I'm considering an upgrade from a Raleigh Companion sometime this year (probably toward the end), and was wondering if anyone would share their experience with folding tandems? I'm primarily interested in the Bike Friday Two'sDay Touring (http://www.bikefriday.com/bikeMMI.cfm?bf=6) series at the moment, although I've by no means ruled out any of the others. I'd like to know how the folders handle compared to a conventional tandem, and what you think of their suitability for light touring.

Let me provide a bit of background. The bike will be used primarily for recreation and "day trips", although it will likely see a bit of touring as well. The stoker is my autistic sister-in-law, who almost certainly wouldn't enjoy a long tour, but we'll probably do a short (2-4 day) run of the Katy Trail (http://www.bikekatytrail.com/) (along with my wife) next spring/fall... we'll see how that goes, and move on from there. :) The upgrade is being driven partially by the desire for a nicer bike (although the Companion is a pretty good entry-level tandem), and partially because a full-sized tandem is somewhat of a pain to transport.

Thanx!

We have a Bike friday Tandem Traveler XL, (we also have a Burley Duet). We bought the Bike Friday so that I could ride with my then 7 year old daughter. A nice advantage to the small wheels is that it allows the bike to be adjusted to a wide range of sizes. My wife and I have also used it to travel.
All things considered it's a nice bike. It performs surprisingly well. However, with an adult stoker, it is not as rigid as a good convential tandem. Thus we prefer to ride the Burley.
For travelling it does pack in two small cases, and is easy to travel with, once you get it packed. It's about a 30 - 45 minute job each way, which is a bit of a hassel.

For light use, and occassional travel, I think it's a good choice, particularly if you need to acomodate varying sized stokers.
It's capable of heavy use. We've done 75 mile rides with it, climbed 9% grades and descended over 50 mph on it. It's ok for that kind of use but not the bike of choice.
If you're going to travel a lot, I think a convential tandem with SS couplers would be much easier.
Now that my daughter can fit on the back of the burley, the Bike Friday is probably hitting Ebay, and soon as I get around to listing it.

Have ridden several of the Bike Friday tandems; if you don't stare at the front wheel you really feel like you're riding a small wheeler. That said, agree that most 'conventional' tandems will feel more solid/stiff with an adult stoker.
A nice folding fuill size tandem, no longer being produced, was the Montague.
S&S fittings are another, but pricier, option.