My First Italian - 1961 Fiorelli
 

After kicking it around for a few days, I decided to take the plunge and try out something a little different. An Italian bicycle and not just any Italian bicycle but an Italian tandem bicycle. And to make it even more unique, it has a Sturmey-Archer AW 3-speed IGH!

As I have never had a tandem bicycle quite this old, my oldest is my 1984 Davidson tandem, I anticipated it would have some wear and tear, but the overall condition for a 50 year old bike is quite good. The bike has been ridden, but it appears not to have been abused.

I am very grateful to southpawboston for checking out the bicycle for me and giving it a mostly clean bill of health before I made the long drive to Boston to retrieve the bicycle. I still owe him at least a couple of drinks! :) I'm planning on going to the Larz Anderson Bike Show and Swap Meet in August and hope to better repay him at that time.

Here she is:

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Fiorelli Tandem - 12 by Sallad Rialb, on Flickr

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Fiorelli Tandem - 2 by Sallad Rialb, on Flickr

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Fiorelli Tandem - 16 by Sallad Rialb, on Flickr

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Fiorelli Tandem - 24 by Sallad Rialb, on Flickr

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Fiorelli Tandem - 17 by Sallad Rialb, on Flickr

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Fiorelli Tandem - 7 by Sallad Rialb, on Flickr

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Fiorelli Tandem - 8 by Sallad Rialb, on Flickr

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Fiorelli Tandem - 13 by Sallad Rialb, on Flickr

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Fiorelli Tandem - 9 by Sallad Rialb, on Flickr

Nice aquisition.

I think a lot of us were considering that one. I held off, thinking it would be heavy-- but I bet it's lighter than the cheap chinese schwinn tandem we have!

Hey Standalone, it is indeed pretty heavy, though not as heavy as you might think. Given its intended purpose, it will be fine. If I want to go fast I'll ride my aluminum-framed 2003 Burley Rivazza. If I want to travel a longer distance I'll ride my 1984 Davidson Tandem. But if I'm just out for a leisurely ride, this will be the ticket!

Is that a weld on the central stay/dropout? :eek:

Cool looking, "Sallad". I like those decals. Say, that front lamp doesn't look too bad from here. Very nice crank set. I wouldn't know where to store something like that. And my wife probably wouldn't get on it with me in the piloto position anyway. Nice bike, but it needs a derailleur on it. :>

Indeed it is a weld and not a very nice one that that. The entire frame is welded, not brazed, and the welds are not as clean as I would like by any means. I have to live with them unless I decide to refinish the bike, which I will not do. I can live with the sloppy welds but the rusty wheels are another story entirely.

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Fiorelli Tandem - 20 by Sallad Rialb, on Flickr

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Fiorelli Tandem - 21 by Sallad Rialb, on Flickr

So it's an original weld and not a repair, eh? whew.

You have just elevated yourself to the C&V tandem expert. I don't think anyone on here has 3 tandems.

Have you had it out for a ride yet?

Cool bike. Please, please, please never put blackwall tires on it. It needs whitewalls or skinwalls.

See those dropouts, eh? Eh? Two words. Fixed gear. :D

Gorgeous bike, I know I wanted it but it's longer than my Miata.

Thanks rootboy! The graphics are definitely a product of their time and have a style all their own. Compared to my Davidson, which only has a headbadge sticker, this is really busy, but still tasteful. About the chainset, I agree with you. It is very elegant, perhaps not as elegant as a Fonlupt chainset but still pretty unique atmo. As far as storage of a tandem, that's what dining rooms are for.

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2 Tandems by Sallad Rialb, on Flickr

When I checked it out for Photogravity, I lifted it and was surprised it wasn't as heavy as I had expected. It felt about as heavy as my Bike Friday tandem (which is loaded with front and rear racks, four panniers, lights, etc...). I am guessing it's about 50 lb-- not bad for all that steel.

I'm not sure I'd refer to myself as an expert of anything - well maybe I'm an expert at avoiding work ;) - but I love tandems and it is the best chance I have at my wife going on a ride where she can keep up with me. She's only learned to ride a bicycle last year and is still pretty scared of riding her own bike. She rides VERY slow and I lose patience. It is better to haul her on the back of the tandem than to ride with her at a pace that is excruciatingly slow and only exasperates me. (this is probably a topic for marriage counseling I guess...)

WRT going for a ride, not yet. I need to fix the Campy tensioner (it has issues) and repair the rear inner tube which holds air but only for about 5 minutes at a time. I didn't have time yesterday, but hope to get her ready between now and the weekend.

I entirely agree with you Justin. To my eye, the whitewall is the most perfect fit, but a skinwall/tanwall would be entirely appropriate, too. Believe me, it will NEVER get blackwalls as long as I'm the owner - well actually if I had a blowout and there was no other choice, I might put one on temporarily. I think you get the idea. :)