morganmarie19

We are in the market for a used tandem and have a lead on a 2004/5 Co-Motion Periscope 700. The bike is a couple hours drive away so I was hoping to get some of your opinions on whether the Periscope style would be a good fit. The seller is not certain of the size, and has given some inconsistent measurements (when I compare to Co-Motion's measurements), but he says it fits a 5'7" captain well. I (stoker) am 5'6" and my partner (captain) is 5'7". My partner prefers to ride in the traditional road-bike style, while I prefer to sit a bit more upright and have always favored mixte frames. This is why I'm thinking the Periscope would be a good option, since the back is mixte-like and has pretty large adjustments for the seat post and stem. But I've also never seen a Periscope in person, nor tried one out. Any thoughts from those who have? Thanks!

LV2TNDM

I too was briefly in the market for a Periscope. I had hoped to pair my stoker with one of my kids. However, the kids have grown so fast, that a Periscope really isn't the ideal solution. Then again, even with them bigger, they cold put my small stoker (5') on the back and captain the Periscope. That was what I was thinking about doing. I don't own one, but from what I've seen over the years, they're great for small stokers and little kids, with mom or dad in front. They do offer great adjustablility, so for a family with a few kids, they can accommodate varying rider sizes easily.

However, you two don't really fit what I would consider the "tradtional" Periscope shopper. You're of enough stature where a "standard" frame geometry will meet your needs very easily. You don't need massive standover clearance for a 5' 7" stoker. And that's what the Periscope offers. The telescoping seat posts are what allow for such wide fit range. That said, it still might meet your needs quite well. Yes, accurate dimensions can be difficult to obtain, especially if the owner isn't a knowledgeable cyclist. Instead of worrying about "frame size," you need to determine cockpit dimensions. Handlebar to saddle, for example, will tell you what size this tandem ends up being. Crank lengths will help too and tell you what size stoker the back is intended for. You COULD give the seller your saddle-pedal distances for both of you and have him/her set up the saddle heights to your dimensions. Have 'em sent you a picture of it set up. Then you can gauge how the bike looks. Taking the seatpost to bar (C-C) dimensions thereafter (on level) will show you how close this tandem is to your two individual bikes. IF this is close and the crank lengths match, then this is a likely fit.

But ultimately is requires that you two see the bike in person and ride it. The other whole issue is if you're experienced on a tandem together or not. This is an entirely different subject that I won't delve into here. But if you two aren't compatible on a tandem, it doesn't matter how perfect the bike you happen to find is. So there's that issue as well. Not to rain on your parade, but thought I'd mention it.

I hope this is of some assistance.

morganmarie19

Thanks for all of the info LV2TNDM. We've been tandeming for a year now and are just looking to upgrade from a 50 year old tandem to maybe a 15 year old tandem! I think I will ask the seller to adjust the seatposts to our heights for a better idea of the fit. I guess the reason I think the Periscope may work for us is because I (stoker) prefer a lot of standover room, as I've always ridden mixtes.

LV2TNDM

Sure! I should add that I happened to talk to a Periscope owner who said he had ridden a Bike Friday and the difference between the two was astounding. In other words, the Periscope was FAR BETTER than the Bike Friday. The BF was a wet noodle by comparison, according to this tandem rider. So the Periscope may end up being a great solution for you. I mention this because the Bike Friday offers such amazing standover clearance as well. I'll add that my stoker and I had been riding a Cannondale road tandem for a few years when we happened to rent a Santana while on vacation. I had always had very high respect for Santanas, knowing they had been a leader in the tandem segment for many years. We happened to rent a steel Santana in Boulder for some road riding. It worked fine. No problems. But I suddenly learned to really appreciate what I had in the Cannondale. The steel Santana frame was unacceptably flexy for us. And my stoker is all of 100 pounds, so it's not like we're two Olympic track riders flexing the frame to pieces. No, we're an average, to even light, couple on the bike and not mashing huge gears and putting out tons of wattage. Still, the Santana was eye-openingly bad. I'll concede that this was 20 years ago, so perhaps this is a bad example for comparison to what is available in more recent vintages. The Cannondale has served us very well for 27 years. It's old, but still a beauty. Yes, I'd LOVE to jump on a carbon masterpiece and easily shave 15 pounds off the bike, but we aren't riding enough on it lately to justify such an expensive outlay at the moment.

However, since you have tandem experience, you should try some other options to see how it goes. And you should have no problem finding a model with ample standover clearance that isn't a Periscope. And as I said, you're of good "average" dimensions, so you aren't having to find something at the extreme end of the size range anyway. A Medium/small or Small/small may fit just right.

Good luck.

morganmarie19

We checked out the Periscope yesterday and ended up bringing it home! The fit was perfect for us and it rode beautifully. Thanks so much for your help!