This article is designed to give you insight into riding tandems and will hopefully answer all of your questions!

We also have another article that runs alongside this:
Tandem Bikes and Parts: Everything You Need To Know

Tandem Bicycle Terminology

Captain/Pilot: The Front Rider on a Tandem
Responsibilities include everything to do with controlling the tandem: steering, balancing, braking and gears. You also need to call out commands to the rear rider and be predictable with every move.

Stoker: The Rear Rider on a Tandem
Responsibilities include giving up all bike control and investing 100% trust in the front rider. You also need to lean with the bike into corners, try not to unbalance the bike, provide as much power through the pedals as possible, take photos, pass food, sing and generally entertain.

Timing Chain
The front chain or belt that connects the front crankset to the rear crankset.

Boom Tube
The horizontal frame tube that connects the two bottom bracket shells on a tandem frame.

Commands

Commands are essential for the harmonic riding experience between the front and rear riders on a tandem. It’s best to say all commands in a similar tone so that the rear rider can tell the difference between normal conversation and a command.

Gear – Take some pressure off the pedals for a split second, whilst still spinning the cranks in order to change gears.
Cruising – Stop pedalling at the same pedal location (for us it’s right foot forward) and coast along.
Slowing – Stop pedalling (cruising position) and slowly applying the brakes.
Stopping – Brakes are applied immediately and pedalling motion stops (cruisin’ position) as soon as possible.
Ready? – A question asked by the front or rear rider to announce they are ready and waiting to ride from a stationary position.
Bump – Allows the rear rider to prepare for a depression in the road by taking some weight off their saddle.
Going for it – Applying as much power to the pedals as possible to make an orange light or traffic gap.

Why Are You Travelling On A Tandem Bicycle?

We chose to bicycle tour with a tandem because there is a big discrepancy between our abilities on a bike – everything from the speed and technical skills through to rider confidence in busy, foreign cities.

Sometimes Kat suffered from uncontrollable panic attacks on the bike and riding a tandem was a great way for her to overcome those. You can read her views on the subject HERE.

Advantages: Tandem Bicycle Touring

Great for partners of unequal riding ability. We can both ride as hard or easy as we want and nobody has to wait, ever.

It’s safe. Touring in countries where men can be a bit ‘touchy’ with women can be difficult, as can travelling alone. Having both riders together at all times allows for safety in numbers.

They’re fast. One bike with two wheels and four sets of legs makes for a quick ride. Not to mention the increase in aerodynamics. Our average speed on the flat is up to 50% faster than on solo bikes.

No more shouting. Being heard or having to ask the other to repeat what they just said can be frustrating on solo bikes.

Lighter in weight. Having one tandem is lighter than having two bikes – great for keeping the weight down for air travel.

Less spare parts. When we tour, we require spare parts for only one bike rather than two.

You’re forced to pack lighter when you tour. If you’re going from eight panniers to four, you’re going to need to shave some kit!

A great option for parents. You can introduce your children to cycling in a safe environment. Children often can’t wait to ride their own bikes after being on the back of a tandem.

A great option for those who can’t ride a bike on their own. If you are vision-impaired or not confident to ride a bike yourself, find a pilot.

A conversation starter, attention grabber. It’s very easy to make new friends with a tandem; everyone has a question.

It makes you smile… and it makes others smile! We get lots more car horns, train whistles and waves on the road. If we’re waiting at the traffic lights, we are the first to leave because everybody else is too busy staring at us and not the green traffic light.

Disadvantages: Tandem Bicycle Touring

Manoeuvring the bike. The bike is longer, so it takes some time to master three-point turns, up/down curbs and sneaking through traffic gaps. As the bike is so heavy when loaded, stairs become your enemy. If you want to go easy on your tandem, you MUST take off most of your panniers first and make sure you lift the front and rear wheel up when the chainrings get close to the top step!

Rough roads are harder and slower. In order to protect the rear riders’ comfort and rear wheel, we can not afford to be as careless as you might be on a solo bike.

They’re harder to take on a plane. With standard bike boxes mostly out of the question, taking a tandem on a plane requires slightly more planning. If your tandem frame breaks apart you won’t have any issues. That said, many airlines will allow you to take a full-length tandem on, as long as it’s within the weight restriction. For more on this subject, please read below.

You will probably have wheel problems. You need really strong wheels to tour on a tandem.

What’s It Like Riding A Tandem For The First Time?

Alee
I decided that it was best to ride our tandem alone on the maiden voyage. The initial difference I felt was with the steering and balance points. When you make a turn, it feels like you’re sliding to the left or right, rather than pivoting on the spot. With both of us on the bike, we fought for balance for a few streets before Kat became confident enough in my ability. Once Kat was comfortable, I no longer noticed her there, and by the time we had a few commands down, tandem life was easy. The first time the bike was loaded with panniers and we were riding slowly up steep hills, I really noticed a lacking in the core strength of my upper body, but my body adjusted very quickly!

Kat
The first time we rode Tan-nay-nay (our bike’s name) my heart ran an unnecessary race against the beating of my pulse, the ragged intake of my breath and the clever quick electric maze in the wiring of my brain. I knew in my heart of hearts that I trusted Alee with my bike riding life, but I still managed to feel off-kilter and as though I was somehow going to fall off and sabotage the whole bike (I had dreams prior to riding Tan-nay-nay of being slit up the middle as I fell forward while braking hard down a hill… I have an overactive imagination at the best of times). But, very quickly I felt comfortable and strong and necessary on the bike. When Alee asked me ‘you droppin’ the watts, eh Webster?’ for the first time I glowed (and my thighs swelled, literally) with pride and positivity. I trust Alee 100% and know, through our shared pedal strokes, that he trusts me too.

Once we’d ridden about three hundred metres on Tan-nay-nay fully loaded (downhill on cobbled streets in Istanbul, no less) I knew I would be fine. The feeling of being out of control releases your body and your heart from its firm grip, soon bolstering your confidence at riding a bike and being super speedy on your bicycle built for two.

How Do You Ride A Tandem?

Note: Our technique is slightly different from many tandem-ists

Starting

1. The front rider straddles the tandem, selects the appropriate gear (internally geared hub), moves the cranks to the preferred starting position (we like the right side) and stabilises the bike with a wide stance while holding the brakes. Once in position, they notify the rear rider that they can get on with a simple ‘ok’ or ‘ready’.
2. The rear rider straddles the bike and checks for traffic or potential hazards.
3. The rear rider places their foot onto the higher pedal selected by the front rider.
4. The rear rider acknowledges that they are in position (‘ok’) and asks, ‘ready’? At this time it can be useful for the rear rider to ask the front rider if the gear is suitable for take-off.
5. Front rider confirms readiness (‘yep’, ‘ok’ or ‘cool’) and does final head check.

Take-Off

6a. Front and rear riders apply pressure to their forward feet simultaneously and mount second feet. You sit down as you would when taking off on a standard bike. This can be a more difficult way to start the bike for front rider, or;
6b. Rear rider communicates readiness and puts both feet on their pedals, providing initial power to the drivetrain before the front rider mounts their second foot.

Coasting

Either rider can announce that they would like to coast. Once the announcement has been made, it is best to go to a default cruising position after a couple of pedal rotations – for us that is right feet forward. In order to start again, a rider simply has to say ‘pedalling’ and you can get going a split second after the call has been made.

Gears

We have found that you need to change gears more regularly on a tandem than a solo. We change gears like you would a car; when the cadence (RPM) gets to a certain spot, we move up or down a gear to something more comfortable. From starting, we literally go from gear 4-5-6-7-8-9 to get our speed back up.

In order to change gears, the front rider will need to announce ‘gear’. Once the call has been made, both riders can take some pressure off the pedals for a split second, whilst still spinning the cranks in order to change gears without a crunch. This is slow to start with but becomes pretty quick when you’ve got the hang of it.

Before you come to a halt, it is best to change your gear into one which is suitable for take-off.

Descending

Tandems are fast, so you should be careful of pedal strike with the ground when descending at speed. When we descend, we move our outer feet (from the corner’s apex) to the lower position (6 o’clock). This better balances your weight on the bike and guarantees no chance of a pedal hitting the ground.

Stopping

The front rider communicates their intention to stop. This also means ‘we are stopping pedalling within a second and we will go to cruising pedal position’. Apply the brakes as normal and once stopped, take your normal feet off to straddle the bike.

If you need to immediately stop with little notice, it is best not to stop spinning until a split second after the brakes are applied. This allows the rear rider slightly more time to stop spinning the cranks and will get you back to your favourite foot forward and ready to stop comfortably.

When getting off the bike, it is best for the rear rider to jump off first. The front rider must make sure they are stabilising the bike well with a wide stance before the rear rider is getting off.

Climbing

There is nothing specific to know about climbing on a tandem, but it is essential to make sure that you are both happy with your cadence (pedalling speed) because a high cadence is best.

Standing

For the more advanced riders, standing will allow you to use different muscle groups and relieve your sit bones from pressure. The riders will initially have to announce their intention to stand up. Standing smoothly requires both riders to coordinate their movement. The front rider should make sure the bars are as still as possible and the pedalling motion fluid. It is best to count down, or a simple ‘ready’… ‘go’ will do it. You can now slowly and carefully stand up!

We have tried standing on our loaded bike, but as the bags are heavy (40-50kg) – it’s definitely more trouble than it’s worth.

The Best Things About Being A Rear Rider

Teamwork. Listening, learning, leaning, pedalling, powering and placating helps the process of riding together. You do feel part of the team, no doubt.

No fear. Riding at the back if a tandem means there’s no chance of losing control of the bike, there’s no need to feel incompetent, there’s no need to be scared of traffic and obstacles.

Stargazing. The whole world is around you when you’re on a bike, it is one of the best things about riding – there’s nothing between you and the surrounding environment. When you’re on the back there is so much more to notice: to see, smell and feel.

Navel-gazing. There is always time to think as you’re riding, but when you’re on the back there’s a different kind of zen, a peacefulness that flows in.

Being useful. Similar to being part of the team, but there are particular things you need to do that the front rider can’t do – when taking off, for example, it is mostly up to you, the rear rider, to provide 90% of the power.

The Worst Things About Being A Rear Rider

Being told every single day that you can “just put your feet up” or “sit back and relax”. Actually no, both people are riding the tandem at all times.

Feeling off-balance. When you’re first riding a tandem and occasionally when you’re experienced at it too, the balance of the bike and the front rider can feel just wrong and there’s nothing you can do, in fact, you should learn to relax when the bike feels a bit ‘wrong’ because bad situations can be made even worse by the rear rider trying to control the bike.

No control. You have no ability to steer or brake (most of the time, although some tandems have rear rider brakes) or control the bike in any way. You must learn immediately to trust the front rider with every element of control, learn to lean as they lean, work with the bike and their body.

How Much Faster Is A Touring Tandem?

Based on our observations, we have experienced an increase in speed of between 10-30% on our fully-loaded touring tandem, depending on terrain and weather conditions. On the flat, we are sometimes able to hold over 30km/h (19mp/h) when we would normally ride at 20km/h. On the hills, the speed advantage is less noticeable.

Assuming there is no wind, we travel at the following speeds for each gradient on our tandem with all of our gear:

0% – 20-30km/h (separate bike speed was 15-23km/h)
1-3% – 15-20km/h (separate bike speed was 11-15km/h)
4-6% = 10-15km/h (separate bike speed was 7-11km/h)
7-9% – 7-10km/h (separate bike speed was 5-8km/h)

***Not everyone will experience these great increases in speed. Speed increases depend on the difference in ability between the front and rear riders.***

Who Should Be At The Front and Rear?

Sometimes body size determines who plays which role. Most of the time strength and experience will make it obvious who should ride at the front and back, but remember it isn’t mandatory to have the biggest rider at the front.

From Two Bikes To One: How Much Weight Did We Save?

About 11-12kg across our total bike/gear weight. We were able to send home a complete bike worth of parts, plus half of the other bike. Instead of having over 30kg of bikes and racks, we now have about 22kg – a saving of over 8kg.

In addition, we lost weight in parts including two panniers, a handlebar bag, a spare tyre and spare tubes – a saving of over 3kg.

How Much Does Everything Weigh?

Our steel-framed touring tandem with racks included is about 22kg. That works out at 11kg per person – lighter than the most lightweight of adventure touring bikes. Amazingly, the lightest road tandems available are a scant 10kg.

We carry about 40kg of gear when we travel on a long tour – spare parts and tools really make a dent in our gear weight. We never know where the next bike shop will be, or how long it will be between towns, so having a comprehensive list of spares and tools is important to us. You can see what we carry and all of the weights in our GEAR LIST.

With our body weights (130kg), water (6kg) and food (10kg), our total weight is over 200kg. This may help you understand why brakes and wheels are so important on tandems!

How Do You Fly With A Tandem?

Some airlines allow tandem bikes to travel on planes despite their length, provided you’re within the weight restrictions. We’ve heard of many who travel with their tandem at no extra charge, provided the box is under 32kg and they’ve checked with their airline first.

We spent US $2000 on six S&S couplers which break our tandem frame into three pieces. As we plan to use this touring tandem as long as we live, the cost was… kind of justifiable. The advantage of the couplers is that we can pack our tandem into two boxes with the maximum dimensions of our 26″ wheel. We found that making our tandem that small was a bit too time consuming, so we just undo the front three couplers, fitting our tandem into a regular bike box.

In hindsight, we could’ve ordered the Co-Motion Equator without the middle ‘marathon’ steel tube and used just two couplers at the front of the bike. That would’ve been US $700 for the couplers and we’d still have been able to fit the bike in a cardboard bike box.

How Can You Reduce Damage to the Wheels?

We are mindful of keeping as much weight as possible off the rear wheel. We use rear pannier bags on the front of our bike for their extra volume, loading them as heavy as our front rack allows. This affects our steering (and is harder work for the front rider) but allows our rear wheel to last that bit longer.

Many tandem bike tourers use a trailer to reduce their rear load, but we wanted to keep our setup as light, simple and manoeuvrable as possible. We would recommend using a trailer on low-mid range tandems (sub-US $3000) as they often come with cheaper quality wheels.

Tandem Bike Manufacturers

We’ve put together a resource that lists most of the top tandem manufacturers out there, with pricing and links to their website. We’ve also put together a list of frame builders out there that we would personally choose to build us our next tandem frame.

The resource is available HERE.

How Do You Size A Tandem?

The sizing for your tandem is most important for the front rider because the rear rider will be able to use a greatly adjustable stem, and will have a choice of handlebars to get their position comfortable.

The front rider will use the same position that they would on the equivalent solo bike. For example, your road bike measurements should be replicated on your road tandem. The most important measurements on bikes are the top tube and head tube because these measurements are relatively fixed, unlike a seatpost which can be easily adjusted up and down. Changing the stem length to make a bike fit you is possible but has a significant effect on the handling of your ride.

If you aren’t sure what size you are, speak to a professional bicycle fitter at a reputable bike shop.

For more on sizing, click HERE.

How Much Should You Spend On A Tandem Bicycle?

The most simple answer is that you should spend the same amount or more, than if you were buying two bikes. Eg. If you would normally tour with two US $1500 bikes, you should spend over US $3000 to get something of a similar standard.

Some people choose to buy a second-hand tandem for a few hundred dollars first, to see if it suits them. I think this is a great idea, but for us, we knew that a tandem was the best solution so we got right in there and purchased the best we could.

For loaded bicycle touring, you will need a bike strong enough, with exceptional wheels and brakes. I recommend US $2000 as a starting point; something with disc brakes and a high spoke count. Recreational tandems can be had for US $600 and are fine and so are road tandems from US $1200.

Custom tandem frames start at about US $1500 and go all the way up to US $10000 if you really want – therefore, complete custom bikes will start at US $3500 or so.

The advantages include custom frame geometry, size, materials, features and ride quality which will all be tuned perfectly to your needs. If you want to be able to break your tandem frame into two or three pieces for travel, you will spend US $700-$2000 extra on between two and six S&S couplers.

How Do You Shop for a Tandem Bicycle?

Tandems are hard to find in shops, so test riding exactly what you’re going to buy almost never happens. Most of the time it is word of mouth (verbal, internet or in books) that will inform you about how each brand of tandem compares.

A great place to meet tandem riders is through bike clubs for tandem riders. Members of these clubs will be able to help you with any advice you require and I’m sure if you ask nicely enough you can have a go on their bikes.

If you just want to have a go on a tandem with your friend or partner, many bike hire places have the odd tandem, so give them a call.

Speciality tandem bike shops do exist, especially in the United States where tandem riding is more popular. If you live nearby one of these shops, consider yourself lucky; this is your best opportunity to talk and test ride tandems!

Who Needs A Custom Tandem Bicycle?

Unless you and your partner in crime are out-of-normal-range tall or short or want to use specific parts, you will not require a custom bike. We chose custom both for necessity (I’m tall) but also because of the specific frame features we wanted, like the ability to use a Rohloff hub and Gates belt drivetrain.

To get more of an idea for the complete custom frame building process, click HERE.

Other CyclingAbout Tandem Pages

Introducing Tan-nay-nay (Video)
Our List Of Initial Impressions On Travelling in Tandem
Build Breakdown: Our Co-Motion Touring Tandem
Review: Co-Motion Tandem Frameset
Making Tan-nay-nay Happen
Why Did We Purchase A Tandem?
Why Did We Choose Co-Motion To Build Our Tandem?
Kat’s Post On Panic Attacks Touring on a Standard Bike
A List of Tandem Manufacturers and Builders (With Pricing)
A Detailed Look Into The Custom Frame Building Process

If You Have Any Other Questions, Drop A Comment.

The post Tandem Bicycle Touring: Everything You Need To Know appeared first on CYCLINGABOUT.

Tandem Bicycle Touring: Everything You Need To Know

Wheels For Tandem Bikes

The wheels on a pannier-laden tandem are the most important component choice. We have destroyed enough rims and spokes that cheap or lightweight parts are simply not ok. The rim and wheel build quality seem to be the two most important factors of a strong touring wheel. With a good quality build, we usually crack the rims before we’ve even broken a spoke. Our advice is therefore quite simple: find the strongest rim and best wheel builder you can!

Rims. If you’re touring with lots of weight like us, we recommend only one rim manufacturer – Ryde (formally Rigida). The Andra 30 model is available in both 26″ and 700c is probably the strongest touring rim available in the world: this is our shining review of the Ryde Andra 30 rim. If you’re seeking 48 hole rims, the Velocity Chukker is your best bet. And if you’re travelling without weight, you can get certainly get away with lighter weight options.

Spokes. Tandems typically have more spokes than standard wheels in order to reduce load on each spoke, nipple and rim hole as well as across the hub flange. Tandem wheels can be found to have 32, 36, 40 or 48 spokes, but if your wheels are on the cheaper side, make sure to use 48 spokes. The better the quality of gear, you can get away with less spokes without compromising strength. We use 32 spokes front and rear (as we wanted to use our existing hubs) and since having our wheels built properly, we’ve suffered no spoke breakages on our very heavily-laden tandem.

26″ vs 650b vs 700c. For off-road or heavily-laden touring, you’re going to need as much strength as you can get – we found this out the hard way. We strongly recommend 26″ wheels for touring because they are simply stronger than 700c wheels due to their smaller diameter size and reduced spoke length. 650b wheels slot in between 26″ and 700c and are becoming increasingly more common, but spare parts are still very rare in most bike shops.

Hub Width. There are a few hub sizes for tandems. 135mm rear spacing is standard for most bicycles, but tandem wheels can be found in 145mm and 160mm. At 160mm wide, rear wheels can be ‘dishless’ – building a stronger wheel because spoke tension is the same on every spoke.

Trailers For Tandem Bikes

We prefer the manoeuvrability and reduced weight of a tandem without a trailer, but trailers are certainly a great way to reduce the load off your tandem wheels. We especially recommend trailers for people using tandems with cheaper, factory-built wheels. Check out the 16 Best Bike Trailers for Bicycle Touring for more information.

Handlebars For Tandem Bikes

For pilots on a tandem, handling is much more demanding on the upper body than on a standard bike. This is because the front rider needs to balance out shifts in weight made by the stoker, in addition to managing the front bags (on a touring tandem) which slow the steering speed. My body took about a month of touring to build up the core strength required to manage our bike properly.

I prefer a road handlebar due to the various positions it offers, but generally advise most people to use a flat handlebar. Wide, flat handlebars make handling a tandem easier for pilots because they increase the steering leverage, making managing loads much easier. Make sure to catch our handlebar article: All About Bike Touring Handlebars.

For stokers, a flat or bullhorn handlebar is the way to go. Drop handlebars are not really necessary because stokers are shielded from the wind by the front rider. Stoker bars need to be relatively wide to make sure they clear the front rider’s hips.

Tyres For Tandem Bikes

Tyre choice is important on tandems, as it is on any bike.

The wider the tyre, the more the tyre can absorb shock and depressions in the road. This is particularly important because rear cyclists cannot prepare for bumps as well as those up front. In addition, wider tyres also reduce tyre, rims and spoke issues because of their ability to absorb more bumps and shock. For a loaded tandem, we recommend using tyres which are at least 26 x 2.0″ or 700c x 40c.

As tandems often carry 150-250kg worth of bike and rider, hard wearing tyres are really important. We have had the most success with Schwalbe tyres (Mondial, Supreme or Dureme) because of their exceptional durability and puncture resistance, but Vittoria, Panaracer and Continental make some suitable tyres for tandems. We covered over 20,000km on our Schwalbe Marathon Mondials though, jus’ sayin’.

For our comparison between 26″ and 700c wheels, please click HERE.

Suspension Seatposts For Tandem Bikes

Unlike the pilot, a stoker is not able to see and anticipate bumps. Suspension seatposts are really important for stokers on roads which are of a low quality, and it is best to do everything you can to make the stoker happy because tandems aren’t as fun without them!

The best suspension seatpost on the market is the Cane Creek Thudbuster, which uses an elastomer to absorb any shock from the road. Unlike other posts, it uses a parallelogram design which doesn’t change the cyclists saddle height when active.

Gearing On Tandem Bikes

Given that tandems are fast, most tandemists need lots of top end gears. But tandems also require lots of low end gears, therefore, a balance must be struck.

Road tandems will require more top end gears than off-road and loaded touring tandems because of their high power-to-weight figure. I recommend gearing at 10% harder than a solo road bike if your tandem will mainly see flat roads with the odd hill. For those who are keen to ride any kind of road, you will do well with the same or 10% lower gearing than a solo road bike. Road triple cranksets have a wide gear range and drop down to a 30t front ring, which is perfect for going fast and climbing.

For any other tandem, we recommend about 18 gear inches as the lowest gear. This is the same as using the smallest gear on a triple MTB crankset (24t x 34t). In this gear, we ride at 4-5km/h if we need to; any slower and we’d be better off walking. You can calculate gear inches HERE.

For information on Rohloff hubs and tandems, scroll down.

Brakes For Tandem Bikes

Tandems can often carry two or more times the load of a solo bike, so you’re going to need some powerful brakes. We recommend the use of disc brakes on all but the lightest weight tandems. You can read everything about brakes and touring in our article All About Touring Bike Brakes.

Rim Brakes. Rim brakes work fine on road tandems and touring tandems that stick to the pavement. However, it is important to know that on long descents, rim brakes can heat the rim up so much that the tyre blows off the rim. Although this has not happened to us, it has to our friends – rim brake users be careful!

Disc Brakes. The best v-brakes can be powerful, but they are nothing compared to disc brakes. Stopping 150-250kg on a dime really takes a good set of anchors, and disc brakes are the best out there for this. Disc brake brands that I trust and personally use are Shimano for hydraulic (XT or Saint), or Avid/TRP for their mechanical (BB5/BB7 or Spyre). It is important to use 8″ rotors on tandems because of their ability to cool down quicker, as well as stop well.

For the down-low on brakes for touring bikes, read our article on touring bike brakes HERE.

Tandem Timing Chains, Chainrings and Cranksets

There isn’t anything particularly special about timing chains, other than the fact that you will need approximately one and a half chains to make it work.

Timing chainrings must both be the same size to give a 1:1 ratio which will allow both the front and rear cranksets to be in phase. It is advisable to use largish chainrings of between 38-44t because the smaller the chainring, the harder the chain pulls (to make up for the fact it is not moving as fast) and the quicker everything wears out.

Timing chains normally run on the non-drive side of a tandem, but you can run timing chains on the drive side too. The advantages of running it on the drive side include being able to use conventional cranksets which are often cheaper and come in a range of sizes, and it keeps the greasy chains to one bike side. The disadvantages include the greater challenge of spacing out chainrings, and the fact that you may be limited with shifting options on derailleur gear systems. It is most common to see a drive side setup with an internally geared hub like a Rohloff.

It is possible to use Gates Carbon Drive as a timing belt. This will save you about 250g over a chain and chainrings. In order for Carbon Drive to work on your tandem, the frames boom tube must be 724mm between bottom brackets and you will need to use 130bcd cranks. We use Carbon Drive on both the drive and non-drive side of our tandem.

Crank Phase On Tandem Bikes

Tandems are traditionally set up to have the cranks/pedals in the same starting location for the front and rear riders. But some people like to have the cranks out of phase (eg. 90 degrees out) which apparently eliminates the ‘dead spot’ in the pedal stroke. We have tried our cranks at different phases and feel like in-phase works best for us. It’s best for starting, best for cornering, best for coasting and best for balancing.

Rohloff Hubs For Tandem Bikes

Rohloff hubs are perfect for tandems. Rohloff make a tandem hub kit (T) which comes with tandem length cabling, but there is nothing special about the hub itself. For the best results, use a tandem frame built with a Rohloff dropout and two eccentric bottom brackets to adjust your chain length.

Rohloff hubs are available in either 32 or 36 spoke hole. Given that the Rohloff hub flange is large (meaning short spokes) and the wheel is ‘dishless’ – either spoke count will serve you fine, but if given the option, request 36 spokes.

The minimum gear ratio you can run on a Rohloff tandem is 2.5:1. We ride with this ratio and in our lowest gear (18 gear inches) we can ride at 4-5km/h up really steep hills. We are also able to chug along at 45km/h in our top gear (95 gear inch). If you are riding your tandem on flat roads, you will most likely want your Rohloff gear ratio to be 3:1 or above.

For a comparison between standard cranksets and Rohloff hubs, this page from the manual shows that having a 22t-32t on a derailleur drivetrain is the same low gear as 40t-16t on a Rohloff. Likewise, a top gear equivelent of 54t-12t is achieved on a Rohloff running 50-16t.

Rohloff Rims. Rohloff recommend using a custom drilled Rigida Andra 30 rim in a 26″ wheel build because the rim holes are drilled on an angle. This allows the nipple to protrude at a straight angle from the rim, which in turn reduces any stress to the spoke, nipple and rim.

Make sure to read our article specifically on how to build the strongest Rohloff wheel you can.

For more Rohloff technical information, check out 15 Reasons Why You Should Ride Rohloff and 23 Ways To Mount A Rohloff Shifter With Drop Handlebars.

Carbon Belt Drive On Tandem Bikes

A Gates Carbon Belt drivetrain is perfect for tandems. The only prerequisites are that your frame needs to be Carbon Drive compatible and you will need to use an internally geared hub (Shimano Alfine or Rohloff).

If you haven’t heard of Carbon Drive, the reason we like it is that it is silent, lightweight and maintenance free. For the full low down on Carbon Drive, read our article, Carbon Drive: Everything You Ever Need To Know. We have found that the Gates Centertrack kit to be leaps and bounds better than the CDC/CDX type. We have published a review of the Centretrack kit, make sure to read it.

Those with derailleur drivetrains can also benefit from a carbon timing belt if your frame has been designed around the right distance between bottom brackets (724mm). This will save 250g from your existing tandem.

Independent Coasting Systems

On a standard tandem, both riders pedal at the same time, so when one rider wants to rest, it means both riders must rest. Independent coasting systems change this, by promising to make starting, stopping and cornering easier, as well as allowing riders to take independant breaks at times which suits them. We didn’t feel this was necessary for us, but it is worth noting that a company called DaVinci Tandem bikes make bikes around this concept.

Tandem Bikes For Families

There are a few companies making tandem bikes for families. Co-Motion, the manufacturer of our tandem make a series of bikes called the ‘Periscope’. The premise behind them is that the rear seat tube is really small with a highly adjustable seatpost. This allows young children as small as 100cm, and adults alike to be able to be a stoker on the same bike.

Other Designs Include: Onderwater tandem

Folding Tandem Bikes

A few companies make folding tandems – perfect for space conscious people (such as caravan owners) and regular public transport users. Although wheels smaller than 26″ are not our style, we can appreciate that for some people a folding tandem is the perfect tandem. Bike Friday are widely accepted as the worlds best folding tandems, and are something we’d like to try one day. Check out Bike Friday and KHS for 20″ folding tandems, and Koga for 700c folding tandems.

Marathon vs. Compact Tandem Bikes

Tandems are often built using two different frame designs:

Marathon Frames. Lateral stiffness is increased on marathon frames via the additional lateral tubeset, reducing any twisting or shimmy-ing when carrying gear. This allows frame builders to use smaller diameter, thinner drawn steel tubesets which result in great vertical compliance and vibration dissipation.

Compact Frames. Built with larger diameter and thicker walled tubes, these frames are just as stiff as the marathon design, making them perfectly capable as a touring tandem. As a result of the thicker tubing, compact frames don’t offer the vibration dampening qualities of the marathon design.

Making Frames Smaller On Tandem Bikes

Did you know that it is possible to get a tandem frame down to the dimensions of a 26″ wheel? The most common way to reduce the size of a tandem is by using S&S couplers. Our Co-Motion splits into three pieces whilst other tandem manufacturers choose to split their frame into two. Amazingly, couplers don’t decrease a frames strength or stiffness – they increase it.

Another custom option is using Ritchey Breakaway components. A complete bike that can be reduced in size is the Koga Touring bike which actually folds in half, reducing its length for transport.

Other CyclingAbout Tandem Pages

Video: Introducing Tan-Nay-Nay
Our List of Initial Impressions On Travelling In Tandem
Build Breakdown: Our Co-Motion touring tandem
Making Tan-Nay-Nay Happen
Why Did We Purchase A Tandem?
Why Did We Choose Co-Motion To Build Our Tandem?
Kat’s Post On Panic Attacks Touring On A Standard Bike
A List Of Tandem Manufacturers And Builders (With Pricing)
A Detailed Look Into The Custom Frame Building Process

If You Have Any Questions, Feel Free To Leave A Comment.

The post Tandem Bikes and Parts: Everything You Need To Know appeared first on CYCLINGABOUT.

So what’s in the Pino’s design that makes users so exclusive to this weird looking ride? Let’s take a close look at them, with the assistance of a few experienced users.

I’ve obtained information from:

1. Keith & Tamar (ThreeWheeling): Cycled many a kilometre in Europe and Asia and have a wealth of info on their website.
2. Julie & Mark (A Pino a Bob and a Dream): Have done lots of touring in Europe and the USA.
3. Brendon & Emma (TotallyTandem): Cycling the North and South American continents 2013/14.
4. Marcel & Alena (Frischlufttour): Cycling wherever they damn well feel like it for however long they enjoy it – started two years ago and have crossed Europe and Asia in this time.
5. Hubert & Sylvie (Nosrayonspourunsoleil): Cycled from France to Thailand via Russia in 2013/14, but have completed many small trips in Europe too.

So, What’s this Pino Thing!?

The Pino is far from conventional; it is, in fact, a semi-recumbent tandem. The most notable feature to this bikes’ design is the seating positions: the stoker rides reclined up front and the pilot rides at the rear, with access to steering, brakes and gears at their fingertips. These seating positions are the opposite to regular tandems where the stoker has an obstructed view.

There is an independent freewheel for the stoker, which gives both riders the ability to ‘coast’ when they want – an uncommon feature on traditional tandems.

Hase is up to their third-generation frame and it’s getting better with every version. The last frame generation was released in 2009.

What Type of People Use Semi-Recumbent Tandems?

You can find all kinds of people on semi-recumbent tandems! Most of the people that I’ve met have bought them to alleviate problems they’ve had on standard bikes:

– Many stokers have had medical issues which have drawn them to a recumbent seating position. These medical issues include congenital discs, arthritis, the inability to sit on a saddle, damaged nerves or shoulder/neck injuries.

– Others have had confidence issues on a single bike, and are hence sold by the idea of a tandem. They’re drawn to a semi-recumbent tandem as the stokers have not liked the prospect of staring at their pilots back all day on a regular tandem.

The Advantages of the Pino (Over a Standard Tandem)

The stoker has a great view and can anticipate road conditions. This is the most spoken about advantage by users. 180 degrees of views for both cyclists.

Easy to talk with each other and share the journey. Pino riders love how easy conversation is. It’s also great to be able to easily support each other on tough days.

Solves a lot of issues for cyclists with medical issues. The recumbent seating position takes the strain off many joints. Emma fractured her coccyx two years prior to their Americas trip and finds it hard to ride a regular bike for more than 20 minutes. Alena also has issues with her coccyx and cannot sit on a regular seat. Sylvie has issues with her spine/back, as well as hands, so riding a regular bike isn’t possible.

When the stoker is not a confident solo cyclist. Emma was nervous about handling a loaded touring bike, riding by herself on long days and negotiating heavy traffic. She was unlikely to ride the Americas’ on a solo bike!

Conversation starter. Everybody is very excited about this bike; you immediately draw attention. Kids and also adults love to sit on it, Marcel sometimes takes them on a short ride which is an unforgettable experience for the little ones! For people who hate to draw attention, this might not be the right bike. Marcel and Alena think it’s very important to always remind yourself that it’s often the first time people see something like this and to react accordingly (waving, smiling, let them take photos, let them touch it and sit on it etc.).

Stoker movement doesn’t affect the handling as much as on a regular tandem. As the stoker is low and reclined over the front wheel, Keith believes that movement doesn’t seem to affect the handling of the bike as much as on a regular tandem.

It folds. The Pino folds in two, making it easy to put on a bus/train/plane.

Short wheelbase. Given that the stoker sits over the front wheel, the wheelbase is short, which affords a much tighter turning circle. Great for in the city or negotiating potholes on rough roads.

The bike is easy to ride without a stoker. Keith doesn’t mind doing a shopping run by himself, in fact, there’s a whole seat to put your goodies!

The Disadvantages of the Pino (Over a Standard Tandem)

It’s a one-size-fits-all bike, which as we all know, never perfectly fits all. Brendon is 185cm and finds the handlebars to be too low and wide for comfort. Mark also finds the pilot’s position to be too cramped. Although Hase believes that a 195cm rider could use the Pino, it seems that you’d want to be 180cm or below to be comfortable.

The bike isn’t ideal on steep terrain. It is all about what engines are on board, however, the recumbent seating position is never as good on an incline. The reason for the bike being inferior on hills is that the stoker can’t put their body weight into the pedalling action.

There is only one spot for a water bottle cage. Comparing this to my standard tandem, where I have space for seven water bottles. Most Pino riders clamp cages to their handlebars or use hydration packs.

The pilots’ handlebars can hit the elbows of the stoker. Alena (stoker) rides with her elbows ‘in’ on rough roads in order to avoid contact with the Pino’s handlebars, as a quick swerve to avoid a pothole is all it takes.

The frame is not known for its longevity when touring. I talk frame failures below.

The frame is flexy. When I’ve ridden the Pino, flex is the most obvious thing to me. Coming from an incredibly stiff Co-Motion tandem, I have less confidence cycling the Pino compared to a traditional tandem. Interestingly, none of our Pino riders has brought this up.

The stock wheels are inadequate for touring. The Pino comes with 32 spokes per wheel, but from the experience of our tourers, 40 or 48h is necessary given the load you need to carry.

The chainring sizes are not standard. Bremma found it hard to obtain spare chainrings for their crankset on their Pino Tour and believe that Hase should set up the bike with a standard Shimano crankset.

It’s noisy. The chain grinds through the chain guides, and according to Keith and Tamar, no amount of adjustment makes them silent!

Test Riding A Pino

Most Pino riders did get to test ride a Pino prior to buying it. JD Tandems in the UK and various shops in Europe allow 1-3 day test rides with all of your gear.

Contact Hase to find a shop near you.

Steel, Aluminium and Titanium Pinos

Hase has produced their Pino in aluminium, steel and even titanium. The current range is entirely aluminium and every model folds in half. I think it’s safe to assume that aluminium has worked best for Hase, otherwise they would surely have continued building Pinos with other materials.

Most Pino tourers I’ve spoken to would prefer a steel frame, but only provided it was stronger than the current aluminium frame.

The Bicycle Touring ‘Extras’ That Pino Users Deem Necessary

100kg Kickstand. The 100kg kickstand is one of the extras people love most about the Pino. It is wide enough to make the bike super stable allowing you to park it anywhere. The load capacity is great enough for children to sit in the recumbent seat without risk of damaging the stand.

Ergo Grip extension bars. Although many Pino users gawked at the cost (180€ for some grip extensions?!), they are well liked by those who do use them.

Mudguards. The same as any touring bike, mudguards keep grime off you and make cycling on damp surfaces much more enjoyable!

Setting Up Your Pino / Modifications

In order to set the bike up to make it comfortable for you, most pilots have changed their contact points: seat, pedals, grips and bar ends.

Water bottle cages. On a Pino tourer, you need as much water as you can get. Mount cages to the pilot’s seatpost, behind the stoker’s seat and on the handlebar.

Hydration packs draped over the back of the recumbent seat. This is one of the better ways to carry water on the Pino because both riders have easy access to the straws. The only downside is that hydro packs get mouldy very easily in warmer climates.

Handlebar extensions from the stoker seat to mount handlebar bags. This modification is popular with Pino tourers, although Marcel & Alena have noted that if you crash, the weight of your bike would crush/damage the bags.

Chainring sizes for touring. For touring, the standard chainrings are not small enough – 30t front chainring is the smallest when really a 24t is required. The difference between the stoker and pilots’ chainrings may be too great as well – Bremma swapped the 38t for a 48t on the stoker crankset.

Keith and Tamar have made a bunch of small modifications to their Pino (available on their website), including a ‘parking brake’, a mudguard skirt, seat covers, and stand modifications.

Brendon would like to see much more flexibility in the initial parts setup. He thinks you should be able to have the ability to choose your lights, saddle, gearing options and wheel build options at a minimum. You can actually buy the frameset alone, so Bremma believes that if they were to do it all again, they’d build the bike from scratch.

Specialist Modifications to the Recumbent Seat

Our friend Sylvie has lived with early-onset arthritis most of her life. It was important for her to not only have a recumbent bicycle but to have a customised seat which is shaped to her back.

In order to get a custom seat, Sylvie first got a diagnosis made about her discopathy from a doctor who is a back specialist (thoracic surgeon?). She then contacted a small company which adapts wheelchairs for disabled people according to their specific problems. This company then made a mould for her back and inserted it into the existing Pino seat.

Frame Failures

Most long-term users have had one, or multiple frame failures at the lower coupling weld. Mark and Julie noted that they’re constantly worried that the frame would break on tour. According to Keith and Tamar, the weld quality of the newer frames does allow them to get more distance out of their frames, but there’s still a design issue that Hase needs to address.

Frame Repair

Some riders have managed to find skilled aluminium welders who have kept their bike going for an additional 1000km.

Getting the aluminium frame re-welded is difficult, but do-able. Steel welders are easy to find, aluminium welders not so. Keith and Tamar recommend asking in: bike shops, car/motorbike repair shops and at local markets (at the stalls where they’re selling metal tools and the like).

On the two occasions, Keith and Tamar have had their Pino re-welded, it’s always been a bit of an adventure with lots of being passed from pillar to post until they’ve finally been able to get the job done. They recommend that you try to get some idea of what the welding process is like so that you can oversee it – one guy wanted to weld straight over without grinding out the old weld first!

Preventing Frame Failure

– Hase believes that riders should either; keep the total bike weight (including riders and gear) to below 210kg, or use a two-wheeled trailer to spread out the load. More on trailers below.

– Bremma is a bit more cautious when riding downhill on dodgy roads.

– Keith and Tamar avoid rough roads altogether, even if they are quieter.

– Mark and Julie have never experienced a frame failure, and they believe that by keeping weight off their front rack has prevented this.

Parts Failures

Wheels. Custom-built wheels are essential, as wheels are the most common point of failure on all tandems. The Sun Rhyno is the 48h 26″ rim to go for (if you can find one), the Ryde Andra 30 is the 32/36h 26″ rim of choice and the Gusset Trix a great 20″ 48h rim option.

Chainrings. Bremma has worn through a few chainrings, perhaps a bit prematurely.

Stokers Freewheel. The bearing has been known to wear out between 4000-15000km. This is a proprietary part, so it’s recommended to carry a spare.

Rear Wheel Freewheel Body. Keith and Tamar had issues with their freehubs, and hence recommend carrying a spare freehub body.

Front Derailleur Cables. If the cable is set up on an awkward angle, it is easy to snap front derailleur cables.

Trailers

Most users will agree that a trailer is essential for bicycle touring, keeping weight off the frame and thus preventing failure. Everyone I asked tended to agree that the Bob Yak is the best trailer for long-distance touring.

However, I contacted Hase about trailers and the Pino, and they are adamant that a Pino should pull a trailer with two wheels only. Hase is currently revising their user manual and making sure that all dealers are aware of this. According to Hase, the side to side torsional twisting of single-wheeled trailers comprises the Pino frame. So, it’s best to use either a two-wheel trailer or none at all (provided you’re under load capacity).

There are many disadvantages to trailers, including extra weight, storage (and hence carrying more stuff than you may need!), more spares required, harder in the wind, and makes the bike longer/harder to manage.

Two-wheeled trailer manufacturers include Burley, Radical Design, Surly and Wandertec.

Hase’s Customer Service

Pino riders all agree that Hase has them covered.

Hase is often helpful, quick and courteous when responding to enquiries. Issues of warranty are dealt with without question, and they’re prepared to ship new frames to anywhere in the world. Hase has even been known to cover the costs of replacement parts – quite unheard of in the bike industry!

Sourcing Parts On The Road

Although the Pino looks like it would use proprietary parts, it’s surprisingly easy to find parts for. Most of the issues around sourcing parts are not limited to the Pino, but rather all touring bicycles.

The hardest parts to find include Avid Code disc brake pads (most bike shops in Europe, North America and Australia don’t even carry these), spokes for the front wheel and good touring tyres in both 20″/26″ (like the Schwalbe Marathon Mondial). The stoker freewheel is only available from Hase, so it’s recommended that you carry a spare on tour.

How Could Hase Improve Their Design?

Frame

Bremma believes that by removing the folding mechanism, Hase’s frames would probably be a lot stronger. Other users like Marcel and Alena would like to see steel Pino frames without a folding mechanism make a comeback (although redesigned as there were durability issues with the early steel frames).

Frame Parts

– More water bottle mounts required. In fact, the stoker seat could be used as a place for water bottle and cycle computer mounts.
– The plastic tubes around the chain need to be redesigned. They are noisy and in many cases liable to breaking.
– Space needs to be made for handlebar bags. Tourers love these!
– The stock gearing needs to include lower gear ratios.
– The rear rack mounts are often not aligned well.

Wheels

40-48 spokes should come as standard on the rear wheel, and 36-48 on the front. This is a recommendation for all tandems really.

Other Manufacturers that make Semi-Recumbent Tandems

Bilenky Viewpoint: Similar in design to the Pino, however, made with steel, custom made for each customers requirements, and the bike uses independent gearing for the stoker.
Circe Morpheus: Also similar to the Pino, but it employs two 20″ wheels.
Azub Twin: This is actually a fully-recumbent tandem, but I’ve popped it here because it is also of interest to many Pino riders.

The Web’s Best Resouces on the Pino

Threewheeling
A Pino, a Bob and a Dream
Totally Tandem Pino Review
Hase Pino Forum
Bent Rider Online

Do You Ride A Pino? Would You Like To Add Anything?

The post Hase Pino Tandem: Info from Long-Distance Tourers appeared first on CYCLINGABOUT.

Co-Motion are everything from organised tandem events, to being at the forefront of tandem frame and parts design. It is our guess that they have built more custom tandem frames than any other.

Co-Motion build frames to suit the parts we like for long distance touring: Rohloff hubs, disc brakes and Gates Carbon Belt Drive. They can insert S&S frame couplers at an additional cost, which break our tandem into three parts, making the bike easy to fly with.

Our frame geometry is designed around our specific body lengths and desired riding style – when we ride our tandem it really feels the case. We honestly don't think there is a better tandem frame for touring than our Co-Motion.

The Why:

– Arguably the best touring tandem frame/fork on the market.

– The frame construction work is impeccable.

– The frame is incredibly stiff (laterally) by any standard – with a very heavy front load we experience no speed wobble or twisting, even at high speeds on rough roads. We have been testing every tandem that we come across on the road, and it's safe to say nothing comes close.

– Co-Motion have been building tandems for 25 years and have always been at the forefront of tandem design and innovation.

– Most of the frame is made in-house, including the dropouts and eccentric bottom brackets, giving Co-Motion more control over the quality of their product.

– The frame is compatible with all of our favourite parts including our Rohloff hub and Gates Carbon Belt Drive.

The Why Not:

– The frameset price is not cheap ($3000 USD + $450 USD for custom geometry if required).

– If you want to break your frame into three pieces, S&S couplers will cost you approximately an arm and a leg ($2000 USD for six).

– The Co-Motion seatpost collars don't have the firmest grasp on the seatpost.

– The eccentric bottom brackets can be noisy (creaky) and the bolts are hard to access, although these are problems with most EBBs, not just Co-Motions!

Price:

Frame and Fork: From $3000 to $5500 USD. Price is dependent on whether you want an off the shelf frame, or a fully customised frame with fancy paint and S&S couplers.

Similar Products:

– Thorn Raven Twin

– Anyone on our List of Custom Tandem Builders

The post Review: Co-Motion Equator Tandem Frameset appeared first on CYCLINGABOUT.

Gates looked after us and replaced our belt with their latest Centertrack tandem kit, which after the same distance has not caused us any grief, nor is showing any signs of wear. Read the standard Centertrack review HERE and the Centertrack review for tandems HERE.

The why:

– Given that Gates have brought out the Centertrack drivetrain for tandems, there is no reason you'd buy this product

– Gates looked after us with their warranty, and upgraded us to their Centertrack kit

The why not:

– We only got 2000km out of our tandem drivetrain before the belt would no longer sit on the chainrings properly

– Given that it is almost impossible to get the two chain rings to run perfectly circular on the crank spider, the high tension required for the belt leaves some very tight spots, possibly leading to our excessive wear

– Finicky to set up and get lined up perfectly

Price:

$350 USD for the drivetrain

Similar products:

– Gates Centertrack Tandem Belt Drive

The post Review: Gates Carbon Belt Drive CDC (Tandem) appeared first on CYCLINGABOUT.

I generally recommend that tandem touring with belt drive is best left to sealed roads as I’ve experienced noise on the tandem side on sandy or dusty roads. This is especially the case for the tandem belts and chainrings, and less-so for the drive-side belt and cog. If you’re just riding a small percentage on dirt, then you can eliminate the noise easily by cleaning the belt with a bit of water every 50-100km. It’s pretty rare to experience noise on sealed roads.

Click HERE to see the standard Centertrack review.

Why?

– Lighter in weight by 450g than standard chain/chainrings, – a great weight saving for your tandem
– A longer wear life than a chain/chainring
– I’ve never have to clean or lube the drivetrain, although a bit of water keeps it clean
– Runs practically silent all the time on the road
– Greatly improved design over the Gates CDC tandem belt kit

Why Not?

– The belt makes a lot of noise on sandy, dry roads; I recommend using belts for primarily tandem road touring
– Expensive compared to a regular chain/chainring setup
– Hard to obtain spares in remote areas of the world – I always carry a spare.

The post Review: Gates Carbon Belt Drive Centertrack (Tandem) appeared first on CYCLINGABOUT.

In light of this, I decided to create a resource with every tandem option and price available. The website links will take you directly to the manufacturer’s pages, where you can read about the products. The pricing (where available) should then allow you to find bikes in your price range.

Don’t forget to check out:
Tandem FAQ: Everything You Ever Need to Know
Tandem Tech: Everything You Ever Need to Know

High-End Tandem Manufacturers

Cannondale (USA) – Street, Road, 29er – Complete from US $2150
Co-Motion (USA) – Java, Primera, Rubusta, Supremo, Macchiato, Equator, Speedster, Mocha – Complete from US $2999
Da Vinci (USA) – Joint Venture, Global Venture, In-2-ition, Grand Junction – Complete from US $3195
Duratec (Czech) – Big Bang – Complete from €2576
Hokitika (USA) – 2-Be-One, Haka – Complete from US $2500
Kinethic (Spain) – Cicloturismo, MTB, Ruta, Hibrido
Koga (Netherlands) – Twin Traveller Folding – Complete £3999
Lapierre (France) – X2 Fit, X2 Touring, X2 MTB – Complete from £1799
Orbit Tandems (UK) – Summit, Routier, Pegasus, Unicorn – Complete from £1350
Paketa (USA) – R2, D2, V2, V2r – Complete from US $6795
Pedal Power (Germany) – Crossroad, Kolibri, Lady, Two Moon, Lowrider, Classic, Double Speed, Randonneur, Berlin, Butterfly – Complete from €2291
Ritchey (USA) – Breakaway Double Switchback – Frameset from US $2999
Salsa (USA) – Powderkeg 29er MTB – Complete US $3999
Santana (USA) – Nuovo, Arriva, Soverign, Team – Complete from US $2999
Santos (Netherlands) – Double Travel – Complete from €4,000
Schauff (Germany) – Joburg 26, Racing, Strassburg, Rothenburg
Seven Cycles (USA) – Resolute 007, Axiom Ti – Complete from US $8445
Stevens (Germany) – Twin Power – Complete €2999
Thorn (UK) – Raven Twin – Complete from £2699
Zweirad (Germany) – Komfort, Tour – Complete from €1849

Cost-Effective Tandem Manufacturers

Apollo (Australia) – Syncro – Complete from AU $999
Dawes (UK) – Duet Twin, Discovery Twin, Double Edge, Galaxy Twin – Complete from £799
Dolan (UK) – Road – Complete £1499
KHS (Taiwan) – Tandemania, Alite, Cross, Milano – Complete from US $1239
Monark (Sweden) – Tandem – Complete from €1200
Pegasus (Australia) – Brumby, Duet II – From AU $999
Polygon (Taiwan) – Impression AX – From AU $749
Raleigh (USA) – Companion, Pioneer – From US $700
Schwinn (USA) – Tango – Complete US $699
TandemServis (Czech) – Lappi, Expedition, City, Mrazek, Folding, Balu – Complete from €1200
Trek (USA) – T900 – From US $1199

Other Tandem Manufacturers

Azub (Czech) – Recumbent tandems
Bike Friday (USA) – Folding tandems – Complete from US $1698
Circe (UK) – Semi-recumbent and small wheel tandems
Fandango Tandems (USA) – MTB tandems
Hase (Ger) – Semi-recumbent tandems (lots of long-distance tourer advice HERE)
MSC (Spain) – Mountain bike tandems – Complete from US $5500
Ventana (USA) – MTB tandems

Custom Tandem Manufacturers

*Incomplete list, but a few of our favourites…*

AMPeirce (USA)
Arvon Cycles (Canada)
Bilenkey Cycle Works (USA)
Black Sheep (USA)
Bob Brown Cycles (USA)
Bohemian Cycles (USA)
Bushnell (USA)
Calfee Design (USA)
Co-Motion (USA)
Cyfac (France)
Davidson Bikes (USA)
Don Walker (USA)
Engin (USA)
English Cycles (USA)
Erickson (USA)
Eriksen Bikes (USA)
Gellie Custom (Australia)
Kinethic (Spain)
Landshark (USA)
Litespeed (USA)
Mercian (UK)
Primate Bikes (Australia)
Roberts Cycles (UK)
Rodriguez (USA)
Santana Bikes (USA)
Spectrum (USA)
TET Cycles (USA)
Ti Cycles (USA)
Vittorio (Netherlands)
Zinn (USA)

Please Leave A Comment If You Have Any Manufacturers To Add.

The post List of Tandem Manufacturers and Custom Builders with Pricing appeared first on CYCLINGABOUT.

Happy Face

+ It's MUCH faster on the flat and downhill (50% faster on the flat, we travel 30km/h instead of 20km/h)

+ It's marginally faster up hills (10-20% faster depending on gradient, or: 6-7km/h @ 11%; 7-9km/h @ 8%; 9-10km/h @ 5%; and 11-15km/h @ 3%)

+ No more shouting to be heard or having to ask the other to repeat what they just said (sometimes four times!)

+ We accommodate each other's rest periods, cancelling out the lag of a normal rest period

+ Every second car beeps to us to say 'hi'

+ If we're waiting at the traffic lights, we are the first to leave because everybody else is too busy staring at us and not the green traffic light.

+ Conversation starter, attention grabber

Sad Face

– More difficult to manoeuvre through tight spaces. We think of it more like a semi-trailer truck than a bike. 3- point turns sometimes a necessity.

– Much harder to park and take up and down curbs and steps.

– Riding below 8km/h (or 8%+ gradient) is MUCH more difficult for Alex to balance the tandem, focussing less energy into his legs. Alex sees this as a problem on steep, off road sections of our trip, but hopefully will adapted by then.

– We are often riding uphill in a much heavier gear than Kat is used to.

The post Initial Impressions: Tandem Bicycle Touring appeared first on CYCLINGABOUT.

Co-Motion Cycles (Zach and Dwan) for their advice, assistance and of course our gorgeous custom tandem bike frame. We had no idea about tandem bikes before emailling them. To read about why we went tandem, click HERE. To find out why Co-Motion were the custom manufacturer for us, click HERE.

Zeb and Ansel, our Eugene (USA) friends who helped get the tandem frame to us.

Helen and Christoph in Munich for receiving lots of bike parts to their German address over the past few months.

Alex K in Munich for picking up various spare bike parts for our build.

Rohloff AG (Stewart) for servicing our Rohloff wheel in record time.

Supernova Lights (Marcus) for donating a longer rear light cable for our tandem frame.

DHL and TNT (Ersin & Mehmet) freight services Istanbul for generously helping us out on the freight pricing.

The Denham family in Australia for receiving our bikes with only minor customs hassles.

Atek Cycles in Istanbul for the use of their tools, and for helping us collect parts from various bike shops for a great price.

Rasid at Anzac Wooden House hotel Istanbul for giving us the space to be able to store parts and build our bike.

Ramazan at the little supermarket next to our hotel in Istanbul for the cool music, bike holding and tea.

We would never have been able to make this operation happen without you!

How did we do it?

We first had the idea for the tandem in Croatia. Since then we have worked really hard to make this happen – it wasn’t as easy as laying the credit card down and paying for everything, there have been many sleepless nights! The custom frame process is very involved – including very specific sizing, specifications and frame mounts.

We had to think about every single part required to make this happen, and should we forgot something in Istanbul, it would delay our trip by weeks (luckily this wasn’t the case). Individual parts were sourced from all over the world and sent to Munich.

A few thousand kilometres and four to five months later and the tandem is a reality!

Problems

The build went relatively smoothly; it could’ve been so much worse. Alex thinks he spent over 8 hours alone getting the racks, mudguards and lights fitted. The total build time was a bit over two full days and was completed all on the street without a bike stand.

We had planned to have three brakes (a v-brake set and a rear disc brake) but it turns out our brake lever for Kat’s handlebar didn’t fit, and our rear mudguard setup didn’t really allow for the rear v-brake.

We also required additional spacers for our bottom brackets to get the cranks tight – Kat got dragged to a nearby bike shop to get these parts. Somehow, Alex fitted the belts on the bike and they worked out to be aligned PERFECTLY the first time – this never happens!

The build in pictures

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