josapy

Hi I am looking for a tandem, Only problem is my wife is 4' 11". What would anyone recomend. I have looked at the t900 and the norco but the norco is a little to heigh for her.

Redrom

We have a Tandem Recumbent Trike, the Troika by Organic Engines. It would fit her, and is a blast to ride.

twilkins9076

We ride a Burley Duet. My wife is 5'0", and I'm 5'7". The small sized Burley frame fits us well, but there isn't a lot of seatpost showing on hers.

The best advice I can give you is to find a tandem specific dealer (even if it involves a weekend getaway) and ride as many different bikes as you can. You'll find that each brand fits and rides a little differently.

Another option would be to go with a custom build, but unless you're sure tandeming is for you, I would hesitate to go that route.

Check out some of Zonatandem's (sp?) posts. I think his stoker is even shorter than yours.

Bill G

Here are a couple of tandems that may work for you, take a look at the measurments listed below. The Periscope model listed below after the regular small model standard tandem will do the job for sure.

The specs on the 21/18 small Co-Motion tandem the stoker compartment fits a stoker from 4-10" to 5-10" tall with a inseam or standover of 26.5" to 33" .The Premera tandem starts at $2995.00 retail.

If the small tandem is still to tall, Co-Motion makes the Periscope 26 model with 26" wheels on or off road model and the Periscope 700C model with 700C wheels for road only. The 26" wheel model fits a stoker from 3-6" to 6-2" tall but allows for a shorter inseam or standover of 19" to 34" and the 700C wheeled model fits a stoker 3.8" to 6.2" tall with a inseam or standover of 21.5" to 34" The retail price of the Periscope models are $2995.00 retail as well.

For really short stokers and kids the Periscope model is the way to go. Go to Co-Motions web site and take a look. www.co-motion.com

Good luck,
Bill G

zonatandem

josapy:
Dependig on your budget ($$) here a few tandems that should fit your *tall* 4'11" stoker:
Burley Zydeco @ $1,000, alu frame, 26" wheels. Have ridden lots of Burleys, but never the Zydeco model.
Bike Friday folks build several 20" wheel tandems with great standover room for even smallest stokers. Prices start around $1,200 to $7,000; from 7 speeds to 27 speeds in a wide range of componentry and options. Many upgrades/options that add up $$ quickly. Have ridden several and they handle just fine, but do look a bit 'funny' but are 'fun' to pedal!
Co-Motion (as mentioned by Bill G) offers the Periscope model in either 26" or 700c wheels with the 26" probably being a better fit because of the smaller wheel diameter that would allow for a suspension seatpost (if deemed necessary). Price: $3,000. Have ridden Periscope and its a great tandem for the $$.
Of course going custom is another option, but price is up significantly from the 3 production tandems mentioned.
Your wallet, and fit, will dictate your choice.
For a first time tandem it would not be advisable to sink lotsa $$ into it; if you 2 like the tandem lifestyle, you can always buy better/fancier/$$$, or even custom, next time around!
Hope this helps.
Pedal on TWogether!
Rudy and Kay/zonatandem

P.S. Stoker Kay is 4' 10 3/4 'tall' . . . 'good things come in small packages' she says!

zzzwillzzz

burley makes and extra small in their steel road frames 50/43
here's their spec sheet and geometry-
https://burley.com/images/PDF/TN-Spec-ALL.pdf

Retro Grouch 

I had a customer who was rather short himself and who had a wife who was really short. He was a quite avid rider but couldn't get get his wife to ride with him because they could never get a bike to fit her.

I sold him a Burley Zydaco X-frame. I can't remember for sure, but I think that maybe I converted it to dropped handlebars on the front. I know that I worked pretty hard on some equipment changes and fit adjustments. At any rate, I saw the pair at a ride two or three months later. She was so enthusiastic with her praise that it was almost embarassing. She said it was the first bike she was ever on that fit.

Coincidentally, the couple's last name happened to be "Little".

zonatandem

Burley does offer mt. bike tandems (26" wheels) that of course run smaller in height than road tandems. And yes, you can order or retrofit dropbar/shifter conversions.
Beleive the x-tra small Burleys run 26"wheels (but not 100% certain).

josapy

Thanks to all who returned emails. My wife loves the idea of weekend getaway to test drive bikes. Only problem we live in london ontario canada and do not know were to go that would have a couple of different models to choose from.

TandemGeek

Check with the folks at MBS Tandems

Meadowvale Bicycle Service
2964 Keynes Crescent
Mississauga, Ontario
L5N 3A1

Phone: 905-824-9364
Fax: 905-824-6429
E-Mail: info@mbstandems.com



https://www.mbstandems.com/

zonatandem

The VandeVeldes at MBS Tandems have been long-time tandemistas and are likely the only 'tandem shop' in your area. London is only a hop-skip-jump from Mississauga.

Michel Gagnon

Your wife standing tall at 4' 11" is not a problem on a tandem because the stoker doesn't need to put her foot down at stops. So as long as she can reach comfortably the controls, she is OK. Now the real problem is how tall are you?

We went for a Co-Motion Primera in the fall 2003 because with my 90-cm legs, I need the largest frame I can find, while my then 7.5 years-old stoker wasn't too tall yet. She would fit the large-small (23"-18", I think) barely, with a different rear seatpost and crank shorteners. Now that she is 10 and, I think, 4' 6", she doesn't have the shorteners anymore and her seat is raised by 2-3 cm. She also uses a longer-reach stem, so it effectively shortens her cockpit.

BTW, I shopped at MBS Tandems and was very pleased with the service.

zonatandem

We differ with Gagnon's statement that stoker does not have to be able to put feet down. Agreed many stokers, including Kay, stay seated/clipped in while stopped at traffic signals; however my stoker vehemently disagrees (the method is espoused by Santana tandems owner Bill) that stoker does not have to be able to get her feet down as it is the pilot's responsibility to take care of things on the tandem.
When, and if, there is a situation that arises that tandem will not stay upright, stoker will be glad she was able to put her feet on the ground, thereby saving some delicate parts of her anatomy from impacting the top tube.
Agreed those instances are rare, but in our 31+ years of tandeming it has happened to us. And newcomers to the tandem scene sometimes do inadvertently 'dump' their stoker!
Just a difference of opinion, and a decision/situation that the buyer should be aware of.

Pedal on TWOgether!
Rudy and Kay/zonatandem

vosyer

I am not a Peroscope fan - but try the Co-Motion Mocha. You failed to say how tall you were. I am pretty sure you can order a Cannondale to fit. I've seen Lg/xsmall. Of couse the easest way is a custom where you be a assured it will fit. We have a several teams in the club with 5.0 ft stockers and they are riding Bushnells, Rodregize from R&E Cycles, and Eriksons

LandLuger

Bike Friday?

DocF

I am about 5'8" and my wife is barely 4' 10". We ride a Cannondale MT800 M/S frame. It fits me very well and is tolerable for my wife. We did have to change out some bits to make her comfortable, but it is the best fit we could afford.

Doc

lodie

we have a burley zydaco X frame.My wife is 5' and I am 5' 4''. we love the bike and the ride is excellent.In 2 years we rode 6330 km.we try to ride as much as we can.