On further review... I'm not recommending a TH8 necessarily but I think you might fit one. My doctor says I'm 5'9" (I respectfully disagree because I was always 5'10.5", but what do I know?
) and I fit the front just fine. Sharon is 5'2" and the rear is marginally big for her so she can't quite straddle her TT comfortably.
F00, if you are really looking for a tandem, there are lots of little things to be aware of. You can learn lots from the Tandem forum, but sometimes that's like reading the Roadie - if it ain't the latest bestest thing then it ain't good enough to converse about.
A tandem is not just a larger version of a solo bike. The bike is indeed bigger and the psychology is different. Your stoker
MUST be able to yield
ALL control to you. Some people can't do that. Your stoker
MUST have
COMPLETE faith in your judgment. Some people can't do that either. The captain's Job 1 is the keep the bike safe. Job 2 is to keep the stoker happy. Some forms of communication are important, especially the word "Bump". However you can usually have a nice conversation while riding. With most teams the stoker can't see the road ahead but has more freedom to look around at the passing scenery. If the captain has a helmet mirror the stoker must not try to look over the captain's left should to see the road.
Mechanical things on a tandem are different. Most have nutted rear wheels because a QR skewer may not hold the wheel tightly enough. A rear flat must be fixed without removing the wheel unless you carry a BFW. Wheels carry more load (though we have only 36 spokes rear, 32 spokes front). The captain can't see the derailleurs and can't hear them very well either so shifting takes some faith. (With a triple up front, I'm happy to have only a 5-spd FW instead of 6 or 7.) Braking and turning take more distance - with braking people think they can't brake instantaneously like they can on a solo bike, but when you get right down to it you can't instantly come to a stop on a solo bike either. You always need some distance so the difference is really about anticipation. Tandems don't go uphill so well, so low gearing is essential. However they fly downhill with the least provocation.