Im glad you are a member of the cabe sir, its great to have someone who was on Schwinn's payroll here to fill in all the missing info on rare Schwinn bicycles. Since i think you are the only person i can ask. Is this bicycle something schwinn actually did? Or is this a total fake? Also what do you think of the sellers price?
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#1 That's BS on the price. TOTAL BS! $22,000. The bike has no history, IMO.
#2 This bike is only about a mile or two from me (and my former boss Dave Staub), I have never seen it, nor have I ever heard anything about it. Those photos were taken in Old Town Orange, CA where we rode last weekend. Since it's so close to me tell them I would be happy to look it over in person, bring it by anytime.
#3 My former boss (now deceased) who worked for Schwinn Bicycle Company starting in 1963 knew nothing about this bike. We drove to work together 38 miles one way "every day", and all we talked about was "bicycles, and bicycle racing". He was the Schwinn Bicycle Company North Western Regional Manager in 1967. Sig Mork was before him, and when Sig was promoted, Dave took his position.
#4 Schwinn custom built "five or six" three seater's (late 50's early 60's and one was at Disneyland) but they were based on the older Town and Country model, just stretched. They did not look like the tandem in your photo. They used the T&C style chain guards. If Schwinn would have had an order for a custom built tandem, and "if" they would have been interested in building it, it would have been built in their Paramount Department. You can still contact Richard Schwinn at Waterford, WI. to confirm if Paramount built it in 1967. There's no reason why Schwinn would have used some modified stock production electro forged frames to build something like this. They had Frank Brilandro, head of their engineering department that would have his department design a custom unit using Town and Country or Paramount Tandem parts. Frank over saw custom building of the Schwinn Paramount Track Tandems that Schwinn donated every four years to the U.S. Olympic Team. Anything in a Custom Schwinn Tandem would have had his fingerprints and have come through the Paramount cage.
#5 Schwinn built several versions of the Twinn Tandem. They made Men's/Ladies, and Ladies/Ladies frames. They made frames for lightweight (1 1/4") wheels, and they made frames for the middleweight (1 3/4") wheels. They made single speed, two speed kick back automatics, and five speed derailer models. They made a Sting Ray Mini Twinn in 1968.
#6 If Schwinn would have built the bike in your photo, you can bet they would have engineered a better kickstand. The kickstand on the Town and Country models bolted to the crank excentric to make it more centrally mounted.
The frame in your photo looks like a garage fabricated frame to me. It looks like two Ladies/ladies Twinn frames welded together with top tubes added.
Just my opinion.
I did not start working for the Schwinn Family until 1978. My family operated Schwinn Dealerships since 1958.
By the way, were you aware that Schwinn's 125,000 square foot distribution center was in your back yard, at Rancho Cucamonga, CA.? It was just south of Foothill, very close to the Pro Ball Park.
John Palmer
