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Tandem bike question



 
 
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  #1  
Old July 16th 04, 08:37 PM
Scooter the mighty
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Default Tandem bike question

I was thinking of getting my wife a tandem bike for her birthday. I have
two issues with this.

1) We have a 6 inch leg length differential. Is there going to be a problem
with this?

2) I notice that the majority of tandem bikes cost in the $5,000 range
(athough I have not been looking very long). This is way outside my price
range. I can go a bit over $1,000, but much higher just isn't in the cards.
Assuming that we are just going to ride it and not enter races or anything,
is this enough to get something decent?


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  #2  
Old July 16th 04, 08:59 PM
Eric Gunnerson
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Default Tandem bike question

Burley makes some reasonable tandems that start around $2000 (perhaps less).
Most tandems allow a lot of adjustment in the stoker position, but you will
want to make sure there's enough front and back adjustment to put the bars
in a comfortable place for her.

I'd recommend that you give her a picture of the bike, and then go and find
one that fits well together.

--
Eric Gunnerson

Visit the C# product team at http://www.csharp.net
Eric's blog is at http://weblogs.asp.net/ericgu/

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
"Scooter the mighty" wrote in message
...
I was thinking of getting my wife a tandem bike for her birthday. I have
two issues with this.

1) We have a 6 inch leg length differential. Is there going to be a

problem
with this?

2) I notice that the majority of tandem bikes cost in the $5,000 range
(athough I have not been looking very long). This is way outside my price
range. I can go a bit over $1,000, but much higher just isn't in the

cards.
Assuming that we are just going to ride it and not enter races or

anything,
is this enough to get something decent?




  #3  
Old July 16th 04, 09:15 PM
Scooter the mighty
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Default Tandem bike question


"Eric Gunnerson" wrote in message
...
Burley makes some reasonable tandems that start around $2000 (perhaps

less).
Most tandems allow a lot of adjustment in the stoker position, but you

will
want to make sure there's enough front and back adjustment to put the bars
in a comfortable place for her.


She's actually the taller of us two. She's 6'3" and leggy. I'm assuming
she'll be up front.

I'd recommend that you give her a picture of the bike, and then go and

find
one that fits well together.


That's a good idea.



  #4  
Old July 16th 04, 09:30 PM
Just zis Guy, you know?
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Default Tandem bike question

On Fri, 16 Jul 2004 12:37:43 -0700, "Scooter the mighty"
wrote in message
:

I was thinking of getting my wife a tandem bike for her birthday. I have
two issues with this.


1) We have a 6 inch leg length differential. Is there going to be a problem
with this?


No. The only thing is it reduces your options if you both want to
take turns as captain.

2) I notice that the majority of tandem bikes cost in the $5,000 range
(athough I have not been looking very long).


Wow! Those are big ticket tandems. You can get an Orbit tandem over
here for around the $1,000 mark, which is your budget, and of course
there's always the second hand market.

I can recommend the Thorn Voyager from url:http://www.sjscycles.com,
a very well balanced bike from a firm that now supplies more tandems
than any other in the UK (yes, they sell to the US as well, but there
won't be any dealers).

I have to say, though, that the Bike Friday Family Tandem was a
delight, and adjustable enough to accommodate the significant
disparity in heights between my wife and myself (so we could both have
a go at captain). Plus IIRC it can be split down for air travel or to
fit inside a (biggish) car.

url:http://www.bikefriday.com/bikecat99.cfm?cat=10

Probably towards the top end of your budget, but a great bike.

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University
  #5  
Old July 16th 04, 09:49 PM
AustinMN
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Default Tandem bike question

Scooter the mighty wrote:
I was thinking of getting my wife a tandem bike for her birthday.


Ha! Nobody gets a tandem as a gift for someone else...they get it as a gift
for themselves and hope the other person perceives it as a gift to them.

OTOH, it may be the only way you will get her on a tandem is to give her
one!

Austin (thinking about wife's birthday coming up...I wonder if she'd like a
tandem bicycle...)
--
I'm pedaling as fast as I durn well please!
There are no X characters in my address

  #6  
Old July 16th 04, 09:56 PM
Scooter the mighty
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Default Tandem bike question


"AustinMN" wrote in message
...
Scooter the mighty wrote:
I was thinking of getting my wife a tandem bike for her birthday.


Ha! Nobody gets a tandem as a gift for someone else...they get it as a

gift
for themselves and hope the other person perceives it as a gift to them.

Well yes, there is that, but I think my chances are good. She's more of an
avid biker than me.

OTOH, it may be the only way you will get her on a tandem is to give her
one!

That's true, because she would never spend that much money.



  #7  
Old July 17th 04, 12:14 AM
Claire Petersky
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Default Tandem bike question

"Scooter the mighty" wrote in message
...
I was thinking of getting my wife a tandem bike for her birthday. I have
two issues with this.

1) We have a 6 inch leg length differential. Is there going to be a

problem
with this?


I have ridden with my kids with a greater leg length differential.

2) I notice that the majority of tandem bikes cost in the $5,000 range
(athough I have not been looking very long). This is way outside my price
range. I can go a bit over $1,000, but much higher just isn't in the

cards.

Both of our tandems were bought used. The first one we paid just under $1000
for; the second I think was $1300. These are both beautiful custom-built
bikes.

It seems like tandems come up on the market fairly frequently around here,
so finding a used one that would generally fit isn't that hard. A friend of
mine in a more rural area says this is impossible. He's looking at a $250
(!!) tandem at WalMart to see if his wife can stand tandeming. I guess if
they like it, they can then look at upgrading later.

--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
Please replace earthlink for mouse-potato and .net for .com
Home of the meditative cyclist:
http://home.earthlink.net/~cpetersky/Welcome.htm
See the books I've set free at: http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky


  #8  
Old July 17th 04, 04:48 AM
Karen M.
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Default Tandem bike question

Scooter wrote:
I was thinking of getting my wife a tandem bike for her birthday. I have
two issues with this.

1) We have a 6 inch leg length differential. Is there going to be a problem
with this?

2) I notice that the majority of tandem bikes cost in the $5,000 range
(athough I have not been looking very long). This is way outside my price
range. I can go a bit over $1,000, but much higher just isn't in the cards.
Assuming that we are just going to ride it and not enter races or anything,
is this enough to get something decent?


Where do you live? Tandem nuts are happy to do group rides, share
ideas, offer test rides.
I have two tandems. The one was less than $500 brand-spanking new
(GT Crestline, and it's a major step up from a Schwinn Twinn).
Counterpoint was, er, higher (used).
HTH

--Karen M.
  #9  
Old July 17th 04, 04:51 AM
Chalo
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Default Tandem bike question

"Scooter the mighty" wrote;

She's actually the taller of us two. She's 6'3" and leggy.


You know that's just not fair.

There are not enough women that tall for every man to have his own, so
you shorties should leave them alone and not distract them from
finding their rightful tall mates. Hmph.

Chalo Colina
  #10  
Old July 17th 04, 05:03 AM
Chalo
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Posts: n/a
Default Tandem bike question

"Scooter the mighty" wrote;

She's actually the taller of us two. She's 6'3" and leggy.


You know that's just not fair.

There are not enough women that tall for every man to have his own, so
you shorties should leave them alone and not distract them from
finding their rightful tall mates. Hmph.

Chalo Colina
 




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