According to the walmart website they are "Twist shifters" which I assume are similar to what I have on my Diamondback Hybrid. Great for hybrid/comfort/mtb but not so well suited for a real road bike. But honestly, this is not meant to be a real road bike.

Even if it is indeed steel (as one reviewer claimed,) at $269 the frame is a "steal." Spend $500 for real wheels, brakes, and shifters and it will be a very good new entry level tandem at 1/2 the price of a similar "brand name" bike. Not exact, but a very viable alternative.

However, the target market for this bike is the same as the other Walmart bikes. It is for someone who wants to be able to experience tandem riding (with all it's pros and cons, and the cons they don't know about I suspect) at a very, very low price.

I hope they sell a million of them because some very small percent will get "hooked" that otherwise would never have even tried. Once they are "hooked" they will spend real $ to get a real experience. The other large percentage will never try a tandem at $1,500 and up. NEVER!

I just don't think you can knock this bike. No one who is serious about a tandem road bike would even look at this. This is for the person who wants to have fun with their family zooming around the neighborhood. This will never affect the Co-motion, Santana, .... etc market negatively. It will only serve to whet the appetite of an unknown, undiscovered cadre of serious tandem aficionados.

This will never have an adverse affect on the tandem community. I think you (the tandem community and LBSers) should treat it like the drug pusher that offers free samples.

And I am totally against drugs.