Next Big Thing in Tandeming?
 

Sorry, but I'm afraid the "next big thing" has already come and gone! Do a search for "cyclemorph". Cool idea, though.

That 'debuted' about 10 years ago and has since folded.

No.

"Folded" Interesting word choice.

Just for fun, here's another "instant tandem" widget!

http://www.x2cycle.com/

I've fiddled around with a similar idea... A fork with 130+ spacing, and a "rear" wheel with a slightly longer than normal axle. The special fork goes on the rear bike, the special wheel goes on the front bike, the two mate up and...

You end up with a three-wheeled tandem with two drivetrains. Of course, stoker-induced steering is a very real problem, three wheels isn't horribly efficient, and it looks just plain goofy. All the same, someone would buy it.

X2Cycle was introduced at Interbike about a dozen years ago. Another 'genius' idea that went nowhere.

Not surprising! It's a $10 collapsable STICK built into a $20 seatpost rack, and they want $120 for it! :roflmao2:

How about this onehttp://cgi.ebay.com/Tandem-Fat-Tire-...QQcmdZViewItem

And I thought a $120 stick was over the top! I wonder how come he has no bids on this 75 pound beauty with a starting price of $8500 plus $600 shipping and a "All Sales Final - No Refunds" sales policy? :roflmao:

There's a couple tandem duos that have these 'real beach cruisers' . . . ultimate offroad riding in sand dunes and on beaches. That kind of lmiits usage/production. Now, maybe with outriggers it would float?

I'll say! We have 30+ miles of beaches here in Pinellas county, (St. Pete/Clearwater, Fl), and you're not allowed to ride a bike on a single one of them!

But with bigger tires for flotation and outriggers, I could pedal out to some of the islands! Now that would be a gas! (But still not $8500 worth!)

I must have that. Walking on the beach is for suckers...

Why? does it not work well?

I'll forget the price if it works, hours of fun and taking kid to school riding instead of driving will pay off the tandem rack quickly.

mikalo, i think you answered your own question.

Over the 35+ years I've been involved with cycling, I've seen 100's of these "brilliant ideas that were going to revolutionize cycling" come and go. Most worked marginally but had major drawbacks of one kind or another, and were usually invented by someone who had no real experience with cycling.

But in my haste to chuckle at what I see as yet another "wanna-be" bicycle or "instant" tandem invention, I sometimes forget that:

A. Others may not give a damn for my sense of "bicycle purity"
B. Others may actually have a functional use for such an item!

And this might be one of those instances. That "stick" may well suffice for taking a child a couple of miles to and from school every day and as such, offer both parent and child as many happy hours of togetherness as a $5000 tandem! That may be a valid application.

But personally, I fail to see it's purpose. You can't "tow" your child significantly faster than they are already able to go on their own, as they still have to steer their own bike. Go too fast and they'll either panic or simply lose concentration on the road, both possibly leading to trouble. So you wouldn't get there significantly faster than if the two of you just rode your own bikes.

The stick doesn't keep them in a straight line behind you either. Again, they are free to steer their own bike. And if they veer off too far to the side, (like kids often do), the stick will disconnect from your bike and drop to the ground while still attached to the front of your child's bike. Translation? A potential pole vault!

And lastly, it would appear the connection on both the stick and rack are very delicate bits of nylon or ABS plastic. I would not expect them to either hold for two adults, nor last very long even with a parent/child.

Still, it might have certain "useful applications". Do be VERY aware, though, that children tend to steer where they are looking. See a puppy on the other side of the chainlink fence? Off the sidewalk and into the fence the bike goes! But no harm done, (usually), because the little one is only capable of riding at 5 mph. Now tow the child with this stick and double their speed, but still leave them in full control of steering the bike ....... potential disaster.

So if you can't ride faster, you can't ride safer, and you'd have to "teach" them how to ride with this thing anyway, why not just teach them to ride their own bike properly and accompany them?

That's a thorough answer that proved very useful. Thank you.