Our Co-Motion Periscope Torpedo has paid for itself...it's allowed our family of 3 to ride together, since DS is only 10 and likes to ride, but could never keep up on a road bike...he's still a bit small for one and doesn't have the strength/endurance to ride long on his own power.

We didn't really look at any other tandem options, since we needed that periscope rear seat for the rugrat. The only other tandems I'm at all familiar with are aluminum Cannondales, but we know quite a few folks who have them and love them. Not sure how they ride, but our Co-Motion is SO smooth...but it's a beast. It's a real workout for my hubby and kid to get up hills with that thing. They FLY downhill, though.

(personally, I'm not a fan of the tandem. My hubby is nearly a foot taller than me and very broad-shouldered, so I see NOTHING in front of us. It also forces me to sit too upright, since the stoker cockpit is relatively short...and makes my neck hurt, so I haven't been on it at all this year).