Thanks for the link, I will send an email, although it does look a bit big. Do you think this would be better than the brand new Raleigh for $1000 (or maybe even a bit less)? I think I want a road bike, so this may be the way to go versus the hybrid-type Raleigh. The Arriva must be pretty ancient if it has 3x6 gearing though, and I wonder if it is even indexed. They haven't had that few sprockets (at least in mtb) for what, 15-20 years?
I am going to take a visit this weekend to Bicycle Outfitters to test ride some tandems with my stoker and get some idea for what we are looking at.