my wife and i purchased a da vinci joint venture with a wound up carbon fork and dis brake in the rear about two months ago. we could not be any happier with the bike. it handles like a dream. the combination of the 26"x1.25 tires and the carbon fork makes for an unbelievably comfortable ride. i still can't get used to the look of the small wheels, but for comfort( which is very important for the wife) this bike is awesome. i ride a merlin extralight with ouzo pro carbon fork and for comfort there is no comparison. the smaller wheels are not an issue for speed, either low or high, because of the four chainrings in the front. i did not mention that we bought the steel frame. the ics system really does make things alot easier for a couple not so used to riding a tandem. we bought this bike so that we could both get a workout but ride together, which was not possible on the single bikes. the ics system allows us to do this. if you can afford the da vinci i think you will not be dissappointed
bob