Tandem Cycling - Handmade Bike Show 2009 - Tandems

I had the pleasure of visiting the HAHBS (North American Handmade Bicycle Show) at the Indianapolis, IN Convention Center for five hours on Saturday. This post will share some photos of the tandems exhibited at the show. The show organizer, Don Walker, is a frame builder, past track racer, and a bicycle shop owner in Indianapolis. The images in this post are: a Calfee carbon fiber tandem with wheels made with HED carbon fiber rims on White Industry hubs and a Gates carbon timing belt; a Bilenky tandem, a Don Walker track tandem, Dwan Shepard at his Co-Motion booth, and a flight of fancy single bamboo bike made by Calfee out of multiple smaller diameter pieces of bamboo. Craig also had one of his African Bicycle Project bikes there that had been made in Ghana. According to Craig the project is going well. It was a pleasure to meet both Craig Calfee and Dwan of Co-Motion.

Santana Team Niobium
Bloomington, IN

Do you know who made the fork on the Calfee? It does not look familiar. Winwood Muddy Disc Cross?

Thanks for sharing. Wow, that bamboo bike looks sick!

The hip flask holder on the Bilenky looks like a great idea!

I spent some time there as well. Talked to Calfee a long time about the bamboo bike stand (simple, and works wonderfully). Prototypes were made with PVC, seems like a great project. I will say I hated that maze and blue Co-motion tandem :-).

Here is a pic of Craig with my kids. He seems like a really nice guy!

http://www.weberwoodworking.com/bikeforums/calfee.jpg

Do you know if the Calfee with the head wheels was done on 145mm spacing?

I sense our collective mouths watering with the Calfee...

I sense our collective mouths watering with the Calfee...

The Calfee was really something. Very handsome and About 28 lbs I think. What about the recumbent tandem with riders facing opposite?

Hey, you didn't include this triple bike from the show. I'd like to see it on the road!

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_wc7ef8CMbxA/SaxTQb2TVSI/AAAAAAAABqI/bfvYY9LfA2o/s640/IMG_6734.JPG


Edit-- I didn't look at the bike carefully at the show. But zooming in on the photo, I can see both the front and rear recumbent stokers have their own shifters, so they can change cadence independently of the center pilot! You can see the grip shifter on the near side seat rail for the rear stoker.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_wc7ef8CMbxA/SaxVLyiDzhI/AAAAAAAABqY/hc0VgH2eQ4w/s720/IMG_6734a.JPG

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_wc7ef8CMbxA/SaxVLNe2DkI/AAAAAAAABrY/fN4VOLyHur8/s640/IMG_6734b.JPG

Hey, you didn't include this triple bike from the show. I'd like to see it on the road!

It's called a Waltz and it's a derivative of the Opus Counterpoint / Bilenky Viewpoint semi-recumbent tandem designs.

You can find a series of photos showing the maiden voyage of that particular Waltz before paint at this url:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/26208450@N02/sets/72157612491500621/show/

Here are some other Waltz' in the real world

http://www.bilenky.com/images/waltz2.jpg

http://tandem-fahren.de/Modelle/Lieger/waltz.jpg

http://www.sandsmachine.com/p_bilt20.jpg

The Bilenky pictured above took away the honor of "best tandem" at this year's show. The reward for "Best titanium bike" also went to a tandem, this one built by Kent Eriksen (from cylingnews.com (http://www.cyclingnews.com/tech/2009/shows/nahmbs09/?id=results/nahmbs093)).

I will say I hated that maze and blue Co-motion tandem :-).
Not sure if you hated it because of it's team affilitation, but on Co-Motion's website (http://co-motion.com/new_site/gallery2/main.php) there numerous examples of great frames that are painted in a hideous scheme.
That is one drawback of allowing customers almost unlimited freedom in color choice.
Duppie

I am looking for the fashionable "house divided" theme on a tandem.

Thanx for posting . . . some nice looking tandem bikes, including the 'push-me/pull-you' Waltz; can't see much demand for that, but then again triples are gaining in popularity.
Have seen exactly one Counterpoint triple in our years of tandeming.
As for paint schemes, we've had all our custom tandems with custom paint jobs; from mini-mural on the boobtube to a lavender/purple fade; beauty is in the eyes of the owners and sometimes the beholder.
Our current tandem is carbon fiber weave clearcoat with the cutout lugs painted in black gold.
Hey it's our bike . . . we like it!
Pedal on TWOgether!
Rudy and Kay/zonatandem

I spent some time there as well. Talked to Calfee a long time about the bamboo bike stand (simple, and works wonderfully). Prototypes were made with PVC, seems like a great project. I will say I hated that maze and blue Co-motion tandem :-).

It's going to a customer in Ohio too. At least it's Toledo so he won't have too far to run if need be. Paint aside, it is a very nice bike.