tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post7963718602942005628..comments2024-03-28T11:56:48.304-04:00Comments on The Retrogrouch: Schwinn Duo Sport TandemBrookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12110998345857993287noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-7784209047066176622022-01-26T13:12:21.214-05:002022-01-26T13:12:21.214-05:00"I do have a funny story about a time I had t..."I do have a funny story about a time I had to ride the tandem by myself once. I may have to share it here on the blog some time, if I don't have a better subject."<br /><br />I read this thought some (long) time ago, when I ran into this blog, don't exactly remember how, and it came to my mind recently. I would appreciate a lot to hear the complete story, if you feel inclined to share it ever.<br /><br />Don't want to miss the opportunity to say thanks for all the photos, chronicles and preferences you've posted already in this place. They all show fine good taste, wich usually comes hand in hand with good sense.<br /><br />Best regards from the Basque Country!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-81764270297820211232020-07-21T17:29:38.569-04:002020-07-21T17:29:38.569-04:00I used a Dia Compe BMX model called "Hombre&q...I used a Dia Compe BMX model called "Hombre" (I believe also listed as AD996) -- which seemed very similar in quality to the original brakes, but had longer slots for the pads for more length adjustment. It's possible the original brakes would have worked with the 700c conversion, but the reach looked a little "iffy" to me, and the Hombre brakes made the conversion simple. Being marketed as BMX brakes normally, they seem to be available in lots of colors -- luckily they also came in silver. Brookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07155391319606812982noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-19042409259837616692020-07-21T11:15:48.483-04:002020-07-21T11:15:48.483-04:00Could you please let me know what brand/model of U...Could you please let me know what brand/model of U-brake caliper you used? I have an identical duo-sport (but in red) and have been considering the 700c conversion.M@https://www.blogger.com/profile/16603222265974082943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-5036957158555761822019-05-10T12:55:49.112-04:002019-05-10T12:55:49.112-04:00I've got this bike it's all there just lik...I've got this bike it's all there just like it came out of store white everyhing original want to sell make offer be real or dont offer at all it's a one of a kindAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13888787705172441983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-3417207377915085342017-04-29T08:11:55.485-04:002017-04-29T08:11:55.485-04:00I actually had a couple articles on that topic. ht...I actually had a couple articles on that topic. http://bikeretrogrouch.blogspot.com/2014/09/give-em-good-shellacking.html<br />http://bikeretrogrouch.blogspot.com/2016/04/new-old-bike-project-wrapping-bars.html<br /><br />I hope those prove useful.Brookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12110998345857993287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-30713371231364658092017-04-29T03:14:30.337-04:002017-04-29T03:14:30.337-04:00Hi, I have a slightly more modern KHS steel tandem...Hi, I have a slightly more modern KHS steel tandem in True Temper steel tubing. The rear wheels is threaded to accept a drum brake so I did some research about that - short answer is that unless you are riding somewhere with really long descents like the Rockies you will never heat the rims up enough with braking for it to be a problem. I swapped out the front V Brake for a Magura Hydraulic brake I picked up off Ebay for a few bucks but just with V brakes it would stop fine.<br /><br />Nice bike, would like to see a how to post on doing cotton shellac tape sometime><br /><br />Love your blogDrMobilehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16442562541379180286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-53379509578823344082016-02-23T05:59:13.950-05:002016-02-23T05:59:13.950-05:00Mr Grouch - as the one who originally asked about ...Mr Grouch - as the one who originally asked about your tandem, I thought you'd like to know that I have purchased a road tandem of my own. Its built in 1990 from Ishiwata 0245 chrome-moly and "modelled" after a Santana of the time. Came with Magura hydraylic rim brakes, which are good enough to raise the rear wheel when riding it solo! There's also a rear drum brake in the rear.<br /><br />Some pictures are found here<br />http://criggie.org.nz/pictures/?gallery=bikes/tandem<br /><br />My stoker is only 12, so we've had to rotate the drop bars for reach. Adjustable stoker stems seem to be somewhat rare, which is why PO made his own.<br /><br />Curiously it has a 700c rear and a 27" front wheel. Can't see it, need a tape measure to show the difference.<br /><br />The bike rides straight wonderfully with one or two riders. However in corners its a strange sensation, the bike wants to stand itself back up and keep going straight. <br /><br />And yes, it has full sized mudguards (fenders) and front and rear racks.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16403404432975893648noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-64314540537122631682016-01-03T11:59:46.975-05:002016-01-03T11:59:46.975-05:00What an awesome find. I've often dreamed of ha...What an awesome find. I've often dreamed of having a tandem so the wife and I could ride together but I'm afraid I would look back and find her with feet propped on the handlebars while smoking a cigarette. I like your choice of components and color. Some people might describe that shade of olive as merde verte d'oie(perhaps because it shows up on so many classic french bikes)but I think it's very handsome. One doesn't see many tandems out on the road much less get to ride along with one. I do remember one year at Ragbrai doing some cat6 racing with a father/daughter on a red Burley tandem. I could drop them easily on a hillclimb(yes there are hills in Iowa)but when the road leveled out they seemed to have no problem reeling me in. If the flat continued for very long I had to pour on the coals or they would have shown me their heels. Tandems sort of remind me of the bicycle version on a twin enginned dry lake speedster.Phillip Cowanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01553979458131339924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-83004222426546897602016-01-03T00:03:07.799-05:002016-01-03T00:03:07.799-05:00Actually, the desire to get a tandem came from the...Actually, the desire to get a tandem came from the fact that my wife is far less active or athletic than I am, and gets very self conscious about going slow, or holding me back, or what-have-you. I thought it might be a way for us to ride together - truly together, with no worries about her being able to "keep up." We used to ride two-up on motorcycles for a time, and we've tried to follow similar practices when riding the tandem -- for example, when stopped at lights, etc, she'll keep her feet in the pedals just as she used to keep them up on the pegs, while I keep us both balanced. That's good practice on the tandem, as she can start applying power to the pedals right away as we try to get started from a stop. Or when cornering, she already understood about leaning together in synch when turning. <br /><br />I do have a funny story about a time I had to ride the tandem by myself once. I may have to share it here on the blog some time, if I don't have a better subject.Brookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12110998345857993287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-90650571712169444442016-01-02T22:08:45.369-05:002016-01-02T22:08:45.369-05:00That rejuvenation is beautifully conceived and exe...That rejuvenation is beautifully conceived and executed. I'd love to learn whether you approach riding a tandem any differently than individual bikes, if there is a shared mindset about venturing forth or a certain kind of riding that calls for the tandem, aside from whatever teamwork peculiarities there are. Or whether it's just about what mood you're in that day.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-76526384754565172532016-01-01T17:41:01.161-05:002016-01-01T17:41:01.161-05:00point taken. Yes - the workmanship is quite nice.point taken. Yes - the workmanship is quite nice.Brookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12110998345857993287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-50008754109257708602016-01-01T17:20:35.590-05:002016-01-01T17:20:35.590-05:00In the second paragraph the post says "...but...In the second paragraph the post says "...but built in Japan...". I'd amend that to say "...AND built in Japan....". By the late 80s, Japan was turning out far better products than the US or Italy. This includes cars and cameras! tjanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06131191327216687024noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-55426187126651406812015-12-31T09:09:30.735-05:002015-12-31T09:09:30.735-05:00Ahh, so you have one too. Good point about the ext...Ahh, so you have one too. Good point about the extra brake on the front. It occurs to me that the late Sheldon Brown had a lot of tandem info on his site, and there may be more there on the topic. I'll have to look. And I agree with you, that for the riding I do with it, the brakes lack nothing.Brookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12110998345857993287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-21763924063301000052015-12-30T23:40:42.349-05:002015-12-30T23:40:42.349-05:00As a point of Duo Sport trivia, the two model size...As a point of Duo Sport trivia, the two model sizes came with different sized handle bars. I found out due to a boxing/labeling error by Schwinn. The 1989 Duo Sport was the last bicycle purchase while I was a Schwinn mechanic in college. Since I got it for 10% under wholesale I "had" to assemble it on my own time. After assembling it and taking it home I discovered that the rear was too tall for my wife who needed the 19" frame. Upon measuring I discovered that I actually had the 23/21 frame rather than the 21/19. Schwinn sent out another Duo Sport and rather than setting up another complete bike I just transferred all the parts. (Schwinn required a full setup and tune-up on new bikes including the first truing of the wheels. The transfer of parts was faster.) When I looked at the handle bars of the 21/19 I discovered that the drop and width were smaller. Due to the mix-up I came out ahead on the deal since my thighs would just touch the narrower handle bars.<br /><br />BTW, nice write-up.<br /><br />David D. NelsonGizmohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03556169075856492902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-8878759352475239642015-12-30T23:27:07.743-05:002015-12-30T23:27:07.743-05:00I would not want a drag brake on the front because...I would not want a drag brake on the front because if you are cruising down a hill and hit a slick spot causing the front wheel to lock up you will lose steering ability and risk going down faster than you can blink.<br /><br />Maybe I haven't gone down too many really long steep hills but I haven't found the braking to be lacking on my 1989 Duo Sport.Gizmohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03556169075856492902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-4192057498772025292015-12-30T08:17:54.363-05:002015-12-30T08:17:54.363-05:00Thank you for the info.Thank you for the info.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00518909092982637229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-51629861754351482942015-12-29T12:35:21.797-05:002015-12-29T12:35:21.797-05:00Oh -- to answer your question, I did do the lug li...Oh -- to answer your question, I did do the lug lining myself. Sharpie paint pen, extra fine point. They're easy to use, are oil-based, so mostly permanent, though if you screw it up, you can clean it off easily with alcohol. Brookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12110998345857993287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-30738775036839617842015-12-29T12:32:26.669-05:002015-12-29T12:32:26.669-05:00I hadn't actually thought about that, but I su...I hadn't actually thought about that, but I suppose it might work. Drag brakes are almost always located on the back wheel, though, I'm not sure of the reason. Maybe a more serious tandem rider can comment?Brookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12110998345857993287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-7846816327243323322015-12-29T12:30:10.980-05:002015-12-29T12:30:10.980-05:00Not a dumb question. Those are called "dummy ...Not a dumb question. Those are called "dummy levers" though that sounds insulting. They don't actually do anything, but provide another grip. In the "before" pictures you can see the original ones, which were very simple and kind of resemble big padded knobs (and the previous owner had them installed in a weird, almost useless location). I had a nicer set that look more like brake levers with short, truncated levers.Brookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12110998345857993287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-27169952985740305882015-12-29T11:24:02.285-05:002015-12-29T11:24:02.285-05:00Very nice bike. The choice of colours is classic a...Very nice bike. The choice of colours is classic and classy.<br /><br />One question tough, what about the short brake levers on the stroker handlebar? I have never been on a tandem, so sorry if the question is stupid, but do the levers do something or its just for your hands to rest on? Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00518909092982637229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-16153356683353378852015-12-29T09:45:14.132-05:002015-12-29T09:45:14.132-05:00Absolutely true about the lack of lugs on tandems ...Absolutely true about the lack of lugs on tandems and the reason why. Interesting thing about the lugs on this model is that they were offered for sale commercially for a while. What I'd be interested to know is whether these lugs were available before Schwinn decided to use them, or if the Schwinn designers commissioned the lugs themselves, and the casting company then made them available later.<br /><br />A different note, that you may have noticed before, is the tandems Mercian have built which almost look like they're lugged, but in actuality are fillet brazed, with some extra reinforcement pieces brazed on - what some builders call "bi-laminated". I'd love to have one of those.Brookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12110998345857993287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-54637577053440156512015-12-29T09:30:51.283-05:002015-12-29T09:30:51.283-05:00You're right about the logos on those seat pos...You're right about the logos on those seat posts. A little logo removal might be in order.Brookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12110998345857993287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-26260090360867841172015-12-29T09:07:34.741-05:002015-12-29T09:07:34.741-05:00What an excellent looking bike! There's somet...What an excellent looking bike! There's something about a green bike with a honey saddle, clean gumwalls, and fresh shellac on the tape that really says, "classy".<br />Did you do the lug lines yourself? Good call on the gold w/ the gold decal.<br /><br />I've used similar seatposts before for the oddball Schwinn sizes. The incongruity of the modern logo on the post vs. the old bike bugs me, and led me to discover that a bit of acetone takes the logo right off.<br /><br /><br />Heh, everytime you post anything with Schwinn in it, it grabs me. I've mentioned many times my affinity for them. Made in Japan likely means that the frame was made by Panasonic, which is a very good thing, IMO. <br />That's nice that Mrs. RetroGrouch rides with you.<br /><br /><br /><br />Wolf.N/Ahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14710395292374599493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-70825123138888088392015-12-29T02:23:26.497-05:002015-12-29T02:23:26.497-05:00The olive green finish and gold outlining are a gr...The olive green finish and gold outlining are a great choice, especially with the honey Brooks saddle. (Olive and honey. Hmm...)<br /><br />The reason lugs are so seldom used on tandems is that a builder would almost have to make the lugs him/her self, as even the best commercially-available lugs are rarely, if never, made for the geometries and other configurative details (attached lateral tubes like the ones found on classic mixtes, for instance) needed for tandems. Justine Valinottihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10852069587181432102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-61971560359357177822015-12-29T01:53:45.546-05:002015-12-29T01:53:45.546-05:00What about a dual front brake setup by adding a dr...What about a dual front brake setup by adding a drum to the front hub?teamdarbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10730985048207207697noreply@blogger.com