adamsdp

I am looking for a tandem that I can transport easier than our Electra and thinking of a Bike Friday tandem. The Bike Friday tandem will fit in my minivan going up the middle without removing wheels and can be hung from a standard rack without taking off wheels if I change vehicles to something smaller. The other option I am considering is a more conventional tandem which would require removing the front wheel for getting in the van or hanging from a rack. I am trying to make the transport as easy as possible as I know from my history that if there is a too much effort involved, I will default to the easier option such as riding in the neighborhood. I would be buying the Bike Friday without benefit of riding it prior to purchase and mainly am looking for feedback on how the ride experience will be compared to one with 26" wheels. I will be riding with my adult autistic on in the stoker position who does well on the Electra. We will be riding on bike trails that are paved or crushed limestone and flat.

I found a local bike store that has a folding bike and took it for a ride and it was very responsive (twitchy?) compared to the Electra. I am thinking that a tandem with it's longer wheel base will in between the Electra and the single folding bike I tried. A few sales reps at local bike shops commented that they nobody buys a folding bike unless they have to, implying the ride experience is not very good. Any advice will be appreciated. Thank you!

Schwinnsta

Most of us in this forum are riding folding bikes because we prefer them. It is true that as the wheels get smaller they tend to be twitchier, but that is something you just get used to. With twenty-inch wheels I find it hardly noticeable, while on 16 inch it more noticeable. I think wheel size is the determining factor, not wheelbase.

These bike store sales representatives just don't seem to know folding bikes.

If the price of the Bike Friday does not put you off, I say go for it. There are much cheaper tandem folding bikes on Amazon with similar geometry as the Bike Friday.

Jipe

We have a Hase Pino semi-recumbent tandem, its really gorgeous: both cyclist have a perfect front view instead of having the rear one having the back of the front cyclist in front of her/him. Cyclists are closer to each other what provides a much better communication between them, the wheelbase is shorter what provides a better maneuverability than a classic upright tandem.

The version till 2020 can be split in two, the current model is shrinkable with a reduced length.

To travel, there are middle and rear racks with up to 6 pannier + a rear rack top bag..

The tandem can also be used as a cargo bike.

It exist with or without a Shimano Steps e-assist.




https://hasebikes.com/en/your-bikes/tandems/pino-tour/

adamsdp

Thank you for the helpful riding experience info. I have seen the folding tandems on Amazon for around $500 but worried about the quality. I have found a used Bike Friday available for $1200 that is 10 years old, in good shape and thinking of pulling the trigger on it.

adamsdp

I'm glad you posted about the Hase. One bike store told me that the Hase would not be as portable as the Bike Friday but not sure why that would be. My son who would be riding on front is 160 lbs and I am also 160lbs. Would this weight distribution work well on the Hase? Do you think it will hang on a bike rack for transport? Thanks!

Schwinnsta

Sounds like a deal.

tcs

So you don't necessarily want a folding tandem, just one that easily fits in your vehicle.



I've hauled my tandem a zillion miles (1.6 zillion kilometers) slid into a minivan with the front wheel off and the fork resting in a holder. It's the work of a moment to do this. It's nothing. It's trivial.

Anyway:

Sometimes Koga Twin Travelers come up for sale:




The Circe Eos is quite a nice bit of kit:



Somebody in Italy (I think) offers a short-coupled "donkeyback" tandem. No idea where to get one.

adamsdp

Wow!, some nice options I will have to research.

Jipe

The sum of your both weight is far below the max allowed weight of 496lbs of the Pino and the rear captain must not be heavier or taller than the front stoker, example with the previous version.


Yes, it fits on a bike rack: the front seat is quickly removable, the handlebar + under seat rack (if any) are folding and the frame is shrinkable to reduce its length. The bike rides very well, its even usable on trails as a gravel bike. Actually, the Hase Pino has only one major drawback: its price!

adamsdp

Looks great! Thanks for sending the pictures and information. Looks like a very nice bike and transports easily. Just so I understand, do you feel like it will be a good riding experience with equal weight (160 lbs) in captain and stoker?

adamsdp

[QUOTE=tcs;23237502]So you don't necessarily want a folding tandem, just one that easily fits in your vehicle.



I've hauled my tandem a zillion miles (1.6 zillion kilometers) slid into a minivan with the front wheel off and the fork resting in a holder. It's the work of a moment to do this. It's nothing. It's trivial.

You are correct about not necessarily wanting a folding tandem, just one that will fit easily in my vehicle and later on a bike rack if I change vehicles. The Bike Friday will fit inside my minivan and could be hung on a rear car rack without extending beyond the car van mirrors without taking wheels off. As you mentioned, I could go with a shorter wheelbase 26" wheel tandem and remove the front wheel and probably achieve similar transport ease. The front wheel on my Electra is kind of a pain to remove so maybe with a quick release and simpler brake system my feelings would change about which way to go. Trying to balance ease of portability and good ride experience.

Jipe

Yes, absolutely, the bike will behave perfectly well with captain and stoker with equal weight.

The bike wasn't designed with a weight difference between captain and stoker in mind.

Due to the not very big distance between saddle and handlebar (the handlebar position is adjustable by tilting it more or less, its height is also adjustable), a really tall cyclist will sit more comfortably in front as stoker than on the rear as captain. An higher weight on the front seat doesn't impact the bike behavior.

Tourist in MSN

Many of the tandems that I have seen have S&S couplers.

Such couplers are usually used to disassemble a bike so that it will fit in smaller cases for airline travel, but such couplers could be used to split the bike into two. A tandem with two chains, etc., would make that more complex than a single bike to split it into two, but it is doable.

A new tandem with couplers would be very expensive, but used ones show up on the market on occasion. But for the right size with couplers, it could be a long wait for a good deal on one to occur.

I have never owned a tandem, so I am not speaking from experience here, I am only pointing out the option of S&S couplers.

Fentuz

if I were in the front seat, my pans would be very brown…

Jipe

No, there are efficient mudguards front and rear.

We often ride in muddy trails without dirty pants+shoes.

Fentuz

i meant I d pooped myself 😜

Duragrouch

I was going to suggest perusing craigslist for a used Bike Friday tandem, BFs can be a really good deal that way, if checked out properly, sounds like you are looking at used. Main thing I would stay away from is ones with an internal gear hub instead of a triple or wide-double crank. Just understand, BF tandems are not so much "folding" tandems, as "take-apart" tandems, they have no hinge so they actually break into pieces, small enough to transport by checked luggage on airlines.

Regarding transport difficulty, you haven't lived until you've transported a Ryan Duplex (below in yellow), (now Longbikes Gulfstream, below in white) long-wheelbase recumbent tandem with no frame couplers; Long minivan, from the back doors to the front wheel between the two front van seats. The one below has frame couplers, my friend's did not: