Tandem time, me thinks!

flyingdutch said:

My sizing is the easy bit. What kind of sizing and 'range' of sizing is realistic given the squirts are growing so dang fast (!!!) on the rear end?

Is there a way to buy for smaller size and adapt as the growth spurts hit?
OR
Should i be looking at Larger sizing with 'kiddycranks' style arrangement?

cheers
Flying"faster daddy"Dutch

Most of the general purpose commercial mountain bike tandems I have seen (Apollo etc) have fairly short rear seat tubes with the option of a long seat post. so given a reasonablly sized child, the size of the stoker probably isn't too limiting

One of the plusses of a tandem is that the stoker doesn't need to touch the ground so my 9 year old happily climbs onto the back of ours, clips herself in and stays put. she gets a decent position and can straighten her legs out nicely at the bottom of each pedal stroke. She can't get that on her single 20" bike as she still needs that saddle height set so her feet reach the ground while seated.

The length of the rear end is can be shortened by fiddling arround with the rear bars. Having it long enough in the rear is for the comfort of an adult is worth considering for future use.

I made ours out of two MTBs so I could customise it a fair bit, but in the end the difference in sizing between it and a mass-produced commercial is in the front end.

Remenber the golden rule of tandeming "the stoker makes no mistakes"

Rory W

flyingdutch said:

contemplating GVBR

800km spent looking at your butt? :eek: I'm calling DOCS.

Shabby said:

800km spent looking at your butt? :eek: I'm calling DOCS.

stop lookin at my butt!

flyingdutch said:

As the goirls get bigger (eldest commuting just fine) and yuongest is getting near the limits (weight/size-wise) of what i would consider sensible to ride her around on the tagalong trailer i take her around on (longer or hillier rides or to keep up with the rest of us and also contemplating GVBR for this...) I'm contemplating a tandem. i think?

So, the questions gather...

My sizing is the easy bit. What kind of sizing and 'range' of sizing is realistic given the squirts are growing so dang fast (!!!) on the rear end?

Is there a way to buy for smaller size and adapt as the growth spurts hit?
OR
Should i be looking at Larger sizing with 'kiddycranks' style arrangement?

cheers
Flying"faster daddy"Dutch

Were you watching the Simpson this week and getting inspired?? http://tinyurl.com/o7z6h

eddiec said:

Were you watching the Simpson this week and getting inspired?? http://tinyurl.com/o7z6h

hehe. yep. me want them cakes 😄

Get a normal size tandem and fit kiddie cranks to it. You can more them down
the seattube as the child grows until they're big enough to do without.

Some photos of this setup at
http://www.precisiontandems.com/artkidbackinstall.htm.

The alternative is a Bike Friday tandem, which claims to be able to fit
stokers between 3' and 6' tall. I'll believe that, as I frequently see one
in the morning going the other way with a quite small child stoking.
http://www.bikefriday.com/bikecat99.cfm?cat=16

Nick

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

Quoted message said:

As the goirls get bigger (eldest commuting just fine) and yuongest is
getting near the limits (weight/size-wise) of what i would consider
sensible to ride her around on the tagalong trailer i take her around
on (longer or hillier rides or to keep up with the rest of us and also
contemplating GVBR for this...) I'm contemplating a tandem. i think?

So, the questions gather...

My sizing is the easy bit. What kind of sizing and 'range' of sizing is
realistic given the squirts are growing so dang fast (!!!) on the rear
end?

Is there a way to buy for smaller size and adapt as the growth spurts
hit?
OR
Should i be looking at Larger sizing with 'kiddycranks' style
arrangement?

Nick Payne said:

Get a normal size tandem and fit kiddie cranks to it. You can more them down
the seattube as the child grows until they're big enough to do without.

Some photos of this setup at
http://www.precisiontandems.com/artkidbackinstall.htm.

The alternative is a Bike Friday tandem, which claims to be able to fit
stokers between 3' and 6' tall. I'll believe that, as I frequently see one
in the morning going the other way with a quite small child stoking.
http://www.bikefriday.com/bikecat99.cfm?cat=16

Nick

some juicy stuff there! fanx

Bike Friday, eh? hadnt thought of that but very practical too
(had images of tandem being longer/wider than car to carry 😄)

BTW can you keep adding the units to a BF to make it like 17 stokers long? 😄

i really like
precisiontandems.comquadco mo.jpgOpen ↗

flyingdutch said:

Should i be looking at Larger sizing with 'kiddycranks' style
arrangement?

Kiddy cranks are expensive ~ $300

We bought one of those el-cheapo tandem triplets off ebay,
probably be [censored] (given the price) but cheap enough to
take a risk.

-kt

--
Kingsley Turner,
(mailto: [email hidden])
http://MadDogsBreakfast.com/ABFAQ - news:aus.bicycle Frequenly Asked
Questions

flyingdutchfamily said:

BTW can you keep adding the units to a BF to make it like 17 stokers
long? 😄

How about a Ventana El Conquistador with SS couplings

http://www.sandsmachine.com/a_ven_t1.htm

Parbs

quote='Parbs'flyingdutchfamily said:

BTW can you keep adding the units to a BF to make it like 17 stokers
long? 😄

How about a Ventana El Conquistador with SS couplings

http://www.sandsmachine.com/a_ven_t1.htm

Parbs[/QUOTE]

Wow! keep em comin. they just keep getting better 😄

With those couplings do you get the frame pre-built that way or is it feasible to retrofit em to an existing tandem?

JJJ

flyingdutch said:

Wow! keep em comin. they just keep getting better 😄

With those couplings do you get the frame pre-built that way or is it feasible to retrofit em to an existing tandem?

JJJ

The Farrens in Melboune had a Moulton Tandem which one saw out on the streets from time to time- - a pretty classy machine.
I used to live arround the corner from them and allsorts of wonderfull things would go up and down the street.

photos of someonelse's

http://www.coulouris.net/biking/moultons/APBtandem/APBtandem.html

Rory W

Rory Williams said:

The Farrens in Melboune had a Moulton Tandem which one saw out on the streets from time to time- - a pretty classy machine.
I used to live arround the corner from them and allsorts of wonderfull things would go up and down the street.

photos of someonelse's

http://www.coulouris.net/biking/moultons/APBtandem/APBtandem.html

Rory W

ooh of course! email to Charlie on way 😄

flyingdutch said:

Quoted message said:

http://www.sandsmachine.com/a_ven_t1.htm

Quoted message said:

Wow! keep em comin. they just keep getting better 😄

With those couplings do you get the frame pre-built that way or is it
feasible to retrofit em to an existing tandem?

The coupled tandem is available from the factory

http://www.ventanausa.com/frame_elconquistadorss.html

S&S Coupling (http://www.sandsmachine.com/) are available separately and
any good builder could put them into an existing frame

Parbs

flyingdutch said:

Parbs said:

flyingdutchfamily said:

BTW can you keep adding the units to a BF to make it like 17 stokers
long? 😄

How about a Ventana El Conquistador with SS couplings

http://www.sandsmachine.com/a_ven_t1.htm

Parbs

Wow! keep em comin. they just keep getting better 😄

With those couplings do you get the frame pre-built that way or is it
feasible to retrofit em to an existing tandem?

JJJ

This is great, I'll be needing a tandem in a few years when my daughter
gets a bit bigger. This way Dutchy does all the hard work investigating,
and then when I need a tandem there should be one going cheap within a
couple of km's of home 😉

DaveB "all other riders are working for you even if you're not racing"

flyingdutch said:

ooh of course! email to Charlie on way 😄

There's a few Moulton tandems floating around. When some people here in Melbourne first built them, it was not considered an approved modification from Moulton. Michael Kator is the Moulton contact in Australia.

We have 2 tandems set up for our girls, now 5 and almost 9. First is a Trek which we bought 2nd hand, BC (before children) so it fits me and the wife - 20"/18" I think. I fitted it with kiddie cranks when number 1 girl was just over 3yo. Most of the bits for it were made by Greenspeed, including having a set of cranks shortened with 2 pedal holes. With some bits I had from home, it probably cost around $300. Got some ape hanger bars and kid's pedals from CERES to which I attached toe clips and straps.

Number 2 girl, 5.5yo now rides it with me out front.

Second tandem is a KHS tandemania sport, size about 18"/16". Got it 3rd hand when no 1 was about 7yo, so as Rory has done, we set the seat as low as possible and she could ride it then. I got some crank shorteners for it from Tandems East in the US. Wife or myself can ride up front on this one.

Nowadays you can get a Raleigh that has a dropped rear top tube that would allow for even a smaller stoker and I think Trek have done the same though I haven't seen that in Aus.

A friend has a Bike Friday triple that he takes his kids to school with. Someone mentioned spotting him in another thread. He's happy with it and it's seen his two boys grow over the last 5 or 6 years that they've had it.

We could hook up if you wanted to try either of our tandems.

slaw said:

There's a few Moulton tandems floating around. When some people here in Melbourne first built them, it was not considered an approved modification from Moulton. Michael Kator is the Moulton contact in Australia.

We have 2 tandems set up for our girls, now 5 and almost 9. First is a Trek which we bought 2nd hand, BC (before children) so it fits me and the wife - 20"/18" I think. I fitted it with kiddie cranks when number 1 girl was just over 3yo. Most of the bits for it were made by Greenspeed, including having a set of cranks shortened with 2 pedal holes. With some bits I had from home, it probably cost around $300. Got some ape hanger bars and kid's pedals from CERES to which I attached toe clips and straps.

Number 2 girl, 5.5yo now rides it with me out front.

Second tandem is a KHS tandemania sport, size about 18"/16". Got it 3rd hand when no 1 was about 7yo, so as Rory has done, we set the seat as low as possible and she could ride it then. I got some crank shorteners for it from Tandems East in the US. Wife or myself can ride up front on this one.

Nowadays you can get a Raleigh that has a dropped rear top tube that would allow for even a smaller stoker and I think Trek have done the same though I haven't seen that in Aus.

A friend has a Bike Friday triple that he takes his kids to school with. Someone mentioned spotting him in another thread. He's happy with it and it's seen his two boys grow over the last 5 or 6 years that they've had it.

We could hook up if you wanted to try either of our tandems.

fanx slaw

that'd be cool.
you reckon the KHS 18"/16" is useable for such things

"a set of cranks shortened with 2 pedal holes".
Is this just a second hole drilled in with appropriate thread?

flyingdutch said:

fanx slaw

that'd be cool.
you reckon the KHS 18"/16" is useable for such things

"a set of cranks shortened with 2 pedal holes".
Is this just a second hole drilled in with appropriate thread?

Well, our KHS is certainly usable. It also came with an adjustable stoker stem, so fully extended means we could use the rear bars setup as is.
As mentioned before standover height is not so important for a stoker, so even though our daughter couldn't straddle the bike she could still stand on one pedal to mount it and get into the toe clips whilst I held the bike steady. Now I think she is tall enough to straddle the rear of the bike. QRs are essential for seat post binders when the kids seem to grow at a rate of centimetres per week.

The cranks were 170 or 175mm length cut down with 2 holes drilled at about 120 and 150mm (I think) with the appropriate threading. Since the chainring is on the LHS, the threading is opposite to normal ie. require LH thread on the chainring crank and RH thread on the non-chainring crank if that's not too confusing.

Some people use 170 or 175mm cranks with their kids, which might be OK for shorter rides, but I'm not sure that it is good for the knees for longer trips.

slaw said:

flyingdutch said:

ooh of course! email to Charlie on way 😄

There's a few Moulton tandems floating around. When some people here
in Melbourne first built them, it was not considered an approved
modification from Moulton. Michael Kator is the Moulton contact in
Australia.

We have 2 tandems set up for our girls, now 5 and almost 9. First is a
Trek which we bought 2nd hand, BC (before children) so it fits me and
the wife - 20"/18" I think. I fitted it with kiddie cranks when number
1 girl was just over 3yo. Most of the bits for it were made by
Greenspeed, including having a set of cranks shortened with 2 pedal
holes. With some bits I had from home, it probably cost around $300.
Got some ape hanger bars and kid's pedals from CERES to which I
attached toe clips and straps.

How do you go about transporting it? With a trailer bike it's just a
case of the adult bikes on the bike rack and the trailer bike in the
boot of the car, but I'd guess the tandem would be too wide for the bike
rack.

DaveB

DaveB said:

How do you go about transporting it? With a trailer bike it's just a
case of the adult bikes on the bike rack and the trailer bike in the
boot of the car, but I'd guess the tandem would be too wide for the bike
rack.

DaveB

I'm assuming the trailer is going to be used for us?
Either that or invert it so that car rides 'on-top-of' bike 😄