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Old 08-22-04, 10:15 PM
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TandemGeek
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Originally Posted by Murrays
Initially, the colors didn't look as good under the shop lights
IMHO, tandems just scream for fades and I think the paint scheme you went with is spectacular. Not necessarily colors that I would have thought to combine, but the end result really works great with the carbon fork, black components and black handlebar tape.


Originally Posted by Murrays
I've got major toe overlap on the front wheel (21/18 size). This shouldn't be a problem, but do others have this?
Oh yea... big time toe overlap on both road tandems (and a little on my 1/2 bikes). The only time I think about it is when we make U-turns. Just remember to point your outside foot down while working the turn and it won't be an issue.


Originally Posted by Murrays
Great handling!
Co-Motion owns the road when it comes to high-performance handling; longest-steering trail and about the stiffest frameset you can find from a production builder.


Originally Posted by Murrays
The water bottles are a bit difficult to reach. I used a camel back on the long ride so I wouldn't die of thirst.
If your frame is too small to allow for a water bottle on your internal (like mine), then you do have a long reach to that 2nd bottle since it ends up being placed in a lower position due to the internal tube. The larger tandems don't usually have this size constraint for the primary Captain's bottle and end up with a shorter reach than a 1/2 bike. As for the stoker, they too usually have a longer reach for the bottles on the internal tube. But, like a lot of things you'll experience for the first time on a tandem, it won't be as awkward feeling after a few rides.

Ref. the photo of our travel tandem below, I "own" the cage that sits on the down tube and the first bottle cage on the internal behind my seatpost, whereas Debbie owns the second bottle on the internal and the one on her seat tube. When my first bottle is empty I just hand it back to Debbie and she swaps it out for the full one: yet another of the many benefits* of having a navigator on board! Oh, here's a stupid tandem trick that may come in handy: If I want to I can also bite the valve on my empty to hold it out of the way while I coast and reach between my right leg and the seat tube to grab the bottle from the cage behind the seat tube. I just move the full bottle up to the downtube cage, and then put my empty in the cage behind the seat tube. I don't recall when I realized it could actually do this, but it comes in handy when you know your stoker is either preoccupied in a discussion with another stoker or is toasted and not really looking for any "extra duties" beyond pushing your butt up the next hill. Note: This is often the stoker's view of the world as it were and there is a captain's equivalent related to dragging her butt up the next hill. The truth of the matter is, both of you are right and wrong but you dont' always know when it's just plain hard on both of you or when you're not 100%. Thus, good Captains and Stokers always suck-it-up because, after all, riding together is still better than not riding together.

*Stoker Benefits: Oh yeah, your rear jersey pockets belong to her too but it's a minor sacrifice for having someone who can pass you a Goo or an energy bar when you need it, or who will automatically pull your arm warmers off if you swing an arm back with one pulled down to your wrist. Of course, for all of this great support you're expected to be mindful of what you eat before and during rides. No Denver omlettes for breakfast, no bean burrittos for lunch, etc.... Oh yeah, and always warn your stoker before riding no handed to stretch or to get bugs and debris out of your helmet; it really freaks them out once they realize neither one of you can steer or stop the bike at that particular moment. This is where the stoker benefits become a double-edged sword since that close proximity to your backside means they can also slap you with relative ease and blame it on a bee or a wasp that doesn't really exist.


Originally Posted by Murrays
Why are these called "divorce machines"?
Thankfully, I have no idea either. In fact, tandems also go a long way towards dispelling that other cycling myth; the one about too much time in the saddle leading to male impotency... Ha! Those clinicians obviously didn't include couples who tandem in their research.


Keep us posted on your progress.

Last edited by livngood; 08-22-04 at 10:23 PM.
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