New to Tandem
01-19-09, 01:44 PM
#1
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New to Tandem
I recently started dating women who loves to go cycling, but we are at different levels of cycling ( I tend to ride about 16-18 mph on Avg she is around 12-15 MPH on AVG). We both love cycling and want to do more together. We meet cycling and we started talking about a Tandem bike. As you know they are not cheep. We found an early 90’s Schwinn road bike that is in great shape( hardly used). We are planning on buying it and swapping some parts for a better fit and ride. The price is 500.00 from a small bike shop. We know the guy fairly well and he is willing to let us try it out when the weather clears up. We are thinking it will be a small investment and if we like it we can talk about upgrading in a couple of years. We are talking about doing some rides locally on it (Here in MI), but we may do a ride in Lake Tahoe which would be a bit of climbing. I am looking for all types of advice here, from tips for riding, and the purchase of the used bike. Oh and transporting this bike (She has a Honda Pilot I have a Dodge Caliber. We both have bike racks) Thanks for your input!
01-19-09, 02:24 PM
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If you are familiar enough with bikes in general and can inspect it to determine if the quality of is sufficient and the bike is in good repair, your only other consideration is fit. If it fits the both of you pretty well, $500 is a bargain. This sounds like a good starting point to see if both of you (especially the stoker) likes tandeming. If he is willing to let you try it out, you will probably be able to see if you like tandeming in 10 or 20 miles. You will also be able to determine the quality of the bike. Good luck!
01-19-09, 03:30 PM
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01-19-09, 03:59 PM
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No matter which direction your relationship is moving it will speed up on a tandem.
Sheldon
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01-19-09, 08:38 PM
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"we may do a ride in Lake Tahoe which would be a bit of climbing."
I'm pretty familiar with this area since I grew up there, so here goes...
There is a bike trail from Tahoma (west shore) to Tahoe City. It continues from TC to Squaw Valley entrance. You can continue on into SV on a two lane, slow speed road (about 3 miles). Distance from Tahoma to SV is about 13 mi. All flat. You can also ride from TC to Truckee via Highway 89 although it is slightly downhill (The bike shoulder is wide and there are a lot of riders on it). About 12 miles - one way). You can also ride from Truckee to the west end of Donner Lake on flat roads, (about 5 miles). From there you are into climbing. PM me if you want to know additional routes.
Great riding, depending on time of year.
I'm pretty familiar with this area since I grew up there, so here goes...
There is a bike trail from Tahoma (west shore) to Tahoe City. It continues from TC to Squaw Valley entrance. You can continue on into SV on a two lane, slow speed road (about 3 miles). Distance from Tahoma to SV is about 13 mi. All flat. You can also ride from TC to Truckee via Highway 89 although it is slightly downhill (The bike shoulder is wide and there are a lot of riders on it). About 12 miles - one way). You can also ride from Truckee to the west end of Donner Lake on flat roads, (about 5 miles). From there you are into climbing. PM me if you want to know additional routes.
Great riding, depending on time of year.
01-19-09, 10:32 PM
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[quote=VaultGuru;8211931
There is a bike trail from Tahoma (west shore) to Tahoe City. It continues from TC to Squaw Valley entrance. You can continue on into SV on a two lane, slow speed road (about 3 miles). Distance from Tahoma to SV is about 13 mi. All flat. You can also ride from TC to Truckee via Highway 89 although it is slightly downhill (The bike shoulder is wide and there are a lot of riders on it). About 12 miles - one way). You can also ride from Truckee to the west end of Donner Lake on flat roads, (about 5 miles). From there you are into climbing. PM me if you want to know additional routes.
Great riding, depending on time of year.[/QUOTE]
Easy riding on a lot of that stuff too- not all Tahoe rides look like the Swiss Alps. Pics from some of the routes above:
https://forums.roadbikereview.com/sho...d.php?t=149627
There is a bike trail from Tahoma (west shore) to Tahoe City. It continues from TC to Squaw Valley entrance. You can continue on into SV on a two lane, slow speed road (about 3 miles). Distance from Tahoma to SV is about 13 mi. All flat. You can also ride from TC to Truckee via Highway 89 although it is slightly downhill (The bike shoulder is wide and there are a lot of riders on it). About 12 miles - one way). You can also ride from Truckee to the west end of Donner Lake on flat roads, (about 5 miles). From there you are into climbing. PM me if you want to know additional routes.
Great riding, depending on time of year.[/QUOTE]
Easy riding on a lot of that stuff too- not all Tahoe rides look like the Swiss Alps. Pics from some of the routes above:
https://forums.roadbikereview.com/sho...d.php?t=149627
