Tandem Cycling - Sizing- Captain taller than stoker

Hello, question is can I find a low priced tandem that will fit me and my girlfriend well enough?

Dillema is that I am visually impared so I will be riding in the back, Im 5'6" and my girlfriend is 5'4".

She is an experienced single bike rider, and we want a road type tandem.

I dont quite understand how the measurements and dimensions means on a tandem, and if a non custom model would fit us both.

I have arout 2k to spend on the bike.

Can someone help me understand the sizing and maybe help me find a good model?

An anxious biker that wants to ride again

Thanks

Hi There!

My husband is blind and I captain the bike. I'm have about a 30" inseam (5'5.5"). My husband's about 5'4". I think you'll be able to find a comfortable set up on the back of a bike which fits your wife fairly easily. Just to relate my experiences -- we have a Santana Arriva, size small, and it just barely fits me, the standover is a bit high. It's an older bike. I believe the standover on the new Santanas is much better -- on the size small road bikes, the top tube is angled near the front of the bike, allowing for lower standover.

Your girlfriend and you will want to test ride lots of bikes to find a brand that works best for you (I think you'll want the small size, whichever maker you choose). I have ridden our Santana for many years, and I find I like it's slightly more laid back geometry -- it gives me a bit better feeling of control. But that's me.

Enjoy your search, and let us know how it goes! I think tandems can really bring couples closer together, and you learn a new dimension to working together.

Marti

Bike Twosday (made by the Bike Friday folks) has tandems with low standover room and in your price range, although you'll be riding 20 inch wheels.
Have ridden the Bike Twosday, and if you do not 'look' at the wheels you'll not notice much difference.
In the price range you want for a road tandem, Burley builds the Rumba in either small (700c wheels) or Xtra small (26 inch wheels).

At the really low end, KHS makes decently good tandems. It may flex a bit more and may not feel as good as a Burley or Co-Motion, but it still makes a very good startup tandem, especially if you have modest objectives.

Further up the scale, Trek has a couple of models that seem decent, but I can't really pass judgement on them; price is in your range, however. Cannondale has better tandem offerings, I think, but obviously in aluminium. The Cannondale fits somewhere around the Burley and Co-Motion.

Burley, Co-Motion and Santana are a good notch over the previous models. I preferred the way the Co-Motion rode with myself piloting and either no or a lightweight stoker. But the Burley came very close and was cheaper.

In the Gatineau-Ottawa area, there must be one or two Burley vendors, but don't expect to see any in their stores. Cannondale and Trek may be easier to order, but again it's hard to see one in a shop. But for a real try out, there is a Santana vendor in Toronto (with decent stock) and a Burley/Co-Motion dealer (with stock) in Mississauga. I bought my tandem at MBS Tandems (http://mbstandems.com) and was very pleased with the service, explanations and everything leading to the sale and delivery of the bike. I have no experience with after sale service because nothing broke...

Mate, if she dont fit the ship may be its time to change her out for a newer model that fits. I know it hard but some time you just have to bite the handelbar....

More seriousley have you considered a bent. I have never ridden one but there are some interesting looking machines, where size may not matter.

Link below.

Have fun

http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/misc/TwosCompany.htm

Thanks for the tips, just to clarify because I made a mistake in the subject, my girlfriend is shorter than me and will be in front.

Where I live (quebec) its almost impossible to try tandems because there are no store who carry them so I kinda have to choose "blindly" and pick one and hope that when it arrives it will fit.

Michel, I went ot a store called Pecco's in Hull and he has dandems but its in fixed sizes and Im not sure about the quality, but the price seems good.
I noticed that you are in montreal too, Ill check the places you mentionned.

Thanks

Mate, if she dont fit the ship may be its time to change her out for a newer model that fits. I know it hard but some time you just have to bite the handelbar....

More seriousley have you considered a bent. I have never ridden one but there are some interesting looking machines, where size may not matter.

Link below.

Have fun

http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/misc/TwosCompany.htm

We have a 'bent, and for me, my shorter legs in the front make it really hard to control the bike on one leg at stop lights (with my stoker's feet up on the pedals). I dropped the bike at a stop sign, and broke the hydrolic reservoir on my brake lever, which of course I didn't discover until later when I was going downhill and I felt mineral oil running over my hand and realized the brakes were starting to fade. I was NOT in a good mood after that!
:mad:

We have a 'bent, and for me, my shorter legs in the front make it really hard to control the bike on one leg at stop lights (with my stoker's feet up on the pedals). I dropped the bike at a stop sign, and broke the hydrolic reservoir on my brake lever, which of course I didn't discover until later when I was going downhill and I felt mineral oil running over my hand and realized the brakes were starting to fade. I was NOT in a good mood after that!
:mad:

Interesting. As I said I have not wridden one of these beasts but saw one last year with the stoker and captain sitting back to back. Just cruising up a hill in scotland. You had to really rubb your eyes and look twice. We all get used to being stared at on a tandem but this was on another level. There are soem three wheeled bents out there. Which would get rid of putting your feet down. Although I dont fancy one my self.

Keep smiling