Last summer I invested in a classic Schwinn Twinn tandem with the boyfriend
Now clearly this bike is just a pleasure cruiser but I think some of the same control issues come up--so I would be sure to test drive with all parties (husband, daughter) you may ride with. I am a very anal "the bike must stay in a straight line, right hand side, etc." rider. The boyfriend is what we will call a "free spirit"--that means he wants to go everywhere and poke in every dumpster w/o really telling you why he is stopping, slowing, turning, etc. So there I sit in the back a victim to his whims, BUT if I try to be captain he still manages to be fidgety enough and screw around enough to make my job very challenging. So...what I am saying is test drive your partners before a big $$$ commitment. All the whines aside, riding on the tandem can still actually be a lot of fun. We found our classic by posting an ad on Craigslist (less $$ than ebay auctions). I think w/ an inexpensive classic you can share the love of cycling with your daughter in the same amount of time as those longer distances you crave (ours is a bit of a beast, you won't go too far). Soon enough she will be old enough to bike on her own for the distances you crave. Plus, we think we look so cool on our antique...