ID my tandem

[pratty90]

Hi all. Made up a profile to get some help identifying a tandem. Its currently at my patents house but I'm looking at getting it and restoring it. The only problem is I can't find anything on the internet that looks like it. The picture I have is terrible because the bike is strung up in a sea container.
It has a 3 speed T-handle gear shift in front of the front seat.

Any info would help. Thanks

 

[biggs682]

looks a worthwhile project , cant help id it though . so who is pilot and who will be rear seat flower picker be ?

try tandem section on here along with tandem club site and good luck

 

[Alex H]

As biggs682 says ask here http://www.tandem-club.org.uk/_dboard.htm - I'd be surprised if no-one there knows

 

[pratty90]

Thanks for the links. The plan is for me to drive the thing, Mrs on the back and a little cart for my 2 sons in the back

 

[Alex H]

Found this from Google

"TwinSpinner Tandem bike, built in South Australia by Leisure Cycles. Does anyone have any history on these bikes?. I have restored the bike ..."

but the forum site seems to be gone

may be worth asking here http://www.tandembikeaustralia.com/

 

[Alex H]

Found this from Google

"TwinSpinner Tandem bike, built in South Australia by Leisure Cycles. Does anyone have any history on these bikes?. I have restored the bike ..."

but the forum site seems to be gone

It's back

A couple of responses; from 2010

We have a Twinspinner tandem which we bought on ebay recently. We enjoy riding the tandem far more than riding two solo bikes. Steel frame, HEAVY AS! Suntour 3 speed internal hub gears with a Sturmey Archer stick shift. on the top bar. Gearing isn't low enough or high enough. Have tried to get it upgraded with modern gears and local shops start out all enthusiastic then gradually it becomes all to difficult to not economically viable to "it's a classic! leave it as it is." Has 26 x 1 1/2inch tyres. Front tyre is cracked and bubbling but unable to obtain new tyre in South East Queensland. At this stage it looks like we might have to import them from the US. www.sheldonbrown.com sells them. I think we will be getting a nice shiny alloy framed modern tandem for Christmas!

My Twin Spinner also had Sturmy Archer gears, but fortunately I managed to convert it to a 5 speed external cassette. It rides really well except it is quite whippy if the riders aren't in harmony.

 

[mickle]

It's very cheap and it's very old - a bad combination. If it was cheap and new or old and decent quality it would be easy to get it roadworthy, but I think you're going to struggle to do so without spending the sort of money which would get you a new entry level tandem.

 

[mickle]

Its worth mentioning that a modern entry level tandem will outperform that old thing on every level. Steel calipers on steel rims are barely adequate for an old shopper - definitely not enough for a tandem, and that's before you add a trailer. It has skinny frame tubes so it'll be horrendously flexy and just three speeds means itll not get up a hill. Any hill.