i take back everything i ever said

[spiderman]

about tandems...
...my ten year old daughter has been
asking me about 'a bicycle built for two' for months.
today we test drove, then bought our lbs owner's ibis touche'
that he just overhauled...
i have to admit...
...it was the most fun i've ever had on a bike!
hearing the joy in her voice
and holding hands coasting home
were priceless moments!
what a sweet ride!!

[Too Tall]

?! What? You never said anything bad. Hey, that is REALLY great news and congratulations my friend. You both are the lucky ones.

[TimB]

until Sophia is old enough to ride with me on our Santana...but since she's just two, it might be a few more years.

Spiderman, you are one lucky dude.

[Smiley]

No better experiance then on a TANDEM , if I had to sell all my bikes I would but I would keep the Co-Mo , great story , wishing you more priceless moments like the one you just shared :banana:

[Sandy]

If you sold all your bikes, you wouldn't be keeping any. But if you were going to keep ony one, I think that it would be your Hors. Somehow you would get another tandem.

Gloria and I have often talked about trying a tandem. Maybe one day we will.

Sandman

[TimD]

My garage has gained two tandems in the past six months. Its become kinda thick in there :)

TimD

[William]

TT, as a fellow big guy, tell me about your tandems. I'm imagining the custom route applies here as well.

I hadn't thought about tandems too much until seeing Bradford's up close, and then reading about Spidey's great experience. My son recently started riding without training wheels, this could be a fun option.


William :)

[Kevan]

I had to pass on an offer to buy and ride a tandem. Sandy insisted on riding behind me as stoker (the term and his interpretation concerned me) and the notion of him in front of me couldn't be much stomached either.

[spiderman]

My garage has gained two tandems in the past six months. Its become kinda thick in there :)

TimD

i keep my ottrott in the front entry
...my best piece of artwork!
now where i'll put the tandem ibis
is another story...
...lets see,
british racing green
would go great in the formal living room
stretched out beside the baby grand piano...
it is a lovely instrument
that's for sure!

[Kirk Pacenti]

"Where ever your relationship is going, you'll get there faster on a tandem."

How true! ;)

[Too Tall]

Kirk - DOH!

BigWilly - To set the stage...I proposed to Queen 3 weeks after meeting her and we ordered a custom Santana Noventa within 6 months :) The Santana seemed the no-brainer...light and well engineered. The Nivacrome frame served us well for Ultra-racing, very comfortable. With careful driving we were able to win a few crits and TT's too but I'd not recommend the frame for knuckle draggers as a general rule...too soft. Sold it recently to an Army guy from Illinois...he DROVE down to get it!!! wow.

Our newer custom CoMotion is really one of the finest bikes I've ever ridden...bikes man...not tandems. It's crazy good. We built a steel bike based on the longest possible total length of TT possible without cutting off any tube butts. Also, we added the old school tandem tube...that's the one that bisects the fram starting at the captn's SP and runs to the stoker's seat stays.

CoMotion is a company that "gets it". Their mission and ethics are all in alignment. Good people doing amazing work.

After I sent them my drawings, what I got back were very considerate modifications such as "let's put a degree more of TT slope in the bike so it is more visually pleasing". Hehe, ain't it sweet? The bike is so stable that I can ride no hands and it races great.

There are other makers of Steel and Alum. tandems worth looking at who don't get alot of press. Here are a couple.

Harry Havnoonian
Don Walker

[93legendti]

No better experiance then on a TANDEM , if I had to sell all my bikes I would but I would keep the Co-Mo , great story , wishing you more priceless moments like the one you just shared :banana:

How about a Serotta HC Tandem...wouldn't that be a dream bike?

[William]

Thanks Big T. :) I'm likeing this the more I think about it. :banana:


Now, I need some Band aids for my knuckles. :D

William

[spiderman]

i did this for a block or so as we were heading home...
...my wife was stunned, speechless.

little did i know
my daughter and i were sailing down the road
both of us no handed.
the sight was more than
a mom/spouse could take!
i think she'll change her mind
when she gets on the bike
and feels how smooth it rides!

[Ginger]

Careful about becoming complacent on the tandem!

One unexpected wiggle from the stoker and bad things can happen. (I only mention this 'cause you and your daughter are new to the tandem experience...)

And just wait until your stoker learns to steer the bike from the back..."I wanted Icecream and you weren't turning!"

Ginger

Former Stoker, mortocycle rider, and ice cream aficionado
(Kirk, that bumper sticker is correct!)

[spiderman]

Careful about becoming complacent on the tandem!



And just wait until your stoker learns to steer the bike from the back..."I wanted Icecream and you weren't turning!"



indeed...
...it started innocently enough...
i said, "hey jaime, lets paint the white line with our wheels"...
a few minutes later,
after i thought we were finished with the game
and we were climbing up the next hill,
we veered toward the ditch...
...i corrected our direction...
and asked "what happened"??
her reply..."just getting us back on the inside of the white line, daddy!"

[vaxn8r]

i did this for a block or so as we were heading home...
...my wife was stunned, speechless.


My $.02

It's one thing to ride no hands at 45 mph, all while changing your vest or eating a sandwich, on your single. It's another altogether to have a stoker entrusting their life to you as the captain. Good tandems ride almost just like a single bike. But they aren't. There's about 330-400 lbs of mass and if you hit a rock or an object with no hands you can lose conrol and it's like muscling a semi-truck trying to regain control.

Not telling anyone what to do but to me it's just not worth showboating your bike handling skills to your s.o. or kid and then end up plowing them into the asphalt.

[spiderman]

My $.02

It's one thing to ride no hands at 45 mph, all while changing your vest or eating a sandwich, on your single. It's another altogether to have a stoker entrusting their life to you as the captain.


...worth more than two cents...
...i should make that into a posted pacard!
thanks!
we'll take your advice!

[spiderman]

my wife and i test drove a tandem
and nearly snapped it in two.
we covered less than one mile
and felt lucky to be alive after the experience...
last night i dialed in her settings to the tandem
and we took off
like a tandem was as natural as taking a walk!
i can't believe how much i like the ride...
...it is so smooth!
my body knows every imperfection
in the roads of our region...
...they were just simply gone
riding this tandem...
what fun,
comfort
and pure joy in riding.
...but we were also going somewhere...
to the movies!

[Lost Weekend]

the drive in I hope

[H.Frank Beshear]

Did a club ride today, Dave L and his grandson @ 12 showed up on a tandem. They stayed with us to the food stop @ 20 miles had breakfast and took the easy/flat option home. The cool part is about 2 1/2 years ago they found Dave beside the bike path in Davenport with a brain bleed. Once in a while he and I have conversations about life altering illnesses, we understand each other. :D We both hope his grandson never will. Enjoy the tandem Spidie, that will more than likely be my next bike purchase. Frank

[spiderman]

if a tandem is your next bike...
have you narrowed the field??
what bike builder 'does it best'
in your opinion??

[H.Frank Beshear]

I haven't given it that much thought yet. I'm 6'2" and my wife is 5"2" I'd like to find something stock and used to start off with. Our twins informed us they'd be driving in 6 more years the other day so I'd like to get them on it once in a while also. We'll see. Frank