Donated, Collected and Stored

2011-12-28T16:20:00.003Z

Hello world,

This blog will document the gentle restoration of a beautiful old tandem which has been donated to Charlotte's Tandems. The previous owners had been married for 53 years, and had owned the tandem since before then! It has toured across much of England and they really wanted to see it looked after.

The current state of the tandem is not great - it has been sat idle in a garage for a good while, and needs a deep clean. Then it needs new tyres, tubes, mudguards, grips, brake cables, wiring and lamps. It would also benefit from a new gear shifter, and possibly an upgrade to LED power in the lamps (although I really want to keep the original feel externally).

On the other hand - what do we have that is good? Well, the hub brakes and gear will last forever, they are good Sturmey Archer hardware - they would provide smooth service for the remaining life of the universe if asked! The saddles are excellent, the Captain's saddle is a tan coloured Brooks B15, the Stoker has a woman friendly (or so my wife tells me) Wilby saddle - supple black leather over a spring and cloth support.

The frame needs a good clean, I don't know how much touching up the paint may need. The chains will need a serious clean before I decide what needs doing, as will the wheels...

There is a serious amount of work which could be done - I'll start off with a good clean up, documenting the quirks as I find them...

Restoration of... ...a bicycle made for two

Donated, Collected and Stored