Just got back from SF for our anniversary. Wasn't sure any biking was going to be part of it, but finally convinced my wife it could be fun. I knew that the only way she could/would handle any hills was if she didn't have to work too hard, I suggested we rent a tandem. Neither of us had ever ridden one, so I knew it was a gamble. I rode in front ("captain" and my wife rode behind (stoker, but actually CAPTAIN sitting in the stoker seat. Actually, it was more the "passenger" (or "complainer") seat, as I was almost singlehandedly getting us up some of the hills. It was a great bike weather day, 55 degrees or so. By the top of the second hill I was sweatin' and gasping, and had to take off a couple layers. And my wife got ticked off because I stopped to do this, and...well, let's just say she wasn't tired OR sweaty (and didn't really realize that it had anything to do with me doing the bulk of the work. She really thought she was riding just as hard.) It was one heck of a workout over the next 3-4 hours. But it was a great ride, with great views along the ocean and in Golden Gate Park. We've tried riding together before on separate bikes, which never works because she gets mad is because her idea of riding purely recreational, and rarely, if ever, involves sweating if it can be avoided. I thought maybe a tandem would allow us to ride together. Well, sort of. If I am willing to do the work part of it, while she pedals as hard as she feels like it at the moment, we're set for tandem riding The good news/bad news is that, all-in-all, she thought it was a lot of fun, and is kind of interested in it. But when she said, aren't those bikes pretty expensive? Maybe after the kids are through college. That gives me some room to maneuver. I did mention that $1000-$2000 for a bike compared to $100,000-$200,000 to put 2 kids through college isn't really all that much.