Tandems where you can pedal independently?

[Eggplant Jeff]

I would really love to get my wife on a tandem... But our last co-pedalling experience was a paddleboat, and ended poorly (yelling, minor leg injuries, etc). "We" (I) 've gotten a lot more mature since then but still, she would definitely be a lot more open to the idea of a tandem cycle if the pedalling was not linked.

Is there an advantage to the linked pedals? Are independent pedals rare? More expensive? Etc?

[TandemGeek]

Two links to explore:

daVinci is the only major builder of upright tandems with independent coasting:
http://www.davincitandems.com/

This one covers a recent thread that compared a daVinci with Independent Coasting System (ICS) to a conventional (Co-Motion) tandem and included some excellent feedback from folks who own daVinci tandems:
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=61183&highlight=davinci

[Eggplant Jeff]

Great links, thanks. Obviously I'll have to take my wife out test-riding... now to find an LBS that has a couple tandems...

[TandemGeek]

Contact Larry Black (ABikie@aol.com) at Mt. Airy Cyclery
http://http://www.bike123.com/

In fact, if you have no plans for the weekend, your timing could be perfect as October 9th is their fall TanDemo day... Learn more about it at their Web site. They are a daVinci dealer and also stock just about all other major brands of tandems.

Also within striking distance is Mel Kornbluh (tandemwiz@aol.com) at TandemsEast.com in Pittsgrove, NJ, who also carries daVinci and several other major brands with a plethora of tandems "in stock". Mel is wealth of information and experience.

[Brian]

If you get sticker shock from davinci, you can still get a tandem. You just need to learn to ride at her pace, not yours. Once I made that adjustment, my wife and I started to have a lot more fun. Instead of pushing (or dragging) her, I just go along at whatever speed she's comfortable with. Except off road, then we're flat out. Just this past weekend, we went for an easy ride through a part of town with 1920s Art Deco homes. Rolled along at a slow pace, looking at the different features of the houses. That's worth far more than setting a new speed record.

[Eggplant Jeff]

Thanks TandemGeek! Unfortunately I'll be out of town this weekend :(. But that's great to hear about a fairly close store. DaVinci didn't list them on their "dealers" page (or if they did I missed 'em).

Expatriate, I did get sticker shock :). But I think no matter what, we'll need to go and test-ride a bunch so we'll have a better idea what we're looking for. Then we'll see what we like and what the prices we're looking at are.

[Eurastus]

Jeff,

Thanks for the PM yesterday, by the way...

As you notice from the long series of messages the Geek linked to (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=61183&highlight=davinci), I'm a big proponent of the daVinci ICS system. It's the best of all worlds. Steel, Alum, or Ti, 26" or 700c, just take your pick.

As noted, they're not cheap, but well worth it. As mentioned, I wouldn't even consider a non-ICS tandem myself. As also noted, I need to sell mine so I can "upgrade" to a 700c JointVenture that fits me better.

Good luck in your search. Let us know if we can help,

Eurastus.

[ElRey]

I test rode a Da Vinci over the weekend and my stoker complained about sea sickness. She really didn't like the feeling at all... bought a co MOtion.

[dcdavis]

Hello, my wife and I own a Divanchi tandem and we find it to be great. She was experiencing knee problems on our old tandem and this bike solved our problems. Their seems to be a lot less stress to her knees because she can stop and start on her own. Yes I can tell when she is pedaling out of sink. But she sinks up without any thought into it.

[rrepp]

my wife and i purchased a da vinci joint venture with a wound up carbon fork and dis brake in the rear about two months ago. we could not be any happier with the bike. it handles like a dream. the combination of the 26"x1.25 tires and the carbon fork makes for an unbelievably comfortable ride. i still can't get used to the look of the small wheels, but for comfort( which is very important for the wife) this bike is awesome. i ride a merlin extralight with ouzo pro carbon fork and for comfort there is no comparison. the smaller wheels are not an issue for speed, either low or high, because of the four chainrings in the front. i did not mention that we bought the steel frame. the ics system really does make things alot easier for a couple not so used to riding a tandem. we bought this bike so that we could both get a workout but ride together, which was not possible on the single bikes. the ics system allows us to do this. if you can afford the da vinci i think you will not be dissappointed
bob