Tandem bike question

Burley makes some reasonable tandems that start around $2000 (perhaps less).
Most tandems allow a lot of adjustment in the stoker position, but you will
want to make sure there's enough front and back adjustment to put the bars
in a comfortable place for her.

I'd recommend that you give her a picture of the bike, and then go and find
one that fits well together.

--
Eric Gunnerson

Visit the C# product team at http://www.csharp.net
Eric's blog is at http://weblogs.asp.net/ericgu/

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
"Scooter the mighty" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I was thinking of getting my wife a tandem bike for her birthday. I have
two issues with this.

1) We have a 6 inch leg length differential. Is there going to be a

problem

Quoted message said:

with this?

2) I notice that the majority of tandem bikes cost in the $5,000 range
(athough I have not been looking very long). This is way outside my price
range. I can go a bit over $1,000, but much higher just isn't in the

cards.

Quoted message said:

Assuming that we are just going to ride it and not enter races or

anything,

Quoted message said:

is this enough to get something decent?

"Eric Gunnerson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Burley makes some reasonable tandems that start around $2000 (perhaps

less).

Quoted message said:

Most tandems allow a lot of adjustment in the stoker position, but you

will

Quoted message said:

want to make sure there's enough front and back adjustment to put the bars
in a comfortable place for her.

She's actually the taller of us two. She's 6'3" and leggy. I'm assuming
she'll be up front.

Quoted message said:

I'd recommend that you give her a picture of the bike, and then go and

find

Quoted message said:

one that fits well together.

That's a good idea.

On Fri, 16 Jul 2004 12:37:43 -0700, "Scooter the mighty"
<[email hidden]> wrote in message
<[email hidden]>:

Quoted message said:

I was thinking of getting my wife a tandem bike for her birthday. I have
two issues with this.

Quoted message said:

1) We have a 6 inch leg length differential. Is there going to be a problem
with this?

No. The only thing is it reduces your options if you both want to
take turns as captain.

Quoted message said:

2) I notice that the majority of tandem bikes cost in the $5,000 range
(athough I have not been looking very long).

Wow! Those are big ticket tandems. You can get an Orbit tandem over
here for around the $1,000 mark, which is your budget, and of course
there's always the second hand market.

I can recommend the Thorn Voyager from <url:http://www.sjscycles.com>,
a very well balanced bike from a firm that now supplies more tandems
than any other in the UK (yes, they sell to the US as well, but there
won't be any dealers).

I have to say, though, that the Bike Friday Family Tandem was a
delight, and adjustable enough to accommodate the significant
disparity in heights between my wife and myself (so we could both have
a go at captain). Plus IIRC it can be split down for air travel or to
fit inside a (biggish) car.

<url:http://www.bikefriday.com/bikecat99.cfm?cat=10>

Probably towards the top end of your budget, but a great bike.

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University

Scooter the mighty said:

I was thinking of getting my wife a tandem bike for her birthday.

Ha! Nobody gets a tandem as a gift for someone else...they get it as a gift
for themselves and hope the other person perceives it as a gift to them.

OTOH, it may be the only way you will get her on a tandem is to give her
one!

Austin (thinking about wife's birthday coming up...I wonder if she'd like a
tandem bicycle...)
--
I'm pedaling as fast as I durn well please!
There are no X characters in my address

"AustinMN" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Scooter the mighty said:

I was thinking of getting my wife a tandem bike for her birthday.

Ha! Nobody gets a tandem as a gift for someone else...they get it as a

gift

Quoted message said:

for themselves and hope the other person perceives it as a gift to them.

Well yes, there is that, but I think my chances are good. She's more of an
avid biker than me.

Quoted message said:

OTOH, it may be the only way you will get her on a tandem is to give her
one!

That's true, because she would never spend that much money.

"Scooter the mighty" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I was thinking of getting my wife a tandem bike for her birthday. I have
two issues with this.

1) We have a 6 inch leg length differential. Is there going to be a

problem

Quoted message said:

with this?

I have ridden with my kids with a greater leg length differential.

Quoted message said:

2) I notice that the majority of tandem bikes cost in the $5,000 range
(athough I have not been looking very long). This is way outside my price
range. I can go a bit over $1,000, but much higher just isn't in the

cards.

Both of our tandems were bought used. The first one we paid just under $1000
for; the second I think was $1300. These are both beautiful custom-built
bikes.

It seems like tandems come up on the market fairly frequently around here,
so finding a used one that would generally fit isn't that hard. A friend of
mine in a more rural area says this is impossible. He's looking at a $250
(!!) tandem at WalMart to see if his wife can stand tandeming. I guess if
they like it, they can then look at upgrading later.

--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
Please replace earthlink for mouse-potato and .net for .com
Home of the meditative cyclist:
http://home.earthlink.net/~cpetersky/Welcome.htm
See the books I've set free at: http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

Scooter said:

I was thinking of getting my wife a tandem bike for her birthday. I have
two issues with this.

1) We have a 6 inch leg length differential. Is there going to be a problem
with this?

2) I notice that the majority of tandem bikes cost in the $5,000 range
(athough I have not been looking very long). This is way outside my price
range. I can go a bit over $1,000, but much higher just isn't in the cards.
Assuming that we are just going to ride it and not enter races or anything,
is this enough to get something decent?

Where do you live? Tandem nuts are happy to do group rides, share
ideas, offer test rides.
I have two tandems. The one was less than $500 brand-spanking new
(GT Crestline, and it's a major step up from a Schwinn Twinn).
Counterpoint was, er, higher (used).
HTH

--Karen M.

"Scooter the mighty" <[email hidden]> wrote;

Quoted message said:

She's actually the taller of us two. She's 6'3" and leggy.

You know that's just not fair.

There are not enough women that tall for every man to have his own, so
you shorties should leave them alone and not distract them from
finding their rightful tall mates. Hmph.

Chalo Colina

"Scooter the mighty" <[email hidden]> wrote;

Quoted message said:

She's actually the taller of us two. She's 6'3" and leggy.

You know that's just not fair.

There are not enough women that tall for every man to have his own, so
you shorties should leave them alone and not distract them from
finding their rightful tall mates. Hmph.

Chalo Colina

Scooter the mighty said:

I was thinking of getting my wife a tandem bike for her birthday. I have
two issues with this.

1) We have a 6 inch leg length differential. Is there going to be a problem
with this?

It will certainly narrow down your choices, but there are tandems out
there that should be suitable. Assuming she's on the back, and that
she's the shorter one (hope the PC police are asleep - they'll accuse
me of sexism for that)... you can probably get away with a frame that
has a stoker top tube too tall for her to stand over comfortably.
That's not really a problem on a twofer since she doesn't have to put
a foot down except when getting off (which she'll do with you still
holding the bike).

Errrr, unless she's the tall one, in which case... oh, you can figure
it out. ;-)

Quoted message said:

2) I notice that the majority of tandem bikes cost in the $5,000 range
(athough I have not been looking very long). This is way outside my price
range. I can go a bit over $1,000, but much higher just isn't in the cards.
Assuming that we are just going to ride it and not enter races or anything,
is this enough to get something decent?

For that you should look into a used bike - there are quite a few out
there, and I'd personally rather have a nice used tandem than a cheap
(relative term) new tandem.

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com
Home of the $695 ti frame

Scooter the mighty said:

I was thinking of getting my wife a tandem bike for her birthday. I have
two issues with this.

1) We have a 6 inch leg length differential. Is there going to be a problem
with this?

Not if the taller one will be in front, and maybe not even if the tall
one will be in back.

Quoted message said:

2) I notice that the majority of tandem bikes cost in the $5,000 range
(athough I have not been looking very long). This is way outside my price
range. I can go a bit over $1,000, but much higher just isn't in the cards.
Assuming that we are just going to ride it and not enter races or anything,
is this enough to get something decent?

Go used. I got mine from Ebay, close enough that I could pick it up
myself. Shipping a tandem will be a challenge, but it's possible. The
front should fit the captain fairly well. The back can compromise, as
long as there is enough room and the seat tube is low enough that the
stoker (rear rider) can pedal properly. The stoker doesn't need to be
able to straddle the top tube or put a foot down flat.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

2) I notice that the majority of tandem bikes cost in the $5,000 range
(athough I have not been looking very long). This is way outside my

price

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

range. I can go a bit over $1,000, but much higher just isn't in the

cards.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Assuming that we are just going to ride it and not enter races or

anything,

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

is this enough to get something decent?

Go used. I got mine from Ebay, close enough that I could pick it up
myself. Shipping a tandem will be a challenge, but it's possible. The
front should fit the captain fairly well. The back can compromise, as
long as there is enough room and the seat tube is low enough that the
stoker (rear rider) can pedal properly. The stoker doesn't need to be
able to straddle the top tube or put a foot down flat.

Thanks everyone! I found a used Cannondale tandem this weekend. I paid
$1,400, so it wasn't TOO much above my budget. Now I guess I just have to
get to be in as good of shape as her so I don't drag her back.

Scooter the mighty said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

2) I notice that the majority of tandem bikes cost in the $5,000 range
(athough I have not been looking very long). This is way outside my

price

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

range. I can go a bit over $1,000, but much higher just isn't in the

cards.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Assuming that we are just going to ride it and not enter races or

anything,

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

is this enough to get something decent?

Go used. I got mine from Ebay, close enough that I could pick it up
myself. Shipping a tandem will be a challenge, but it's possible. The
front should fit the captain fairly well. The back can compromise, as
long as there is enough room and the seat tube is low enough that the
stoker (rear rider) can pedal properly. The stoker doesn't need to be
able to straddle the top tube or put a foot down flat.

Thanks everyone! I found a used Cannondale tandem this weekend. I paid
$1,400, so it wasn't TOO much above my budget. Now I guess I just have to
get to be in as good of shape as her so I don't drag her back.

Hi, for anyone else reading this thread, I was in my LBS today, Wheel
& Sprocket Brookfield.
Anyway, each summer they run a 50 at 50% off sale. Well they had a
Burley Duet tandem originally $2499, marked down to $1249. I think it
was a 2002 or 3 model, but still that is quite a deal.

http://wheelandsprocket.com/site/intro.cfm

Life is Good!
Jeff