Franken Tandems are typically 2 bicycle framess welded together to make a tandem. They are sometimes offered for sale as rare and valuable antiques by owners who just don't know any better. Claimed to be a Schwinn or Monarch or what ever brand can be determined from one of the two donor bikes or some branded part bolted on. An experienced eye can spot these junkers a mile a way. I'll admit I've built a few but I never tried to sell one as anything other than two bikes welded together. Franken tandems have been built for almost as long as tandem bikes have been built. Some are nicely done, others not. Some are death traps, some are fully functional although often quite heavy or under built in critical stress locations. I built several kids tandems from Sting Rays after the fad was over in 1980. Who knew those bikes would become so valuable later on? Another of my builds was two Huffy Tandems brass brazed together to make a Quad which is still operational after 35 years. Feel free to add any such photos to this gallery.
Rick
Rick
