srw
It's a bit more complicated than that...
There's something not quite right with the setup of the new tandem, so I went out to the garage with the tape measure today and compared it with the setup on my solo Van Nicholas. The solo bike was properly fitted in the shop, and is a dream to ride, so I know it's a decent reference point.
The riding position on the tandem is a lot more upright (different frame angle), but apart from that almost all the measurements are within a cm or so. Except for one. On the solo bike I've got what I believe is a 42cm handlebar width (44cm from outside to outside). On the tandem I've got something about 6cm wider. My shoulder width is nothing out of the ordinary - it seems to be about 40cm.
If I replace the tandem handlebars with something narrower, is there likely to be any downside. For a technical incompetent how difficult is the job?
The riding position on the tandem is a lot more upright (different frame angle), but apart from that almost all the measurements are within a cm or so. Except for one. On the solo bike I've got what I believe is a 42cm handlebar width (44cm from outside to outside). On the tandem I've got something about 6cm wider. My shoulder width is nothing out of the ordinary - it seems to be about 40cm.
If I replace the tandem handlebars with something narrower, is there likely to be any downside. For a technical incompetent how difficult is the job?