Texas - Bicycle built for 5 at RBM

I know Jim saw it this afternoon because I ran into him while I was there (he was eyeing those Colnagos too), but who else saw this parked out front?

http://jonpfischer.com/thecuda/photos/upload/RidePhotos/tn_P1052541.JPG

I think that's the bike from Beerfest.

The last time I priced a Quint from Santana it was $9,195.00

I want to get a tandem bicycle, build a hoist on the back, and have a tow-bike for when other people's bikes break down. That would be cool.

My wife and I have three kids. This would be perfect! :p Am I the only one who looks at it and thinks "Dr. Seuss?"

Other than the obvious mode of riding it, how do you get that thing from place to another?

My wife and I have three kids. This would be perfect! :p Am I the only one who looks at it and thinks "Dr. Seuss?"

Other than the obvious mode of riding it, how do you get that thing from place to another?

Get a folding 5-person tandem, that aught-a fit in the trunk.;)

What a monstrosity. That thing would make me put a gun to my head and probably pull the trigger. Two seaters are a big enough pain in the a55. I can imagine the maintenance and finicky nature of that thing.

Just put it in the back of a pickup and let it hang out 10'.

I just went around White Rock Lake in the wind. I could have used 4 more people to help pedal. Sheesh. Passed a half dozen people while going 12 mph.

I was just looking at the picture again. Isn't that a bunch of couplings in the top tubes and in those diagonals? Looks like it all disassembles where you could put it in the back of an SUV.

I think you're right. I guess there are also couplings right behind the cranks, (so you don't have to strap the big blue tube to the roof).

It breaks down with S&S couplers.

The last time I priced a Quint from Santana it was $9,195.00

Ah yes, all the couplers, that adds about five Grand to the cost.

Makes me wonder, too, whether it is really a "bicycle built for 5" or whether it's not just two or three tandems or a tandem and a triple spliced together. You could take two built like that and make one long bike out of it, seems like. Except for the little structural-collapse-and-instability problems, that is.

Makes me wonder, too, whether it is really a "bicycle built for 5" or whether it's not just two or three tandems or a tandem and a triple spliced together. You could take two built like that and make one long bike out of it, seems like. Except for the little structural-collapse-and-instability problems, that is.

Santana does make bikes in 4,5 and 6 seat configurations.

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing... that one could be shortened to 3, or extended. I THINK it would need to stick to odd numbers though... isn't there an inner and outer chainring on each crank? To get a straight chainline for everyone you'd need to add them in pairs. I haven't seen any >2 tandems.... I just assume the chain needs to wrap around a ring... not just graze the teeth on top of it.

hmm..... would be kinda cool to stagger the cranks a little so each person was 1/5 rotation behind the person in front of them :D That'd look kinda cool going down the road :D

Each pair of cranks should have a chain around it.

If the front crank had two chainrings side by side, you could set it up with any number of riders, assuming you could assemble the remaining cranks in the order you needed.

It is interesting that all the seat heights are different and the highest one is near the back. One problem with one quint was when it showed up for the annual Fargo Street hill climb in LA. As soon as the bike got onto the 35% grade the combined pedal power stripped the teeth off of the rear cog.

My big question would be, "what about stopping?" Particularly if you're going downhill? I would have thought at least some disc brakes would be essential with that much weight going forward.

Oh yeah... brakes and shift cables. Ok, so maybe it wouldn't be quite as easy to just "throw it together as a 3,5,7 person setup". :D

I would look at a bike like that as a recreational cruise around bike... no speed, no serious hills. Not saying it wouldn't benefit from better brakes... but I think those would be adequate.