I sat at that table and they gave me a cup of tea and a cherry bakewell. I suppose I was 14, and my dad took me along to get his old Taylor frame rebuilt for me to ride.
Tried finding this for ages without any luck. Suddenly here it is! Back then most large provincial towns had at least one guy building their own frames. School workshops taught all you needed to know. Unfortunately, the average guy hadn't a hope in hell to go on and do this. All the tools available were old, very second hand and worn out. And have your own brazing equipment? Even a regular blue collar job didn't pay more than subsistence wages, you worked long shifts 6 days a week, getting home cold and wet most days and absolutely knackered. If you were lucky, your mum was still feeding you. Happy days indeed.
TV of a type and style which, unfortunately, doesn't get made or valued these days. I discussed the making of this documentary with the Producer, Richard Else, who described it as one of his favourite works. He went on to say: "What's interesting about the film is that nothing was staged. I spent days with them before we started filming, so knew about every aspect of their day. The scene with their lunch and old electric stove was incredibly difficult to film - not because of the brothers but the crew couldn't stop laughing - it was such a comic event, yet it was the same day in, day out. When Prince Charles visited them after the film, he was scheduled to stay about 15 mins but was there over 90, I'm told. I very much think that was a golden era of documentary making and one sadly missed." Thank goodness that Richard did capture the Taylors at work for posterity.
I'm building a 1974 Jack Taylor Tour of Britain. This video is a great resource to remind me of the tradition of racing and quality that my Taylor represents.
Always remember their stand at the York Rally every year - usually at the far end of the enormous main marquee. My Mum thought about ordering one of their beautiful mixte frames - but was tempted by something else instead! Such a shame that more or less all of the UK's wonderfully skilled framebuilders have gone......sadly many younger riders think hand made frames were only made in Italy. Was Eric Robson the narrator of this film?
I just took my '59 Taylor touring tandem out for a ride today. Lovely thing, that. Still going strong at 60 years of age, although Jack's beautiful box lining is a bit tatty. I can only hope I look so good at 60. I've ridden Santana, Raleigh, Schwinn Paramount, and Colin Laing tandems, but give me the Taylor any day. It climbs like none other and the comfort is unequaled.
Thanks for posting it was brilliant to watch. I watched it when it was first broadcast and it makes you realise in the intervening years are cycles have developed as well. Ok far less traffic then but is cycling without a helmet so dangerous these days. Please do not delete as so many more people will appreciate it when they discover it.
Fantastic viewing on how bikes should be made. I am just starting out to make my own frame and have seen that many sites say you need a $800 this or a $3000 that to build a good frame. The Taylor brothers show all you need is the love and passion to be successful. Love the part where they use a string line for truing the frame and weights to hold down everything in place for welding, no expensive welding jigs here, just common sense and the KISS principal. Too many lost crafts in many aspects of manufacturing today. Thanks for sharing.
To answer a previous question,there is a dvd that features the brothers building (for a short time) a tv production - Bicycle originally from 1989,probably on vhs too
I GOT MYSELF A GREAT LOOKING TRACK FRAME FROM THESE GUYS BAcK IN THE EARLY 60'S.TROUBLE WAS THAT IT WAS TOO LONG IN THE WHEELBASE AND KEN AND i fell out. he was rapping on about the front wheel and the toeclip touch, when turning. he was not impressed when I pointed out that you-lean a bike into a corner, not turn the bars.I was just a kid and asked him to drill a hole in the fork crown, so I could fit a front brake and use it as a work bike.well the poor guy was furious with me,grabed the fork and without using a center pop-mark, just drilled a hole, willy nilly .now we were both upset. wish I still had that frame, it looked great with a nice red finish and the famouse box lining
These bikes will be around forever. Leave the carbon stuff to pros who don't have to pay. Some club riders are already beginning to return to steel - just as fast and totally repairable.
You couldn't tell a story like that about his stuttering today! But it was funny, although his accent is a but hard for me. People had more personality back then it seems like.
And it was, for a time not long after this was filmed. Shimano even made hubs with the 48 hole drilling through the '90s and into the early 2000s (HF07 and HF08), and MAVIC and Sun-Ringle made rims. These were original equipment on a lot of Santana and Co-Motion bikes in America.
MAKE A DECREE Daniel 6:26-27 There is never usually a testimony without testing. When we are delivered yet again by our Jesus we shouldn’t keep it secret. Make a decree. Announce every ounce of what He did. Make a decree. Saying in every way what He can do. Make a decree. He can do it for you, He did it for me.
