Classic & Vintage - English 3-speed tandem: 12" (120 cm) wheels - Any Information.

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portlandwool
12-31-11, 12:34 PM
Hi-

I'm trying to get some information about this bike.
I found it on craigslist here in the Portland, OR. area. The owner knew nothing about the bike (his wife apparently bought it as a prop for their restaurant - a pizza place).

It is a 3 speed, 12" (31.5 cm) wheeled tandem, the blue paint is not original and, in the light (under the blue paint), one can read "NP" and I think it says, "Norman Pillinger Cycles Alcester Warks". The stokers saddle still has the Brooks badge, the captains saddle is a much softer leather but no longer has its badge (still a Brooks?), it has a Sturmey Archer hub, "AW 66 3".




Any help, direction, etc. appreciated.

rhm
12-31-11, 12:43 PM
What is the wheel size, according to the lettering on the tires?

I have never seen this before but it is clearly from the same school of thought that produced the Raleigh RSW-16. Pretty cool. Might be a little noodly, though.

http://oldroads.com/fdbdown.asp?881
...an image I pulled off the internet...
portlandwool
12-31-11, 12:57 PM
The rear tire is a Dunlop P72 and has the following on it, "2-12 fits rim FA.12".
The front tire is a LEO and says, "54 305 (16x2)".

rhm
12-31-11, 01:16 PM
Yup, as I suspected. Same wheels and same tires as the Raleigh RSW-16. Very cool. The original tires were probably white Dunlop 16 x 2's which you can't find anymore, but Schwalbe Big Apples come in that size.
Jeff Wills
12-31-11, 07:55 PM
The tires are ETRTO size 54-305 (305mm bead seat diameter), which makes them interchangeable with most common 16" tires: http://sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html#iso
You'll be able to find tires that fit in many bike shops (especially Portland), but I'd take it to Coventry Cycle Works on Hawthorne. They sell folding bikes and they have a range of odd-size tires.

Cool old child seat on the back, too.
portlandwool
12-31-11, 10:57 PM
Jeff-

Thanks for the feedback.
Regarding the child seat - yeah, I was pretty happy that it came with the bike - its a Leco (the badge is on the outside of the back-rest).

232098

-Art.
sailorbenjamin
01-01-12, 07:49 AM
Ooh. I'm looking at that rusty pair of Raleigh Twentys that I picked up last month and having ideas.
portlandwool
01-03-12, 12:16 PM
A bike-builder friend said the same thing when he saw the bike.
Incidentally, we were trying to figure out how/where the possible chain-guard would be mounted (and what it would look like).