# 1989 Schwinn Duo Sport Tandem



## djmuff (Aug 7, 2006)

I love 80s-era bikes. I love lugs. I love steel. And I have a soft spot for Schwinns. So when I saw this on craigslist, I snagged it up quick. It's a 1989 Schwinn Duo Sport, and it was mostly original when I got it save for a flat bar and stem in the front and the switch to Suntour XC Pro thumb shifters and brake levers. 

After I brought it home I went through it and started making some changes. First to go was the wheels- the original front had been swapped up for a generic, and I had a nice set of 36-hole 700c Velocitys laying around, already laced up do a DA 9speed rear and an American Classic front. I put on some new Maxxis 38c tires and was happy to see everything matched up well, from axle spacing to brake alignment.

Next to go was the original Suntour derailleur- swapped for a Shimano XT I had in my parts bin. Cranks and bottom brackets are on the list, but for now I just cleaned and repacked the BB's and re-installed everything. The flat bar and stem it came with were bad, so I swapped them out for a Ritchey stem and a Kore bar, leaving the XC Pro levers and shifters (running friction, so 9-speed is not an issue.) New 9-speed chain, new grips up front, and new front pads and it was ready to go. Oh, and I installed some old XT pedals for the time being, front and rear. 

I eventually want to put some drop bars on the front again, and some different seats (and probably seatposts too) but for now it's a really fun ride. Any other vintage tandems out there?

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## brewster (Jun 15, 2004)

Quite a practical and stout machine there given most our significant other situations. Good swap on the wheel and tires. Maxxis Overdrive are great tires to handle a heavier load. That gearing looks a little aspirational if you have any hills to contend with. You might consider some Titec H bars for the back seat. They have multiple positions and the persons can sit up a little using the partial sweep back on the bars. I wish I had that bike.....it's about the only way I could ever get my spousal unit to ride with me.


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## Bocephus Jones II (Oct 7, 2004)

Those Ubrakes (least I think they are because of the way they're mounted) like you have on the rear suck. Cables are always snapping and then you're SOL unless you have a spare because the spring will push it against the tire--stuff always getting gunked up in them also and they have a tendency to come out of adjustment which unfixed can trash your tire when they rub.


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## raymonda (Jan 31, 2007)

If you are ever looking to sell it, let me know. There are not too many small pilot tandems out there.


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## djmuff (Aug 7, 2006)

Thanks for the responses! The rear cassette is pretty narrow, but it's fine for the time being. I have a wider mountain bike cassette for the hills. 

The U-brakes are pretty solid actually- they are Dia Compe 990s, and they work pretty well. I was able to lock the rear up if I grabbed a lot of lever, and with new pads the front was satisfactory. Would I rather have discs? Sure. But I don't feel dissatisfied with these brakes. 

And I've never snapped a cable on a bike. Not one in good condition, anyways.

Will do, raymonda.


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## Bocephus Jones II (Oct 7, 2004)

djmuff said:


> Thanks for the responses! The rear cassette is pretty narrow, but it's fine for the time being. I have a wider mountain bike cassette for the hills.
> 
> The U-brakes are pretty solid actually- they are Dia Compe 990s, and they work pretty well. I was able to lock the rear up if I grabbed a lot of lever, and with new pads the front was satisfactory. Would I rather have discs? Sure. But I don't feel dissatisfied with these brakes.
> 
> ...


To be fair my experience with Ubrakes was on a late 80s mountain bike. They'd pick up mud something terrible and if the cable broke the spring would push the calipers against the wheel making it impossible to ride. I had to jury-rig a stick to hold the calipers off to get back to the trailhead a few times. Then they'd always be going out of adjustment and rubbing on the tires. I ruined a couple of tires that way.


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## sport7 (Jan 10, 2010)

wow, nice bike. I bought an old Schwinn Duo Sport last year in need of much repair. Yours looks so much nicer as the paint is mostly on the bike. Mine is white too, but some of the paint missing and i put some rust inhibitor over that.


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## djmuff (Aug 7, 2006)

I love it when my threads get random first-time posters.  

buyerfind- hope you have a successful sale. Your bike is a little beat, and I think you are asking too much, but that's just me. I paid $200 for my Duo-Sport.




sport7 said:


> The bike seat post is not too sturdy, the bolt must be maxed out to hold the rear seat, so wondering if there is any solution to that.


Might be the wrong size post- as in too small. Mine is fine, no issues. 




sport7 said:


> Also i still have the original Sun Tour rear derailleur on, shifts ok most of the time, but prolly something better out there.


What shifters are you using? I'm running 7-speed Suntor XCPro thumbies with a 9-speed DA rear cassette and a XT rear derailleur. They work great- because I'm running them in friction. I'm planning on switching to down tube shifters eventually, or maybe bar-cons (and drop bars).



sport7 said:


> How did the change over to 700c wheels go? i have thought about it, but it seems this six speed free wheel is all we need and the 27 x 1 1/4 tires from Wallmart are sufficient.


Walmart wheels are not sufficient. Cheap wheels and tandems do not mix. And the swap to 700c was simple and easy with no problems.




sport7 said:


> It appears that you have quick release wheels; were those a problem on the bike? Did you have to spread the rear dropout to get the 9 speed in there. i think my rear has enuf room for a 7 speed, but it probably not worth it to throw a free wheel in there.


No, the QR wheels were not a problem. Is there a reason why you think they would be? And I mentioned above in an earlier post that I had no spacing issues. 




sport7 said:


> The sticker says Paramount chrome moly steel, that gives the bike special value, perhaps it is a Paramount at heart.


No extra value, but it's still a nice bike. Good to hear you had fun rebuilding this bike, and very good to hear you are helping someone get on a bike who otherwise would be unable to. Keep riding, and save up for some new wheels.


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## sport7 (Jan 10, 2010)

Did you need to spread your rear dropouts to get the 9 speed in there? thanks


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## sport7 (Jan 10, 2010)

bump.


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## djmuff (Aug 7, 2006)

I don't know where you get your information, sport7. Your bike came with QR wheels, just like mine. Yours were changed at some point. You don't have to file the dropouts to install QR wheels. That is a crazy thought.

Our bikes originally came with bar-con shifters, NOT stem mounts. 

For the third time in this thread, I had no spacing issues with the rear wheel.


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## sport7 (Jan 10, 2010)

thanks


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## muddyg (Aug 13, 2010)

Just picked one of those DuoSport tandems up from the Craigslist in pretty good shape. Was curious what kind of build the eccentric is before I took it apart. Is this a standard loose bearing configuration? Can't rotate the eccentric either. Just assuming it needs a good whap since its been sitting for 20 years. Anyone experienced with these?

Regards,


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## sport7 (Jan 10, 2010)

muddyg said:


> Can't rotate the eccentric either. Just assuming it needs a good whap since its been sitting for 20 years. Anyone experienced with these?
> 
> Regards,


My bike was sitting too when bought, very rusty. However i was able to loosen the two bolts on the clamshell BB (that secure the BB so it does not move) and turn the eccentric without much bother.


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## sport7 (Jan 10, 2010)

djmuff said:


> I don't know where you get your information, sport7. Your bike came with QR wheels, just like mine. Yours were changed at some point. You don't have to file the dropouts to install QR wheels. That is a crazy thought.


Crazy thought????

Nope.

My bike came with bolt on wheels. The recommendation on forums and mechanics books is to file the drop out a little wider if you can't get a QR wheel to fit in a bolt dropout opening. I didn't have any info on the bike when repairing it, so am doing what i can to get this ole bike back on the street in good order. 

My bike may not have been QR originally, Schwinn made these for a long time, so specs do change. Thanks for posting that old Schwinn ad for your bike, i may never know the year of my bike or the equipment that came with it.


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## tripintiger (Jan 28, 2010)

*'89 Duo-Sport nutted hubs F&R*

A friend of mine just bought an '89 Duo-Sport. I am helping refurbish it. It has the 48H Suzue high flange sealed hubs F & R, and both are nutted, not QR. This appears to be original, as the front has the little flanged washers that serve as axle retainers if the axle nuts are not thoroughly tightened. 

So do we have Duo-Sport owners out there whose hubs came both QR and bolted? 

I can post a pic later if anyone is interested.


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## tripintiger (Jan 28, 2010)

*'89 Duo-Sport nutted hubs F&R*

A friend of mine just bought an '89 Duo-Sport. I am helping refurbish it. It has the 48H Suzue high flange sealed hubs F & R, and both are nutted, not QR. This appears to be original, as the front has the little flanged washers that serve as axle retainers if the axle nuts are not thoroughly tightened. 

So do we have Duo-Sport owners out there whose hubs came both QR and bolted? 

I can post a pic later if anyone is interested.


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## sport7 (Jan 10, 2010)

tripintiger said:


> A friend of mine just bought an '89 Duo-Sport. I am helping refurbish it. It has the 48H Suzue high flange sealed hubs F & R, and both are nutted, not QR. This appears to be original, as the front has the little flanged washers that serve as axle retainers if the axle nuts are not thoroughly tightened.
> 
> So do we have Duo-Sport owners out there whose hubs came both QR and bolted?


You could be right on the QR question, mine did not come with QR either but i have no idea what came stock on mine because i don't know the year it was made for starts. The internet and bike forums have very little on it either.

I have since thrown on a QR front wheel and it works fine, my guess is that it would work for the rear also. LBS said just drag it in and see. Soon the bike will go back to the bolt on front wheel as it has a big sturdy flange for this beef cake bike. Spoke tension and truing are paramount with tandems.

If you don't really need QR then stick with what you have, a 48H sounds very safe for a tandem bike. Talk to your LBS, as safety first counts with tandems, two hides are at stake here.

Keep us updated on what is happening on your bike, a few of us are in the same boat.


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## black cross (May 15, 2006)

We have a Duosport as well. Ours came with nuts, not QR. Ours may be an 1990 model, the stamp on the headbadge is '1090' I'm looking to upgrade the brakes as well.


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## sport7 (Jan 10, 2010)

black cross said:


> We have a Duosport as well. Ours came with nuts, not QR. Ours may be an 1990 model, the stamp on the headbadge is '1090' I'm looking to upgrade the brakes as well.


Will have to look for a headbadge stamp of some kind. It's not important to me to have QR; i will probably just use it for transporting the bike in the car. May just leave the bolt on wheel for the majority of use.

How do you like your bike; does it compare well with the other high end tandems out there? Do you still use the 27" wheels or maybe thinking of changing them to 700c?


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## black cross (May 15, 2006)

We like our tandem. We still have the 27" wheels on the bike, probably will stay with it. I wish it had more than a 6 speed cluster. We have not ridden anyother tandem to compare it to. Friends of ours have a Burley, nice bike. Ours is in the shop now getting a brake upgrade.


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