Tandem Cycling - Help Finding a Tandem?

Hi All

My son and I commute together everyday with him on a tag along bolted to the back of my mountain bike. Unfortunately he is now a beefy 7 year old and it is really no longer a safe transport option.

I have been searching high and low for a reasonable/good quality tandem that we could step up to but I am finding the sticker prices to be a bit of a challenge. I have been scanning ebay and Craigslist for a used tandem but we live in Pittsburgh and there seems to be a complete lack of any used bikes in this area.

Does anybody know of a used tandem bike for sale within a couple of hundred miles of Pittsburgh?

Another complication is that I am 6'4" so sizing might be tricky.

If I was to take a punt on a new bike, what do people recommend?

Many thanks

How far is your commute? What is your budget range?

There are three inexpensive tandems are available with free delivery from Amazon.com:

Pacific Dualie Tandem Bike (26-Inch Wheels) $239.99
Kent Dual Drive Tandem Comfort Bike $291.26
Lamborghini Viaggio Tandem Bike $449.99

I bought the Pacific Dualie and find it tons of fun to tool around with the missus and/or kids around the neighborhood. You can try these out relatively inexpensively and see if they work out for your particular needs.



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Thanks for the response...

I have seen a couple of those brands on ebay but wasn't sure what they were like.

I ride about 20 mins with my son, then drop him off and do a further 40 minutes, some of it on trails into work. The repeat at the end of the day.

I think the main thing for me is to get something I will enjoy riding. Is the Pacific bike functional enough to take a daily beating?

Bikes I have looked online are Bike Friday Tandem Traveler and Cannondale Rd 3. I would prefer to pay under $1000 but have almost resigned myself to closer to $2000 given the lack of used bikes.

Then again...maybe the Pacific is worth a go??

http://www.thetandemlink.com/tandems.html
might have some helpful information, including some links to other places where tandems are advertised.

Tandemlink also has a listing of clubs - you might check around in your area and see if anyone there has a tandem which they are moving up from.

Might be worth it to set yourself up some daily searches on Craigslist and eBay for tandems.

Thanks for the response...

I have seen a couple of those brands on ebay but wasn't sure what they were like.

I ride about 20 mins with my son, then drop him off and do a further 40 minutes, some of it on trails into work. The repeat at the end of the day.

I think the main thing for me is to get something I will enjoy riding. Is the Pacific bike functional enough to take a daily beating?

Bikes I have looked online are Bike Friday Tandem Traveler and Cannondale Rd 3. I would prefer to pay under $1000 but have almost resigned myself to closer to $2000 given the lack of used bikes.

Then again...maybe the Pacific is worth a go??

The Pacific Tandem is a heavy but sturdy hi-ten steel frame. Mine arrived new and in decent shape and the build quality is surprisingly good for it's price. It was a better option for me than the used vintage rusted ones on Craigslist in NY (which I scour frequently). I think that if the Pacific Dualie were not available, I would not have even considered buying a tandem bike. Now I enjoy riding it immensely.


If the cost is weighing very heavily on your decision, then I believe that these tandems can offer you a good option. You can always upgrade later if your situation allows it. I'm waiting on the time I can order a custom Calfee DaVinci tandem...LOL.


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thanks for the links Moleman and thanks for the input Stray.

Looking at the sizes of the Pacific tandem (and the Lambo) I don't think the size will work for me.

I found a store in Mt Airy which seems to have many options. Not sure about cost and it is 3.5 hours away but might be worth the trip.

Larry Black at Mt. Airy usually has quite a few tandems in stock and would be an excellent source for a demo ride and tandem info.

http://www.tandemmag.com/classified/
Tandem Mag has a classifieds section that sometimes has good deals on it. I personally waited all summer to find my good deal, then drove 3 hours to get to it. Some bike shops also keep tabs on tandems for sale in the area. The shops near me don't have space to leave them in the shop so they keep the owners contact info on hand and then take a % of the sale if they help with it. Over the summer I found 4 reasonably nice road type tandems under $1000. Given the age of your son you will probably also need a kidback. As for single riding a tandem, I've been doing it a lot lately as my stoker is still recovering from an ankle injury rock climbing and my snow tires don't fit on my road bike. You have to take the turning radius into account and it isn't as lively as my road bike, but overall it works to my liking.

That's a really good point about riding a tandem solo. I had wondered how practical that would be since I drop my son off at school and then ride to work. In the past I have just chained his tag along up at his school and then headed out on my commuter bike.

Looks like I will be heading down to see Larry in Mt Airy and have a look around. It seems the only way to figure out what I need size-wise and spec-wise. Hopefully he will have something suitable/affordable!

Thanks to all for the comments!

Check Craigs List New York State, Erieville area I beleive. As of 12/24/08 a used Burley was for sale for $625. I nearly purchased it for my eight year old and I but it was a 12 hour round trip drive from RI. Instead I purchased a used Trek T900 for $650 located 10 minutes from my house. The Burley model for sale is perfect for a small stoker as is the Trek I purchased. Good luck.

excellent tip-off Singlespeedscot!!
Many thanks for that