My girlfriend and I just took delivery of our Santana tandem last weekend and I’m glad to say that we love it! These contraptions are just the most fun thing that you can do in the daylight. Granted, our first ride wasn't glamorous (we were all over the place, and pretty wobbly while trying to clip in) but we both know we are going to love riding this bike for thousands of miles over the next few years.
Our second and third rides were much more stable as we both learned how to ride together (we now feel totally comfortable on our rig with only about 100 miles under our belts). Overall I am surprised how fast we got used to riding our bike, I thought the learning curve would keep us looking like freds for at least 2 months (I say this with the implicit assumption that we don’t not look like freds now.... just go with it ok?). But I digress…… I just wanted to say hi to all the other tandem-ers here and to post a few pictures of our first ride.
http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z219/ti-tillidie/DSC01928.jpg
http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z219/ti-tillidie/DSC01911.jpg
thinkcooper
03-19-08, 08:51 AM
Awesome! Great looking ride. Is it an Arriva? Enjoy!
specbill
03-19-08, 09:04 AM
Congrats and your new ride...it looks outstanding! Even more fun is sure to follow.
Bill J.
Phantoj
03-19-08, 09:49 AM
Congrats!
You might find things go more smoothly if the stoker clips in and sits down while the captain holds the bike upright, so when it's time to get going, both riders aren't trying to clip in simultaneously.
I'm still a wobbly beginner, although I have done some standing climbs already. (With a standing four-year-old stoker, no less.)
transam
03-19-08, 10:01 AM
Hey guys! Welcome to the club! Great looking bike, great looking team!
Since you now own a tandem it's time to think about joining others of like mind for some quality time on the road. Since you live in Miami you are close enough to join us is Sebring on April 5, 6 for the Sebring Tandem Weekend. It's a great time of riding, food and fellowship. There should be 50-60 teams in attendence.
You can find more info here http://www.kenlodge.com/packages/?id=436 Hope to see you next month.
TandemGeek
03-19-08, 10:17 AM
Warms my heart to see a young couple on a tandem. Congrats. May the tandem take your relationship to an entirely new level.
Hermes
03-19-08, 01:43 PM
Nice looking team and bike...welcome to the club.
KRhea
03-19-08, 02:15 PM
Big congrats from Oregon! Sweet looking ride and from the smiles I think it'll be a long relationship. My wife and I are awaiting the delivery of our new custom "twofer" in about 10 to 14 days. Just seeing you guys on yours made the wait that much worse!
Ride safe and most of all ENJOY!
KRhea
Ti-tillIdie
03-19-08, 03:13 PM
KRhea, I know what you must be feeling. It was agony waiting for the bike to show up. Opening it was so much fun… we felt like 5 year olds getting our first bike.
transam,I will look up the Sebring event you mentioned and see if we are open that weekend. We are both strong riders individually and we want to get in as much practice together as possible before the trip we are planning for this summer (we are planning a ride from Florida to Maine). It would be extremely helpful to meet so many other riders and get tips from them.
twilkins9076
03-19-08, 03:44 PM
Congratulations on your new bike! It looks great, and I'm guessing you guys are gonna be one of those teams that many of us envy. Young and strong enough to drop us like a rock! Enjoy.
dvs cycles
03-19-08, 04:17 PM
Nice. Looks just like our Team Scandium.
Here is link I found helpful when we started riding ours.
Thanks to TandemGeeks website.
http://www.gtgtandems.com/tech/propmethod.html
It's really much better when only the Captain unclips.
regomatic
03-19-08, 06:02 PM
KRhea, I know what you must be feeling. It was agony waiting for the bike to show up. Opening it was so much fun… we felt like 5 year olds getting our first bike.
transam,I will look up the Sebring event you mentioned and see if we are open that weekend. We are both strong riders individually and we want to get in as much practice together as possible before the trip we are planning for this summer (we are planning a ride from Florida to Maine). It would be extremely helpful to meet so many other riders and get tips from them.
Make it to Sebring if you can, it's not really hilly at all, but it's much more real life than going back and forth across the bridge on Rickenbacker.
transam
03-20-08, 04:04 PM
Here's a little more information about the Sebring Tandem Weekend. Hope you can make it.
From another "young couple"--I am supremely jealous. Me and my girlfriend (we're 23) are very excited about buying a tandem, though it looks like the purchase will have to wait until we have more disposable income, and seeing these pictures reminds me how much I want to be you guys right now.
Congrats on the purchase of a wonderful bicycle! Post more pictures if you've got 'em!
zonatandem
03-20-08, 10:41 PM
Welcome tandemistas!
Pedal on TWOgether!
Rudy and Kay/zonatandem
JTGraphics
03-20-08, 11:07 PM
Looking good have fun which I know you will
robmitchell
03-24-08, 03:53 PM
nice legs,
someone had to type it!
Old Hammer Boy
03-24-08, 04:21 PM
You ought to marry that gal. Good stokers aren't that easy to find!!!
brewer45
03-24-08, 04:32 PM
best of luck on your fab bike.
keep yer stoker happy.
Possum Roadkill
03-24-08, 11:26 PM
My girlfriend and I received our Santana about two weeks ago. We've been too excited about riding it to stop and take photos. It's not the first tandem we've ridden together but it is the first "nice" tandem we've ridden together. We got the Team Scandium. I try not to think about our wheels only having 16 spokes each when we ride.
dvs cycles
03-25-08, 11:40 AM
My girlfriend and I received our Santana about two weeks ago. We've been too excited about riding it to stop and take photos. It's not the first tandem we've ridden together but it is the first "nice" tandem we've ridden together. We got the Team Scandium. I try not to think about our wheels only having 16 spokes each when we ride.When bought our Team scandium I speced out the Sovereign components to save a few $ since it is our first tandem and wasn't 100% sure what I wanted. Did go with the carbon Reynolds fork and Dura-Ace Brakes but chose the heavier 36 spoke wheels. The Sweet-16's worried me but seeing how many are around that I haven't heard any horror stories about I kinda wish I had chosen them too.;)
Hermes
03-25-08, 01:03 PM
My girlfriend and I received our Santana about two weeks ago. We've been too excited about riding it to stop and take photos. It's not the first tandem we've ridden together but it is the first "nice" tandem we've ridden together. We got the Team Scandium. I try not to think about our wheels only having 16 spokes each when we ride.
Congrats on the new Team Scandium. We have Sweet Sixteen wheels on our 2006 Sovereign and are very happy. We purchased the Aluminum Sovereign and put on a carbon fork and the light wheelset.
KRhea
03-25-08, 08:16 PM
T-minus 7 days and counting until our new custom "twofer" hits our door...The suspense is killing me. Custom headbadge was completed and shipped this afternoon by Jen Green and the frame goes into the paint booth Thursday the builder says.
It's even worse considering my wife has no idea I even ordered a custom frameset. It's a surprise anniversary gift for "us". It's been quite a challenge to keep it quiet to say the least. especially when we were doing her measurements. I got her to believe we needed to redo her measurements for her single since I thought her position wasn't quite right.
I'll be making a 12hr round trip drive to pick it up just so I don;t have to worry about it being delievered and I'm not home. The things you do for love!
Then I have to get it back into my shop and built.
If I get this "mission" accomplished without her knowing it'll be amazing. Wish me luck.
KRhea
transam
03-26-08, 12:30 PM
T-minus 7 days and counting until our new custom "twofer" hits our door...The suspense is killing me. Custom headbadge was completed and shipped this afternoon by Jen Green and the frame goes into the paint booth Thursday the builder says.
It's even worse considering my wife has no idea I even ordered a custom frameset. It's a surprise anniversary gift for "us". It's been quite a challenge to keep it quiet to say the least. especially when we were doing her measurements. I got her to believe we needed to redo her measurements for her single since I thought her position wasn't quite right.
I'll be making a 12hr round trip drive to pick it up just so I don;t have to worry about it being delievered and I'm not home. The things you do for love!
Then I have to get it back into my shop and built.
If I get this "mission" accomplished without her knowing it'll be amazing. Wish me luck.
KRhea
Best of luck! Sure hope she's not reading this forum on the sly.
Niobium Rocket
03-28-08, 05:10 PM
Now you just need to find some hills to use that big gearing...
We have a Team Niobium and it rocks the hills and flats.
Keep up the riding.