When I was shopping for a tandem for my daughter and myself three years ago, I discovered that there were a *lot* of barely used ones out there; it seems pretty common for people to buy them and then immediately turn them into garage queens after a few miles.
So if you do end up finding that you enjoy them, checks your local Craigslist/bike kitchen/etc, and you could very well find a fairly high end tandem at a very attractive price.
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Knows the weight of my bike to the nearest 10 pounds.