MYSTERIOUS BIKE FRAME HELP? is it a SCHWINN?

[TheSignGuy]

Hey so I am interested in a so called tandem frame it is bare from too to bottom but I have 0% idea of who's brand this could be all I know is its a 1950s model by the looks it simular to a schwinn 20 inch girls cruiser bike from 1949 I will post a picture of a bike I previously sold.


The Schwinn girls 20 inch cruiser was built in 12/08/1949 (First picture)

https://offerupnow.com/item/detail/134889050/1949-schwinn-tornado-20-rebuilt-serviced-already​

The second picture which is the frame looks like the frame of that cruiser multiplied x2.

https://offerupnow.com/item/detail/19617927/vintage-tandem-bike-frame​

What I do know during the time Jc higgins, Murray, Schwinn, and huffy during the time built all simular bikes murray was direct competition of schwinn matching it's look up to about the nose, while huffy was the same but with different color but quality.


Out of the brands huffy and jc higgins where box store brands which in theory reduces the value vs a direct schwinn.


Due to it lacks so many parts this frame should be repainted vintage or not because it's bare.

 

[crassius]

style and angles of that tandem frame make it look home-made

 

[TheSignGuy]

style and angles of that tandem frame make it look home-made

I figured that because schwinn made a tandem but it did not look like that one, there's one online but it also has no name as well in Google images that is. Homemade frame seems like a debt. I've got pocket money but I am not going to flip a bike if it doesn't have well known background if there's two serials under that case it's both home made tandems but it looks rusted so it can't be new.

 

[Allen_Wrench]

I'm pretty sure that was homemade too. The way the forward seat tube goes through the head tube of the more-complete frame behind it, and just the overall way it seems to be joined together, seems to say "scratch build". That's not to say this is a bad thing. If the welds are good and sound and the frame isn't rusted through anywhere, it can still be okay. I do wonder, however, if proper rake-and-trail were taken into account when the front section of the frame was mounted to the middle. Long tandem bikes tend to not corner quite as well as regular single-seat bikes. Being short on trail would make it a real bear to deal with.

 

[TheSignGuy]

I'm pretty sure that was homemade too. The way the forward seat tube goes through the head tube of the more-complete frame behind it, and just the overall way it seems to be joined together, seems to say "scratch build". That's not to say this is a bad thing. If the welds are good and sound and the frame isn't rusted through anywhere, it can still be okay. I do wonder, however, if proper rake-and-trail were taken into account when the front section of the frame was mounted to the middle. Long tandem bikes tend to not corner quite as well as regular single-seat bikes. Being short on trail would make it a real bear to deal with.

Guy claims he got it at a swap meet in Tacoma, Wa this would have to be built for less then $100 to put a $300.00 price tag on would be cool to add a spindle in the rear for an engine but throttle cables are notoriously short. Would have to say the most expensive part off the build is tires and rims seeing it would need a flip flop hub in the rear. As a basic build needs bars and a chain with correct rims to be exact an engine can always go on later but it seems extensively long.

By it being a bunch of chopped up schwinns and huffy bikes from the 50s it's still very valuable. A trip to the university district and the whole bike can be built off road garbage for next to nothing.


Another idea for it is to piss bus users off by charging per occupant thus which is why it's a good idea to pack an engine.

 

[bairdco]

Looks like a piece of junk. Totally homemade from two junk frames. No value whatsoever.

Doesn't matter what brand frames they used to be, now they're worth nothing.

Intact, non-tandem vintage schwinn girl's frames are worth $50 or less.

I've seen good condition schwinn tandems sell from $150 and up. If you want a tandem, don't buy this one.

If you want a tandem to flip and make some money off of, don't buy this one. And, don't buy a tandem in the first place, if you're trying to flip it for money.

No one wants tandems. There's a saying in the vintage bike crowd, "the two best things about a tandem are the day you buy it, and the day you sell it."

 

[TheSignGuy]

Looks like a piece of junk. Totally homemade from two junk frames. No value whatsoever.

Doesn't matter what brand frames they used to be, now they're worth nothing.

Intact, non-tandem vintage schwinn girl's frames are worth $50 or less.

I've seen good condition schwinn tandems sell from $150 and up. If you want a tandem, don't buy this one.

If you want a tandem to flip and make some money off of, don't buy this one. And, don't buy a tandem in the first place, if you're trying to flip it for money.

No one wants tandems. There's a saying in the vintage bike crowd, "the two best things about a tandem are the day you buy it, and the day you sell it."

Amen to that,

My 49 sold for $66.00 after cleaned up, inspection, rear end, and crank rebuild.
Still had a lot of patina left just not on the rims and all brought it for $40.00 spent 5 bucks on removing rust with apple cider vinigar and baking soda. Was a crusty sob but I made a dollar per year of age, only way to revive that home made tandem is to chop it and add a cargo rear end on the back. Took 2 months to sell but worth it for the enthusiast only thing it needed was one NOS tire I can say I'm openly honest when it comes to resales. If it needs something I am not going to lie about it.

Right now trying to sell my 2010 trek alpha 4300 for $75.00 custom aluminum bike fully rebuilt has had a derailer swap from a new crappy style derailer which was missing when I got it to the old dependable NOS suntour VX derailer which is worth about 40 by its self.

Shifts like Butter ,


After raging and mangling a crappy centurion super tour 15 that's what I could salvage after the rims exploded.

THAT DAY was one of those bad mechanic days with a client lost a bit of control looking to help this guy out and totalled it off a barricade lol.


"NOT to mention I got front ended before leaving town one small imprefection in a rim on a perfect bike T's me off been this way for 3 years since leaving university district. First time I had someone clip me on a brand new rim fresh out of recycled cycles that cost me $35.00 cash."

Ever ride a bike so long that you just stop caring when someone cuts you off? HAHA I just collide into people these days, so if their fender gets knocked in they deserve it anyway I don't like wobbles in my front rim you can feel it kick like old raggity front tires that have a bulge.


When I feel it's worthless and won't sell fast enough I'll just crash it so no one can use it.

WHAT do you guys and girls think of the vintage JC higgins bikes, they are pretty much logoless excluding the front plating, and some of their cranks have the name in it.

I find it easy to repaint possiable throw in a rear end mod to go from single speed to 8 speed.