Schwinn used large amounts of seamless , "straight-gauge" , 4130 , chromium-molybdenum , "aircraft-tubing" .
Schwinn did large amounts of hand-done , fillet-brazing .
>From 1938 , to 1979 :
Superior , New World , Tourist Continental ( yes , an early 1950's Continental is a hand-made 3-Speed ! ) , Superior ( the "new" version ) , Super Sport , Sports Tourer , Superior ( the even newer version ) , Sport Limited . . .
And of course , all of the Paramount Tandems !!
Yes , many folks find the hand-made Schwinn frames , in the small sizes , to be too stiff , and too heavy . Schwinn built them stiff and heavy , perhaps too stiff and too heavy . And then , for the larger frame sizes ( 26-inch for sure , perhaps 25-inch as well ) , Schwinn used special thicker-wall top tubes !!
With their reputation for building all of the hand-made frames stiff and heavy , and with the large amounts of Chrome-Moly steel tubing they were using , I'd expect that they used stronger tubing in the Paramount Tandems .
But honestly , I just don't know .
And , by they way , they used SEVERAL different designs for the Paramount tandem frames .
Raoul Delmare
Marysville Kansas
> While I love old tandems, and while in my experience the best of the
> old tandems easily surpass the newest ones in handling and comfort,
> oversize tubing seems to be an important characteristic of great
> tandems. (For examples of French tandems with OS tubing from the
> 1930s through 1950s, see the "Image Archive" on the VBQ web site.)
>
> As I understand it, both the Paramount nor the Peugeot are made from
> single-bike tubing. The Paramount with its twin laterals adding
> significantly to the stiffness, may ride OK, especially for
> non-competitive riding. Peugeots have a mixed reputation at best.
>
> Third brakes: These may be needed for cautious riders (who brake so
> much that the rims heat up), for very long descents with numerous
> switchbacks (once again, too much braking), or for loaded touring
> (too much weight). Around here in the western United States, where
> descents either are short (nothing beyond 2 miles if it is twisty) or
> wide open (not requiring much braking), I always have felt two
> cantilever brakes are adequate. That said, for the French Alps, most
> French constructeurs used an added drum brake.
>
> Disclaimer: I have ridden neither the Peugeot nor the Paramount
> tandems. My conclusions are based on what I have heard from people
> familiar with various machines.
>
> The beefy forks on the Paramount probably are similar to those on
> Jack Taylors. They are strong and heavy. Many French tandems used a
> tapered steerer tube, which takes an oversize bottom headset race and
> a standard top one. The critical joint of steerer to fork crown
> (where tandem forks tend to break) is as strong, but the entire fork
> is much lighter.
>
> However, a broken fork is disastrous, and an all too common thing on
> some tandems. So a single-bike fork (non-OS headset) on a tandem
> should be viewed with suspicion.
>
> For those looking for a classic tandem with a realistic price, try
> finding an old Jack Taylor. The quality is so-so, but the ride equals
> that of the greatest French machines. And they were imported by the
> hundreds.
>
> --
> Jan Heine, Seattle
> Editor/Publisher
> Vintage Bicycle Quarterly
> http://www.mindspring.com/
>
> >Any thoughts on this Peugeot tandem? It looks pretty similar to the
> >Paramount......The Peugeot is lugged, I wonder what the tubing is?
> >
> >Rod Kronenberg
> >Fort Collins, CO
> >
> >
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org
> >[mailto:classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org] On Behalf Of HM & SS
> >Sachs
> >Sent: Sunday, April 18, 2004 7:45 PM
> >To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org; ADP; chardowner@yahoo.com
> >Subject: [CR]Re: 73 Paramount Tandem on eBay.
> >
> >Ann Phillips nicely outed the following Paramount Tandem. Although
> >somewhat older, the bike is very similar to one friends had in
> >Princeton, NJ a few years later. WRT the bike and the description, I'd
> >make a few comments that might be helpful to the list and to the seller
> >(copied):
> >
> >1) All tandems of that vintage were pretty close-coupled (short
> >front-to-back). The back rider in particular typically had a postion
> >like on a "roadster." This may be longer than our Town & Country (61"
> >wheelbase) on which we have done much more than 10,000 mi, but it ain't
> >like your fit-kit or equiv. single. Notice the short rear stem.
> >
> >2) Of course the frame material is steel. I have never seen one labeled
> >as Reynolds 531, and the catalogue for that year makes no tubing claim
> >for that model; they were generally considered to be aircraft-grade 4130
> >(similar to Columbus, but not butted). BTW, the "twin lateral" design
> >has been largely discarded: expensive, and doesn't give good torsional
> >rigidity.
> >
> >3) The gearing has been changed substantially. These came from the
> >factory as 10-speed with same-side drive, front derailleur mounted on
> >the rear seat tube. This has been changed to drive from the front
> >(which I have done, too, on curved-tube tandems), and has been converted
> >to cross-over drive.
> >
> >4) Schwinns come from Chicago; Chicago may have wind but it doesn't have
> >Major League Mountains. At that time, Schwinns did not have a third
> >(rear hub) brake. Where we rode, this made me uncomfortable, and I have
> >always preferred the safety and redundancy of the third brake (which,
> >however, I did not put on my mountain tandem, which never went
> >fast,,,,).
> >
> >In short, it has been changed to improve performance, and it will
> >certainly meet needs of many couples, and bring a lot of fun. But, there
> >are some errors in the description, and work would be required to make
> >it wholy authentic (like finding two left-side and one right-side TA
> >crank arms), which would make it less useful. It would be a great
> >"starter" tandem if the price is right and the buyers understand its
> >limitations, but most "serious" couples would move on for a primary
> >tandem, finances permitting.
> >
> >
> >Your mileage may vary.
> >
> >harvey sachs
> >mcLean VA
> >
> >http://ebay.com/<blah>
> >4072&rd=1
> >
> >or ebay # 3672204072
> >
> >With description carefully cut and pasted from the Schwinn Lightweight
> >databook <g>.
> >
> >Ann Phillips, Decatur Ga