user92856

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• 1930's Bates Grangewood tandem. Reynolds 531 Cantiflex

  in Complete bikes and frame & forks • 6 years, 5 months

  

  ElGato, aren't tandems a wind-up? When made only the most skilled artisans in the shop were usually used. The resulting frames were almost always exquisite quality. And remain so today, some 70 odd years later. And l'd be sure your Grangewood comes in this catagory. So given it's rarity (l believe only 50 cantiflex/diadrant tandems were ever made), you'd expect every collector or enthusiast to come flocking.
  But no.
  Tandems are a forgotten corner of cycling, and vintage ones a forgotton corner of that. The world of two wheels ignores them. And so, in turn, they just do not command even slightly realistic prices when being sold. If you are buying, it's great, with ridiculous bargains. But not if you're selling.
  So l have this absurdly large collection of machines such as yours just for the pleasure of ownership, and occaisional use. But l'm under no delusion that they're going to make me rich. You might get lucky and find someone who will pay what you hope, but from observing the market for many years, the only vintage tandems tbat get into four figures are Hetchins. It's not how it should be, but it is how it is.