Muscle Mini Twinn

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outskirtscustoms said:
Also has these little block nubs on the forward crank housing and kickstand barrel in the rear. There looks to be a hole for a cable to run through. It's got me puzzled as to exactly what the story is here. No other Schwinn tandem looked like the mini twin (26" and 24" versions) both had a third stay between the seat stay and chain stay. Date code puts it at March of 68, also has other bolt tabs with factory looking screws you wouldn't need for a single speed or kickback model.

If this is someone's creation I must say bravo! đź‘Ź

I'm going to be painting it VHT burnt copper which is really close to the Schwinn Coppertone color that would have been one of the 3 available colors along with Sky Blue and Campus Green.
View attachment 212297View attachment 212298View attachment 212299
Did this a while back with the same paint so this is the color.View attachment 212300
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That color will work great.
I believe it's a modified bike, as the nubs and things must have been brazed on. They did a good job. The BB caps may hide some of the original paint. You'll have to pop them off to get a look. The bike must have been sandblasted because there's no hint of anything other than red.
 
OddJob said:
So I'm assuming those are 20" wheels, by the handlebar height being below bench level? :grin:

Don't believe I've ever seen one of these. Really cool idea and build bike!
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Got it mostly sanded down and took the old wire wheel to a few tight spots around the crank housings.

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there is a bolt tab here on the rear by the rear derailleur area nicely added and very correct looking.

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There are also these water bottle cage screws in front and back that were caked in paint that suggest this mini twin has been modified at one point by someone with some skills. All the cable stays look legit or very very nicely done. Bravo to whoever did the work on this.

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Rear bridge is much more sloppy than all the rest of the mods. Not at all like the rest which makes me think it was done much later in the bike's life. I'm taking it out and fitting a new piece in there.
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So opinions wanted... Just how sacrilegious would it be to make a 68 Mini Twin tandem lowrider? I would probably take this $30 lowrider brand front fork I picked up over in muncie apart and paint match the fork legs and leave the twisted rods chrome. Probably use these bars on the rear.
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I am getting this one in tomorrow for parts. Mainly the coaster brake straight 48 spoked wheels. $35 well spent.

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These will serve temporary duty till I build a wheel set for it much later down the road.
 
So I went to Peru today and picked up parts bike number 2.
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This $35 Facebook find will be donating it's wheels to the tandem. They are surprisingly good condition. And with the coaster brake it simplifies the drive line.
 
Went up to Andrews today and picked up an awesome side project. A full size Schwinn Deluxe Twinn tandem 5 speed to go along with my Mini Twinn tandem. Has all the accessories too, generator, speedometer, taillight, even a drum brake hub in the back too. $100 and an hour each way. Road trip! Also stopped in Marion at Don's Tap a local bar and grille and got the all you can eat fish and fries. Mmmmmm so good.
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I
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Starting to get a nice collection going...lol.
I really need to get to building.

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With a rear drum brake? That's a deal!

You could use all that Schwinn stuff on the mini, just re-lace the hubs to the 20" rims. Chain wheels too, but the crank arms are probably too long.
 
Wildcat said:
With a rear drum brake? That's a deal!

You could use all that Schwinn stuff on the mini, just re-lace the hubs to the 20" rims. Chain wheels too, but the crank arms are probably too long.
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I already got these from eBay. Date code correct 1968 tandem cranks.
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And I already have a designated parts bike for the mini twin. I plan to lace these Schwinn Continental 10 speed hubs to 20" wheels for the mini twin.
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outskirtscustoms said:
I already got these from eBay. Date code correct 1968 tandem cranks. View attachment 213046
And I already have a designated parts bike for the mini twin. I plan to lace these Schwinn Continental 10 speed hubs to 20" wheels for the mini twin.
View attachment 213048
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I remember that being your plan for the wheels, but I thought the drum brake would be a good addition.


I looked at the pics again. The cranks for the mini twinn are shorter than the usual ones as seen here:
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The ones that came on it painted red look like longer standard cranks also. With the lowrider forks might be a pedal scraper.
 
I recently brought a Schwinn Twinn back to life for a friend. I found the drum brake to be a pain in the butt. You have to detach the cable every time you remove the rear wheel. I rebuilt the drum brake, which was surprisingly simple. However it wasn’t a powerful brake at all. I would be hesitant to re use the drum brake.
 
twojs.bike said:
I recently brought a Schwinn Twinn back to life for a friend. I found the drum brake to be a pain in the butt. You have to detach the cable every time you remove the rear wheel. I rebuilt the drum brake, which was surprisingly simple. However it wasn’t a powerful brake at all. I would be hesitant to re use the drum brake.
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I'll probably keep it just out of nostalgia but I'll probably add a caliper brake on the rear just for extra insurance.
 
Ok so some progress to report I did a test spray on the original fork and was able to straighten it to a satisfactory shape so I'll be using it instead of going full lowrider. The VHT burnt copper color is perfect for this bike. I had to throw the wheels on to get an idea and feel for it and bam! It's poppin'!
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