A great find.

[Chris-H]

I took the day off work today to spend it with the other half as its her birthday,we was out in the car and decided to visit a second hand/junk shop,the sort with those little hidden gems and dark corners.well we did'nt even get in the door when we saw a vintage Dawes 501 framed tandem complete with guards and front pannier racks,everything looks to be in good order,its on Mavic rims and just needs some air in the tyres and a front seat.It needs a good scrub up but when the lady informed me she would like £80 for it nothing seemed relevant after that other than a bit haggling,£75 later and we now own a tandem,god knows why as we had never even contemplated ever owning one......ebay was springing to mind,now the other half has informed me she would be interested to give it a go so watch this space with regards to the tandems future.
Hav'nt picked it up yet as did'nt have room in the car but will post some pics up once its home.

 

[Biker Joe]

They say a change does you good.
Nice story and good luck with future pleasurable rides.

 

[TonyEnjoyD]

Definite result.
As you mentioned, even if Mrs H didn't want to ride you could have gotten a decent price on eBay/gumtree

 

[simon the viking]

I've only been on a tandem twice before and both times ended in arguments, I admire your spirit but I think me and Mrs Viking will stick to a bike each

 

[Chris-H]

I've only been on a tandem twice before and both times ended in arguments, I admire your spirit but I think me and Mrs Viking will stick to a bike each

We are fortunate enough to have our own road bikes too if it does'nt work out,i'm thinking of adding mirrors................nothing to do with road safety i just want to keep an eye on her and make sure she'll be pedalling hard

 

[wisdom]

Its nice to see someone getting a good find and not being ripped off.Good luck with it and don't forget to post some piccies.Any two wheeled vehicle is a good one.

 

[Chris-H]

I'm still to pick the tandem up yet,have been busy at work and now i need to clear some room in one of the sheds as they are crammed,the shop is holding onto it for me until i'm ready so theres no great rush although i'm really itching to get started on it.

 

[biggs682]

Chris-H wicked find now the fun starts !

is your car big enough to fit tandem in ? if not we have a roof mounted carrier you could borrow ?

 

[sidevalve]

Tandems are great fun. Just make sure you have a "code" set up between you so one knows what the other is planning and one of you really is "captain", [ be carefull on that one though or you may have a mutiny on your hands]. A little practice and you can enjoy lots of good riding, just be patient with each otherand remember you are not on a solo bike.

 

[Chris-H]

Chris-H wicked find now the fun starts !

is your car big enough to fit tandem in ? if not we have a roof mounted carrier you could borrow ?

Cheers for the offer mate,we have a mondeo estate so should be ok,failing that my work truck has a 6 metre body on the back so should be able to squeeze it on.I did'nt know that tandem specific roof carriers were available,i have a pair of standard ones that are of no use to us as they dont fit the profiled downtubes of our road bikes so i was going to join them together to make up a carrier

 

[Alex H]

Cheers for the offer mate,we have a mondeo estate so should be ok,failing that my work truck has a 6 metre body on the back so should be able to squeeze it on.I did'nt know that tandem specific roof carriers were available,i have a pair of standard ones that are of no use to us as they dont fit the profiled downtubes of our road bikes so i was going to join them together to make up a carrier

We've used one of these http://www.heltontandemcarrier.co.uk/ for many years now. I'm sure that someone with a bit of metalworking skill could make something similar

 

[oldroadman]

It might be worth changing tyres and tubes, if the thing has been hanging around for a long time the rubber will have started to deteriorate and could be unreliable. Plus a good check over, chain, changers, and brake cables/pads as well.

 

[Chris-H]

Well i could'nt wait any longer,i have been and collected it and its now home.On close inspection its in very good order,it has a very small dent in the top tube and the obvious scratches and odd chips here and there but overall very good.I am going to need a taller longer quill stem,new hoods and bar tape.In the meantime though its a service and clean up and see how we get on with it.Pics to follow this evening in the Gallery.

 

[Crankarm]

Every time I see or think of a tandem I think of the Goodies.

 

[Chris-H]

Every time I see or think of a tandem I think of the Goodies.

I always think of the couple in Carry On Camping.