Recumbent - "Performer" brand "Tandem Family"

I am trying to buy a "Performer" brand "Tandem Family" but the site has no way to do it and the way that was suggested in their reply to my email asking how, is too risky. I can't find anyone who sells them in the U.S. Can anyone who has bought one of these please tell me how to do it, safely. Thanks very much.

Just bought one. Paid by Paypal. Bike arrived in 4 days. Christine Cheng was very responsive to email enquiries and will help with assembly questions.

No risk in buying through them with Paypal. But you could also buy through the US distributor.

Buying through a US distributor was my first preference but I was unable to. One distributor, who replied to my email fairly promptly, explained that he wouldn't deal with the Tandem because of shipping costs. Of the other two dealers I could find, one never responded to emails, and the other had no contact information on the company's website.

I received amazingly prompt and efficient service from Performer in Taiwan although like others I was initially reluctant to send that sum of money overseas.

So, how much was shipping, import duty, etc? The Performer High Racer has really caught my eye, but nobody's importing them that I can see.

SP
Bend, OR

Check ActionBent (www.actionbent.com (http://www.actionbent.com)) and Recumbent USA (www.recumbentusa.com (http://www.recumbentusa.com)). They carry many models of the TWBents and Performance bikes and trikes.

Dave

Quoted price included door to door shipping (by TNT express & locally delivered by UPS).
No duty charged (fortunately). Performance quotes 5 days delivery (if your bike is ready - only takes a few days if your color is not in stock). Mine was delivered in 4 days.

If you are not looking for a tandem there should be no problem buying through a US retailer however.

So, how much was shipping, import duty, etc? The Performer High Racer has really caught my eye, but nobody's importing them that I can see.

I've heard through the grapevine that Actionbent may be distributing this new highracer. It was mentioned in another thread about the Performer FWD lowracer. New bikes normally appear in Spring, but I'm wondering if the poor economy will cause a delay...

I ordered my Trike-X yesterday (March 1), Christine said 5 days for painting and assembly (they're even going to personalize mine by putting my name on the frame!), and 5 days for shipping to my door by TNT. It'll be interesting to see how long it actually takes.

Cyclebiker, did yours show up in good condition? My main concern is damage in shipping, altho Christine assured me that they'd make anything right if there was damage.

Dave

Just bought one. Paid by Paypal. Bike arrived in 4 days. Christine Cheng was very responsive to email enquiries and will help with assembly questions.

How is it? Are you willing to tell us what you paid? I was seriously thinking about a Performer Family Tandem when I got my lucky hands on a 1984 Counterpoint Opus II.

I ordered my Trike-X yesterday (March 1), Christine said 5 days for painting and assembly (they're even going to personalize mine by putting my name on the frame!), and 5 days for shipping to my door by TNT. It'll be interesting to see how long it actually takes.

Cyclebiker, did yours show up in good condition? My main concern is damage in shipping, altho Christine assured me that they'd make anything right if there was damage.

Dave

The bike and parts were very well packaged by Performer but some idiot has seriously bashed the box down damaging the 53 tooth big ring in spite of it being wrapped in two layers of thick cardboard. Christine was ready to send me a new ring but I had a couple of new ones lying around. I did need to adjust the steering headset, Christine even offered to send me a new one of those if I thought there was something wrong with it, and she emailed a breakdown pic of the headset parts (it was just a standard headset inverted) so adjustment was easy once I knew the type of headset.

Apart from the chainring damage the bike was in very good condition with an excellent paint job which also seems to be quite a tough paint also.

How is it? Are you willing to tell us what you paid? I was seriously thinking about a Performer Family Tandem when I got my lucky hands on a 1984 Counterpoint Opus II.

Delivered price was $1565. We rode it yesterday though not very far. I made a freewheel for the stoker in front and so we had not ridden since I got it while I worked on that. Yesterdays trial revealed that I need a better chain tensioner (this because of my freewheel - the way the bike comes you can adjust the tension with the front boom but the pedals are coupled like on a conventional tandem which I didn't want). I can still tension the front chain with the boom but the chain from my freewheel on the frame under the seat going down to the captain idler needs a good tensioner.

Delivered price was $1565. We rode it yesterday though not very far. I made a freewheel for the stoker in front and so we had not ridden since I got it while I worked on that. Yesterdays trial revealed that I need a better chain tensioner (this because of my freewheel - the way the bike comes you can adjust the tension with the front boom but the pedals are coupled like on a conventional tandem which I didn't want). I can still tension the front chain with the boom but the chain from my freewheel on the frame under the seat going down to the captain idler needs a good tensioner.

Pretty good price!

Tell me more about how you did the stoker's freewheel; did that involve a whole new crank or something? You may be able to get the right tension just by switching to a slightly larger chain ring --one more tooth would make the chain 1/2" tighter. It'll throw the timing off a little, but on the semi-recumbent that doesn't matter! The Opus II has a 5-speed freewheel for the stoker; the freewheel is on a hub that can move forward or backward like in dropouts. So the stoker has his/her own derailleur and bar end shifter attached to the front of the seat. The independent shifting turns out to be very useful, judging by how often my wife shifts.

When you consider the Hase Pino is around $5000 plus shipping, that is a great price. I almost bought one last year but didn't know if I could handle the upright position in back. If it was a little more like a crank forward in the back I would be all over it.

Actually, the riding position of the "captain" rear rider does have an unusually forward location for the bottom bracket in reference to the saddle, not as forward as a "crank forward" bike, but certainly mroe forward than a regular upright bike.

How much does a Bilenky Opus II weigh with that independent pedaling setup?

How much does a Bilenky Opus II weigh with that independent pedaling setup?

I haven't weighed mine! It's not light, I can promise you that; I'll guess it's a little over 50 lbs.

Oh, minor correction:
The Opus II was made by Counterpoint Conveyance; Bilenky's bike is called a Viewpoint; Angletech's version is the Harmony.

I was just in contact with Christine and I can get the frameset for the tandem for $840 shipped to my door.

I haven't weighed mine! It's not light, I can promise you that; I'll guess it's a little over 50 lbs.

That's quite a bit of extra weight just for independent pedaling action, between my stoker and I, I do more coasting at the back than she does.

The Tandem Family I have weighs about 38 lb. with (4) LOOK MTB pedals, those pedals are about a pound each.

http://velospace.org/files/SUC50229.jpg

I was just in contact with Christine and I can get the frameset for the tandem for $840 shipped to my door.

Way to go! Make sure you get any proprietary parts, such as the handlebar, stoker's seat, etc.


That's quite a bit of extra weight just for independent pedaling action, between my stoker and I, I do more coasting at the back than she does.

The Tandem Family I have weighs about 38 lb. with (4) LOOK MTB pedals, those pedals are about a pound each.

38 lbs, that's excellent! The Opus weighs more because it's a very different bike, and overbuilt in many ways. It has a conventional handlebar, for example, which is entirely behind the stoker's seat, whereas the Hase/Performer design has this clever handlebar that puts the captain's hands out to the sides of the stoker's head; this allows them to shorten --and lighten-- the bike quite a bit. The independent pedaling mechanism --an extra hub, a 5-sp freewheel, a derailleur and shifter-- adds a couple pounds but hardly makes up the difference.

What kind of setup have you guys used to get independent pedaling / coasting? If I get one of these it I will be using it with my 8 year old.

As far as the frameset goes this is what I was told:

Family frameset :
frame + front boom
front fork + headset
FRP seat 1pcs
handlebar *2
seatpost *1
Total : USD690.-
air freight : USD150.-

Best Regards
Christine/Performer

She also said in a previous email that I could get it any color I wanted and even have my name painted on it. Sounds pretty reasonable and I have many of the parts needed to complete it.

Don't forget the steering linkage between the captn's handlebar and the fork.

Don't forget the steering linkage between the captn's handlebar and the fork.

I emailed her and the linkage was included as well.

So are you getting the frameset from Performer Recumbent, Christine?

Christine at Performer is very good to deal with....I sent my PayPal payment for my Trixe-X in Sunburst Orange on a Sunday evening, she answered me almost immediately (near as I can figure, she must live in their office, seems like no matter what time of day or night I sent emails, she answered within an hour at most!), and asked me if I wanted my name painted on the trike (sure!). It shipped the following Monday morning (Taiwan time) and was in my driveway Wednesday morning! To make matters better, I emailed haer a couple days later and asked if I could buy a small bottle of touch-up paint, she told me that she'd send it right out, and 3 days later it was delivered! I can't hardly get that kind of delivery speed even in-state! And no charge!

My Trike-X is a great machine, and in many ways I like it better than my Ice T. Quality of workmanship is excellent, most components are better than my T came with, I like the direct steering, and it turns much tighter than the T. And I think it's a little faster than my T. It's a fun ride.

Dave

what's the performer website with this amazing Christine, by the way?

what's the performer website with this amazing Christine, by the way?

Here is the performer website: http://www.performer.com.tw/2009/product_info.php?cPath=30&products_id=46

Pretty good price!

Tell me more about how you did the stoker's freewheel; did that involve a whole new crank or something? You may be able to get the right tension just by switching to a slightly larger chain ring --one more tooth would make the chain 1/2" tighter. It'll throw the timing off a little, but on the semi-recumbent that doesn't matter! The Opus II has a 5-speed freewheel for the stoker; the freewheel is on a hub that can move forward or backward like in dropouts. So the stoker has his/her own derailleur and bar end shifter attached to the front of the seat. The independent shifting turns out to be very useful, judging by how often my wife shifts.
The stokers freewheel is simply mounted in place of the second idler (Performer pics show only one idler but mine came with two). The idler boss is threaded M10x1.25 into the frame. I machined a freewheel carrier out of aluminum with two bearings to run on a M10x1.25 bolt. I braced this forward to the other idler to help share the load. The freewheel carrier has a plain sprocket for the stoker chain and a freewheel for the rear chain.

I thought about a 1 tooth different chainring to get the chain tension right but didn't have any chainrings the right size handy so I adapted a rear deraileur chain tensioner to replace my plain idler chain tensioner and that can be seen in the pic.

I considered a tandem hub for the frewheel carrier and even entertained the idea of giving the stoker the option of a multi-speed set-up but realised that had the potential to be troublesome if my wife shifted to a gear that suited her just before I shifted and then she would get ticked off at me for shifting.

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w23/jep24601/Bicycle/TandemFreewheel.jpg

Nice setup Cycle Biker! Would it be possible to get a close up picture from above to get a better feel for how you did it? I am real close to pulling the trigger on getting a frameset and would want to set up a freewheel front for my daughter.

So how are you liking the Tandem so far? How does the stoker like being up front like that? I couldn't ride up front like that for anything, I'd feel totally out of control. :eek: Not everyone feels that way though. Check out these guys on a Hase Pino:
http://generationsfutures.chez-alice.fr/velo/tand_hase_pino.jpg
I showed that to my future stoker and she about freaked out!

Well here's a couple more pics I have. I can't really get a good pic from above because the freewheel is right under the seat - which keeps it quite tidily out of the way. In fact, one of the things I like about this setup is how tidily the freewheel locates in that position. I don't know for sure just how sturdy the freewheel mounting is but my wife is not going to pedal all that hard anyway and i would think this setup ought to work for an 8 year old. There are also other ways to brace the freewheel bolt also for more strength.

Haven't ridden the bike since the chain tensioner mod but we are hoping for a good long ride this coming weekend now the freewheel and chain tensioner is sorted.

I had to really crank down the handle bar clamps at first - so much so that I was afraid of stripping threads - there are no serrations to help the bars or clamps grip and there is a lot of leverage from these long bars. The handlebars feel a little flexible too and I would not go downhill at any great speed until I had more experience with this bike. I have been thinking of ways to stiffen up the bars.

Here are the pics. The first shows the freewheel carrier I made together with the bearings for it and the spacer which fits between the bearing inner races (very important so that the bearings are not laterally loaded). The second pic is a closeup of the assembly on the bike (there is another small spacer just under the 10mm bolt head)

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w23/jep24601/Bicycle/FreewheelCarrier.jpg

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w23/jep24601/Bicycle/FreewheelCloseup.jpg

http://www.performer.com.tw/2009/

And here are the tandem bikes in question:

http://www.performer.com.tw/2009/images/tandem%20-1.JPG

http://www.performer.com.tw/2009/images/family-frp1.jpg

Because of positive enquiries about the freewheel which I installed and a couple of enquiries from forum members asking if I could make the parts for them to do this conversion if they were to order the Tandem Family model, I communicated my design to Performer and I have an email back from Christine who says that her boss will provide a stoker freewheel to those who would like one, similar to my design. I imagine they would also be able to provide one with a shifting option like the counterpoint. Don't know how this might affect the price - perhaps someone can post that info later.

I am not keen on a shifting option for the stoker as the stoker is going to be affected by all the captains shifts, and will be constantly forced to shift to suit their own cadence. If the stoker rides with a different cadence from the captain that can be accommodated with a difference between the freewheel and stoker driving sprockets.

Nice setup Cycle Biker!
+1!
... How does the stoker like being up front like that? I couldn't ride up front like that for anything, I'd feel totally out of control. :eek:I haven't tried it, since I'm the captain on my tandem, being the largest person in my family; but I'm told it's a lot like sitting in the passenger seat of a car. If you can do one, you can do the other.

Thanks for the picture of the Pino going downhill! I'll have to show that to my wife in carefully controlled circumstances....

Awake, ye sleeping thread!

Here is a blow-by-blow update to the "Tandem Family" saga.

I've had my eye on this particular design for years, from a single photo spied long ago. I have some friends whom time has stolen the pleasures of biking. So the upright/recumbent picture comes to mind, and I start a web search. For 2 weeks it was Pino, pino... BEAUTIFUL, but not "buy one to get your friends peddling," beautiful... (read: $$$).

Then I stumbled across the Performer "Tandem Family." And weirdly enough, I believe I purchased one of their trikes years ago from Actionbent (sharp trike!).

But try to get a "Tandem Family" locally!

I found about 4 threads on the entire Internet (damn tubes) that referenced a purchase from the Taiwanese supplier, Performer. This thread was the biggest, so I thought I would park my story here.

Basically, I just wired $1565.00 to Asia with the expectation a "Tandem Family" recumbent would show up at my front door. But, I hedged my bet, If the bike is a no show, I'll have this great forum thread, documenting my folly, for the bargain basement price of $1565 (how much do the rest of you pay to submit stories?).

... cont. in next thread.

This is what I have so far (pardon the excruciating detail, others in my sandals might profit from them):


The "Tandem Family" appears to be a real product (verified by numerous photos around the net).
A number of people report trying to purchase it from a local dealer without success (in one case, the dealer didn't like the shipping cost).
The website "www.performer.com.tw" is referenced, directly and indirectly, by many people. Some indicate it is a supplier, some that they also sell directly to the public. I have found several independent writers reporting they obtained a bike via this website.

On Tuesday afternoon (Dec 1, '09) I used the contact form on their website to request additional purchase information. By Wednesday evening I had no reply. Using the same form, I sent another request for information. In both requests I indicated an interest in the "stroker freewheel" modification forwarded to them by CycleBiker. About 5 minutes after my second request, Ann (Ann Tsai) from Performer (ann@performer.com.tw, ISP = HINET - Chunghwa Telecom Data communication Business Group. Performer's IP appears to be dynamic) replied to my inquiry.

Our conversation started at 7:44PM, we exchanged 4 emails. By 9:59PM Ann sent a confirmation of payment, "We confirm we got your payment. Our production site will start to make your bike."

Should anyone perceive a sinister tone to this thread, let me put your mind at rest. Except for the minor act of sending $1565 to an unknown paypal account in Taiwan (note, NOT Nigeria), everything else had a solid business feel to it.

I said (paraphrased), "Ann, I like the orange with black forks. And how about that stroker freewheel CycleBiker built." Ann replied, "The price for tandem family is usd 1565, including TNT or DHL and excluding your local tax. If you want to place order, you have to hurry. We are going to raise 10~15% from current price." Oh, and, "We had discussed stroker freewheel for a long time. And, we found out we have to change the frame structure to install it. It will come out with extra usd 350 cost. In the end, we just leave it as current model."

Rats! I plow on, "OK, ditch the stroker freewheel [sic, I actually didn't say it like that, but just imagine], can you throw on some custom pinstripes, I'll pay the costs, and how 'bout some calligraphy describing my uncommon gift to navigate in busy traffic?"

"No problem. We can paint your requested word. It's very difficult to paint black pinstripes. It will be easy to mess the orange paint. I will give you a small bottle of orange paint."

That last bit was about me mooching some free touch up paint. I'm not proud.

...TBC

Ann continues, "Please advise your posting address, name and phone number to key in invoice. After you receive our invoice and confirm total amount, please pay to our paypal account. Our paypal account is chiu123.lien456@msa.hinet.net. The production leadtime is three weeks after payment receiving."

I knew at some point I would have to part with money. That time had arrived. With trepidation I receive a Spreadsheet containing the invoice.

Ann..., "Please refer to invoice in attachment. We were “PERFORMER” international sales department. For the tax issue, our CEO of “PERFORMER” wants us to be an independent company. So, we will change our new name since this November. We will still sell performer’s recumbent and trike and keep the performer’s brand name. Hence, you can see the title of invoice is Craft and Comfort."

Yikes! I wouldn't say I have a suspicious nature. I do insist my mother present a photo ID when we get together, but that's understandable as she keeps changing her hair style. And now I have this situation. Some of you might be thinking, "No way!" First, everyone else buying a "Tandem Family" bike are dealing with "Christine" from "Performer." I'm dealing with "Ann" from "Craft and Comfort." Others mention a 5 day delivery schedule, I'm looking at a three week production leadtime. What the heck is a leadtime, anyway?

What to do? So, in the spirit of, "if this deal goes south, I'll just tack the cost on to my new Hase Pino when telling friends how much it cost," I sent the money.

I can feel a "leadtime" coming on, I'll post something back in about three weeks. ;)

Heartwarming to see such faith in humanity!

I emailed Christine at Performer to find out what might be transpiring. Here is her response:

Hello John ,

Ann is my sales , and control our sales department .
"Craft an Comfort Co., Ltd " is Performer export department .
So , don't worry ! We are still Performer Co., Ltd.

Thanks !
Best Regards
Christine / Performer

Heartwarming to see such faith in humanity!

Distrust during overseas monatary transaction is understandable, hopefully Performance Recumbent does not disappoint and MrAtkins can post some praises when he receives his Family Tandem.
BTW, when was the last time you demanded to have custom colors or pinstripes from a bicycle manufacture and they are able to comply?

My wife and I have ridden the Family tandem for over 2 years now, about 1200 mi., no need for freewheel per stoker..

............ no need for freewheel per stoker..

Well, that would depend on the stoker's co-ordination and aptitude.

A stoker freewheel will also give the option of different gearing between the captain and stoker if one should prefer a different cadence to the other.

A stoker freewheel will also give the option of different gearing between the captain and stoker if one should prefer a different cadence to the other.

Might as well ride a separate bike, IMO..

In my opinion, the stoker's extra freewheel and derailleur system (as pioneered on the Counterpoint Opus), is really not necessary. But note: I'm the captain, and the stoker on my bike --my wife, my son, or my daughter-- all really like the freewheel. If the stoker gets used to the bike without the freewheel system, that's great. Mine, however, are used to having it, and they're not giving it up.

Cat0020, we should get together sometime, with our stokers, and go for a ride. Trade bikes for a while. See how the other half lives, you know?

We were thinking of participating in the Bike NY (http://www.bikenewyork.org/) event in the spring but the weather was poor, so we did not drive up with our tandem.. maybe spring 2010.

Any progress on delivery of the goods?

Update: Friday, Dec. 18, 12:20AM

"Hi Ron | Your bike is ready. DHL NO: xxx xxxx xxx | It would be nice to receive it before X'Mas. | Ann"

:-)

sounds like progress. DHL will be helping Santa

Arrived Tuesday, Dec 22. Will post a full review ASAP.

my "requested word"

130423

:love:

The biggest problem I had with mine when I came to ride it for the first time was in realising just how tightly the handlebars have to be clamped. These are tall handlebars with a lot of leverage and if they move when you are riding they can really throw you off balance. Now that I have the handlebars in a suitable position for my riding style I am wondering whether to drive a couple of self drilling screws through the clamp into the bars.

After Ann sent confirmation of shipping, I logged onto DHL to track the package. I observed "Shipment on hold" in Taipei, Taiwan on Saturday, the 19th (Customs nabbed it), and not a thing after that. Tuesday, the 22nd, I looked out my window and to see a DHL van pulling up. On-line tracking... Go figure.


130900

First thing, you better be handy with a wrench. The bike comes with a set of tools but you may run into a few "difficulties" that require additional technologies. I detail a few of those at the end. Two areas where where a little advice might help are the cables, and the stoker's chain.


130906

You are provided with a set of precut cables and a second uncut bundle of each (brake & gear). The handle bars are jointed/sleeved just before the final curve, and the hand grips can be adjusted to point up, horizontal, or your own favorite angle. You must pick one before you run your cables. I installed the precut cables utilizing a linear approach (shortest distance between two holes). On my first ride, I discovered the left gear cable was being chomped on by the stoker's chain. Rethinking, I settled on a path that routed the cables between the struts supporting the stoker's seat. Using lazy curves, this position looks good and keeps the cables out of harm's way (you can see both runs by studying the photos provided).


130907

Once you have the chain size, adjust the boom arm to obtain your final tension. My first ride was fairly aggressive and didn't come together until the stoker's chain was perfectly tensioned. Probably not an issue at lower speeds. Also, each chain comes with a quick link. You might use a permanent connection on the primary chain and reserver both quick links for the stoker's chain, allowing a patch chain for any tall rider you might recruit.