Originally Posted by TandemGeek

In a similar vane, if you haven't ridden any tandems together I'd hold off on the Cappuccino unless you could get it at a ridiculously low price. You may find that the beam works just fine for you, or at least well enough for your first tandem. Then again, you could find yourselves faced with some handling issues if your stoker doesn't have a very smooth pedal stroke or tends to move about. Softride equipped tandems aren't everyone's cup of tea.

The following is a pretty good "first impressions" posting that highlights some of the potential issues once can encounter with a softride bike.

Cappuccino test ride: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ght=cappuccino

If you have access to Burley and Cannondale tandems that fit, by all means get some test rides in before jumping head long into a tandem purchase. It could be an eye opening experience and, as you already note, having access to an experienced tandem team that is willing to teach you the ropes along with a shop that can support your equipment definitely adds value to the purchasing process. A good first experience on the right tandem could mean the difference between the start of a very long and enjoyable life of tandeming together or a false start that leaves you with a tandem sitting in the garage gathering dust.