Restore a Jack Taylor
09-24-17, 11:31 AM
#1
I just wanna ride
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Restore a Jack Taylor
I was doing some organizing on my storage unit (stand-in garage for now) and another unit was selling a bunch of bikes and parts. Turns out the owner of a bike store died and passed along all of his inventory and it had been sitting for years and years. Long story short I now own this:
Everything works but it's in roughish shape. Looking for some helping getting it back into tip top shape. It for sure needs:
-New bar tape, maybe new rear bars in general depending on how my wife feels. Color?
-New brake and shifter cables/housing. Never bought either for a tandem so no idea what's good.
-New tires. I was thinking Schwalbe Kojak but they max out at 35mm and I might want something closer to 40mm. There's 37mm Vittoria Randonneur on there now and it has clearance for larger. Wheels are 700c btw. Continental Contact II in 37mm? Our combined weight is 310lbs if that helps.
-New seats, I likely have a few sitting around that'll work for me but she has a bit of a large posterior and definitely needs something comfortable.
I want to keep things on the affordable side for now and am more than willing to upgrade later once I've seen it's getting enough use.
Everything works but it's in roughish shape. Looking for some helping getting it back into tip top shape. It for sure needs:
-New bar tape, maybe new rear bars in general depending on how my wife feels. Color?
-New brake and shifter cables/housing. Never bought either for a tandem so no idea what's good.
-New tires. I was thinking Schwalbe Kojak but they max out at 35mm and I might want something closer to 40mm. There's 37mm Vittoria Randonneur on there now and it has clearance for larger. Wheels are 700c btw. Continental Contact II in 37mm? Our combined weight is 310lbs if that helps.
-New seats, I likely have a few sitting around that'll work for me but she has a bit of a large posterior and definitely needs something comfortable.
I want to keep things on the affordable side for now and am more than willing to upgrade later once I've seen it's getting enough use.
09-25-17, 01:18 PM
#2
Nigel
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....-New bar tape, maybe new rear bars in general depending on how my wife feels. Color?
-New brake and shifter cables/housing. Never bought either for a tandem so no idea what's good.
-New tires. I was thinking Schwalbe Kojak but they max out at 35mm and I might want something closer to 40mm. There's 37mm Vittoria Randonneur on there now and it has clearance for larger. Wheels are 700c btw. Continental Contact II in 37mm? Our combined weight is 310lbs if that helps.
-New seats, I likely have a few sitting around that'll work for me but she has a bit of a large posterior and definitely needs something comfortable.
-New brake and shifter cables/housing. Never bought either for a tandem so no idea what's good.
-New tires. I was thinking Schwalbe Kojak but they max out at 35mm and I might want something closer to 40mm. There's 37mm Vittoria Randonneur on there now and it has clearance for larger. Wheels are 700c btw. Continental Contact II in 37mm? Our combined weight is 310lbs if that helps.
-New seats, I likely have a few sitting around that'll work for me but she has a bit of a large posterior and definitely needs something comfortable.
- Kenda https://www.amazon.com/Kenda-Kwest-C.../dp/B00KXXH2NM not popular, but are great riding tires.
- be careful of going too wide - leads to chafing of the inner thigh - VERY painful.
Don't forget new brake pads; I like Koolstop Salmon.
I am jealous
I had a Jack Taylor frame for awhile, a little too tall for us, yours would be perfect.
09-25-18, 10:46 AM
#3
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Nice video of seniors still riding after many decades
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09-25-18, 03:18 PM
#4
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Great find! Your stoker might want a different bar set up.
09-26-18, 07:25 PM
#5
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Great bike. As for the seats, try what you have, but if the are uncomfortable, don’t just buy a seat you think will be comfortable, go to your LBS and get measured for the correct size.
09-27-18, 06:13 AM
#6
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Those saddles are a blast from the past! You could put them up on the Vintage forum and get a few bucks. Turbo and what looks like an Avocet.
09-27-18, 04:09 PM
#7
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09-27-18, 05:54 PM
#8
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The older tandems have a very short stoker compartment. My stoker doesn't mind as she is used to it but some do not like the lack of space.
03-13-19, 10:26 PM
#9
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I'm late to this discussion and you may already be happily riding the restored bike. If you haven't come across them already, there's a tandeming couple in Scotland with a blog called Matilda's Musings. They ride a restored Jack Taylor that they like to say was born before they were. Besides giving an interesting look into biking in Scotland, they have posted a lot of great pictures of their bike. I found some inspiration there for a rebuild I'm doing of a vintage tandem. I'd give you the link but I'm untrustworthy as a newbie and can't post links yet. Just search for matildasmusingsdotcom (yes, they spell it out like that as part of the URL for their site).
03-22-19, 10:20 AM
#10
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We have ridden for years with another couple who rode a Jack Taylor tandem until just recently. The frames are well made except that you may find the stoker geometry to be a little cramped.
03-22-19, 10:21 AM
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Also, take good care of the headset. They are very difficult to replace because of the large steer tub diameter Jack Taylor used on his tandem frames.
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