Transporting a tandem?

[moose8]

I recently bought a nice older Sterling (bilenky made) tandem without fully thinking through the transport logistics - the bike has been paid for but is still at the seller's. Plan currently is to go out with a friend and one of us will ride it back home (it's only around 10 miles). It came with an old Yakima tandem rack, but the rack doesn't fit onto my Thule aero bars. What I am wondering is if fitting a tandem of good size/fairly large into a 2000 volvo xc70 (ie the boxy version of the station wagon) is within the realm of possibility? I'll obviously be able to figure it out when I get the bike but if I can avoid having to inconvenience a friend it'd be easier to just go by myself to get it.

Alternatively, has anyone come up with a way to adapt an old Yakima rack to fit on Thule aero bars? I called both Yakima and Thule who each said it couldn't be done. Looks like if the bike won't fit in the wagon I may need to buy a new square base rack system to make it work.

[zap]

We were able to transport our tandem for many years in a Volvo 850 wagon.

Front wheel was removed and the front passenger seat moved all the way forward (my wife is shorter). Handlebar between the front seats a bit.

More flexibility if the rear wheel is removed.

The XC70 should be roughly the same length as the 850.

[christian]

If it's ten miles, can't you have someone drop you off, and ride it home solo? Not hard to do.

[moose8]

If it's ten miles, can't you have someone drop you off, and ride it home solo? Not hard to do.

I could, but that would involve getting someone to drive me which I am hoping to avoid, plus my real concern is transporting the tandem in the future to places to ride it.

I appreciate the advice re the 850 - sounds like I should be able to do this solo and be ok to carry the bike to better places to ride.

[christian]

Yeah, sorry, my reading comprehension is poor!

[dogdriver]

FWIW, I use a Rocky Mounts tandem rack for my Ventana mtb tandem. Not a great pic, but you ought to be able to pick it out from in front of the other bikes...

If you buy a rack, get one with the swiveling front fork mount-- its a must for loading...

[jamesutiopia]

Just stuffed our Co-Motion (Lg/Md size) into the V70 wagon last weekend. Had to remove both front and rear wheels, but it fit fine. Remember to cover up the sync chain (old bedsheet works great ) so it doesn't make a greasy mess.

Enjoy!

[flydhest]

Just stuffed our Co-Motion (Lg/Md size) into the V70 wagon last weekend. Had to remove both front and rear wheels, but it fit fine. Remember to cover up the sync chain (old bedsheet works great ) so it doesn't make a greasy mess.

Enjoy!

This. I had a V70 and could put a Co-Mo in with both wheels removed.

I'll also echo the swivel attachment if you get a roof rack.

Finally, if you ever get another, consider couplers. I sold Zap my Co-Mo that was coupled, but it makes life infinitely easier, not just for air travel, but any travel.

[eddief]

i was wondering if this kit from Rocky Mounts could somehow be the conversion you need. just a guess:

http://www.rockymounts.com/Lariat_to_Noose_bik_racks_p/0630.htm

[moose8]

thanks everyone for the advice - the experience people have here definitely makes it a quality place to get info. Sounds like I can plan on getting it myself saturday morning. I am definitely going to look into that rocky mountain conversion kit for the old yakima tandem rack to see if it could work. This is my "starter" tandem to see if we like it, so I am trying to keep any more investment in it at a minimum - if we like it, and i win the lottery, a S&S coupled tandem will be in the future. My girlfriend and I like riding together, but she definitely moves at a different pace than me, so we thought a tandem might be a good way to solve that issue and be able to talk while riding.

[Ti Designs]

1) the older Yakima tandem racks used 4 tabs for 3/8" carrige bolds, if you can't mount that on a rack there's something very wrong. Someone's not trying hard enough...

2) I can fit a tandem and two people into a Honda Fit, it's just a matter of how the puzzle goes together.

3) There are convertable racks like the RockyMounts R4 which not only let you haul either a tandem or a single bike, but also let you open a rear hatch when you need to.

4) There's nothing wrong with riding a tandem solo, 'cept for the stupid comments people make as you go by. If that bothers you, get a blow up doll or a full size skeleton...

5) A tandem is it's own form of transportation. It's got a longer cruising range than most single bikes, it's damn fast on the flats, the captain and stoker almost never get seperated (you should always check that your stoker is on before riding away) and the point of owning one is to ride it.

Liz and I plan on riding our tandem to europe next year, wish us luck...

[rugbysecondrow]

I recently bought a nice older Sterling (bilenky made) tandem without fully thinking through the transport logistics - the bike has been paid for but is still at the seller's. Plan currently is to go out with a friend and one of us will ride it back home (it's only around 10 miles). It came with an old Yakima tandem rack, but the rack doesn't fit onto my Thule aero bars. What I am wondering is if fitting a tandem of good size/fairly large into a 2000 volvo xc70 (ie the boxy version of the station wagon) is within the realm of possibility? I'll obviously be able to figure it out when I get the bike but if I can avoid having to inconvenience a friend it'd be easier to just go by myself to get it.

Alternatively, has anyone come up with a way to adapt an old Yakima rack to fit on Thule aero bars? I called both Yakima and Thule who each said it couldn't be done. Looks like if the bike won't fit in the wagon I may need to buy a new square base rack system to make it work.

I think Goonster had a similar car with a tandem setup.

[summilux]

I suggest just biting the bullet and buying ATOC's Tandem Topper. It has a swiveling fork mount so it's really easy to use. I've had mine for about a decade. It means that tandem road trips are hassle free.

[moose8]

1) the older Yakima tandem racks used 4 tabs for 3/8" carrige bolds, if you can't mount that on a rack there's something very wrong. Someone's not trying hard enough...



The rack has metal plates that slide along the rack that are attached, each plate with four holes that the bolts go through - it's like a sandwich with a plate on top and a plate on bottom and the crossbars go inbetween. The problem is that the Thule Rapid Aero bars are oval, and are probably about 1/2" - 1" wider than the holes in the plate are apart and are just a shade too short to be able to drill new holes far enough apart. If I had regular square load bars it wouldn't be a problem at all. I'm definitely going to see if it's a problem that can be solved, though, and plan on enlisting my brother-in-law who is an engineer and is way better at this stuff than me.

[flydhest]

5) A tandem is it's own form of transportation. It's got a longer cruising range than most single bikes, it's damn fast on the flats, the captain and stoker almost never get seperated (you should always check that your stoker is on before riding away) and the point of owning one is to ride it.



+1
My only advice (possibly worth twice what you are paying for it) is to make sure that when you go out for a tandem ride, the point is to go out for a tandem ride and you both have the same goals. Some people like to go out for fast, hard tandem rides and think it is fun to rip the legs off people on singles on the flats and make them realize they are wrong about tandems being slow going uphill. Zap and Zip fall into this category. (Sidenote, it is a blast to sit on their wheel.) Other people like to ride tandems on social, fun, group like rides, getting in miles, riding with friends, seeing scenery, but not trying to make others hurt. Smiley and Karen fall into this category, various Forum-ish group rides have seen them on their tandems. Others like to ride just the two, to talk, explore, ride a tandem.

The people who don't ride tandems for long are those who have a captain in one of those categories and a stoker in another. Not advised.

[zap]

snip


Liz and I plan on riding our tandem to europe next year, wish us luck...

Good luck........hope next winter will be cold enough.....riding on snow pack and avoiding crevasses in the dead of winter is going to suck and you better make it before the spring melt.

[zap]

This. I had a V70 and could put a Co-Mo in with both wheels removed.

I'll also echo the swivel attachment if you get a roof rack.

Finally, if you ever get another, consider couplers. I sold Zap my Co-Mo that was coupled, but it makes life infinitely easier, not just for air travel, but any travel.

The travel CoMo is longer than our old CoMo so i have to believe both front and rear wheels would have needed removal if we still had the Volvo 850.

Fortunately, our newer wagon is bigger.

What's this swivel attachment?

[Chance]

What's this swivel attachment?

Not sure if you are asking seriously, but just a guess he means one of these. Have read they don't work great with tall SUVs and vans or if tandem is kind of short wheelbase because tandem will hit vehicle due to upright angle.
http://www.tandem-bicycle-central.com/image-files/tandemdown.jpg

[flydhest]

Yeah, both wheels off in my V70. Never tried it leaving one on.

By swivel I meant what Chance posted. I found it pretty helpful.

[zap]

Interesting, never saw anything like that (swivel attachment).

[jamesutiopia]

I have the same swivel roof rack and find it disconcerting to watch the bike wobble back and forth as we drive. Hasn't ever fallen over (in 13 years of use) and I never use the swivel feature (lifting 40lbs of bike overhead = free workout), but I still wish I had bought the fixed version of the rack...

Tip: Use a toe strap instead of the velcro strap that comes with the rack to hold the rear wheel in place. It's much faster to wrap/unwrap and seems more robust than velcro

[flydhest]

james,
I don't recall that as an issue. I guess mine was the sidewinder from around 2006 or so.
http://www.yakima.com/shop/bike/top/sidewinder


I remember it being pretty solid. Also, no velcro in back. They were rugged plastic straps with quick release, so pretty easy to do, even one handed.

[zap]

We have a Yakima Tandem rack that has a fixed fork mount and a cradle that supports the boom tube. Never a wobble even at 70 odd mph.

Our tandems are lighter at 34-36lbs (knocked 6lbs off the S&S CoMo) so it's not difficult to lift onto a rack.

Speaking of weight, sure glad I lightened the travel tandem because each tandem bag was over our Air France baggage weight limit by 1kg ea. Air France was kind enough not to charge us but those extra 6 lbs would not have been acceptable and would have cost US$$$.

[flydhest]

The wheels alone, you could have saved a couple pounds, I'm sure.

I ran into Josh last weekend and rode with him for a couple miles. I hear camp was pretty great.

[Chance]

Interesting, never saw anything like that (swivel attachment).

That's not my picture but one from the Internet used for reference. Don't have one of those racks. In any case you can see that if the vehicle was much taller it would be easy to accidentally put a pedal through the front window glass.:crap:

[moose8]

It did fit in the back of my station wagon with both wheels removed, but just barely. I went to Home Depot and spent around $15 on 4 u-bolts and some extra nylon locking nuts and made the Yakima work with Thule aero bars. It seems pretty solid - there is some sway to the bike when you hit bumps, but I don't think it has anything to do with how I attached the rack. I also removed the yakima brackets as they weren't doing anything.

The tandem itself is lots of fun - I rode it with different members of my family from 6 to 70 and everyone had fun, especially the 6 year old even though he couldn't pedal.

[hokoman]

Not sure if you are asking seriously, but just a guess he means one of these. Have read they don't work great with tall SUVs and vans or if tandem is kind of short wheelbase because tandem will hit vehicle due to upright angle.
http://www.tandem-bicycle-central.com/image-files/tandemdown.jpg

Yup, i used the thule swivel rack and it didn't work on an xc90 because it's too tall... In regards to the swaying comment by james, it doesn't move any more than my single bikes and feels super sturdy. I also think the velcro is really secure. Great rack, just a little pricey. Happy riding! I think my so and i will be looking at a new custom tandem in a year or two and we will def get couplers... We just got a cannondale this year and love it.

[binouye]

I see the tandem made it to the new home, great!
I wouldn't recommend riding a new tandem solo for any distance -- a tandem with no weight on the back can handle strangely.

If it's ten miles, can't you have someone drop you off, and ride it home solo? Not hard to do.

[Chance]

It did fit in the back of my station wagon with both wheels removed, but just barely. I went to Home Depot and spent around $15 on 4 u-bolts and some extra nylon locking nuts and made the Yakima work with Thule aero bars. It seems pretty solid - there is some sway to the bike when you hit bumps, but I don't think it has anything to do with how I attached the rack. I also removed the yakima brackets as they weren't doing anything.

The tandem itself is lots of fun - I rode it with different members of my family from 6 to 70 and everyone had fun, especially the 6 year old even though he couldn't pedal.

If sway bothers you (it did me for long hauls at high speeds), it’s easy to make a knee brace to run between top of bike and one of the cross bars to eliminate practically all movement. Used nylon clamps and wing nuts (like those used by Yakima for cross bar attachments) and an aluminum tube running from bike's seat post down to cross bar.

[mjb266]

just bolt a 2x4" alongside a standard bike rack. Use "U" bolts to hold the thing to your two crossbars and drill two holes parallel to one another where the rear wheel should sit. Place the fork in a typical fork mount and place the rear wheel on the 2x4. Run a toe strap up one of the holes you drilled, around the rim/tire, and back down through the other hole. If you use wingnuts you can take this set up on and off whenever you need and it's a $10 modification for a bike you're seldom putting on top of the car.

[stien]

Ah yes.

I recently bought a tandem and picked it up with my father's Honda Pilot which he recently sold....and I drive a Miata!

So basically we're riding it to wherever we want to store it.

I'm hoping I can fit it into my next car - '12 Impreza hatchback, it it ever comes in.

[Sheldon4209]

I put my Co-Motion Mocha in a Prius. Put down the back seat, remove both wheels, put bike at an angle in the Prius, and turn Captain's handle bars down. It fits with an inch to spare. Both wheels go in wheel bags under the frame. My wife and I did a 3300 mile trip this spring and rode 8 times on the trip.

[brockd15]

We carry our tandem on a regular bike rack...Saris Bones RS. I load it the same way I do a single but I bungee the handlebars to the side. I end up with ~6 inches of wheel sticking out on the right side, but other than that it works like a single bike.