped on the BB shells prior to any frame building. These shells were stock piled, not the frames. Many of these pre-stamped BB shells with the T00 prefix have also shown up on some lightweights built in the late 40's and early 50's. The last T&C's built in 1963 were in the T005000 range.

That makes a lot more sense! What's clear however is that the dating by serial number is a less than perfect system. Dating by the accessories / components and the catalog pictures seems to be the way to go. But thanks for the clarification I'm still on the learning curve trying to date the ones I see. Mine, acquired as a basket case, has Union expander hubs front and back and I still can't figure out when it's from. Serial is T003xxx, hard to read the rest and in fact it may be T005xxx. The s4 rims seemed to have the run of the production and the obvious signifier, the big chain guard is missing on my bike. As mentioned elsewhere, the cranks are not marked like one-piece cranks with a date.

 

[GTs58]

That makes a lot more sense! What's clear however is that the dating by serial number is a less than perfect system. Dating by the accessories / components and the catalog pictures seems to be the way to go. But thanks for the clarification I'm still on the learning curve trying to date the ones I see. Mine, acquired as a basket case, has Union expander hubs front and back and I still can't figure out when it's from. Serial is T003xxx, hard to read the rest and in fact it may be T005xxx. The s4 rims seemed to have the run of the production and the obvious signifier, the big chain guard is missing on my bike. As mentioned elsewhere, the cranks are not marked like one-piece cranks with a date.

As far as dating a T&C, the components, paint and decals are just about the only way to figure out what possible year they were made. If one had the spec sheets for all the different years it would make pin pointing a year much easier. Decals can put you in the right decade but it still leaves a big gap in the years. The spaghetti Schwinn top tube decal came out in the 59 model year so with those serials you posted I'm guessing that's what is on your basket case. Also the fenders changed to stainless for the last two years of production.

 

[kentercanyon]

Thanks, that helps a lot. I've got the spaghetti logo and a Schwinn dealer decal, so clearly it's not a 1940s bike. This tells me that the Union expander brakes are likely 1959-62 era drums. That's what I figured would date the bike, when the company switched from Schwinn expanders to the German made Union drums.

 

[GTs58]

They were still making that style tandem in the Paramount Shop in the 1970s. They were known a close coupled bikes. I sold one in Madison at the Brazen Dropouts Swap a couple of years ago. Drop bars and Campy derailleurs. I also at one time owned a T&C T005143 and that was built in the early 1950s. Roger

I've seen only two T&C's with a T005XXX serial number and both were built in either 1963 or 62. Both had stainless fenders and didn't resemble any that were built in the 50's.