• So, she has been a bit of a project for sometime... but I need the space so I am looking to let go of her.

    Its a 1952 Jack Taylor tandem.

    Very rare curved seat-tube short wheel-base that was usually for racing and track tandems, rather than touring tandems like this.

    Size wise the pilot seat-tube is 22 inches ctc with top-tube 22.5 inches. Stoker is 21 seat-tube and 21.5 top-tube ctc. The current set-up was perfect for a 5'8-5'11 pilot and 5'5-5'9 stoker i reckon.

    Its the original paint job, which is well chipped but beautiful patina and who would want to respray something so loving painted by Jack himself.

    Its been stripped and rebuilt, with the wheel-set being professionally rebuilt with stainless tied and soldered spokes laced to NOS Mavic module 3 Argent rims, the original Maxi-car drum brake and a NOS Phil wood front hub, and new Panaracer Passela tyres.

    Its set up with Nitto moustache bars and the pilot is running Mafac levers (including a dual pull lever) with early Campag barcons - with a pretty wide ratio rear 5 speed and tripple front - so gearing works well for most terrain.

    All other components have been stripped and rebuilt - highlights are:

    • Original piston operated Simplex JUY rear mech
    • Mafac cantilevers with new salmon pads
    • Stronglight 49d full tandem chainset
    • Nitto M12 front rack
    • Brooks saddles

    What else:
    I have the original aluminium fluted fenders. The pedals are mismatched on the front. The drum brake has yet to be re-cabled as I didn't need it for city riding. But I have all the parts and cables for it to be re-cabled and its a simple job.

    £750 for it now (down from £1000).

    They seem to be pretty variable on the bay and ones in great nick go for £1500-2000 and this is a pretty rare one with the curved seat-tube.

    This is a pretty niche thing (as all tandems are tbh) to want to own, so best to come and see it and have a proper look if you are interested.
    Its located in SE14.


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  • Thanks @SideshowBob . She is a thing of beauty and I’m still so tempted to keep her... but space is a challenge

  • This is so nice. Am I right remembering it hanging under the arches? I don't have a photographic recollection of it but I do remember thinking it was such an amazing thing!
    If you needed a medium term storage solution you're welcome to put it in our attic! (I realise this is a rubbish solution if you wanted to use it regularly! But if like us with our tandem you're hardly ever using it - two years in our case - then it matters less)

  • haha yup thats the one... long term project.

    Thanks for the offer - really kind. I might take you up on it... possibility I might be moving to Sweden for a while, hence the storage challenge. But also, just aware I dont use it enough and would love it to go somewhere that it gets more of a regular run out.

  • Would totally consider an offer around the £900 mark for this to a good home :)

  • Jo this is such a beaut. glws

  • Cheers Skulls - cant tempt you... would be perfect size for you - might even fit the boy with a decent swept back stoker bar... g'wan you will you will you will.

  • No chance Jo, just spunked way too much on a Yates 26r mandem...

  • PS take it to Sweden!

  • Haha fair do's! If I dont sell - you can always come and borrow it.

  • God it is lovely

  • Yup you should see it up close - it is a masterpiece of frame building and line art.

  • Bump and price drop for this to £800

  • Great price, I just wish that I had somewhere to store it.

  • Yeah that’s the challenge with a bloody tandem.

  • Last bump and price drop before Fleabay

  • Get some quality photos uploaded, worth giving the tandem club group on facebook a shot also!

    FYI electric bike boxes will take a tandem fairly easily, EU shipping roughly £150

    GLWS, if i didn't have a tandem already this could have tempted me!

  • Thanks @Nbenja3 - yeah, need to get some better photos for sure!

  • so nice. this the frame you bought from Steve?

  • Good memory - yeah Steves old tandem that he did the project on. Most other bits sourced as it was a little higidly pigledy! Has been a project... think i got this from Steve almost 10 years ago now!

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Interest check: 1952 Jack Taylor curved seat-tube touring tandem

Posted by Avatar for knowthejo @knowthejo

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