Pendle Tandem Rack-T bar attachment

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beeb
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Joined: 13 Aug 2014, 6:39pm

Pendle Tandem Rack-T bar attachment

Post by beeb »

Just a long shot but, we have a thorn tandem and for a while now we have not managed to put it on to our rack as it is just a bit too heavy.

We have the old tandem standard carrier.

Like this one:

https://www.comptoncycles.co.uk/m4b0s92 ... andem-Rack

and want to try and convert it to be like this one:

https://www.cyclingshorts.uk.com/2014/1 ... -reviewed/

I reckon we could do it if we could source the t bar attachment, but no joy.

Does anyone on this forum happen to have any idea how we might be able to achieve the conversion, or happen to have the t bar lying about in the garage un-used??

All ideas welcome, the reduction in weight would help to prolong our tandem careers, in areas away from our own.

Thanks forum
Jdsk
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Joined: 5 Mar 2019, 5:42pm

Re: Pendle Tandem Rack-T bar attachment

Post by Jdsk »

Is the change that you would like that the front mount should hold the fork rather than the rim of the wheel?

And if so is the only purpose of the vertical bar to raise the mudguard so that it clears the rack?

What is the longitudinal horizontal bar made from?

Thanks

Jonathan

PS: Our Galaxy tandems go upside-down on the roof rack with the rear saddle in a holster and the rear bars in clamps. That way the rack doesn't even know that they are tandems. And they can be lifted by rigid parts of the frame. For tall vehicles I stand on something like a removed seat or some little folding steps.
beeb
Posts: 160
Joined: 13 Aug 2014, 6:39pm

Re: Pendle Tandem Rack-T bar attachment

Post by beeb »

The problem we have is the weight and the lean forward Johnathon.

The lognitudinal bar is made of square section steel.

The vertical support ties to the frame.

At present our carrier has two supports, we would only need one as the front forks would lock on to the T bar.

Maybe there is another system I could adapt.

We have a Thule velo vise for our single bikes and it works great as it is rock solid and again lowers the weight I have to lift.

I am only little so use a little step to help.

Thanks for quick reply.
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531colin
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Joined: 4 Dec 2009, 6:56pm
Location: North Yorkshire

Re: Pendle Tandem Rack-T bar attachment

Post by 531colin »

Bear with me on this; I may not understand what you are trying to do, and I haven't put a tandem on the roof rack since the kids were small, which is a long time ago.

I think there are 2 problems getting a tandem on the roof;
Its heavy and awkward to get it up there,
Its heavy and awkward to hold it in place while you fix it in place.

When the kids were small we didn't have any money, so stuff was done on the cheap.
I must have had roof bars anyway, and I wanted a vertical "mast" to fix the tandem to, like the 2 masts you have already; I got a local welder to weld up an "L" shape out of box section, it clamped to one roof bar.
I got a couple of strips of wood which I clamped either side of both tyres where they touch the road (with bolts and wing nuts).
Then I could lift the tandem and just put it on the roof bars, because my 2 bits of wood rested on the roof bars I didn't have to line anything up, I could just lift the tandem up and lean it against my "mast" ....the front wheel wasn't flopping about. Then all I had to do was secure the tandem to the roof bars and the mast.

With your existing thing, you have to lift the tandem and get both wheels into their fixtures; this would be easier if the front wheel wasn't flopping about.
BUT, what I don't understand is your 2 masts appear to go either side of the tandem...I guess you must pivot one out of the way?

Also, I don't really understand the T bar attachment.
Fair enough, the tandem will be a shade lighter without its front wheel
But to me thats more than offset by the fact that you have to somehow support the tandem while you fiddle about getting the front dropouts clamped in the fixture.

I was doing all this on my own, but even with 2 people doing it I think it would be harder with the front wheel clamp than simply leaning the bike on a "mast"
Bonefishblues
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Joined: 7 Jul 2014, 9:45pm
Location: Near Bicester Oxon

Re: Pendle Tandem Rack-T bar attachment

Post by Bonefishblues »

531colin wrote: 27 May 2022, 10:10am BUT, what I don't understand is your 2 masts appear to go either side of the tandem...I guess you must pivot one out of the way?

Also, I don't really understand the T bar attachment.
Fair enough, the tandem will be a shade lighter without its front wheel
But to me that's more than offset by the fact that you have to somehow support the tandem while you fiddle about getting the front dropouts clamped in the fixture.
Good points both, especially the T-bar.

I use the pendle with uprights both behind a tandem. A toestrap later and it's secure enough not to worry whilst you fiddle with the rest of the securing.
beeb
Posts: 160
Joined: 13 Aug 2014, 6:39pm

Re: Pendle Tandem Rack-T bar attachment

Post by beeb »

Thanks for the suggestions. Might try a local engineer, to see if he rig something up for me. I reckon that taking off the front rack and wheel we could manage to lift the bike. It's a thorn tandem, well built but quite heavy. Either that or we'll just tour from the house on it.

Thanks again, love this forum for the responsiveness and helpfulness.
thirdcrank
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Joined: 9 Jan 2007, 2:44pm

Re: Pendle Tandem Rack-T bar attachment

Post by thirdcrank »

I took it you were looking for something like this, but the bad news seems to be it's disontinued

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebN95d6n5aI

JDT Tandems sound as though they have some sort of alternative but the info is sparse

https://www.tandems.co.uk/m10b0s21p55/BTS-Tandem-Lift
Jdsk
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Joined: 5 Mar 2019, 5:42pm

Re: Pendle Tandem Rack-T bar attachment

Post by Jdsk »

beeb wrote: 26 May 2022, 5:18pmThe lognitudinal bar is made of square section steel.
beeb wrote: 27 May 2022, 6:29pmMight try a local engineer, to see if he rig something up for me.
Welding a vertical mast onto the longitudinal section should be easy. Consider a brace.

Then you can add a prefabricated mount on top of that, probably onto a platform welded on the mast.

Good luck

Jonathan

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drossall
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Location: North Hertfordshire

Re: Pendle Tandem Rack-T bar attachment

Post by drossall »

This old thread mentions a Merit tandem carrier. I'm not sure whether what we've got is a Merit or a Helton carrier, because they sound similar. We ordered ours for our Claud Butler Majestic II, which we bought in the mid 80s and still have (along with the rack).

A really good solution but:
  • If I recall correctly, they were custom made and you had to specify the bike measurements so that they would fit
  • This was in the days of guttered roofs on cars, meaning that you could adjust the spacing of the roof bars easily to match the rack
thirdcrank
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Joined: 9 Jan 2007, 2:44pm

Re: Pendle Tandem Rack-T bar attachment

Post by thirdcrank »

I see that Thule do a tandem carrier - Model 558P -which seems to fit your criteria exactly and claims to facilitate the loading of the tandem single-handed by pivoting once the front fork is locked in. The only listings I can see are in the US although this company says they are shipped from Hong Kong and they do ship to the UK. They offer a 23% discount. Stillnot cheap

https://www.bike-gears.com/product/thul ... m-carrier/

Here's the Thule PDF

https://www.thule.com/-/s/approved/std. ... 177210.pdf
RJS
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Location: Torbay

Re: Pendle Tandem Rack-T bar attachment

Post by RJS »

A friend had a home made one like the Thule, if you had a spare Shimano quick release a local engineer could make up a pivot to convert your rack. Very occasionaly a secondhand hydraulic tandem lift comes up on the tandem club website.
Cheers, Rob.
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531colin
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Re: Pendle Tandem Rack-T bar attachment

Post by 531colin »

There is somebody here viewtopic.php?t=87395&hilit=zafira who can get his tandem inside his Citroen Picasso with 4 seats still useable.

Worth a look!

got to be better than heaving a tandem up onto the roof and holding it there (with your eyebrows?) while you need both hands to fit the forks into a quick release.
Bonefishblues
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Re: Pendle Tandem Rack-T bar attachment

Post by Bonefishblues »

Another option might be a sacrificial wheel, as it were - a cheap, light wheel without a tyre that you can have on the tandem only for transit, and then replace with your regular wheel when you take it down. Warming to that theme, QRs on seatposts removes a couple of saddles & posts and therefore another chunk of weight too.

Low-tech solution to reduce hoisting weight by a goodly amount, perhaps?
rjb
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Re: Pendle Tandem Rack-T bar attachment

Post by rjb »

I used to carry my tandem on an aluminium ladder attached to the roof bars. I made an attachment to hold the front forks using square section tubing offcuts and a threaded rod as an axle. The fork attachment was positioned so the rear wheel fitted nicely between 2 rungs and was held on with toestraps. Depending upon your car shape and positioning of the roof bars it may be possible to attach the tandem with the ladder positioned on the rear roof bar then lift and slide the back end fully on. My car shape wasn't ideal so I had to lift it onto the ladder. The kids toilet step came in handy for this giving me an extra 8 inches of height :lol:
Our current car is a Hyundai i10 and we have carried the tandem on one of those strapped on bike carriers which hang on the back. The tandem does poke out both sides so one has to drive carefully especially in the rural lanes. :wink:
At the last count:- Peugeot 531 pro, Dawes Discovery Tandem, Dawes Kingpin X3, Raleigh 20 stowaway, 1965 Moulton deluxe, Falcon K2 MTB dropped bar tourer, Rudge Bi frame folder, Longstaff trike conversion on a Giant XTC 840 :D
Bonefishblues
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Location: Near Bicester Oxon

Re: Pendle Tandem Rack-T bar attachment

Post by Bonefishblues »

rjb wrote: 28 May 2022, 8:50am Our current car is a Hyundai i10 and we have carried the tandem on one of those strapped on bike carriers which hang on the back. The tandem does poke out both sides so one has to drive carefully especially in the rural lanes. :wink:
I can hear a resident of Gunnislake choking on his cornflakes even as I type :lol:
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