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Old 03-23-10, 06:52 AM
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WebsterBikeMan
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Location: Just outside Kitchener, Ontario
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Bikes: Nishiki Continental, Bilenky custom travel tinker, home built winter bike based on Nashbar cross frrame

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Sizing should be doable. It will restrict your range of choices. The used market will be a little tough, but with patience you may be able to find something there. At your heights you will have the choice of who stokes and who captains. You might be able to trade off by just changing the seat height if the optimal distance to the bars isn't too different. Much would depend on how much of your respective heights are in your legs.

So the question becomes what defines a good starter tandem? And this partially depends on the kind of riding you intend to do.

Given you mention back problems, an upright position is probably but not certainly a bad idea, so you should be looking at something with drops. The curved back acts as a (better) shock absorber. Independent of what bike you get, a good suspension seat post for her is likely a requirement.

So brands?

Santana, Co-motion are the biggies, and the bottom of their line may qualify, depending on your budget. Bottom to mid-range versions, used also. Watch out for the size of the stoker compartment on the Santanas.

Further down, without venturing into the "department store" category, the KHS Tandemania Milano might work, but I'm not sure their large is going to be large enough. Cannondale Road Tandem 3, comes in "Jumbo/Medium" which might work. The geometry is on their site.

For $2100 you can get a custom sized Hokitika from Tandems East. Or $300 less if one of their stock sizes fits. This is actually a better price than the Cannondale. If your location is "North east" rather than "Nebraska" you might be able to get down to Tandems East for a test ride and/or fitting.
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