Hello,
I just joined this forum today as I am about to do some long distance touring with children and thought I would get some ideas from those who have pedalled that track before.
While searching custom built bikes, I happened upon this thread and may be able to add a little interesting insight.
A few years ago to help keep my 90 year old father on two wheels I bought a circa 1970 tandem from the son of an elderly couple.
The bike had been gathering dust and rust for some years, but it seemed a fairly simple fixer upper for what I needed. When I enquired as to the bikes history the chap told me his mother had an illness that prevented her from riding solo so his father apparently had the bike purpose built to enable his mother to join them on family rides.
The bike was apparently fabricated by a friend of his fathers in Adelaide who had received a Gov't grant to establish a new local manufacturing industry, and was building relatively low cost European style bikes to customer specs. The bike was (and still is) branded "Custom Built T for Two" by CBC (Custom Built Cycles) - Adelaide South Australia.
The bike carries the "Operation Boomerang" Australian Made Logo, and a lifetime frame guarantee for the original purchaser....something that outlived the manufacturer....
Some of the welding around the bottom brackets isn't too pretty, and things like the pump brackets look like they were a quick and dirty after thought, but the frame is still fairly sound so has lasted quite well.
Here are a couple of images for anyone interested.....
Now back to touring research.....
Cheers
JR