VINCENT228

I Live In Ct.
My Wife And I Have Recently Seen A Tandem Bicycle In Walmart For Under $200.00.
Well Never Having Rode A Tandem, But Being Interested In Them It Seems To Be A Good Way To Get Into It.
"but" When We Went To Purchase It The Store Was Out And When I Asked The Young Man In The Department When And If They Were Getting More He Said "i Dunno" (i Guess The Drool Dripping Down His Chin Should Have Been A Good Indication Of The Response I Was Going To Get). Has Anyone Seen These Before And If So Where Can I Get It?

Retro Grouch 

I think that you're betting against yourself. You want to buy a cheap tandem so that, if you don't like it, you won't have much to lose. The fallacy of that is that you are buying a bike that probably isn't going to be very much fun to ride so obviously, you won't use it.

When I owned my own bike store, I used to keep three tandems in stock. One was a $500 - $600 Raleigh or equivlent, one was a $1,400 Burley, and one was a $2,600 Santana. ANYBODY could immediately tell the quality differences riding one after the other. The biggest difference is the stability of the frames. After riding the Santana, the Raleigh feels scary because it's so wobbly and that's still a much better bike than the one you were considering.

I don't want to discourage you. My wife and I have been riding tandems together for over 25 years and we love it. If you want the enjoyment of riding together, I'd strongly recommend spending a little more money for a better bike.

chuckhill2

Vincent I live in Delaware Ohio just outside of Columbus. Only the super walmarts carry the tandems Columbus has 4 super walmarts none of them had any in stock because they said they don't sell well but all super walmarts will order then for you they all offered. A new super wallmart just opened in a smaller town 20 miles from columbus 3 months ago they had 3 I brought one home tonight. hope this helps. By the way they are $258.00

Chuck

VINCENT228

Thanks Chuck.
I appreciate the Info.
We have a super walmart in a town not too far from me.
Ill see if they can special order me one.

zonatandem

Howdy from Tucson!
Anybody can build something 'cheaper' . . . and it usually is!
IF you buy a Wally tandem, be prepared to spend more to keep it a-running than what you paid for it.
It's like cars: remember the Yugo? A cheap copy of a Fiat, which itself was
a problem vehicle.
Save your $$$; go to your local bike shop that sells tandems and test ride several brands. Look for a used name-brand tandem and talk with/to other tandem folks and get their view/opinion.
We sell tandems only; kept a Roland tandem (Taiwanese, about $900) a knock-off copy of a Burley tandem in stock for folks who wanted a 'cheap' tandem. It 'looked' like a Burley! We'd let 'em ride the Roland, then a real Burley and then a Co-Motion. Did they notice any difference for the $$?
Suggest you take your time, look around, talk with tandem riders/owners. You'll be better informed. Posting like you did to this forum is a good start!
And good luck! Riding TWOgether is fun and great exercise; been doing it 29+ years!
Rudy & Kay

chuckhill2

thanks for your input zonatandem its been closse to 30 years since we have even been of bikes and rode at all except maybe around the block when kids were small. I am 49 and she is 48 both of us over weight me 250 her 200. This bike is going to be used for exercise around the neighbor hood. And if we don't like we are not out much. On the other hand if we do like we will upgrade.

Chuck

zonatandem

Don't let 'age' or weight deter U-2! I'm 71, partner 69! Have covered over 200,000 miles as a duo. Love it! Still ride 100+ miles a week.
Wally tandem would not have much trade-in value but then if you rented a tandem, that'll can set you back a few bucks. As low as $25 per weekend at some bike shops . . . if they handle tandems . . . and more in others. They usually do not stock the best tandems, but at least there would be something for comparison.
You're on the right track. Pedal on!

jfbeaudin

Making the good choice need good knowledge and the help of a specialist from a bicycle shop is the first thing to do following the previous message, we agree. To see some goog photos, brands and prices, at this moment there is many at this address on Ebay. See = https://search.ebay.com/search/search...4&BasicSearch= The black Cannondale RT2000 for $800 ( today ) would not be lost money.
Good luck
Jean-François

BruceBrown

Vincent,

For that price and your stated interest of getting into it, why not just rent a tandem for a weekend every now and then or see if you can find a local LBS or two that will let you take an afternoon trial ride to see if you like it before investing in a tandem. That way you will at least get a feel for a few different kinds of tandems.

BB

stapfam

What should be realised is that all forms of cycling, but tandems in particular, should carry a "Heath Warning" They can seriously damage your wallet. There is no such thing as a "Cheap" bike unfortunately, as the reason that can make them cheap, is that that is the way they are manufactured. A cheap bike will be hard work, it could be fragile, it could break components more often. What it will give you though, providing you accept the failings it will have, is a marvellous insight into what Cycling, and tandems are all about.
I think the main failing that it could have is that it will be hard work. When you couple that with the fact that you will be new to tandems, There could be the worry that it is not for you. Persevere. If it is hard work, it is uncomfortable, more fatigueing than you thought, or more expensive that you bargained for, then don't give up. When you realise that it can take 6 months to a year for a tandem team to "Work", keep at it until you start to get the thing mastered. Then look at it and see if you are enjoying it. If you are, then take the health warning into consideration, as tandems are addictive.

tandemcrusers

If the cost is right for you. You will need to think about a few things. There are a lot of tandem couples that purchased their first tandem bike at a Supper Dept. store. It is a way to introduce you to tandem riding. The cost of tune-ups, components and portage will need to be considered. With my experience with 2 tandems, mountain and Road I found that with the mountain (I had for 3-years) a low priced bike at that. I ended up purchasing one back and front rim, a tune up and bad crank/peddle. ($400.00 worth of fixes) I ended up selling the bike after I got it fixed. On the other hand our Cannondale tandem bike that we had for over 4-years has yet to have a component failure. My wife and I try to ride at least 18-miles each bike ride (3 to 4 times a week) and we can say we both enjoy it a lot better than the other bike. Now I am looking for a bent tandem. Do they have them at Wal-Mart?
Good luck and enjoy the ride.
SN

rhetoric

Don't listen to the tandem snobs, Vincent (I mean that "tandem snobs" in a loving way)! As the proud owner of a Walmart tandem and a more expensive road tandem, I can honestly tell you that the Walmart special is just fine AS LONG AS YOU DON'T CONFUSE IT WITH A LEXUS! I would say the Kent bike is probably a Hundai, not a Yugo, but even so, as long as you don't expect to ride from Nome to San Paulo I think the Kent will serve you well. Our kids love ours. If you want a Rolex, buy a Rolex, but if you just need to know what time it is, a digital Casio will do just fine. Just remember that this bike will be good for easy recreational rides around town or down the bike path -- not alot more. I know it's not just about money, still, you could buy a new Kent every 4 years and at $250 a pop you could ride for 32 years and spend less than you would for a cheap Burley! Now that said, there is a world of a difference between a Kent and a Burley (or Co-motion, Santana, etc.), but that doesn't mean the cheaper bike doesn't have a place in the lives of some people.

I do think those of us who are deep into a hobby/sport/interest, see the development we've experienced and we expect the newbies to skip over all that. I guess we want them to learn from our mistakes. But that's part of the fun! Part of the fun of a hobby is starting slow, getting your feet wet, developing an interest, trading up, learning from your mistakes, and growing into a fancy tandem (or mandolin, or sailboat, or whatever). A newbie hunter who goes out and buys $500 worth of fancy camo, a $2000 gun, a $500 lease, a $4000 4-wheeler, and a $1500 insulated hunting blind before they've ever hunted is generally regarded as foolish by the hunting community. We've seen lots of people start big but lose interest fast. Anyway, I just think it's kindof fun to EARN your way into a hobby.

bmonnig

Back from the dead! I just wanted to say I agree completely with rhetoric. It's all about your intended usage, finances, and ability to determine what you realistically need. I think the inexpensive tandems serve a good purpose, which is to expose people to tandem riding. I know we would not have a tandem in our garage, if it weren't for the low entry cost of the Kent from Wal Mart.

The jump from "do I want a tandem or not" is significantly larger than "I like tandems, now which tandem do I want". The inexpensive tandems offer a cost-effective method to figure out the answer to the first question. Once you know that answer, you either dislike tandems, or arrive at the second question. Once you -know- you like, and want, and will use, a tandem...spend to level of bike you want. You know you'll enjoy it.

Let's face it...you'll always be able to sell a decent looking SuperBoxStore tandem, used, for $100. Probably more. So you lost $150 in the process of determining if a tandem is right for you. I call that a cheap education, one way or another.