Originally Posted by
TandemGeek
..........The biggest differences in the different frame's & frame materials are weight savings achieved using more expensive, lighter tubesets that still yield the desired ride qualities for which Co-Motion's are known. ....
We decided on a Speedster over the Supremo in 2006 because my conversations with CoMotion revealed they use the same steel 631 tubeset except the stays for more rear tire clearance. The stiffness of the main frame should be identical. Later in 2011 happen to correspond with CoMotion again and they were still using the same tube set on both tandems. The Primera however uses different tubes.
We felt we were getting a great frame with the Speedster that could be configured with wide tires or almost as racy as the Supremo depending on the component selection. Brake selection (V-bake vs caliper) was one big difference due to the tire clearance.
I agree that the Fork first then the wheels and tires will make up most of the difference in feel.