BEFORE-AFTER. We transform an old rusty tandem into a dream bike

For years, a tandem dating from the 1980s has been gathering dust in the back of a barn. Alexis Fournier, a mechanic specializing in cycle repair, will completely renovate this exceptional bike. This is the concept of “L’atelier vélo”, a show to discover on France.tv.

It is in the countryside of Troyes (Aube) that Elio Balini, an 18-year-old cyclist, dreams of remaking a bike that is close to his heart. It is a tandem, kept out of sight at the back of the family barn. “I don’t really know what year it is from, but it belonged to my father, remembers the young man. I did it a few times on the baby carrier, and it’s been sitting there collecting dust ever since. He’s been through a lot, it’s time to give him a second life.”

It is with Moussa, his visually impaired friend, used to riding in tandem in association, that Elio wishes to go for walks, if possible sporty. This is the kind of challenge that experts like to take on. The bike workshopthe new show to discover on france.tv.

The principle of the show is simple. “We often have an old bike in the back of a garage that we hold dear, but which is no longer really fit to ride. The bike workshop takes care of refurbishing this bike, to the delight of its ownerexplains Aymeric Robert, antennas and content delegate for France 3 Grand Est.

“It’s about celebrating the bicycle in all its uses. Whether you use it to go to work, whether you ride with friends, whether you use it to transport your children or your dog… we take it on the road, in the forest or in a bike park, poursuit Aymeric Robert. It’s also an opportunity to talk about mechanics and safety, since each bike is renovated by a professional.” Each episode of The bike workshop is accompanied by very concrete videos with practical advice essential to any good cyclist.

Concerning Elio’s tandem, concretely, a good part of the tandem needs to be refurbished. The tires are cracked, the saddles are not comfortable, the transmission is outdated and the pedals are suffering from their old age.

“I’m waiting for an aesthetic restoration, but also a functional one. The idea is for it to be sporty. […] I would like road bike handlebars (which remind me of competitive road cycling, a discipline that I practice), fairly sober paint and a modern appearance with current parts, but also with references from the time, for example leaving vintage stickers.”

Alexis Fournier, expert mechanic, will take care of the transformation of Elio’s tandem. Bikes hold no secrets for him. He runs a cycle repair shop west of Troyes and he also shares his passion for downhill mountain biking with his hundreds of thousands of subscribers on social networks, under the pseudonym Ridefoufou.

Renovating a tandem is unusual for Alexis. “We can see that the bike hasn’t been ridden for quite a while. Cobwebs, flat tires, visible rust, the cables are worn, we’re going to have to change all that”notes the mechanic.

To carry out such a renovation, you must completely reverse engineer the cycle, element by element, then diagnose the parts that can be kept or renovated. Once the bike is completely disassembled, the frame goes to the paint shop where it is coated in a glittery, pearly midnight blue, with a glittery black gradient on the rear of the frame. The original logo of the bike brand is replaced by the current one, as Elio wanted.

We had a lot of difficulty finding recent parts, compatible with a bike with old standards.

Once painted, it’s up to Alexis to make the magic happen with a very precise choice for the new pieces. “We give it a road bike style with gravel tires, road bike handlebars and saddles.” Almost everything has been brought up to date, notably the cassette, offering more speed levels, which makes it easier to drive uphill, on flat ground and downhill.

“We had a lot of difficulty finding recent parts, compatible with a bike with old standards. We did a crazy job to come up with a monstrous tandem”concludes Alexis Fournier, proud of his work.

“It’s incredible, the wheels, the saddles, the transmission… everything is new, exclaims Elio Balini, moved by the result. I’ve never seen a tandem like that. We are right on the style of bike I wanted. What’s crazy is finding the frame of a bike from the period with all the components and a current color. It’s beautiful.”

A story that ends even better than expected. Discover the other incredible renovations of the mechanics of L’atelier vélo, the new show from France 3 Grand Est, to be found on france.tv.