MattyA

Hello. I know very little about tandem bikes but am looking at trying it out with a training partner of mine. Our hope is that we can find a used bike and see how it goes before we invest too heavily. But I digress... The issue is that he is 6'0" / 165lb and I am 5'6" / 140lb (on a "tall day"...maybe 5'5" more like it). FTPs in the same range of 3.9-4.2 watts/kg depending when in the season. So the point is, pretty equal power output. In most tandems it seems the stoker is always the smaller person. Is there a geometery that would accommodate the opposite or is that just a total nonstarter? Thanks, Matt.

zonatandem

99 % of tandems are built for taller person up front.

Cyclist0094

First tandem that comes to mind is a semi-recumbent.


In a conventional tandem I would probably opt for a an MTB type which typically would have more standover clearance than a road tandem and a longer stock seatpost for the stoker. You might need a stoker stem with more rise and/or a riser handlebar. I recall a couple that used to come to ETR rallies back in the 80's where the captain was a good 6 " shorter than his stoker wife. IIRC,they rode an Ibis mtb tandem.

mje

We know a couple who have a shorter captain and taller stoker. They had a custom Comotion built for them.

MattyA

Thanks for the replies. Not as encouraging as I'd have liked to hear, i.e. good road bike that might work. Hmmm.

Monoborracho

I am 5-8 with a 30' inseam, have had two shoulder surgeries and will probably just live with torn cuffs from now on, so I really needed a compact type frame. My wife/stoker is 5-10 with a 32+" inseam.

When we upgraded from our first tandem we shopped hard. Everyone EXCEPT Santana said we would need a custom frame. Santana said they could fit us on one of theirs. Maybe.

We went with a custom Seven and have never regretted it. Top tube length was also a concern. We have a LONG tandem.

We have rented a Co-Motion Periscope in the past and that worked OK, but not perfect.
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fxsvelo

As noted, most tandems are going to be bigger front/smaller rear. That said, modern tandems tend to have longer stoker top tubes than the older tandems, so I'd start looking for something that would fit the captain and has the longest stoker top tube you can find and see if you can fit the stoker to it. Maybe do some checking online for the specs to see which models tend to have the longest stoker top tubes.

You don't say where you are, but likely there are tandems in your local club that someone may let you try out. Many tandemists would love to convert the as-yet unconverted and are likely to be a source of bikes to try out. We loaned our old Burley to some friends to try out and they love it so much I don't know if we'll ever see it again ;^)

ahultin

Look for a M/S cannondale tandem which has quite a bit of adjustment for the stoker.

B. Carfree

I'm 6'2", or at least I was at one point in time (probably 6'1" now). My wife is 5'6". We've been riding tandems since '88, but have never purchased an off-the-shelf tandem. Our first tandem was designed so that either of us could ride either position, but we quickly settled on her riding captain. There's a host of advantages to the larger person riding stoker. However, since most people don't know how to ride without jerking the bike all over the place, not many teams can manage the larger rider in the back.

There are two other couples on this board who roll the large stoker/small captain combo. One of them has a stock Co-motion and the other just had a custom Rodriguez built; we also ride a Rodriguez. Both of them have 5'4" captains and slightly under 6' stokers.

It should be possible to find a stock bike that could be made to meet your needs with an appropriate adjustable stoker stem and such. Your size difference just isn't that great. It might not look pretty, but if you like riding a tandem together you can then look to have a bike made to fit you. It doesn't have to cost a lot to go custom, although the sky's the limit.

ncbikers

Let me change your question to "what can be done to make a 6' 165 lbs stoker comfortable?" It really doesn't make any difference what size the captain is. At 6' and 165 you are not a large stoker. If you think a little "outside the box" you should be able to find some way to make you comfortable. It may not be exactly like the position on your road bike. Just be comfortable. Mostly, where do you want your handle bars and how to get them there.

ncbikers

WARNING: On your tandem, you will not be able to ride with your normal group or pace line. You will be faster on the flats, a lot faster on the down hills and slower on the up hills.

MattyA

Many thanks for the replies. More encouraging now!

shlammed

save your energy on 2/3 and push it 120% uphills.

ncbikers

If you are still looking for information search Sheldon Brown Tandem. You can also go to TandemsEast.com. They also host a free expo (in a few weeks) in NJ with over 80 tandems on display and to ride. Good Luck!

StephenH

I bought my CoMotion three or four years ago. One of the options available (that I didn't need) was a $500 upcharge for "custom geometry". The thing is, they pretty much make these one at a time anyway, so getting a custom frame is not as big of a deal as you might imagine.

One of the stokers that rode with me mentioned that she could only ride with taller captains. The issue there was that the rear handlebar height is limited by the captain's seat height. That hadn't occurred to me. And there may be workarounds, too, just something to check into along the way.


The bike I've got is a CoMotion Primera. This is a "semi compact" frame. What that means is that the horizontal tubes are a bit lower on the frame than they would be otherwise. And one advantage of that is that it fits a little wider range of people. So the point being that not all frames are the same, even if the theoretical size is the same.

LelandJT

You would both fit a stock medium Santana with the right captain's stem. You won't have a lot of standover clearance but it should be enough. Is there a dealer you could test ride one at? Fitting a stock medium opens up a good chance of finding a used tandem in your budget.

B. Carfree

All she needs is an adequately long stoker compartment and an adjustable stem. (My adjustable stem is designed to have an actual stem attached, so there can be quite a bit of added height.)

waynesulak

Great looking bike

geranimo57

If you can get there Mel will fit you and most likely you can test ride a few bikes that weekend.

Tandem Expo 2016

Saturday April 2nd 10am - 5pm
and
Sunday April 3rd 8:30am - 5pm
Pittsgrove Township Middle School
1076 Almond Rd. Pittsgrove, NJ
Rain or Shine