Tandems?

[Bethany1]

DH and I tried a Trek T900 today at the LBS. It wasn't fun and realized without any communication, trust and balance, it's nearly impossible to ride one. The brakes sucked and turning was nearly impossible. When we crashed the second time with DH landing in the snow the LBS guy gave a us a dirty look and we gave him back the bike.

I think what killed us the most was the size. I think it's a 19 up front and a mere 14 or so behind. There was no way you could do miles on this bike and be comfortable. One of us would be stuck with our face in the other's back and trying not to let your knees hit the handle.

Obviously a 10 minute attempt in the parking lot doesn't give a lot of learning experience but my biggest concern was sizing. Are all the tandems out there sized like this unless you go custom?

For a 1000 dollar bike, it wasn't too bad. Just the sizing was off and it's the only size Trek made for the bike.

DH is 5'8" and I'm 5'10". He's wide with short legs and I'm tall with a short torso. We both generally ride a 17.5.

However; it was nice to not have to yell back at the person behind you or for DH to fell left behind even though he's not.

[Kiwi Stoker]

Umm sizing - NO! You don't have to go custom. Trek USED to make the awesome T2000 and T1000 which came in 3 sizes.

Cannondale still does a tandem and that comes in 4 sizes.

Santana and Co-Motion do off the rack tandems as well as custom and they have about 4 sizes.

Please go and find a real tandem bike shop and try REAL tandems, not the toys. Also check out the tandem forum on bikeforum.net- lots and lots of info to learn.

If you are on a budget, work out the size you should be riding (using the size calulators on Santana or Co-motions websites) and then look for second hand tandems.

Burley, Santana, Co-motion, Trek (T2000 or T1000 models), KHS re all avaible second hand at good prices.

DH and I don't even have to talk anymore on the tandem about what he is doing apart from the occasional "bump" or "tight squeeze, need to get off". I can heard the cable for the gear changes and feel through the pedals when to apply power or when to back off. Balance- well you need to stop moving back there! I suspect you are moving around and trying the steer the bike like you would on a single. Of course that makes it hard to balance. You need to sit tight until the captain gets the hang of it. It's like driving a limo DH says, and any huge movements catch him off guard. Also you probably weren't clipped in. The stoker normally ALWAYS is clipped in, even when stopping. Just sticking a foot out to "help" will cause issues as you probably need to lean the bike at a different angle to your captain. Once you are clipped and and stay clipped in you take the balance issue while stopping out. However don't use road cleats! We tried once and it ended in me getting in the car and letting him ride home. MTB shoes and clips will provide better grip for the captain when stopping, so his foot doesn't slip ot. It will also make you feel more confident in his abilities to hold the bike as well.

Have fun and don't let a rough first time put you off!

PS Just re-reading this and not sure if you were captaining or stokering. Normally the tallest and heaviest person does the captaining but not always possible to. Anyway I hope this helps a bit.

[Veronica]

We ended up going with a custom tandem because we could not get a bike sized correctly for us. We're too close in height and basically needed the same size in both compartments.

Veronica

[emily_in_nc]

We ended up going with a custom tandem because we could not get a bike sized correctly for us. We're too close in height and basically needed the same size in both compartments.

Veronica

What she said...the vast majority of stock tandems assume the taller person up front, but a captain also needs to have good upper-body strength to hold the bike up while the other mounts and just to manage a bike with the weight of two riders. My DH, who is strong, found captaining tiring for this very reason, and I'm a petite stoker!

Assuming you don't want to captain, unless there are tandems that have been introduced since we rode one (very possible, as this was some years ago), I doubt you're going to have much luck with stock sizing, even in the good brands like Santana, Co-motion, etc. It's very possible that custom may be your only real option, if you want a bike that actually fits both of you.

Definitely go talk to a bike shop that specializes in tandems and get their opinion, though.

[malkin]

I was pretty sure that our first tandem ride would be our last act on earth.

Find some local tandem people who can help you work out the details.

[Owlie]

I was pretty sure that our first tandem ride would be our last act on earth.

Find some local tandem people who can help you work out the details.

LOL. Us too. We'd kill ourselves...or each other!

[Blueberry]

I'm not the one to ask - we just sold our tandem

Our problems stemmed from:

1) we have the same inseam, though he has a longer torso

2) I can't captain (not enough strength), but I outweigh him

3) I couldn't give up trying to steer.

Seriously, though - check with some good tandem shops. There are more options out there (and some have used bikes).

[Kiwi Stoker]

Interesting. DH is 5"9 and I am 5"7 but we ride the same sized bike as our inseams are the same. DH just has a longer torso and arms than me so he has a longer stem etc.

We ride a M/S tandem, DH has a longer stem and I have a thudbuster seatpost. My saddle is the same height as his but of course the seatpost is longer due to the smaller size at the back. We also have a adjustable stem on the rear bars so we have dialled in pretty well, even though we probably should be riding a M/M tandem (which doesn't exist as standard).

[Veronica]

Our first tandem was a stock Santana - S/S I think. For a year or so it was the only bike I rode. It wasn't until we branched out into road bikes that I realized how cramped I had been on the tandem.

Veronica

[roo4]

How adjustable are tandems? Could DH and I share one (both 5'9") and then swap out DH and swap in my son (less than 5')?

[Bethany1]

There doesn't seem to be any tandem shops nearby, or at least a Google search didn't provide any. It would have to be in Omaha, Lincoln or possibly as far as Kansas City. My LBS has a T900 coming in a few weeks and would probably give better instruction other than, "Sure. Take it outside and ride in the parking lot" without any instructions whatsoever.

This guy has a tandem for sale in Lincoln on Craigslist. I like that the top bar slopes down so I don't feel like I'm confined and it looks bigger.

[Kiwi Stoker]

Roo, look into a Co-motion Periscope tandem or a Bike Friday tandem. That is most likely to do the job for you.

[roo4]

Thanks, Kiwi Stoker, and my apologies to Bethany for the thread hijack.

[MojoGrrl]

There's a reason they call them "Divorce Makers"....actually, my (current) partner and I are great on our tandem. It has taught me to trust someone else and give up control for a change. Now, had my ex-husband and I gotten on one of those together, I have a feeling we would've killed each other (not just gotten a bitter divorce).

Also you can look here:

http://www.tandemmag.com/classified/

[zoom-zoom]

There's a reason they call them "Divorce Makers".

I am NOT a fan of our tandem, but that is in large part due to the view. I am nearly a full foot shorter than my husband and the rear cockpit is pretty short, so I end up with my nose in the small of his back. I cannot get comfortable on the thing and I can't see much at all...nothing at all in front of us. I end up sore all over from having to tilt my head back to keep my forehead off his back (I'm short, but long-torsoed). And I loathe having to give up control.

But we have our Co-Motion Perioscope Torpedo that we bought with our son in mind. He LOVES being on the back of that thing with his dad. The two of them have a blast "dropping mom." It's OK that I don't like it. We didn't really purchase it for me. DS just turned 11 and we've had the bike for about a year and a half. We figure that he'll get good use out of it for a few more years, until he can fit a solo road bike and drop his old parents.