Tandem - short wheel base

Quoted message said:

Does anyone know where in the London area I can see and try a short
wheelbase tandem such as the Speed Cross 3080 (http://
www.speedcross.it/cat-tandem.asp), please?

I've never even heard of them before actually.

You'd probably have better luck asking in uk.rec.cycling, I've taken the
liberty of crossposting to there.

On further consideration, why would you *want* one? I could see it
might turn a bit better, but wouldn't the ride be harsher?

--
Dane Buson - [email hidden]
"Yeah, she's beautiful, but you can't find her IQ with a flashlight."
-from "The Greatest American Hero"

Dane Buson said:

Quoted message said:

Does anyone know where in the London area I can see and try a short
wheelbase tandem such as the Speed Cross 3080 (http://
www.speedcross.it/cat-tandem.asp), please?

I've never even heard of them before actually.

You'd probably have better luck asking in uk.rec.cycling, I've taken the
liberty of crossposting to there.

On further consideration, why would you *want* one? I could see it
might turn a bit better, but wouldn't the ride be harsher?

It might handle better solo than a regular twofer - but I gotta
believe it'd be an evil handling pig with two aboard - kinda like
having 150 pounds in your panniers... yikes. And I'm guessing the
effective 12" (.3m) effective rear top tube length might be a problem
for some stokers (at least those taller than 3' / 1m). ;-)

And to be honest, I didn't quite figure out HOW those rear cranks were
attached... I can only guess that there's a special rear hub and
cassette with a passthrough for a BB spindle of some sort...

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com
Home of the $795 ti frame

Quoted message said:

It might handle better solo than a regular twofer - but I gotta
believe it'd be an evil handling pig with two aboard - kinda like
having 150 pounds in your panniers... yikes.

Pretty unbelievable. Forget about the handling; the loads on that rear wheel
are deadly!

But for those who can't have enough of old ideas and why they didn't last,
they've brought back the infamous U-brake. To stop a tandem.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

Dane Buson said:

I've never even heard of them before actually.

You'd probably have better luck asking in uk.rec.cycling, I've taken the
liberty of crossposting to there.

On further consideration, why would you *want* one? I could see it
might turn a bit better, but wouldn't the ride be harsher?

Why would the ride be harsher? Contrary to what some believe, bicycles
normally have air-filled tires which absorb most of the bumps....

If storage space were at a premium I could see it.

-Not that (being a US-resident) I've ever /seen/ the bike style before,
mind you.....
~

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

Quoted message said:

Dane Buson said:

I've never even heard of them before actually. You'd probably have
better luck asking in uk.rec.cycling, I've taken the
liberty of crossposting to there.

On further consideration, why would you *want* one? I could see it
might turn a bit better, but wouldn't the ride be harsher?

Why would the ride be harsher? Contrary to what some believe, bicycles
normally have air-filled tires which absorb most of the bumps....

For the same reason as the stoker normally gets a harsher ride than the
captain on a tandem - levers. Except more so.

cheers,
clive

Dane Buson said:

Quoted message said:

Does anyone know where in the London area I can see and try a short
wheelbase tandem such as the Speed Cross 3080 (http://
www.speedcross.it/cat-tandem.asp), please?

I've never even heard of them before actually.

You'd probably have better luck asking in uk.rec.cycling, I've taken the
liberty of crossposting to there.

On further consideration, why would you *want* one? I could see it
might turn a bit better, but wouldn't the ride be harsher?

It might be possible to store it at all, as opposed to not at all.
Which if you stay in, say, a tenement with a narrow stair close could be
a major issue regarding one's choice of bikes.

Having said that, I think I'd look to solving that particular problem
with something like the Bernds or Bike Friday tandems, which take up
little more space than a standard bike with a simple partial fold and
don't have the various compromises pointed out elsewhere in this thread.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Curtis L. Russell said:

Some version of an IPS with the front doing the real work? Would work
if you are hauling a kid say 80 pounds or lighter around town, but I
wouldn't want to be the wheel builder if an adult got on the rear.

I always thought one sure key to success for an enterprise was a steady
stream of repeat business? ;-/

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Quoting DougC <[email hidden]>:

Quoted message said:

Dane Buson said:

On further consideration, why would you *want* one? I could see it
might turn a bit better, but wouldn't the ride be harsher?

Why would the ride be harsher?

You get hit up harder by the rear wheel going over bumps the more directly
over it you are.
--
David Damerell <[email hidden]> Distortion Field!
Today is Brieday, April.

On Thu, 19 Apr 2007 15:06:12 -0700, Dane Buson <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

On further consideration, why would you *want* one? I could see it
might turn a bit better, but wouldn't the ride be harsher?

I've owned a few tandems and would never buy any of those for two
adults. I don't see it turning better - better balance means better
turning, not just the wheelbase. Now if you purchase a short wheelbase
racing tandem, then it will turn faster and climb better and, yes,
ride harsher. Lot of fun to watch in a road race, if you can get more
than six or seven teams at a time.

Have to say that I find the 'camping' photo the funniest. We have
panniers and occasionally use a trailer to actually camp with our
tandems. Have to ride real bowlegged to put your rear panniers on that
thing...

OTOH, with a small kid and riding around town, maybe it would work.
Definitely would want to try it out first.

Curtis L. Russell
Odenton, MD (USA)
Just someone on two wheels...

In article <[email hidden]>, Dane Buson
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Does anyone know where in the London area I can see and try a short
wheelbase tandem such as the Speed Cross 3080 (http://
www.speedcross.it/cat-tandem.asp), please?

I've never even heard of them before actually.

You'd probably have better luck asking in uk.rec.cycling, I've taken the
liberty of crossposting to there.

On further consideration, why would you *want* one? I could see it
might turn a bit better, but wouldn't the ride be harsher?

It looks truly nasty - no room for the stoker, all that weight on one
wheel. Something like the Hase Pino is a much better way of shortening
a tandem wheelbase without losing space for the stoker.

On Thu, 19 Apr 2007 20:44:41 -0700, Mark Hickey <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

And to be honest, I didn't quite figure out HOW those rear cranks were
attached... I can only guess that there's a special rear hub and
cassette with a passthrough for a BB spindle of some sort...

Some version of an IPS with the front doing the real work? Would work
if you are hauling a kid say 80 pounds or lighter around town, but I
wouldn't want to be the wheel builder if an adult got on the rear.

Curtis L. Russell
Odenton, MD (USA)
Just someone on two wheels...

On Fri, 20 Apr 2007 07:10:01 -0500, DougC <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Why would the ride be harsher? Contrary to what some believe, bicycles
normally have air-filled tires which absorb most of the bumps....

You're going to have to pump that rear tire hard to take anything but
a child. In any case, either you accept harsh and keep some handling,
or you let the tires absorb some of the weight with lower pressure and
the handling suffers. On a bike like that, it is a quick transition -
a few pounds difference in pressure and on the front you get plow and
on the rear you get odd inputs side to side, especially with a less
experienced stoker.

I rode a balloon tired tandem once, while waiting for a bike to be
fixed, and they hadn't pumped the front to specs. It was a weird
feeling - when you take a corner, you simply can't get it to turn.
Your turning radius is really wide, which isn't so great when there is
on-coming traffic. Fortunately, this was one of times that it was
better my wife wasn't looking around me.

I'll stick to a normal design or the Double Vision recumbent.

Curtis L. Russell
Odenton, MD (USA)
Just someone on two wheels...

Peter Clinch said:

I always thought one sure key to success for an enterprise was a steady
stream of repeat business? ;-/

Yeah, as long as a 200 + pound adult can't wrap your original
'business' around your head. That's the part I would worry about...

Curtis L. Russell
Odenton, MD (USA)
Just someone on two wheels...

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

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Does anyone know where in the London area I can see and try a short
wheelbase tandem such as the Speed Cross 3080 (http://
www.speedcross.it/cat-tandem.asp), please?

I've never even heard of them before actually.

You'd probably have better luck asking in uk.rec.cycling, I've taken the
liberty of crossposting to there.

On further consideration, why would you *want* one? I could see it
might turn a bit better, but wouldn't the ride be harsher?

--
Dane Buson - [email hidden]
"Yeah, she's beautiful, but you can't find her IQ with a flashlight."
-from "The Greatest American Hero"

Have to tried actually asking them? [email hidden]

They appear to be quite close to Malpensa airport (Milan) and given "Low
Cost" Airlines you could probably get there and back in a day (or make a
weekend of it).

DougC said:

Why would the ride be harsher? Contrary to what some believe, bicycles
normally have air-filled tires which absorb most of the bumps....

But it is significant how much of a reduction of the bumps you get, the
further forward of the rear wheel you sit. On a regular tandem, it is
only the stoker who feels the bumps that the rear wheel goes over.
That's why stokers often opt for a suspension seatpost.

This thing would drive every single bump up the stoker's, umm, seat.

--

David L. Johnson

If all economists were laid end to end, they would not reach
a conclusion. -- George Bernard Shaw

Peter Clinch said:

Dane Buson said:

Quoted message said:

Does anyone know where in the London area I can see and try a short
wheelbase tandem such as the Speed Cross 3080 (http://
www.speedcross.it/cat-tandem.asp), please?

Quoted message said:

I've never even heard of them before actually.

Quoted message said:

You'd probably have better luck asking in uk.rec.cycling, I've taken the
liberty of crossposting to there.

Quoted message said:

On further consideration, why would you *want* one? I could see it
might turn a bit better, but wouldn't the ride be harsher?

It might be possible to store it at all, as opposed to not at all.
Which if you stay in, say, a tenement with a narrow stair close could be
a major issue regarding one's choice of bikes.

Having said that, I think I'd look to solving that particular problem
with something like the Bernds or Bike Friday tandems, which take up
little more space than a standard bike with a simple partial fold and
don't have the various compromises pointed out elsewhere in this thread.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Many thanks for all the helpful replies. As some of you guessed the
main attraction was the fact that we could store it more easily and
that it would apparently fit on a cycle rack on the back of a car.
Certainly a folding tandem might be even more convenient, but last
year when I looked for one, the only ones I could find took far too
long to 'unfold'. The Bike Friday one looks very promising.

John