There is another brand of upper level entry level tandem you haven't mentioned: Raleigh. You might have a look at their new for 2016 Cadent Tandem. it is the successor to a model called a Coupe that has been discontinued. We have a Coupe and like it a lot. Disk brakes, Shimano 105 level gruppo, 700C wheels, flat bars (we converted ours to drops) and ~40lbs. The Cadent has no physical resemblance to the Coupe. Truthfully, if we didn't already have a perfectly fine Coupe we would buy the Cadent. Having converted our Coupe to drop-bars and having thoroughly worn out our knock-around Kent Dual-Drive, we need another flat-bar bike for commuting and errands. Raleigh makes a model called the Companion perfect for this, and you might look at that one as well. I do not like the styling of the 2016 Companion, and I am on the trail of some new leftover models from 2013 and 2014. IMO the Raleigh Companion ideally suits the kind of riding and performance objectives of yourself and your SO. Luckily or not, my SO has no opinion on the aesthetics of a purchase. Being blind she cares only about the comfort and also the connection. Independent coasting would not excite her very much, she wants to feel that sense of joint physical purpose through the pedals that only a traditional timing chain setup delivers. When I first saw the Smooth, the IGH put me off but the dealer quickly assured me that they could buy back the Gates components and replace them with a traditional Shimano or SRAM drivetrain at no great savings. Fine if you just hate IGH on performance issues, but not so great if you are looking to save money. For us its more the latter. I don't have much else to offer. Good luck.