80s Motobecane Interclub Tandem

[BlokeFromStoke]

Ok... I dont know how we quite got here but I bought a tandem. Well I do actually. It went... We're at the Pub, turned to my girlfriend and went "we should get a tandem", straight on ebay and seeing some cheap ones, she said lets do it (bear in mind I buy old stuff all the time she hate)... next think I'm bidding on this local Motobecane Tandem (again with beer in hand) and won it!!

We actually missed out on a Dawes Tandem in Northwich a few weeks ago that was a bit more modern than this bike but, I've always wanted to own a Motobecane. When I was younger my Dad bought a few old 40s rod brake style bikes from Les Oaks in Stoke-on-Trent. One of those was actually a Royal Enfield tandem which never got finished due to struggling to find the parts pre ebay. As I wanted something too I convinced him to buy me a Motobecane racing bike for about £15 that was also in the pile. Of course I was a kid so nothing happened with it and I'm pretty sure he cut it up and threw it away so, now I finally own one haha.

On the morning of picking it up. the seller mentioned the pedals on the bike were the clip in Shimano type so I gingerly rode the bike the 5 miles home in Adidas Gazelles.
Heres a terrible selfie...


Oh yeah I forgot to mention. After figuring out when we could both pick the bike up my misses came down with a virus so It was just me riding down the canal back to south Manchester solo. Im not sure if theres anything sadder than a person riding a bike made for two?

Hers another look at it...


Stopped for a brew to celebrate... It rides really nicely. The gears all seem really nice, the brakes are good. Nothing is bent like my usual old bikes... All for less than £200 doesnt seem bad to me?!?


Today I decided to remove the shimano pedals and fit some new ones.



Took this old beast out (anyone whos seen my Carlton racing bike thread will recognise this ). Its not left the garage in a few weeks...



And picked up some cheap retroish pedals from Decathlon. They're not the best but I dont know if Tandem life will work for us yet so these will do...



And here we are...



I'll keep you all posted with how it goes. My misses is away now till Sunday with work so hopefully we'll get some riding in soon. Any tips or knowlage of these bikes would be great. I'm guessing its a 90s or newer bike? Seems nicely spec'd up with the dynamo in the front hub and all the shimano stuff on it?

 

[Mod-Master]

@Guinessisgoodforyou @grantoury @Woz @squirrelchaser

I wouldn’t say 90s, probably around the 80s period and someone upgraded it with some new Shimano stuff.


the frame looks in pretty good nick though

 

[squirrelchaser]

Yeah , with TA chainsets it's 80's . The wheels and front brake have been swapped out . There used to be a rear drum brake by the looks so maybe the second stokers brake is an addition too .
Looks tidy though . Lots of waves and smiles on a tandem , people shout Daisy at you too for some reason ??!

 

[squirrelchaser]

I suspect it originally had drop bars and bar end shifters too .

 

[BlokeFromStoke]

Yeah the frame is in good condition. A bit of paint rubbing off the rear seat post area. Only a couple specs of rust. I guessed it was 90s due to all the more modern stuff on it but like you say someone probably upgraded it all. One of the rear brakes is the older block type too so that makes sense. Looks like money has been spent on it. I'll try and find a serial number later.

 

[non-fixie]

Nice find! The canti studs are a bonus. Good brakes are a must-have on a tandem.

I hope the missus likes it. Do some reading up on how best to start riding a tandem, if you haven't done so already. There is a bit of a learning curve, and if you start off too enthusiastically it might well put off an already hesitant stoker.

It is a fun experience once you get the hang of it. Enjoy!

 

[BlokeFromStoke]

Thanks for the heads up. A friend of mine who owns a bike shop mentioned you have to both kick up the same pedal to start and "count off" to set off? I'll have a look online too for more info. We're going to try it out in the park first haha. When we both go riding usually shes miles behind so I'm hoping this solves that although I'll probably have to slow my pace a fair bit.

 

[non-fixie]

Actually, you'll find that you'll both be pretty fast. Which is part of the fun.

And yes, do you first try-outs in an area with little or no traffic. You'll want to have mastered starting and stopping before you take it into traffic.

 

[BlokeFromStoke]

Had a quick look at the serial number. Looks like 05260416 I'm not sure if that means anything though.

 

[non-fixie]

Have a look here: T-Mar's Motobecane Serial Number Database