Originally Posted by
jerman
Hello.
So, I been reading and there are many opionions that say to buy an expensive tandem, that you won't regret it. I am about sold on a daVinci, I think the ICS is perfect for my stoker and my riding style. That leaves frame material... I have an old steel Trek from'92 or '93 now and it's fun, but looking for the new technology... so steel, alu, or maybe carbon $$ ? The idea of alu is great for less weight to go faster..
The idea of steel is great for comfort on centuries.. The idea of carbon is suddenly considered after reading here that other people actually entertain the thought of $11K for a tandem... !!!
So, is this really worth considering, that is a lot of money!?! Great ride, less weight, lots of fun... but $11K???? Can this be rationally considered - I don't want buyers remorse??
If you are fearful of buyers remorse, then stay in the middle of the pack in terms of material choices and buy in the top half of the available price range.
Going with a carbon frame leaves one to deal with the unknown long term reliability issues. So recommend looking for ads for several different carbon based used tandems in the 20-25 year old range and ask the sellers how much they rode it and how hard and for their impressions with ownership.
Back to the better choices; After one approaches the upper half of the price range the difference in weight between steel and a aluminum tandem isn't as great today as one might think. Before deciding you should ride both for a century ride at least and see if you have any reaction to their feel. Some folks can't tell the difference while others take on a life long mission to never allow anyone they know to buy one or the other because of the obvious betterness of their choice.
If you leave the test with no clear decision, recommend shopping on ebay for a month or two to pick up a used Santana steel one from 1990's or later (often gettable under $1,000) and use it a year or two to see if your needs can be better defined. When you are really ready to drop $5-12k, you want to know for sure! You may find that the trial one is just fine and dandy as it is.