carlson@ssc-vax.UUCP (Lee R Carlson) (09/24/85)
*** REPLACE THIS LINE WITH YOUR STOKER ***
Does anyone in nut.bicycle have any opinions on tandems ? Santana,
Kuwahara, Gitane... My wife and I are giving some thought to one.
I'm more hard-core than she, and were looking for something in the
sport/weekend-riding catagory.
Any idea on used and resale ? Any recent articles in the bike mags ?
As usual, if there is anything to summarize etc... I will dutifully
post it.
--
-- Lee Carlson
-- Boeing Errorspace, Seattle
...{uw-beaver|fluke}!ssc-vax!carlsontron@fluke.UUCP (Peter Barbee) (09/25/85)
>Does anyone in nut.bicycle have any opinions on tandems ? Santana, >Kuwahara, Gitane... My wife and I are giving some thought to one. >I'm more hard-core than she, and were looking for something in the >sport/weekend-riding catagory. > How about a recumbent? I had the opportunity to ride as both the stoker and the captain of a "Counterbalence" a couple of weeks ago and just loved it. This is the type where the stoker sits in front (in a sitting position) and the captain is behind (in a normal riding position). Some of the advantages, 1) the stoker can pedal at a different cadence than the captain 2) the stoker is a naturally more comfortable (and powerful) position 3) your heads are quite close, easy to talk 4) both of you have excellent visibility 5) you can mount an additional crank so the stoker can pedal with his/her hands as well (only the hard core need apply) 6) the wheelbase is much shorter than a regular tandem. A couple of disadvantages, 1) hard to come by right now 2) the stoker gets everywhere first, with no real control over what's happening - some people can't get used to this. Ride on, Peter B ihnp4--+ decvax-+-uw-beaver-+ sun-+ allegra-+--fluke!tron ssc-vax-+ ucbvax--+-lbl-csam-+ hplabs--+
barrys@hercules.UUCP (Barry Steel) (09/26/85)
>and the captain of a "Counterbalence" a couple of weeks ago and just loved
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I think you mean "Counterpoint".marcum@sun.uucp (Alan Marcum) (09/27/85)
In article <234@ssc-vax.UUCP> carlson@ssc-vax.UUCP (Lee R Carlson) writes: > >Does anyone in nut.bicycle have any opinions on tandems ? Santana, >Kuwahara, Gitane... My wife and I are giving some thought to one. >I'm more hard-core than she, and were looking for something in the >sport/weekend-riding catagory. A few years ago, I bought a tandem. My then-SO was not a serious bike rider, I was, and we wanted to ride together. She was afraid of holding me back, or being left behind; besides, she had never ridden a derailleur- equipped bicycle. A tandem seemed the perfect answer -- and it was. (BTW, she is now a serious bicyclist; a nice, 18 1/2" frame, custom-geared, wonderful machine.) I bought a Motobecane tandem, and have done some significanat component upgrades: saddles, crankset, brake pads, wheels (came with steel, now has alloy, with Phil hubs, 48-spoke, cross-5), drum brake, freewheel, gearing (half-step w/granny). The Motobecane is a diamond-mixte frame, which isn't ideal, but, because of her size (5'1"), was probably necessary in almost all non-custom tandems at the time. My impressions of the Motobecane: a fun bike, but not suited for real serious work. I'd be leary of going on a week-long fully loaded tour (I'd do it, but I'd be leary). The frame geometry in the drive train area makes for interesting times (chain line, clearances, etc.), given what I've done with the components. But, for unloaded day touring, even up some heavy-duty hills, its fine. If I had it to do over again, I'd probably bite the bullet and get a Santana, ESPECIALLY with their new, 'lower'-priced model. (BTW, if you hadn't noticed, tandems are anything but inexpensive. When I bought mine, some 5 years ago, it was about $900, on sale, with the stock wheels and drive train; a comparable quality single would have been about $250-300 at the time.) My impressions of tandem riding: I LOVE IT! It's a superb way to teach someone about serious riding (they concentrate on pedaling and RIDING without worrying about stearing, braking, shifting; then, later, they can start to pay attention to those things), a great way to stay together, and you can talk with your riding partner! (It's also a wonderful excuse to get together with someone who you've wanted to get to know a bit better....!) The biggest challenge: carting it around; tandems are BIG, and you pretty much have to ride it where ever you take it (unless you have a nice, long van or pickup). Have fun! -- Alan M. Marcum Sun Microsystems, Technical Consulting ...!{dual,ihnp4}!sun!nescorna!marcum Mountain View, California