Tandem for wife and 6 year old. . .

[acrafton]

Hey - started looking at getting a tandem a few weeks ago so me and the wife could spend more training time together and enjoy a few centuries this year. I thought of just picking up an inexpensive KHS or similar but then realized that I would also like to ride with my 6 year old daughter (instead of the wife). I looked around and found the Co-Motion Periscope 700 which seems perfect as it will easily adjust between my wife and daughter. But . . . it is $3K (about $2K more than the KHS). Do I have any other options for a tandem that can 'fit' my wife or daughter? Any thoughts or suggestions? Thanks!

Adam

[galen_52657]

They sell 'kid cranks' that add a 3rd crankset part way up the stoker's seat tube. You could prolly find a used set on Ebay for cheap.

[zonatandem]

Bernds of Germany, originated the 'periscope' effect seatpost idea.

[zonatandem]

Bike Friday's "Twosday" tandems would fit child/adult too . . . Less $$

[Retro Grouch]

There's also a Green Gear (I think) Family Tandem. As I recall, it's priced in the $700 - $1000 range, it's easily adjusted and comes with both child and adult stoker saddles and handlebars.

[hubs]

It depends how tall your 6 year old is. We got a Raleigh Companion when my daughter was 6 and she could fit ... we just had to swap out the stoker's suspension seatpost to get her a bit lower. The handlebars have a lot of room for adjustment. And it has a low step-over for the stoker so on and off was easy, too. I think it's really proportioned to be a comfort bike ... it definately is not a racing bike. But, we have enjoyed the ability to cut through parks and take hardpack trails. It weighs alot (how much ????) and boy, does it roll when it's moving. It's a tank. A very, fun tank.

I'm pretty sure it still comes home in the $600s. You will definately need new saddles ... our came with bum-devouring devices. The LBS even swapped those for some cheap bontrager regular issue items. The pedals, I replaced, they were slippery smooth somethings. And the grips were supposed to be ergonomic, but not for our hands. We put on some cheap, regular grips.

WAIT ... did you say century? My, now 7 year old will only ride the tandem for about 40 mins at a stretch and then I have to pay up with serious playground time before we continue. Maybe your daughter will be different and last longer on the bike ... but I've read of quite a few of us here who have to gear kid rides way down to a shorter attention span. Maybe with a group ... my daughter did ride for an hour and a half in the mass Bike the Drive here in Chicago. But it was on her own bike ... she gets much more restless on the tandem (I just like it at my pace :o )

good luck

[landstander]

It depends how tall your 6 year old is. We got a Raleigh Companion when my daughter was 6 and she could fit ... we just had to swap out the stoker's suspension seatpost to get her a bit lower. The handlebars have a lot of room for adjustment. And it has a low step-over for the stoker so on and off was easy, too. I think it's really proportioned to be a comfort bike ... it definately is not a racing bike. But, we have enjoyed the ability to cut through parks and take hardpack trails. It weighs alot (how much ????) and boy, does it roll when it's moving. It's a tank. A very, fun tank.

I'm pretty sure it still comes home in the $600s. You will definately need new saddles ... our came with bum-devouring devices. The LBS even swapped those for some cheap bontrager regular issue items. The pedals, I replaced, they were slippery smooth somethings. And the grips were supposed to be ergonomic, but not for our hands. We put on some cheap, regular grips.

I purchased a 2005 Companion for $600 about 5-6 weeks ago, and I'd second this recommendation. For the money, it seems to be pretty darn nice... although as hubs noted, it certainly isn't a light bike. We had our LBS make the following, minor modifications (not included in the $600 figure), most of which comes down to personal preference:


Install an adjustable stem, to raise the captain's handlebars.
Swap the stock pedals with a stainless steel set, which our shoes grip much more readily. We stuck with fairly basic platform pedals, since my stoker is autistic and sometimes has trouble keeping her balance.
Swap the the stock tires with a narrower, road set (26x1.95 knobby --> 26x1.5 smooth).
Offset the cranks (front pedals vertical --> rear horizontal), to make hill-climbing smoother.


We haven't noticed any discomfort from the seats or grips, so both have been left alone thus far.

[gorb]

We bought a new Burley Mixte-X in May and really enjoy it. It is perfect to ride with my children as the low stoker top tube configuration makes getting on/off really easy and comfortable. I swapped out the tires for 26x1.25 slicks, added bar ends for each of us and added clipless pedals for me. The LBS swapped out the stem for me with a longer one for better fit. We've done several rides on it. It took a few rides to get used to riding together and the communication down. We did our first 30+ mile ride. It's an aluminum frame so it is stiff, but the stock seats are very comforatable, but a little heavy. I feel it was a wise choice for the kind of riding we will do.

We also picked up a used Burley Piccolo (tag-along) so my younger child can use that with with my wife or me with our regular bikes. Now we're all set up for family outtings.

[bigbossman]

I found this used entry level Univega 21 speed on Craig's List for $200.00. The wife and daughter just rode a metric century on it (Bike For Breath, in the SF Bay Area), with 3200' of total climbing. It was a bit of a workout for them, but they did it and had fun to boot.

The wife is 5'3", and at 5'11" I can adjust the seatpost and captain just fine. My 10 year old daughter is about 4'6", with an inseam of about 25". Note the down swept rear top tube.

Decent rigs that will fit children are out there, but you have to look. We had come across a nice Schwinn Duo-Sport the week before for $400.00, but it was too big for both of them to ride comfortably.

John D.

[tornadobass]

We had a Companion for our first year and did nearly 900 happy miles on it. It was slow in a group, but with 1.5 slicks and clipless pedals, its ride improved. And, as mentioned, I switched to a seat that was better for longer rides. A big range of adjustability, especially for the stoker.

We sold the Companion about a month ago and it's with a family doing bike paths instead of road miles.