Magnesium Tandem

Not your father’s Schwinn Twinn

Who else but Paketa could put together the engineering know-how, fabrication technology, and real-world tandem cycling background to build a world-class tandem from a world-beating material? Read on.

Aerospace technology hits the road

 Magnesium is the lightest structural metal commercially available. While the majority of structural magnesium alloys are used in defense, aircraft and satellite applications, since the end of the Cold War several manufacturers have offered bicycle frames in magnesium, with varying degrees of success. Paketa has six years of experience with magnesium and a proven, world-class single-bike frame. How do you top this? By designing and building a tandem frame unlike any other in the world. Not only is the material unique to tandems; it’s also perfectly suited to the particular needs of tandems and performance riders. Light weight is merely the most obvious characteristic. A superb combination of frame stiffness, amazingly smooth ride, and an emphasis on durability become apparent once you’ve experienced the remarkable V2 for yourself.


What’s old is new again in tandem design

Archibald Sharp's landmark treatise, Bicycles and Tricycles: An Elementary Treatise on Their Design and Construction, published in 1896, describes various contemporary tandem frame designs, including "no-lateral," in some detail. For decades, this simple, open-frame architecture prevailed; sometimes with the addition of a triangulated stoker compartment. Around the 1970’s, various permutations with internal reinforcing tubes appeared with names such as mixte, full marathon, double marathon, up-tube (popularized by Fisher), all leading up to the currently popular “direct lateral” approach used by most manufacturers today. So, why would Paketa choose to revert back to a century-old design? To put it simply, the open-frame design was selected because our engineering and frame testing development program have proven it’s the optimal choice for magnesium—even Dr. Sharp couldn’t anticipate that advancement in materials. A comparable-weight magnesium tandem frame with a direct lateral tube would suffer in stiffness, strength, dent/buckling resistance, weight, or some combination of these deleterious effects. Our response is, “Respect your elders.”  

The Paketa Advantage

 With a finished weight of barely five pounds in a medium frame size, combined with stiffness comparable to competitive frames in other materials weighing as much as twice that, a V2 can readily be built up into a sub-24 lb. tandem (the Interbike 2006 show model is 22.5 lbs. sans pedals, using name-brand components throughout and tandem-specific carbon fiber fork, wheels with real tandem hubs (145 mm rear) and 24 mm-width rims, and wide-range 3x10 speed gearing). The ride quality is second to none, with nimble, responsive, and predictable handling—as you’d expect. Durability is ensured through the use of top-quality materials, extensive testing in and out of the laboratory, and Mil-spec corrosion-treatment process prior to application of the tough-as-nails powder coat finish. Included as standard equipment are a lightweight bottom bracket eccentric, Alpha Q X2 full carbon tandem fork and Chris King sealed-bearing headset, installed; along with Paketa’s limited 3-year warranty and generous crash-replacement policy to protect your investment. And, with replaceable aluminum rear dropouts, fitting a disc brake, with or without a rear caliper brake, is just an ISO-standard disc brake mount dropout away. Six water bottle mounts are standard, since you could find yourself much further from home than usual with your new-found speed.

Because of the innovative “compact open” low-top-tube design, frame sizes become almost irrelevant. Standover height is ample for almost anybody front or rear, and with a 72.5 cm (28.5”) stoker top tube you’ll never hear any complaints of cramped rear quarters. Captain’s top tubes are available in standard lengths (measured horizontally) of 54, 56, and 58 cm. For a modest upcharge, custom geometry is also available; please inquire

Frame finish is one-color standard (see the Paketa single-bike brochure for available colors), with either glossy or matte-finish clear coat. Custom colors and multi-color fades available as options.

The world's first magnesium tandem, on top of the world.

A bevy of V2 tandem frames headed for blue skies and open roads.

94% Magnesium Alloy + 100% American made