Tandem Cycling - Inexpensive Triple or Quad

Does anyone know of a reasonably priced triple or quad out there. When I say reasonable I mean <$1500. Also, it would not be for heavy use, just the occasional trip with the whole family.

Probably a pipe dream as I have not found anything very reasonable yet in my own searching.

This is probably your most promising starting point for a triplet:

http://www.chucksbikes.com/store/fr046.htm

$700 (plus shipping) frame & fork from Chuck's bikes.

I have done some some reading on these forums and on the Tandem mailing list archives. Seems like a viable frame, but expect a few small annoyances when building up the bike. For example, there may be paint in the BB threads, the frame tubes may not all be aligned *quite* right, the head tube may be a bit iffy, etc. However, once built up, the riders seem to be relatively pleased.

-Greg

bikefriday.com, a little over budget, perhaps find one used.

A good *reasonable* triple or quad for under $1500 is a bit of an oxymoron.
However, keep your eyes peeled, stranger things have come up for sale!

How about $399?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7222952346

(Link just posted to T@H e-mail list.)

Oh, wait -- you said inexpensive, not cheap. ;)

-Greg

Yep, that is the problem, inexpensive and cheap are two words that far too many people see as synonyms.

I got my used triplet for $3,000 from precision tandems. It was the least expensive I could find and I have never seen any cheaper except this recent one on Ebay which I would guess is not decent quality. Our triplet is a chuck's bike frame that was built up. Remember even with only spending $700 on the frame, the components for 3 (cranks, BB, Eccentric, Seat posts, Seats, H-bars...) plus wheels, etc. will likely run an additional $2,000.

Other than what I have and the Ebay special, the least expensive I have seen is the Thorn triplet (seems popular in England). I never did figure out exactly what total cost would be after conversion to US dollars and shipping. It might be worth a shot.

http://ithaca.craigslist.org/bik/197814986.html

We paid $4,000 for an almost new Santana Cabrio with SS couplers. We consider ourselves very lucky for getting such a deal.