You will only get a good tandem if you spend some money IMHO. That being said....I have been a cyclist for around 20 years. I have never ridden a finer handling bike single or tandem as my Co-Motion. I have ridden a santana and it is comparable, I have ridden a borthwick and it was nice but not as silky as my co-mo, The trek was nowhere near as nice and Neither was the Cannondale. For a few hundred more you get much nicer bike. Yes perhaps I am a co-mo snob but its the tandem that made me that way. My CO- MO is a much smaller company allowing them to focus on detail and Much higher quality. Trek is a very large bicycle company that Is more into mass production. They are a bicycle company that got into the Tandem scene later. CO-Motion started out as Tandem company that is now making small numbers of singles. you can buy frozen bagels at the grocer or you can go to the bagel shop and buy them from the bagel maker. Which tastes better? But which costs more?