This is our 1984 Follis Tandem. We got the frame via Velo Orange in the Spring of 2009. It had been sitting in a warehouse, completely unused since it was built. Apparently the couple that ordered it never came to pick it up! The frame is 60cm/57cm and is filet-brazed Reynolds 531. The original parts were a bit outdated. I didn't trust the French aluminum handlebars and stem, and the braking setup was a joke (whats the point of a drag brake in the back if you can only operate it at the same time as the rim brakes?). The saddles left a lot to be desired, and my wife's face was buried in my back when she was on the drops. As such, I rebuilt the bike with the intention of making it touring-capable, and more ergonomic. The two included pictures show the bike in both its original configuration and its rebuilt configuration.

Rebuild details:

-I replaced the Wolber Super Champion / Atom 27" wheels with my own hand-built 700c Velocity Dyad / Shimano HF08 / Schmidt SON wheels w/ triple butted spokes and Schwalbe Marathon Plus 32mm tires. We're hard on our bikes, and I didn't want to destroy those collectors items!Ê

-The original drag brake was within the rear hub and was controlled by a double-pull lever up front, so I put on an Arai drum brake with a bar end shifter on a Paul Thumbie for the control. I replaced the original brake levers with some Tektro long-pull ones.

- New handlebars / stems front and back: Nitto Noodle 48cm and Profile 47cm bullhorn + Fizik microfiber tape. The new Technomic stem I put up front needed a tiny bit of sanding to fit.

-New chain + LX derailleur + 9 speed cassette

-Brooks leather saddles: B17 Champion Special up front, Brooks Flyer S in the back.

-Tubus Cargo rear rack and Velo Orange fenders

-Busch and Mueller dynamo-powered LED lights: Fender-mounted IQ Cyo R + rack mounted taillight. Super bright!

The bike rides beautifully and will serve us well into the future.

Thanks for having such a cool website!

Cheers,

Will Lockmiller
http://www.flickr.com/photos/willjl/

williamlockmiller@gmail.com