How is the cornering? Does the rear of the tandem follow the front; that
is, does the frame lack the annoying twist in many older tandems that can
make fast or aggressive cornering such an, er, adventure? Also, how much
stoker room is there? Did Mssr. Singer realize that the stoker stem
subtracts from the length of the top tube rather than adding to it? The
reason I'm asking these questions is from both being a tandem rider, having
been the default tandem mechanic at a major store for a long time, and
admiring Singers greatly but never having seen or ridden one of their
tandems. There hasn't been a lot on this list about vintage tandems. It is
my impression that before Santana, which is built by a guy who had a
tandem-specialty retail store for many years and designed his bikes to lack
the problems in the other rigs he could sell, there were few tandems that
handled well, where the back end followed the front well through corners,
and where the stoker was not crammed into an insufficient space. Of
"Classic" bikes, Jack Taylor seems to have been the exception to this sorry
norm; it's as though Santana advanced tandems about forty years in one shot,
and Co-Motion, Ibis, R&E, and others picked up their ball and ran some more
yardage with it.
An inquiring, Co-Motion-spoiled mind wants to know!
David Feldman
Vancouver, WA
> Hello All.
After months of sometimes tedious, sometimes frustrating but always
rewarding work in the end, the Singer tandem hit my neighborhood streets
this afternoon. The Tandem is quite handsome with a glass smooth black
enamel paint and the lugs and box lining expertly picked out in gold. The
red SiNGER and Vitus decals offer visual pleasant accents. Old world
craftsmanship consumes the frame. All lugs are worked to perfection with
crisp edges and thinned bodies. What is truly remarkable is despite the
56x51 size the toptube remains in a constant plane. Components include
Nivex, Maxi-Car (with drum brake),650b Record rims with Hutchison tires,
Singer stems, Singer Cantis, racks, Lefol Paon fenders and brake levers, 40s
Brooks saddles..did I miss anything?
The handling, ride, and comfort is superlative. It tracks so well and with
the 650B wheels, it floats over road irregularities.
My stoker is telling me I'm late for dinner, anyway GO GIANTS!! And I am in
desperate need of a 51 Simplex front derailleur for the tandem.
Dave Martinez
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