After less than stellar customer service dealing with wheel problems on our Santana Beyond, we decided to invest some time looking for our next tandem. The Beyond was our 2nd Santana, but the lack of welcome at their shop did not inspire brand loyalty. Since it was the first place we looked, we didn't recognize how bad it was. We later visited Ventana, who although not stocking complete bikes, borrowed a tandem for us to test ride (as well as giving us a complete tour showing us how the frames are built). We also visited Bike Friday and Co-Motion in Oregon, and again were treated like valued customers, given tours of the production areas and test rides. Our shopping journey led us to MTB Tandems in Georgia.
MTB Tandems | Website Alex Nutt keeps a fleet of tandems available for test rides and fit.
We were told at the Ventana factory (in Rancho Cordova, CA) that Alex would be the best one to set up a bike for our needs. It made no sense to me to have a frame shipped from California to Georgia to be assembled and then shipped back to us in California; until I talked to Alex about the type riding we do, the type we want to do and what equipment we can use to achieve the comfort we wanted. We took a substantial detour to go to MTB Tandems and look at different options on the bikes and try things out. Alex took our order by going over individual tandem approved components to customize the build for our needs. He didn't charge for test rides, nor for the incredible amount of time he spent with us. I was happy with the price he came up with once all the pieces were totaled. And while I'm always happy to get charged less than I expected to pay, I hope he charges enough to stay in business.
We wanted a full suspension mountain bike, which he had for us to test. But his test fleet wasn't limited to just mountain bikes. He deals in an assortment of brands. I highly recommend anyone shopping tandems to give him a call and check out his web site. His customer service is outstanding!