Quad Tandem
06-01-26 | 07:14 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 22
Likes: 8
From: Madison, WI
Bikes: 2024 Co-motion Quad Periscope Tandem, 2007 Cannondale Road Tandem, 2004 Bianchi Vigorelli
Quad Tandem
I'm writing this post mostly just to brag about our awesome bike. But also to provide a forum for discussion of larger than two rider Tandems.
Here is our bike that we received 7/31/2024 and have ridden around 1200 miles since then. It's an absolute joy. We have done 5 total 70 mile rides on the Door County Century here in Wisconsin, including two on this bike and three on our prior set up. We typically train all Spring and Summer to prepare, and we hope to finish the 100 maybe even this year. I'm sure we CAN do it, the question is will it still be fun, and are the kids in a place where the accomplishment of finishing 100 miles is enough to tolerate the increased suffering!
We have been riding some form of four person situation for now around 12 years. Here are the two prior iterations:
2018 (ish)-2024- Stock Cannondale tandem circa around 2007 and two seat Adams trail-a-bike, which we bought used for $60 and rode extensively, basically until (and beyond) our kids knees were hitting their handlebars with each stroke.
2013-2018(ish)- Cannondale tandem with two seat Wee-Hoo recumbent trail a bike, which we loved. Rear kid can't pedal.
A few common questions/concerns of multi riders and how we've dealt with them:
1). Communication: My wife and I are seated in 1st and 4th position, so we use the Sena pi system. https://store-us.sena.com/products/pi-01
It works well for us, despite the common complaints of hearing wind noise. It's just better than having to scream.
2). Transportation: We obviously went with the S&S couplers, which I think is essential to convert from 2 to 3 to 4 people (when 1 kids is at camp, or ultimately moves away), but also for transportation which allows us to diversify our riding experience by traveling with the bike. We convert it to a triple and put It on the roof of our car with an old school Yakima sidewinder, and we put the fourth position into the car. We ordered flight travel cases with it and have broken it down once into those boxes for car transport (when we needed to move it in a car without a roof rack) which was good practice for our first planned flight with it this October.
3). How do you get your children to do it?: I think our long history was really important in being sure the kids would ride this thing, and so far it's continued to be just a family expectation. They love it and actually take a lot of pride in how much we ride.
Happy to answer questions, but I would also like to see other multi-tandem situations!
Charlie Bergstrom
Here is our bike that we received 7/31/2024 and have ridden around 1200 miles since then. It's an absolute joy. We have done 5 total 70 mile rides on the Door County Century here in Wisconsin, including two on this bike and three on our prior set up. We typically train all Spring and Summer to prepare, and we hope to finish the 100 maybe even this year. I'm sure we CAN do it, the question is will it still be fun, and are the kids in a place where the accomplishment of finishing 100 miles is enough to tolerate the increased suffering!
We have been riding some form of four person situation for now around 12 years. Here are the two prior iterations:
2018 (ish)-2024- Stock Cannondale tandem circa around 2007 and two seat Adams trail-a-bike, which we bought used for $60 and rode extensively, basically until (and beyond) our kids knees were hitting their handlebars with each stroke.
2013-2018(ish)- Cannondale tandem with two seat Wee-Hoo recumbent trail a bike, which we loved. Rear kid can't pedal.
A few common questions/concerns of multi riders and how we've dealt with them:
1). Communication: My wife and I are seated in 1st and 4th position, so we use the Sena pi system. https://store-us.sena.com/products/pi-01
It works well for us, despite the common complaints of hearing wind noise. It's just better than having to scream.
2). Transportation: We obviously went with the S&S couplers, which I think is essential to convert from 2 to 3 to 4 people (when 1 kids is at camp, or ultimately moves away), but also for transportation which allows us to diversify our riding experience by traveling with the bike. We convert it to a triple and put It on the roof of our car with an old school Yakima sidewinder, and we put the fourth position into the car. We ordered flight travel cases with it and have broken it down once into those boxes for car transport (when we needed to move it in a car without a roof rack) which was good practice for our first planned flight with it this October.
3). How do you get your children to do it?: I think our long history was really important in being sure the kids would ride this thing, and so far it's continued to be just a family expectation. They love it and actually take a lot of pride in how much we ride.
Happy to answer questions, but I would also like to see other multi-tandem situations!
Charlie Bergstrom
