My Grandparents' Tandem and Sidecar

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roubaixtuesday
Posts: 5815
Joined: 18 Aug 2015, 7:05pm

My Grandparents' Tandem and Sidecar

Post by roubaixtuesday »

We own a Tandem, and had a trailer for the kids. But I never knew my Grandparents did, and have just acquired some photos.

Here you have

- Tandem and Sidecar
- my mum or one of her siblings
- offroad touring in mid Wales (!!)

Photos are late 30s or early 40s

Screenshot_20210221-172815_Video Player.jpg
]

Screenshot_20210221-172939_Video Player.jpg
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Screenshot_20210221-172849_Video Player.jpg
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fausto copy
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Re: My Grandparents' Tandem and Sidecar

Post by fausto copy »

Great pics.
It's surprising how many folks had them, back in the day.
drossall
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Joined: 5 Jan 2007, 10:01pm
Location: North Hertfordshire

Re: My Grandparents' Tandem and Sidecar

Post by drossall »

Taken I assume by my grandmother, this is my grandfather with their tandem. They weren't club riders or anything; it's just that, in those days, so many people rode. I wish I knew where it was taken; they lived in south London, but it could have been anywhere.
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Paulatic
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Re: My Grandparents' Tandem and Sidecar

Post by Paulatic »

Admiring the child asleep in the sidecar. I apparently woke up every time my parents stopped an incentive to keep on pedalling. :D
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Campag
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Re: My Grandparents' Tandem and Sidecar

Post by Campag »

We had a tandem and sidecar in the 1990's. Then a child seat on the back of the tandem. Then 'kiddy cranks'. Then her own bike and/or a Rann trailer.

The bairn would regularly fall asleep within minutes of setting off, I assume because of the travelling motion and comfort of being strapped in to a secure seat or sidecar. Once happened while on the kiddy cranks on a very hot day at the FFCT rally in Mer (Loire valley). Fortunately I had installed a rectangular safety frame around the handlebars and back seat.

Another bonus was after slogging uphill carrying the extra weight on the child seat. We would stop at the top for a breather. And a little voice would ask why we had stopped ....

Happy days.
Teggletone
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Re: My Grandparents' Tandem and Sidecar

Post by Teggletone »

My parents had a Saxon tandem, bought just after WW2. The Sandum sidecar which came with it was much more substantial than the Watsonian ones that we encountered. As we lived in a very hilly corner of Derbyshire Dad managed to find an even bigger bottom gear cog for the 3 speed Trivelox and a Cantilever [?] rim brake to supplement the 2 hub brakes. He also found a second hand SA 3 speed hub which replaced the existing single in the back wheel of my juvenile sit-up and-beg roadster. With my kid brother in the sidecar and self "slipstreaming" behind we headed for the Peak District most fine Summer days. Three of us enjoyed these outings but the snag was that my Mam, who had never learnt to ride a solo. hated the whole business! She refused to wear shorts or slacks to complement Dad's plusses or Desert Rats ex army shorts and preferred the smart 2 piece costume of the time Amongst her many dislikes was the fact that, homeward bound, we had to pass the chapel at the bottom of the street and often face the disapproving stares of the entering/leaving congregation [Departures could be timed to coincide with morning service!] There was plenty of storage space in the sidecar. - Contents included thermos flasks of tea and packets of mashed, tinned pilchard sandwiches prepared by Dad. No photos I'm afraid. Whilst he returned from the war with some good quality cameras "requisitioned" in Germany these had to be sold to local photographic shops to make ends meet!
Bmblbzzz
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Re: My Grandparents' Tandem and Sidecar

Post by Bmblbzzz »

roubaixtuesday wrote:We own a Tandem, and had a trailer for the kids. But I never knew my Grandparents did, and have just acquired some photos.

Here you have

- Tandem and Sidecar
- my mum or one of her siblings
- offroad touring in mid Wales (!!)

Photos are late 30s or early 40s

Screenshot_20210221-172815_Video Player.jpg[/attachment

[attachment=1]Screenshot_20210221-172849_Video Player.jpg]

Screenshot_20210221-172939_Video Player.jpg

Unfortunately the photos don't show when quoted, but they're good. Is that the edge of a bus stop seen in the top right corner of the second one?
roubaixtuesday
Posts: 5815
Joined: 18 Aug 2015, 7:05pm

Re: My Grandparents' Tandem and Sidecar

Post by roubaixtuesday »

Bmblbzzz wrote:
roubaixtuesday wrote:We own a Tandem, and had a trailer for the kids. But I never knew my Grandparents did, and have just acquired some photos.

Here you have

- Tandem and Sidecar
- my mum or one of her siblings
- offroad touring in mid Wales (!!)

Photos are late 30s or early 40s

Screenshot_20210221-172815_Video Player.jpg[/attachment

[attachment=1]Screenshot_20210221-172849_Video Player.jpg]

Screenshot_20210221-172939_Video Player.jpg

Unfortunately the photos don't show when quoted, but they're good. Is that the edge of a bus stop seen in the top right corner of the second one?


Not sure what you mean by "don't show when quoted"?

I'm afraid I've no idea what the sign is, but I would guess it's for the water board, corporation or whatever the equivalent was BITD.
Bmblbzzz
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Joined: 18 May 2012, 7:56pm
Location: From here to there.

Re: My Grandparents' Tandem and Sidecar

Post by Bmblbzzz »

roubaixtuesday wrote:
Bmblbzzz wrote:
roubaixtuesday wrote:We own a Tandem, and had a trailer for the kids. But I never knew my Grandparents did, and have just acquired some photos.

Here you have

- Tandem and Sidecar
- my mum or one of her siblings
- offroad touring in mid Wales (!!)

Photos are late 30s or early 40s

Screenshot_20210221-172815_Video Player.jpg[/attachment

[attachment=1]Screenshot_20210221-172849_Video Player.jpg]

Screenshot_20210221-172939_Video Player.jpg

Unfortunately the photos don't show when quoted, but they're good. Is that the edge of a bus stop seen in the top right corner of the second one?


Not sure what you mean by "don't show when quoted"?

I mean that in your post, there were three photos. When I quote your post, as above, instead of seeing the photos I see three lines of code.

I'm afraid I've no idea what the sign is, but I would guess it's for the water board, corporation or whatever the equivalent was BITD.

Thanks, that seems to make sense (it just looked a bit like a bus stop!)
drossall
Posts: 6115
Joined: 5 Jan 2007, 10:01pm
Location: North Hertfordshire

Re: My Grandparents' Tandem and Sidecar

Post by drossall »

Bmblbzzz wrote:Unfortunately the photos don't show when quoted, but they're good. Is that the edge of a bus stop seen in the top right corner of the second one?

Not really a disadvantage, I'd suggest. It's really, really hard to read a thread when 90% is requoting of what's gone before. A certain amount of selective quoting is useful, but constant repeats of the same images make threads huge. :D
Bmblbzzz
Posts: 6261
Joined: 18 May 2012, 7:56pm
Location: From here to there.

Re: My Grandparents' Tandem and Sidecar

Post by Bmblbzzz »

That^^ is true, but in this case the photo I was "quoting" was the subject of my comment.
drossall
Posts: 6115
Joined: 5 Jan 2007, 10:01pm
Location: North Hertfordshire

Re: My Grandparents' Tandem and Sidecar

Post by drossall »

roubaixtuesday wrote:We own a Tandem, and had a trailer for the kids. But I never knew my Grandparents did, and have just acquired some photos.

Here you have

- Tandem and Sidecar
- my mum or one of her siblings
- offroad touring in mid Wales (!!)

Photos are late 30s or early 40s

Image

Right-click on the image while reading the message. Copy its URL/link. Quote the message. Delete the images and replace with an IMG tag in the normal way, using the link you just copied.
roubaixtuesday
Posts: 5815
Joined: 18 Aug 2015, 7:05pm

Re: My Grandparents' Tandem and Sidecar

Post by roubaixtuesday »

drossall wrote:
roubaixtuesday wrote:We own a Tandem, and had a trailer for the kids. But I never knew my Grandparents did, and have just acquired some photos.

Here you have

- Tandem and Sidecar
- my mum or one of her siblings
- offroad touring in mid Wales (!!)

Photos are late 30s or early 40s

Image

Right-click on the image while reading the message. Copy its URL/link. Quote the message. Delete the images and replace with an IMG tag in the normal way, using the link you just copied.


Very good! Your next challenge is to find that view on Streetview!
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