Lowering the driver saddle on a tandem

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
OP
OP
Cathryn

Cathryn

Legendary Member
As above, that seems like a very bulky stoker stem. Also the double clamp for the seat-post seems over the top.

I thought it looked particularly bulky too.
 

roubaixtuesday

self serving virtue signaller
Good luck with the very good suggestions above, is that a Burley? Top notch machines.

The obvious alternative to those suggestions is to swap seats. How old is your son? He might take to the responsibility better than you think.

A way to ease this could be to fit a drag brake from the stokers bars so you have a veto on top speed. I'd guess a Burley would come with the requisite hub and frame fixings.
 
OP
OP
Cathryn

Cathryn

Legendary Member
Good luck with the very good suggestions above, is that a Burley? Top notch machines.

The obvious alternative to those suggestions is to swap seats. How old is your son? He might take to the responsibility better than you think.

A way to ease this could be to fit a drag brake from the stokers bars so you have a veto on top speed. I'd guess a Burley would come with the requisite hub and frame fixings.

Thank you - it's a Burley Rock n Roll, straight from Eugene, Oregon. The vendors shipped it back when they moved back from the US. It's a beautiful bike, I'm thrilled with it which is why I'm determined to sort it.

I love my son but the thought of him steering on roads with me behind him chills me to the bone. He's 10. He's awesome but I want to live! :smile:
 
OP
OP
Cathryn

Cathryn

Legendary Member
I took some better photos today and I've contacted a tandem specialist for some advice. Thought you helpful people might like some extra photos. Basically, I need to drop the saddle one inch to make it viable. One little inch. We can do that, can't we! (My husband keeps muttering darkly that I bought the wrong sized bike...implying that he told me so...so I'm determined to make this work).

1) The driver's seat post with the handlebars and clamp.
2) The giant handlebar clamp. It's 2.5 inches from top to bottom. There HAS to be a smaller one out there.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_7820.JPG
    IMG_7820.JPG
    198 KB · Views: 31
  • IMG_7830.JPG
    IMG_7830.JPG
    80.8 KB · Views: 30

roubaixtuesday

self serving virtue signaller
Thank you - it's a Burley Rock n Roll, straight from Eugene, Oregon. The vendors shipped it back when they moved back from the US. It's a beautiful bike, I'm thrilled with it which is why I'm determined to sort it.

I love my son but the thought of him steering on roads with me behind him chills me to the bone. He's 10. He's awesome but I want to live! :smile:

Ah, ok, yes, 10 is just a *little* young to pilot...
 

twentysix by twentyfive

Clinging on tightly
Location
Over the Hill
I took some better photos today and I've contacted a tandem specialist for some advice. Thought you helpful people might like some extra photos. Basically, I need to drop the saddle one inch to make it viable. One little inch. We can do that, can't we! (My husband keeps muttering darkly that I bought the wrong sized bike...implying that he told me so...so I'm determined to make this work).

1) The driver's seat post with the handlebars and clamp.
2) The giant handlebar clamp. It's 2.5 inches from top to bottom. There HAS to be a smaller one out there.
Blimey - that handlebar clamp looks agricultural in design. I'm no tandem person but I feel sure there are smaller ones out there. Never seen anything like that pic.
 
OP
OP
Cathryn

Cathryn

Legendary Member
I hope your specialist can help you out.

The existing stem does look a bit over-engineered. If you look at this https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/stems/nitto-tandem-stoker-stem-aa/ (I've no idea if it's the right size, it's just the first one I found) and eyeball the clamp and compare the rise on the clamp to the handlebar diameter they are roughly the same. The bars are 25.4mm , so the rise is about one inch. Compared with your 2.5 inch clamp that saves you the inch you need, and half an inch to spare. So fingers crossed, there may well be a suitable part out there for you.

That does look good. Thanks, I'll look into it.
 

classic33

Leg End Member
How much of the current clamp is on the curve of the seat post. There's a fair old curve at the top.
 

crossfire

Senior Member
I know nothing about tandems, closest I have got is riding in a sidecar attached to the one my parents had _ and that was 70 years ago, but the thought that struck me was, is it possible to combine the two ( seat post clamp and handlebar mount clamp ), thereby lowering as much as possible. Trouble is finding a handlebar clamp big enough to fit the seat post stem. Of course I may possibly be talking a load of carp - not unusual
 
OP
OP
Cathryn

Cathryn

Legendary Member
I know nothing about tandems, closest I have got is riding in a sidecar attached to the one my parents had _ and that was 70 years ago, but the thought that struck me was, is it possible to combine the two ( seat post clamp and handlebar mount clamp ), thereby lowering as much as possible. Trouble is finding a handlebar clamp big enough to fit the seat post stem. Of course I may possibly be talking a load of carp - not unusual

I think there's a way too. I'm taking it to my Dad today - he's an engineering genius with power tools so I'm sure he'll fix it. Or my husband cycles with a bike shop owner and we think he'll have ideas too. I'm not giving up. I shall post the solution when we find it.
 
Top Bottom