Riding Tandem with 8yr old son. Need bike.

[jaygarcia]

Hi, I am going to be riding in an MS150 bike ride this coming fall with my son who is 8 years old. I have contemplated the idea of using a tag along bike to have him ride with me since he isnt up to doing the 100 mile ride on his own, but would really rather find a tandem bike for the ride. Is there any one out there in the Atlanta area that would be willing to rent their tandem bike for the weekend? I dont really want to have to purchase a tandem quite yet, but would be willing to rent.

Thanks,
Jay Garcia
Roswell,GA

[TandemGeek]

You might want to subscribe and post this same note to 'The Tandem Club of Georgia" (aka, PEACHES) list at YahooGroups: http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/ga_peaches/

[NJWheelBuilder]

You're going to need more than a tandem. An eight year olds legs are too short for most bikes. You need to consider crank arm shorteners as well. Go to http://www.tandemseast.com/parts/cranks.html. Mel sells a set of his own design. My eight year old son uses them on our tandem with great success.

[TandemGeek]

You're going to need more than a tandem. An eight year olds legs are too short for most bikes. You need to consider crank arm shorteners as well.

IMHO, the likelihood of finding someone with a tandem who would be willing to allow someone to bolt on kiddie cranks for a weekend charity ride while not out of the realm of possibilities, is a long-shot.

Frankly, what you'd hope to find is someone who has a tandem already set up for a "sto-kid". More specifically, someone who has one of Bike Friday's tandems which can be configured to support riders of vastly differing heights without the use of "kiddie cranks" or, perhaps, a tandem that is already set up with kiddie cranks. Alternatively, one of the more "compact" 21 speed tandems from Raleigh, Trek, or Univega might also offer a glimmer of hope for an adequate fit.

Regardless, if there are some tandem owners out there in the Atlanta area -- or perhaps folks who know of tandem owners in the Atlanta area -- that have tandems configured for smaller stokers, your best bet of making contact with them is via the PEACHES mailing list.