My girlfriend and I are looking at buying a tandem and have recently tried a used 3000 X/S. The frame felt a bit unwieldy for me so I was hoping to try an L/S but no LBS here has any in stock. We plan to visit a tandem specialty shop next week that is some distance from home and are looking for advice on brand names, performance, etc. This specialty shop sells KHS, Co-Mo, Santana, Burley and has 24 tandems of various sizes and configurations in stock......but no Cannondale product line.

We are planning a cross Canada tandem trip next summer as our first long retirement trip and are thinking that Arkel TT84 panniers would be preferable to a trailer. Planning to camp, motel, B+B, stay with friends, our way across for 3 months or as long as it takes. Also plan on wintering in Florida and doing 2-3 day trips down there.

I am 6'1" and she is 5'8" with 33" and 32" inseams respectively. With a combined body weight of 370 lbs, I was wondering if the Rivazza would be a wise choice when including panniers as well. It comes stock with carbon forks, Rolf Prima Vigor Wheelset and Avid ball bearing rear disc brake. Fully loaded we will easily be around 420+ lbs. Are we pushing weight limits for this bike? Should we be looking at something with a 40 spoke wheelset instead?

I'm not so concerned about the cost of the bike as I am the functionality and comfort of a bike to be used on such a long trip. Primarily, we are looking for a bike with an excellent touring configuration but that can also function well in group rides when stripped down. Of course we will supply the engines!:)

Friends have suggested that a new bike would likely buy piece of mind on a long trip instead of going for a used bike.

Any comments or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Unfortunately, the Rivazza does not have the bosses on the seat stays to properly bolt on a rear rack setup. It has the dropout bosses, but not the seat stay bosses. Go figure. Nevertheless, you can certainly rig up a rack on it. It just won't look very professional.

That said, the Rivazza is one sweet tandem! Dollar for dollar, I don't think it can be touched by any other tandem package -- if and when you can get one. In my humble opinion, it far exceeds the C-dale in good road "feel". The new Trek 2000 pkg. might be worth a look, but test ride it against the Rivazza (or the more common Tosa - same frame), because I've heard both good and not so good reviews on it. But try and find one to test ride! Big dilemmas in this industry.

If I were going cross-Canada, I would not take the Rolf's. I would take wheels (hubs / rims) that can be easily repaired and replaced in small town bike shops.

Go with the burley. You won't regret it. I bought the sport model without the fancy wheels and got the carbon fork as an upgrade. It looks like Burley has done away with the sport model. The sport model had the white industry hubs/wheels with high spoke count, a steel fork, and ultegra cranks instead of carbon cranks, arero wheels, and carbon fork. If you are worried about durability then get the non-aero wheels with the higher spoke count. I would think burley would be willing to swap for you as they make the bikes to order. I had to wait about three months to get mine, but was worth the wait. I got a sunburst orange paint job and it looks sharp.

As far as rack mounting the rjberner is right but don't let that stop you as there are solutions out there or you can go buy ruberized "p" hooks from a home improvment store to take care of your rack mount issues. See below as an example.
http://www.thetouringstore.com/TUBUS/Fit%20Solutions/FIT%20SOLUTIONS%20PAGE.htm
Also keep in mind that you will need special mounts because of the disk brakes, but the above link addresses that too.

I have no experience with a trailer but I will soon as my 6 week old son will be be in a trailer next year. I bought a cheapie used one to see if he likes it. Figured if he did I would go get a nice burley trailer for him so the wife and I can keep riding.

Good luck.

For weight/touring would not go for Rolfs but for 40H front and 40 or 48H rear hubs depending if you haul trailer or loaded panniers.
Depending on your budget pick Burley, or go a bit more upscale go for Co-Motion.
Co-Mo will do some cu$tom work, where Burley does not.
Pedal on TWOgether!
Rudy and Kay/zonatandem

We are planning a cross Canada tandem trip next summer as our first long retirement trip and are thinking that Arkel TT84 panniers would be preferable to a trailer. Planning to camp, motel, B+B, stay with friends, our way across for 3 months or as long as it takes. Also plan on wintering in Florida and doing 2-3 day trips down there.... I am 6'1" and she is 5'8" with 33" and 32" inseams respectively. With a combined body weight of 370 lbs.

What did your LBS recommend?

Unless you're looking for a go-fast tandem, if touring or other long-distance events will be a big part of your future cycling experience I'd be inclined to look at the Santana line of tandems: Sovereign or Niobium if cost is no object. For a more cost effective solution, the Arriva would be a good choice. They tend to be excellent long-distance machines -- very stable at all speeds and perhaps the most comfortable designs (vertically compliant and short trail) for long days in the saddle. I'm not a big fan of the 160mm rear spacing, but the hubs they spec tend to be pretty durable so getting "stranded" isn't a major concern and it would be easy enough to pack an extra 160mm Shimano HF08 for very long, unsupported events. Heck, you might even want to consider a 26" bike if your future will call for a variety of different riding demands: light off-road, stokids, trailers, etc... Co-Motion, Burley and Santana all have very nice 26" tandem offerings and for the long-haul stuff, 700c vs 26" isn't a big discriminator.

Thank you for your responses.

LBS deals in Cannondale tandems only and has none in stock. Special order only. Cannondale's next production run is late August so we likely wouldn't have the bike until early October. I have tried a friend's 3000 X/S but want to try a few other brands before commiting....even though this X/S would be a terrific buy at $2K Cdn, complete with Bob trailer. The tandem specialty shop is about a 5 hour drive from home but we are out that way on other business next week so it makes sense to stop in and try whatever they have. Surely with 24 tandems in stock, we will find something to buy or to at least compare to the RT3000. My girlfriend and I are just retiring and looking at local rides and touring for just the two of us.....no kids to worry about, etc and we prefer to stay on road at least for now. Was thinking the trailer could become a bit unwieldy, ergo the option of panniers instead.

We will check out whatever is available next week and hopefully come away with exactly what we want.

Cheers

LBS deals in Cannondale tandems only

My bad... What I meant was, what did your local tandem speciality shop (MBS) recommend based on your requirements? There's a lot to be gained by having some detailed discussions with the tandem specialty dealers before making a long trip.

Given our dimensions MBS can put us into pretty well anything that they carry. Burley was mentioned specifically though and I really like the sleek look of the Rivazza. But the Santana line is very nice as well. Once I see the Arkel panniers I will have a better idea if we want to go with them or a trailer and will in turn find a bike to accommodate. At this point brand is not a primary concern, rather functionality and fit. It is a holiday weekend up here so doubt I will be able to get through today. We are prepared to spend a full day at the tandem shop in order to get exactly what we need.:D

We have a Rivazza (Race Package - which I guess is now the only way they come) and love it. We haven't used it for touring yet, but certainly wouldn't hesitate to load it up and go. Just wish we had the time. We do agree, on the other hand, that switching out the wheels would be a good idea. The Rolfs are tough, but hard to work on beside the road. If price matters to you, Burley definitely gives you the most bike for the least money.