[Icycle]

I'm an avid touring cyclist, and I'm trying to introduce my wife to cycling via tandeming. We are both new to tandems. We are planning a 9 day tour of Napa/Sonama wine country (with 6 days of riding) on a tandem in late summer or early fall this year. To get ready for the trip, we will do some day trips on singles, and a few day rides on rental tandems.

Assuming that everything goes well up to that point, and we proceed with the tour, I'm wondering about buying vs. renting a tandem. There are places in Napa Valley that rent tandems for $65/day, which means almost $600 to rent a bike for the whole trip. That is a signficant fraction of purchase price of a decent low-end tandem.

Should we rent, or buy? And if we buy a low-end tandem, how easy would it be to sell it later if we decide we want a more "serious" tandem?

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[rjberner]

Ask if they would apply the $600 toward purchase of the bike if you like it. What are they renting?

[Icycle]

The place I'm looking at rents KHS Tandemania Milano and KHS Tandemania Sport. I've never heard of the brand before.

[TandemGeek]

Have you visited The Bicycle Outfitter to take any tandem test rides? If not, that might be a good first step as they should be able to make sure your initial tandem rides are more successful than attempting it on your own.

Based on that experience, you may find that: a) you must have a tandem NOW; b) tandems just aren't for us, or c). you need more time on a tandem to decide. If it's c), go rent a tandem for a day well before your tour and see if you a) or b) is the final answer. KHS is a fairly well established brand that's been around for many years, selling both in the US market and elsewhere. Good bikes that offer a good value for entry level, import tandems.

If it's a), they by all means seek out a "first tandem" to use for the next year and your week-long tour so that you'll be able to enjoy the tour on a familiar bike, vs. dealing with any rental bike fit or performance issues.

As for reselling a "first tandem", your best hedge against depreciation is buying a good, second hand tandem. Something that's not brand new, but not so old that it wouldn't be attractive to another buyer or fitted with components that are no longer redily available.

Links to first time tandem buyer information can be found here: http://www.thetandemlink.com/LearningCenter.html#anchor356041

[cgallagh]

Here is the KHS web link for tandems. http://www.khsbicycles.com/08_tandem_series_07.htm

Don't know what your plans are but there are other places more reasonable. This place is in Davis, not far from Napa. If you can get over to Davis it would be a lot more reasonable. Don't know what they rent but a phone call would do it. Riding in the Napa Valley is flat unless you go to the far northern end of the valley north of St Helena. You can get a lot of cruiser miles on really flat ground. Just don't taste to many wines or just try spitting. http://kensbikeski.com/page.cfm?PageID=54

[NewbieIATandem]

If your wife THINKS a tandem is a good idea...

I would echo the above post. What are you looking for in a tandem?

A Trek T900, or a Raleigh Companion, or one of the other good (not GREAT! up to a point you get what ya pay for) lower cost tandems and if you are already plunking down $600... a couple hundred more would make you a tandem OWNER.

Math man here. If renting would cost $600 anyway, here is my take on the economics of it.

Rent for $600
Total cost $600
Hardware to show for it, $0.

Buy at $900
Don't like, sell for huge loss at $300.
Total cost $600 (what you would have paid for rental)
Cash to show for it, $0.

Buy at $900
Don't like, sell for anything more than $300. (Very likely on an almost new $900 tandem)
Total cost $600. (what you would have paid for rental)
Cash to show for it, whatever over $300 you sold it for.

That's what I take away from the economic side of it...

[Icycle]

A quick search on craigslist turned up a KHS Tandemanium Sport for sale at $650 in my local area, barely ridden. This is one of the same models that is for rent in Napa. Assuming we can find a place to store it, maybe buying a "starter" tandem is not such a bad idea.

My dream tandem is something like a Co-Motion or Santana tandem equipped with S&S couplers for easy transport, but I certainly don't want to lay out the thousands of dollars for something like that unless I'm sure my wife will want to continue to go tandeming with me at least occasionally.

[tim]

If you can afford it, buy....
If you can't afford to, consider buying....and it will be yours, with years of fun ahead...

Good luck, Tim