Tandem Cycling - converting bikes to tandem

My girlfriend and I each already have nice (i.e. $$$) road bikes. She has had a visual injury and can't ride solo so we are looking into tandem. Is there any way of joining two bikes together to make a tandem ?? Thanks :-)

Sheldon Brown gives instructions: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tandem-build.html

But even two extraordinary road bikes will not make for a very good tandem if you weld them together.

Get a real tandem, you'll not regret it.

Sheldon Brown gives instructions: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tandem-build.html

But even two extraordinary road bikes will not make for a very good tandem if you weld them together.

In fact, I'd take it one further. Two ordinary/low end bikes can be welded together to make a tandem that - for a tandem - is not worlds worse than the pair you started with. Two good to excellent bikes might make a slightly better tandem (than two low end bikes), but the decrement from where you started will be much larger. If you start, on a scale of 1-100, with a pair of 10s, you might get a 9 if you're lucky. If you start with a pair of 90s, you could well end up with a 12, or maybe even a 20. Since you're used to 90s, it's hard to imagine liking the 20.

Are you looking for a long-term or short-term solution? Because if this is a long-term situation, you may want to consider selling her bike if she can't use it anyway, and put the funds towards a real tandem.

THanks everyone. The issue is that she will probably never be able to ride solo again. If a tandem works and she likes it, then a real tandem will probably be the way to go, but I was hoping there was a way to try it out and re-use what we already have. She likes biking but does not love it and unclear if she will love a tandem. Plus my bike is a custom fitted serotta, and the comfort factor has been a huge plus for me on long rides so I was hoping to be able to re-use it.

lodghe....if you want the best chance for sucess of her enjoying her first Tandem experience with you, I highly recommend that you borrow or rent a proper solid tandem (does not have to be a high dollar one) AND that you spend time on it first with and experienced tandem rider coaching you.

Before she gets on the tandem for the first time, it will benefit you both for her to know that you have command of the bike, understand its' quirks and are prepared to captain her first ride with confidence. A stokers first experience is a one time opportunity that you must maximize in the most positive way...under the best of circumstances any new stoker will rightly be nervous and have reservations, add in her visual challenge, and you have a person that needs to know she can trust the new experience will be safe one. Make it as comfortable and safe as possible for her as soon as possible so that her other senses can feel the fun that can be had on the tandem. Take your time...plan everything well...then enjoy. Good luck!

Bill J.

Talk to Ben and see if you can trade in your single on a Serotta tandem.
Yes, have ridden a Serotta Ti tandem a dozen years ago.