What to look for in a tandem

[growingvegetables]

A tandem is almost the most fun you can have with your clothes on.

IMO the most important aspect of a tandem is that it should be a comfortable fit/ride for both pilot & stoker.More so than when riding a solo machine.

Hire a tandem from a cycle hire centre for half a day,at least once so as to experience the real thing B4 U BUY.

+101

It is different from just riding a bike, though. I'm well used to piloting, and the communication necessary - and have used my tandem to get a couple of people over their initial fears about starting to cycle ... it worked well. Two new cyclists now on the road.

If you've not tandemmed before - try and hire one a couple of times to get the feel of it. As much for yourself as your partner.

As for getting one - just a wee add to Alan on getting the right fit. Try two or three before you buy ... mine has a nice firm frame and it rides well; one I tried though - hmm, it felt quite squidgy, rubbery, and bendy in the frame. Cheap ------ but far from comfortable.

Good luck with it

 

[Pale Rider]

A lot to be said for a semi-recumbent tandem.

The stoker is at the front so is fully involved and can see the surroundings instead of the captain's back.

Much easier to communicate with the captain, and the stoker's seat means no saddle soreness problems if they are new to cycling.

I've not ridden one, but they look as if they ride more like a proper bicycle.

What's not to like?

The price, I think a good one is £5K+

http://hasebikes.com/84-1-Tandem-Pino.html

 

[biggs682]

Hi guys, I'm thinking about getting a tandem for me and my partner. I'm trying to get her interested in cycling and I think this will work. I don't have any experience at all with tandems so any advice at all would be greatly appreciated.

if you are near to me drop me pm and you are more than welcome to come and try our Raleigh Venture +2

 

[ufkacbln]

I overtook a tandem in my town a couple of days ago. They looked very wobbly and the expression on their faces seemed to convey a real sense of uncertainty as to what they would or should do next.
The idea seems superficially to be a good one, but I think you'd need to be committed if you wanted to ride one on a regular basis... I can't see that they would encourage anyone to get into cycling anymore than if they rode their own bike themselves.
It is a bit like speeding...just because you can, doesn't mean you should!

Another case where actually having experience of the matter is helpful to the discussion?

There are lots of reasons why tandems are a good idea and also fun.

For many handicapped or partially sighted people the tandem isa superb way of getting into cycling.

It extended my Mother in law's ability to take part in cycling for some 7 years. She was unable to ride independently, but as a stoker with care and keeping her informed it was fine.

 

[ufkacbln]

It's also essential that the stoker trusts the pilot and doesn't try to steer from the back.

Our first tandem was a cheap one, and it was no unusual for my seat to rotate as the wife turned her bars to go round a corner

The Dawes Galaxy Twin and Jack Taylor tandem trike have far more secure stems that prevent this.

 

[marcusjb]

Hire a tandem and get a bit of a lesson from someone like The Tandem Shop or JD Tandems.

Being shown a few things, some of them counter-intuitive, in a quick half hour lesson from Peter Bird in Ironbridge taught us much. Then spending the next few hours riding around gave us the confidence to say we could do it.

Eck has it right - the stoker is always right.

We bought a second hand Landescape and have toured on that for a couple of summers. We're now in the position to really know what we want from a tandem, so we're specifying up a new Co-Motion at the moment.

It has enabled us to do things we just wouldn't do on solos. We couldn't tour on solos - it would drive us both mad with a fairly large speed difference between us. But the tandem works somewhere in the middle, so all the frustration has gone. We're also going to give the next PBP a go on the tandem - my better half wouldn't dream of doing it on a solo, but reckons we will be all good on the tandem.

Amazing things, but only if you communicate well with each other.

 

[Linford]

A tandem is almost the most fun you can have with your clothes on.
Have a look here
http://tandem-club.org.uk/files/index.html

Go to places like
http://www.tandems.co.uk/
http://www.landescapetandems.com/
http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/
http://www.rutlandcycling.com/
to try before you buy.I'll say that again...TRY B4 U BUY.

If you can't get to these places at least browse read & absorb their websites & also speak with them for advice.

IMO the most important aspect of a tandem is that it should be a comfortable fit/ride for both pilot & stoker.More so than when riding a solo machine.

Get as clued-up as possible by asking as many tandem riders for their opinions & filter the info that's relevant to yourselves.
Go along to a tandem club meeting in your area if possible.

Hire a tandem from a cycle hire centre for half a day,at least once so as to experience the real thing B4 U BUY.

hth

The pillions who I've carried for thousands of miles on my motorcycles over the last 30+ years would probably disagree with this claim, but hey ho....not everyone gets the opportunity to try both...

Cycling for me is about achievement, and personal improvement in fitness as well as enjoying the countryside, and cycling in general...it is a nice way to see the world and cover distances you'd struggle too on foot, but as a stoker, you will get fitter, but your efforts will never be truly measured as you are always dragging, or being dragged.. What happens when you hit the 1:4 hills on them ?

 

[eck]

. What happens when you hit the 1:4 hills on them ?

Depends if they're up or down.

 

[alans]

What happens when you hit the 1:4 hills on them ?

1:4 downhill = big grin with little time spent on the hill
1:4 uphill = stoker learns what a 24" gear is

 

[Smurfy]

1:4 downhill = big grin with little time spent on the hill

A 1:4 hill with the same frontal area (air resistance) as a solo rider and double the mass!

Surely you'd be hitting 50+mph in a matter of seconds!

 

[srw]

There is only one tandem i would ride.

God, that's ugly.

 

[srw]

If you're sure that you're doing it because you both think you'll enjoy it, go ahead. But, as others have said, try before you buy. We borrowed from an acquaintance, and spent about half an hour in a park before we could even think about moving forward - there's a knack to starting off. But once you've got the knack (and your life will be made easier if you've got someone to show it to you) it becomes straightforward.

Once you've both decided you want to buy, my recommendation would be to buy a model from one of the specialist brands if you want it to have any life. Thorn, Orbit, Santana, Landescape and no doubt others know what they're doing, so don't make the mistakes others do. That S-works abomnation is typical of a manufacturer who thinks you can make a decent tandem by doing a cut-and-shut on two solo frames and fitting it with solo parts. You can't. A cheap tandem is better than no tandem, but you won't get the real benefits without a proper machine.

For what it's worth, I'd rate both Thorn and Santana, but for different purposes. Thorn makes an excellent sturdy touring tandem that feels well planted on the road. Santana makes a lovely, if slightly twitchy, sporty ride. I wouldn't be without either.

 

[rvw]

As srw's stoker, I'd also recommend a test ride (or several) and very much second the point about comfort. If I shuffle around on the seat while we're moving, it upsets the balance of the whole thing, so it's that bit more important to be properly comfortable all the time.

Someone upthread suggested that you need a strong relationship for tandemming - I think it's probably a bit of a spiral, as there are lots of facets that will help to strengthen a relationship: trust; the absolute need for effective communication; sharing an activity which is cooperative rather than competitive; never getting left behind!

 

[SteCenturion]

Two seats!

Damn it.

Beaten to the punch.

 

[SteCenturion]

God, that's ugly.

Agreed - Fugly bike.

Bet it's lighter than a regular 2 seater though but with 10x less comfort.