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dewdewey
02-02-04, 07:59 AM
Can anyone tell me where to go to read some road test reports on Tandem Bicycles?
I'm a "Child of the 60's" and a creature of habit... so I'm inclined to go over to my local Schwinn Dealer and buy an 04' with an MSRP of $549.00 which seems resonable.
I don't want to make a mistake by virtue of brand affinity but I totally love my Schwinn Alloy Beach Cruiser so I've got to think that even with Tai engineering, It'll be fine.
Any Opinions??
TandemGeek
02-02-04, 08:27 AM
Can anyone tell me where to go to read some road test reports on Tandem Bicycles?
Try this URL for a review of the Tango you are considering:
http://products.consumerguide.com/cp/family/review/index.cfm/id/24565
The only other current source for tandem reviews is Recumbent & Tandem Rider Magazine: http://www.rtrmag.com
Your local library and any bicycle shop that sells recumbents or tandems would likely have a few issues laying around. A complete index of all their reviews is included at the Web site and you can order back issues for a nominal fee. While the reviews aren't necessarily as technically objective as I'd like, they do reflect fairly good rider impressions that convey the goodness or badness of each bike, but with clearly a bias towards being positive in most cases.
Retro Grouch
02-06-04, 10:53 AM
Can anyone tell me where to go to read some road test reports on Tandem Bicycles?
I'm a "Child of the 60's" and a creature of habit... so I'm inclined to go over to my local Schwinn Dealer and buy an 04' with an MSRP of $549.00 which seems resonable.
I don't want to make a mistake by virtue of brand affinity but I totally love my Schwinn Alloy Beach Cruiser so I've got to think that even with Tai engineering, It'll be fine.
Any Opinions??
Try to find a place that will let you test ride the $549.00 Schwinn and a Burley Samba immediately after one another. I suspect you will notice a huge difference in side-to-side sway. Personally, I find the low priced tandems kind of scary to ride. It's not a good deal regardless of price if you are afraid to ride it and don't use it.
zonatandem
02-06-04, 03:29 PM
Howdy from Tucson!
Have done a brief test ride on the Schwinn Tango . . it's a beach cruiser type machine. If you do not want to do more than in-town or around the block riding in non-hilly terrain, that would be fine.
However most folks eventually want to go further and we would not recommend the Chinese -made Schwinn. Yes it looks cool, yes it looks 'retro'. If your really want a Schwinn tandem, they made one about a dozen years ago called the Schwinn DuoSport which sold for about $1,200, and used today should be available for around the $400 to $500 range. Check some of the used tandems listed on several websites, you may find one.
For that money you could also find other used tandems that will be lighter, easier to handle and would serve you better. Checkout used 2-seaters by Burley, Co-Motion, Santana, Bike Twosday, Ibis, Rodriguez, Asssenmacher, Follis, Jack Taylor, LeJeune, Gitane, Colin Laing, Specialized, Lippy, Cannondale . . . any of these could be a better deal and ride!
Good luck!
Rudy & Kay