WANTED: Tandem

[CyclaSutra]

Would love to acquire by summer 2015: Tandem that will fit my almost-4-foot daughter who just turned 6. She's pretty tall for her age and has been riding a tow-behind WeeHoo (50-pound towable + 54-pound kid... ugh). Will consider all models. PM or email me... lovenewsjh at gmail. Figured some of your kids may have outgrown them by now. Thanks!

[lauraelmore1033]

http://eastidaho.craigslist.org/bik/4767342955.html
I don't know how far you're willing to travel, but here's a really interesting tandem where the child rides up front.

[CyclaSutra]

Thanks Laura! I saw that one last night but I had trouble telling how much it weighs or how fast it might be... I also was hoping to pay a bit less than that. I'll probably know how much I can realistically spend after the first week or two of January.

I showed the picture to my daughter and she LOVED the idea of being out front rather than in back.

I thought about reaching out to the CL poster to indicate a bit of interest but I thought I'd see what else might be out there first. Thanks for calling my attention to it! I'll do some more research and see if I can find out more about that model.

OK found this review. Looks really cool! http://reviews.mtbr.com/kidztandem-review

[lauraelmore1033]

I wonder if it might also be more stable to have the child up front. Your daughter would also never have to hear the old, "she's not pedaling!" call from strangers who think they're saying something hilarious.

[FahrRad]

One model you might try looking for is "hase pino." They offer a modified crank set for riders that small, and she won't simply outgrow the bike in a few years, so it might be worth (considering) spending a bit more than your planned budget. The view is spectacular for both riders, and it's much easier to communicate than on a normal tandem since the heads are so close together. The wheel base is shorter than a traditional tandem, so it's easier to maneuver in traffic, and since there's a free wheel for the stoker there are no balance/coordination issues when starting and stopping. Here's a picture of us--my husband is 195cm--so you can get an idea of what the bike looks like.

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We don't have kids, but some of our friends do, and they love riding the bike. The view from the front seat is natural cinema.

This is probably a bit different than what you originally had in mind, but the bike has a lot going for it--you can use it with riders of many different sizes, or with riders who have never been on a tandem before, you can transport it in a small car with a 5m and a multitool, you can use it as a cargo bike for cases of water or flat ikea packages--so that it could become a permanent member of the bicycle family. Here's a link to the marketing website if you like reading things like that:

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

Just something to consider, since any tandem bicycle worth spending time on is a hefty investment. And on this bike, you can even teach traffic rules and explain how/why you're driving as you are as she grows. Or just talk--it's a great place to sort things out, or have those awkward mom-daughter conversations later...

If you have any questions, I really like talking about this bike! Feel free to ask!

[FahrRad]

One model you might consider looking for is "hase pino." They make a special crank set for riders that small (even smaller, down to 100cm, 3'3"), and she will never outgrow the bike, so it may be worth (considering) spending a bit more than your original budget. I mention the bike because you wrote your daughter got excited about sitting up front...here's a picture of me and my husband (he's 195cm tall) on the bike, so you can get an idea of what I'm suggesting.

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We don't have kids, but our friends do, and they love taking turns sitting up front. We thought the novelty would wear off, but they can't seem to get enough of it. The view from the front is just natural cinema.

This bike has a lot going for it: the wheel base is shorter than a traditional tandem, so it's easy to maneuver in tight spaces or traffic, and because all of the extra length is in front of the captain, it takes about 30 seconds to get used to the steering (think motorboat instead of lorry or bus). The view is spectacular for BOTH riders, and the communication is much better than on a traditional tandem, since the heads are so close together. (Even closer than when you're walking with your daughter.) The stoker has a free wheel, so there's no difficulty coordinating stops and starts, and balance is a non issue.

Any tandem worth spending time on is an investment. This bike offers even more, so that it could become a permanent member of the family. It's easily adjustable for riders of many different heights, and it's easy to use even for people who've never been on a tandem before. (You can go off with others if your daughter loses interest!) With 5m and a multi tool, the bike fits in a small car (we've carried ours in a smart as well as on the back seat of a convertible). And you can use the bike as a cargo bike (even without the fancy conversion set) for transporting everything from cases of water to stacks of flat ikea packages. Because you and your daughter are looking at the same thing and able to speak normally, you can even teach her traffics rules or explain why you're driving the way you are. Later, you can trade places, or sort through those awkward mother daughter conversations that are easier if she thinks you don't see her blushing...

Obviously I love talking about this bike, so if you have any questions feel free to ask. It's probably different than what you envisioned, but maybe it could fit your needs.

They maintain their value pretty well, so you'll need to be patient and diligent looking for a used one, but it's also worth considering that you can sell this bike in good used condition with less depreciation loss than you may end up spending for a bike that she will outgrow in a few short years.

[lauraelmore1033]

Oh my gosh, I want one of those!

[Sylvia]

Something else to consider for a child's shorter legs would be the use of crank shorteners. They can be used with an adult length crank arm to effectively shorten the length of the crank for a child. This won't take care of a stand-over height that is too tall for her, but I would think it would help if the seat doesn't go down enough for her to reach the bottom of the pedal stroke. They often come in two sizes: one size for narrow and one size for wide crank arms. So be sure to get the right size for your crank arms if you decide to go this way.

Here is a picture of one type of crank shortener.

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[CyclaSutra]

Thanks everyone! That Hase Pino looks pretty sweet. I do have some time until cycling weather in Wyoming so I won't rush the decision.

[CyclaSutra]

We did buy the Brown Cycle custom KidzTandem from craigslist in Idaho Falls. What a deal! Built brand-new a few years ago and been sitting in a bike shop. It was so buttery smooth and easy to pedal. This should last us a few years until she's ready for a real tandem, and now we can sell the WeeHoo iGo recumbent trail-a-bike we've been using 3 years to recoup about 25 percent of the cost. I tried to negotiate the price a bit but after testing it the kid was hanging on my arm and begging right in front of the guy selling it. I had zero bargaining power. LAST time I take the kid to a negotiating session. SMDH. Can't wait for the snow to melt!

[lauraelmore1033]

Wonderful! Maybe I'll spot you two on the STP some time???