i just finished my tandem and took it out on it's maiden voyage so i thought i would start a tandem thread. please post photos of your tandems and ride's you've done.

this is a very rare Mountain Goat Lombada tandem. it's the only one like it anyone has ever seen so it may be a one-off. the only other Goat tandem i've ever seen was a mountain bike tandem and this is a touring tandem. it has full touring braze-on's and 48 spoke 4 cross wheels. the brakes are Campagnolo and the rest of the main components have no Shimano at all.

we parked in Solana Beach, got on the train northbound and got off at San Juan Capistrano. we had lunch in a nice outdoor cafe and then started our ride south back to Solana Beach. 45 miles total. these photos are on the Camp Pendleton military base.

^ I want to know that as well. I want a tandem, but my would-be partner isn't interested.

Njord Noatun:Cool thread!

I don't have a tandem, but I am curious about them: I have seen them in all kinds of different frame builds - double top tube (like yours, VC), top tube front - step-through rear, or double step through. Are the double top tube frame a lot stiffer and lighter than the step throughs? And how do you size a tandem - like a regular bike, but separating the measurements for the front and rear rider? If you plan to ride with a regular partner, is it not difficult to find a frame that fits both of you (unless you have the frame built or buy new)? Or does frame sizing matter less for tandems than for singles?

Questions, questions...

well, you've bombarded me with lots to answer. i'll see what i can do...

the frame design and how many tubes and where are the frame designers attempt at stiffening the frame up. every builder does it a little different so don't know if you can say there's one style to look for over another. as long as you're getting a quality tandem you shouldn't worry much about the third tube and where it's placed.

step through frames are usually for beach cruiser or tandems that are meant to not be ridden very much. same goes for most womens bikes out there. it's an inferior design for tandems and if you want to ride your tandem longer distanced go with a frame that does not have a step through design. as far as womens frames go for single riders the Mixte design where the top tube goes all the way to the rear drop out's is worth buying.

sizing can be a little strange and i'll try to answer that. in a perfect world you would fit a frame like you would your normal road bike. here's where it gets a little weird: now, if you get a tandem that fits the captain you don't necessarily need the stoker to fit the back end. the captain needs to fit comfortably as if that person is riding a regular bike. the stokers end of the tandem is completely adjustable in every way. the stem and bars can me moved forward and back, the seat can go up and down, basically the stokers position can be manipulated is every way. you can even get a child stoker on an adult tandem by buying a crank adapter. my wife is a size too short for the tandem i have but it still works just fine as everything can be manipulated. does that make any sense?

here's a child setup on a tandem. see how the cranks were moved up? with this setup you can have the tandem grow with the child up through adulthood.

i don't see any United States distributors. is there someone that will ship one to you?

Velo Cult:i don't see any United States distributors. is there someone that will ship one to you?

Haven't really looked into it. Will figure something out when I'm ready to buy one of these bikes.

Finally, my son's legs can reach the pedals on our BikeFriday tandem. I took this shot prior to the Halloween CM. I strapped on the 50 Watt JVC boombox + 12V battery starter + inverter. We rode with the mass until we reached Liberty station, stopped at Starbucks, then returned to Balboa Park.



Recent Ride with SDBIKECOMMUTERS (Jan 2009 met the group in Carlsbad and rode to San Diego)

Beany - I want/need one of those Pino tandem things!! They are fab! But the pricing that I just checked out on their site, mind you it was listed in € w/ 19% VAT added, was considerably higher than the numbers you had in mind. Perhaps if you found a dealer here the numbers might be different, but converting the € to US $ and subtracting out the VAT I calculate that they run $4,173 - $5,825 (low end model - high end model). Ouch! But one can dream...

Nice Sigurd! Way to refresh this thread. Getting close to three years since we last saw a tandem on the front page!