>If you were going to commission a KOF tandem, which was traditional
>in the sense of having 650B tires, drop bars, custom racks, but
>which had the fangled modern additions of S&S couplers and possibly
>a Rohloff Speedhub, which builder would you choose?
>
>My current front-runner is Bilenky.
It depends what kind of tandem you want. If you want a French-style (or Jack Taylor-style) tandem with low trail, easy to steer, etc., I think Bilenky is the only one who has shown a great interest in these designs, and actually has built a few that have given good service on the road. Many of Bilenky's geometries are based on Bicycle Quarterly's measurements of old French machines.
One couple bought one for Paris-Brest-Paris, and they commented how much easier their bike was to steer without all the wheel flop on the many hills of Britanny. (They had done PBP on a modern tandem before.)
Jan Heine
Editor
Bicycle Quarterly
140 Lakeside Ave #C
Seattle WA 98122
http://www.vintagebicyclepress.com