Side-by-side tandem - Kyoto Cruiser

[imahounddog]

I just came across pictures of a cool looking side-by-side trike on Webshots that led me to a site (http://www.atomiczombie.com) where they have plans to build your own. They call it the Kyoto Cruiser. Looks like a pretty sweet design and easy to add an electric hub motor. All I need is a welder and I'm going to build my own like that one! :D

[galen_52657]

Unless you live on a boardwalk, seems pretty useless to me....

[imahounddog]

A "boardwalk"?

[ElRey]

Spam

[galen_52657]

A "boardwalk"?

As in 'they rent that junk at the beach so you can ride up and down the boardwalk.....'

[imahounddog]

I'm obviously missing your point, if there is one.

[Scooper]

OK, we'll try this; "tandem" by definition is one in front of another, or single file. Side by side isn't a tandem. Your Kyoto Cruiser seats two people, but that's where the similarity with a tandem ends. It's really a tricycle, and the frame is undoubtedly much heavier than a tandem because of the extra structure and wheel. It's not going to be nearly as fast nor nearly as agile as a tandem.

If it floats your boat, though, go ahead and build it. Good luck.

[Shiznaz]

All the disadvantages of a tandem with non of the advantages? AWESOME!

[galen_52657]

So you get > 1/3 more rolling resistance (as tires are wider/lower pressure than standard 700 c road wheels/tires) and double the wind resistance.... should perform like....a large, rolling turd!

[imahounddog]

As long as it does what I need it to do and I can take my sister (who has Muscular Dystrophy) with me, that's all that matters. I don't care about speed. Sorry to have bothered you folks. Won't happen again.

[galen_52657]

Plenty of disabled cyclists use standard tandems. But, if it would be unsafe for your sister on a standard tandem then a recumbent tandem or a trike that sits the riders one behind the other would out-perform the side-by-side.

[zonatandem]

There are several side by side 'tandems' out there: two wheeled (!), 3 and 4-wheeled. Build it if you like; but with twice the width of a standard bike, riding it on the road could be dangerous; and if using a multi-use path, you could be impeding others.
Have ridden with folks with limited abilities (blind, MS, motion restricted, deaf, etc) and a standard tandem worked just fine.
Sounds like you are more into the challenge of building it. Enjoy the project, and the ride!
Pedal on TWOgether!
Rudy and Kay/zonatandem

[bentbaggerlen]

Imahounddog,
I think some have forgoten why we ride in the first place its fun!
It's called a sociable tandem trike, its not a new idea. I've seen adds from the late 1800's for them.
Do a google image serch and you will find a couple of pages. I've even found someone selling one as a production bike at www.londonrecumbents.com
Now the Overkill chopper looks like a fun bike!

[kemmer]

You'll get more encouragement on the alt bikes forum. These guys don't seem to have the right mindset for something that cool.

[swren1967]

When I was young, my brother owned a PPV, which was a side-by-side recumbent like the Kyoto Cruiser. It was AWESOME. We drove that thing around all over town -- it wasn't fast, but it was fun. It could carry a passenger behind the two front seats or groceries or whatever. I can only imagine that with modern construction, better gears, and possibly electric assist, this would be even more fun.

I wish I knew how to weld -- I'd make a Kyoto Cruiser for myself.

Sebastian

[matimeo]

I think it sounds like a blast to build something like this. Don't mind the comments of some people on this forum. Some people probably think you're not very cool unless you spend thousands of dollars on a machine built only for the purposes of performance. Too many people lose sight of the thrill of the DIY project 'cause they just go spend money and big toys, which = happiness (not). Let us know how it turns out.