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I'm interested in purchasing a triplet to replace our tandem. We've inherited a 5 year old neice, she loves to ride. We're toying with getting a Burley piccolo, but we thought a triple might work even better.
I've been watching ebay with no luck finding a used one. Anyone have any idea where a good place to look for a used triplet would be?
I have taken a gander at new ones and experienced sudden sticker shock!. :o
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Send an Email to either one or both of the following two tandem guru / multiseat experts and see if they either have any trade-ins or consignment bikes on their books or if they have any leads on triplets that might be available for purchase...
Larry Black of Mt. Airy Cyclery in Maryland: ABikie@aol.com
Website: Bike123.com
OR
Mark Johnson of Precision Tandems in Kansas: infoviaweb@precisiontandems.com
Website: PrecisionTandems.com
Also, if you're really adventurous and if you have any associates who can get you a good deal on shipping from the UK, you might want to send an Email to St. Johns Street Cycles (http://www.sjscycles.com/store/vIndex.htm) regarding their Thorn Trident triplets. These are 26" triplets made by Kenisis to Thorn's Specs that come with durable and reliable components and that are (or at least were when exchange rates were favorable) reasonably priced. Definitely not the speedster that your RT3000 is, but a solid performing triplet.
http://www.sjscycles.com/ebay/triplet.jpg
Less sticker shock to buy a Burley Piccolo . . . new or used!
Use that 'til a used suitable 3-seater becomes available.
Good luck!
Rudy and Kay/Zonatandem
There was a used Bushnell triple for sale at the SW Tandem Rally a few weeks ago, but I don't know who the seller is. They were asking $3K for it.
There was a used Bushnell triple for sale at the SW Tandem Rally a few weeks ago, but I don't know who the seller is. They were asking $3K for it.
Yikes. I remember seeing that same Bushnell triplet for sale at '04 SWTR, but the price seems to have come down.
Thnks for the replies and the recommendations. I'll give them a try.
Somebody makes a bike that goes from a triple to a tandem.... Santana????
Yes them and I believe Burley too.
Bike Friday makes a ntriple and its price is very reasonable- check out their site- plus it would be easier to transport
I believe the Bushnell Triple you are refering to is the same as the one listed in the Houston Tandem Club website. Look in the classifieds section for more details.
http://home.houston.rr.com/hats/
That is the bike! Looks like a pretty good deal.
It might be worth an email to Tandems Ltd. info@tandemsltd.com.
There is a triplet being offered here in the Houston area. It's very nice and well taken care of. The owners name is David Pederson and phone #281-326-4764. I think he's asking $3000 for it. Give him a call and tell him David Dixon mentioned it to you.
David Dixon
Considering that a new Bushnell triple frame is over $3000 it's a steal!
There is a triplet being offered here in the Houston area. It's very nice and well taken care of. The owners name is David Pederson and phone #281-326-4764. I think he's asking $3000 for it. Give him a call and tell him David Dixon mentioned it to you.
David Dixon
I talked to him earlier, (same bike as above...http://home.houston.rr.com/hats/) The captains position is a 56cm, I normally fit a 54cm. Talking with David, he said that proper fit is extremely important on a triplet because the captain must be able to maintain a solid wide stance when stopped. I can understand this from riding our tandem. David is 5'10 and I'm 2 inches shorter, so his point is well taken.
His Bushnell is definitely worth the price. So far it is the only used one I have been able to find.
Less sticker shock to buy a Burley Piccolo . . . new or used!
Use that 'til a used suitable 3-seater becomes available.
Good luck!
Rudy and Kay/Zonatandem
Well how long has it been since we began looking for a solution?... Oh 2 years and several months! We ended up buying a Piccollo (actually we bought 2 of them, one red, one purple. We kept the purple one because it matches our Purpleleen Tandem better). We rode that tandem/Piccollo combination for the past two years. Now our niece is eight yrs old and about to out grow the Piccollo...certainly so for a ride across the country on our planned TransAm.
It looks like luck shined upon us. We did finally found an acceptable (size/price etc) Triplet! It just arrived this morning and is still in the box. It is a Santana with around 9,000 miles on it. These miles were put on it from new to present by a family in just less than a year. They were on a fantastic family adventure http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=QzzM&doc_id=1495&v=1ku We hope to keep the wheels rolling on it.
Since our niece has to grow a little more for her station to fit, I have time to go through the bike with a fine tooth comb. The only real concern I have for its condition are the wheels. We may be replacing them. But I may find them to be in very good order. The bike was used well, but maintained very well too.
Here is a picture of our newest addition. Oh it is still packed, (huge box combination) but we will provide updated pictures in the future.
There is a chance we may be pulling out for our TransAm next summer. But again this depends on what life continues to throw at us between then and now. If we delay another year it is not a big deal...we will then ride on some shorter 5-7 day rides such as RAGBRAI, CNC, or GRABAAWR
Since our niece has to grow a little more for her station to fit, I have time to go through the bike with a fine tooth comb.
Here is a picture of our newest addition. Oh it is still packed, (huge box combination) but we will provide updated pictures in the future.
There is a chance we may be pulling out for our TransAm next summer. But again this depends on what life continues to throw at us between then and now. If we delay another year it is not a big deal...we will then ride on some shorter 5-7 day rides such as RAGBRAI, CNC, or GRABAAWR
I am very, very glad you found a triplet. I saw your post when you originally posted (before we even had a tandem). I too looked at the Bushnell in TX, but also like you I am 5'8". I ride a 54/55 but I knew a 56 would be too much especially with the extra load. In the end, we are still looking and hoping for a deal to come around.
If you are hankerin' to get her on it and get pedalin', the stokid's pop up occasionally. Ebay seems to be the best although you can find them buried in with other tandem classified offerings. But hey, you probably have few weeks until the wheels get straightened out, she may be 5'2" by then ;).
Post a few pics of the unveiling!
Congrats again.
I ride with my 5-yo twins on a Trek T900 with a Trek mountain trailer bike behind, but I'm definitely saving up for a triple. I hadn't even thought of a TransAm (duh!), but DS is already making a list of places for us to visit (at age 5 his list starts out with The Great Barrier Reef, Ireland, and Italy), so I already plan to buy a packable bike we can take with us on our world travels. ;-)
Congrats on finding your triplet!
Catherine
Here are some not very good pics of the Triple straight out of the box. It was pretty dirty (they told me they hadn't cleaned it and it was already packed to send back to thier home in Boise where they planned to clean it). It has a new dent in the frame from shipping (Santana said it should be okay) and so far it needs new head set bearings, lots of cleaning and new grease and lube. I bought some narrower tires for it and will replace the Ultegra crankset with an XTR affair.
Then we'll ride it and see if I can get used to the MTB style bars and shifters.
It looks like luck shined upon us. We did finally found an acceptable (size/price etc) Triplet! It just arrived this morning and is still in the box. It is a Santana with around 9,000 miles on it. These miles were put on it from new to present by a family in just less than a year. They were on a fantastic family adventure http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=QzzM&doc_id=1495&v=1ku We hope to keep the wheels rolling on it.
Congratulations, and enjoy it. I noticed last night that there was a short article in the current version of Bicycling magazine about the folks you bought it from.
I'm still working on the bike. It has a lot of superficial scratches on the frame. I think I may want to get it painted. I called Santana and they quoted $700 or so!! Wow! Too much! Are other paint establishments capable of painting bicycle frames and do a good quality job without such a high price?
Dr Deltron is active on BF and paints bikes. Not sure if he is in your area. He would have a better idea of paint costs. One needs to strip the old finish first and that raises costs. I'm glad I read all the posts before responding. I was going to recommend that you contact Santana to see if they had or knew of any used triples.
Dr Deltron is active on BF and paints bikes. Not sure if he is in your area. He would have a better idea of paint costs. One needs to strip the old finish first and that raises costs. I'm glad I read all the posts before responding. I was going to recommend that you contact Santana to see if they had or knew of any used triples.
I believe he is in the San Francisco area if memory serves. He would definitely be able to point you to good painters (if he is not painting currently).
Thanks for the paint lead.
The Monkey Mobile is all cleaned up, greased and is sporting new shoes, and a different combination of cranksets, pedals, and seats. All is not yet right with it. I have to swap out the head stem for a shorter one, and some of the handle bar pads need replaced. It shifts wonderfully throughout all the gear combinations now.
We took it out on a short check ride stopping often for major and minor fit adjustments to all postions. The niece is still about an inch short for her position, but we knew that would be the case. She has some time to grow into it. Until then we have to find some pedals with blocks.
Here are some pix, we still have to install our bottle cages, and the rack on the back.
Nice looking ride! I like the 3 different sets of pedals. :)
Our tandem's got SPDs up front and rat baskets in the back. Haven't gotten my stoker up to speed on the clipless deal, so you're way ahead of me on that front!
Get some pics of you guys riding three up and be sure to post them.
Here are some pix, we still have to install our bottle cages, and the rack on the back.
You also need to put the timing chains in some kind of order...
You also need to put the timing chains in some kind of order...
Not necessarily. But I did over look that and intend to put them back in the classical order. We've tried our tandem in an 90 degree difference, but after six months of riding it that way, we decided we didn't like it. Mostly because of cornering and starting out from a stop.
Not necessarily. But I did over look that and intend to put them back in the classical order.
Good.
The classical order for a triple.... 45 degrees between captain and mid stoker and 45 degrees between mid stoker and rear stoker.
The classical order for a triple.... 45 degrees between captain and mid stoker and 45 degrees between mid stoker and rear stoker.
???????? Classical or your preferred set-up ?????????
OOP on multi-seaters is about as ubiquitous as it is on two-seaters, despite the obvious added wear and tear and even higher power spikes that accompany having 3 or 4 riders in-sync.
???????? Classical or your preferred set-up ?????????
You are right.
I do not know what was I thinking. Maybe in the musical definition of the word classical:
3 a: of or relating to music of the late 18th and early 19th centuries characterized by an emphasis on balance, clarity, and moderation.
I have only seen one other triple on the road and it was IP.
We were breaking chains and having other problems with three stromg riders while on steep inclines... we have had zero transmition problems since moving to OOP.
...OOP on multi-seaters is about as ubiquitous as it is on two-seaters, despite the obvious added wear and tear and even higher power spikes that accompany having 3 or 4 riders in-sync.
What is a good order for a triple? One strong rider and two weaker riders? There is no way we want to break a chain. I was going to sync the pedals all together. Is 45/45/45 preferable for power and endurance for the drive train?
On our tandem we tried both 90 and 180 degrees and ultimately did not like either.
I was going to sync the pedals all together. Is 45/45/45 preferable for power and endurance for the drive train?
One or the other... Try it both ways and go with whatever appeals to the "team" the most.
Chain breakage is ultimately something you will control on a multi-seater: if you wait too long to downshift when climbing or make a hard upshift coming off of your lowest gears, you significantly increase your chances of finding a weak link.
Power, as it is when riding OOP on a tandem, is simply distributed over a flatter curve which will eliminate the "pulsing" that you get IP with each downstroke by your team.
Wear and tear is also relative: IP or OOP on a triplet you will find that your final drive chain wear will be faster than you saw on your tandem and your rear bottom bracket will be put under a lot of loading, so close attention to those components is always prudent. IP simply accelerates it that much more. IP or OOP, your rear most timing chain will also deal with a bit more wear and tear than you would find on your tandem.
As with your tandem, keeping an eye on your chain wear will allow you to change out chains before they wear enough to start tearing up your chain rings and rear cassette sprockets.
The triplet is ready to ride. We've decided to give the 45/45/45 pedal positions a try. It handles pretty much like the tandem with the piccollo attached, except as Captain I feel more power from my stokers. Turning the triplet is a different story. It feels as though the aft most stoker should have a steering wheel too! Here is a interesting comment concerning U-turns on the triplet from the previous owners:
"John got quite good at steering that monster!! But you are right - you have to plan ahead and can't do u-turns on a whim. There was one time in NYC when we accidently got on the on-ramp for the expressway. Drivers were passing by shouting, "You don't want to go here!!!" So we stood there for a while trying to figure out just what to do. Obviously we needed to get off the ramp. But John needed the entire lane to get that thing turned around. In the end, I ended up standing out in the middle of the road stopping NYC rush hour traffic while John turned the bike around! Good luck getting used to it!!! "
We're learning.
We checked into a powder coat paint job for the triplet. They want $300 for the job. That includes stripping the old paint off of it. I thought it a reasonable price. We're trying to decide on a color right now. So far the contending colors are Yellow, Orange, or maybe White. We're going to hold off until the winter off season before we have it done. Should look good!
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