Tandem Rider's...Question...

I am seriously looking at the "BuddyBike" (formerly posted as the Lovebike)

http://www.buddybike.com/index.html

My question is about the weight of this bike. It weighs 52# which is a heavy bike. I ride on gravel roads that are hilly. I'm wondering if the weight of the bike will be an obstacle, I don't want to walk up the hills. I used to put my youngest kids in a trailer and pull them behind the bike and their combined weight was 75 pounds and I could manage that.

I'm just nervous about ordering this bike without riding it first to know how it will handle and ride but the concept is so terrific that I'm willing to take the chance site-unseen. But the weight of the bike itself has me hesitating.

For anyone who may be interested in this bike, they like for you to have your LBS take delivery of the bike and assemble. Right now delivery is one week to your LBS.

That's a hefty bike. There are so many great options for tandems with kids (see picture at left and Sheldon Brown's great website), that I question whether this bike is the best alternative, especially given the weight and the fact you won't be able to ride it.

Sarah, I have looked at your photo alot and I'm wondering...is your tandem built smaller than most? Your dd onthe back seems to be so much closer to you (front to back closer) than what most tandems sit. I know you had your tandem custom built so is the frame shorter in length than most?

What is the weight of your bike?

My tandem is custom, but it is fairly standard sized. We used a kidback on the back when Em was smaller and have moved to crank shorteners. (All of these items are explained with pictures on the link below).

My tandem weighs the same as any other road tandem - probably in the mid - 30's? I'm really not sure - but no where near 50 pounds. With the kidback it was heavier, but now it is not. It handles great - much easier to ride than the trailer bike.

This is a great place to start:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tandkids.html

Here are a couple of other photos of the tandem in action:

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j2...CornerWeb1.jpg


http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j2...and_EmilyW.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j2...inderella1.jpg

The quesstion I have for you to consider is this: how long will the Buddy Bike be a viable option for your child(ren)? Do you really want to invest the $$ for something that may have a short life? As soon as they are tall enough, you won't be able to see over their heads to steer.

The rear steering also seems a little nerve-wracking to me - like it would take a lot of effort to guage from the back how early you needed to turn the bars to make the bike turn...

I don't have kids, but we do have a couple of tandems, and 50 lbs seems like A LOT of weight to heft. Our MTB tandem didn't weigh that much! Sarah's tandem solution seems to be much more sound.


Just my $0.02.

SheFly

Yeah - that's the thing. I could ride my tandem with DH if I wanted to (he just rode it with his sister). We'll be able to use it with the kid as she grows up.

I think the Buddy Bike is awesome, really. It has fold down pegs for a kid who can't pedal. A 3 year old would be old enough to hold on if he/she didn't have to pedal, but I wouldn't want a 3 yo behind me on a tandem. My kids didn't get tall until 8 or 9, so that would be 5 or 6 years of riding. Then the next kid comes up...I think it would be very cost effective if you had 2 or 3 kids to use it with, or even one over 5 years.

I remember riding on the top tube side-saddle on a ten speed with my dad when I was little. It's a fond memory. I think the Buddy Bike would make the same kind of memories.

Karen