New to Tandem: Transport!

[RedHairedScot]

My gf has expressed some interest in a tandem, so for Valentine's day we're thinking of renting one for one of the group rides that weekend. Our biggest problem is transport the 40 miles to the ride starting point. The bike shop rents Mocha and Speedster tandems (if that helps for size info). I have a friend with a station wagon that we could put the seats down in; do you think this would work?

Barring that, I can rent something. Small truck? Large truck? Van? Ryder truck? Giant robot?

(I would say that if this works well we might invest in a tandem of our own, but that's probably not feasible. We're college students, and she needs a decent single bike.)

[2intexas]

I've got a full-sized Chevy truck, and up until last weekend I just strapped the tandem down in the bed of the pickup (Santana Arriva -- 68" wheelbase). Last weekend I got a sweet deal at Walmart on a "Town & Country" hitch rack for under $50 marked down. Modified it in about an hour to fit the tandem. This'll work for anything around here. Your station wagon idea oughta work. If you can borrow a pickup, better still. In the SW, put a sheet, drop cloth, or tarp on the upholstery to protect from grease, etc.

[Rincewind8]

We have a Ford Windstar and I remove the rear bench, turn it 90 degrees and move it to the side. Then I remove the front wheel of our tandem and it easily fits in the van. I just make sure I put something underneath the front chain wheel, otherwise it is going to leave marks on the floor of the van.

I would think that if you remove the wheels it should also fit into a station wagon. If your friend has a roof rack for regular bikes you might be able to fabricate some kind of "rail extension" to fit the tandem on it. I remember seeing some pictures of such extension online.

Have fun riding!
:)

[TandemGeek]

I have a friend with a station wagon that we could put the seats down in; do you think this would work?

Assuming it's a mid- or full-size wagon with a 6' deck, Yes. You'll need to remove the front wheel but it should fit. SUVs as short as the Jeep Grand Cherokees that have front buckets can even accommodate a tandem.

Back to the wagon, What I'd do before hand is to measure the amount of room that you'll have and then give those to the shop owner so they can verify that the bike will fit. If it does, when you go to pick up the bike just have the LBS put a bike box on the floor of the wagon such that, instead of sliding the tandem in on top of the box, put the box only 1/2 way in the station wagon, then put the tandem on the box (right-side up to protect the rear derailleur): just slide the box and the tandem in the rest of the way together. It will go in and come out much easer that way as the cranks tend to be a pain to deal with. You'll want to use a couple bungie chords to strap the whole thing down so it doesn't shift around back there as it might "bugger-up" the back of your friends wagon.

You can also haul tandems around using a regular trunk mounted bike carrier with both rear wheels removed. The tandem you're renting has quick-release wheels so that makes it a snap. Just hang the bike on the rack and pull off the wheels while it's hanging off the ground. Just be sure to bring some dunnage to put between the tandem's cranks and the rack/car bumper and a few bungie chords. Wheels go on the floor of the back seat.[/

[RedHairedScot]

Thanks! I'm headed to the bike shop tomorrow with my tape measure, then to Brian's with my Car Rental Fee of Chinese takeout.

[zonatandem]

Have hauled our tandem all over this country in our Honda Accord Station Wagon. Mark's idea of a bike box on the floor works fine; we use a piece of old carpeting. Removing one wheel (front) should work with most wagons; if not, then remove both wheels, it will fit fine. We've even hauled a tandem in a VW Squareback!
You can also opt to leave the hatch of the wagon open and put tandem inside (back wheel goes in first, derailleur side up. Then put padding on the front wheel that will stick out a bit, haul down the hatch and secure it with bungee cord or an old innertube.
Go out and have fun 2-gether!!! . . .and don't forget to communicate when shifting braking, etc. with your sweetie!

Rudy and Kay/Zona tandem

[TandemGeek]

Just a little post-script anecdote regarding toting tandems around.

When we were "considering" the acquisition of our first tandem we made a point of leaving my Toyota pick-up truck at home and taking my wife's Toyota 4Runner over to our "local" tandem dealer in Birmingham, AL, operating under the premise that if I couldn't take it home I wouldn't be as tempted to make an inpulsive purchasing decision.

In theory, it should have worked... but it didn't. I discovered that by removing both front and rear wheels, dropping the back seat of the 4Runner, and then flipping our small-size Santana Arriva upside down on the tailgate, I was able to manuever it into the 4Runner, balanced on the captain's and stoker's saddles and handlebars such that the rear drop-out and derailleur came to rest between our front bucket seats. Once properly positioned, it was simply a matter of running some cargo straps from the in-floor tie-downs to the front crank axles.

So, you just need to "think outside the box" when it comes to devising ways to tote your tandem.

[Eurastus]

Believe it or not, I once hauled my full-sized da Vinci tandem in the trunk of my Volvo S60 sedan. I had to take off both wheels and the captain's seatpost (including stoker bars), fold down both of the back seats and the passenger seat as well. It was a little bit of a puzzle for me and the bike shop employee to wiggle it in, but it went. Obviously, I was the only occupant of the car, but it fit...barely. I didn't even get any oil or grease on the car (old blanket to thank for this). It's amazing where you can put a tandem when you really need to...

[galen_52657]

All great tales of transport....

All the new minivans seem to have back and middle-row seating that is split and folds into the floor....they will hold a tandem inside easily.

Unfortunately for me, my older Chrysler minivan has the seats that don't split and have to be hauled completely out of the vehicle....

Maybe it is time to trade in....

[Eurastus]

Even with the Volvo S60 story above, I obviously don't prefer to use it for the tandem as it requires too much disassembly for quick rides and there's no room for the stoker! Our usual transportation to and from long-distance rides is a 2005 Chrysler Town & Country.

Just as Galen says, folding down (in this case into the floor) the right side rear and middle seats allows the tandem to roll right in the back hatch. We lean it against the side of the van and slip a couple or three stout bungi cords through he frame and hook both ends around the unused seat hooks (where the folded up seats clip in) on the floor of the van. We've even fit two full-size tandems in the T&C this way with all four cyclists and their gear as well (two in front, one middle left, other back left). With the afore-mentioned old blanket between the tandems, there were no scratches or other nastiness afterward. Didn't even have to take any wheels off either.

I've been intending to purchase a nice tandem-specific rack for the top since I got the bike a year ago, but have never gotten around to it. Now, after all the miles with the tandem(s) in the back, and seeing how nicely everything fits, with no worries for low-hanging garage-door accidents or need to keep the car in sight during those on-the-way-home food stops, I doubt I'll ever go with any external rack system.

However, I may well fashion some sort of more secure fork-mount set-up that I can easily move in and out as needed, so I don't have to lean the tandem against the interior or, when transporting two, against each other. Better hurry with that, though. With it being 53 degrees outside right now, it looks like winter is coming to an end...