Tpcorr

I've been looking on craigslist and ebay for the better part of a year for a good used tandem. I've been toying with the idea of buying a new Trek tandem, they are pretty inexpensive. This Cannondale looks nice, though it is a little more than I'd like to spend.
2011 Cannondale Road Tandem 2 with EXTRAS | eBay

This tandem is a m/s. I'm 5'7", as is my son. My wife is 5' even. Do you guys think this will fit us? I'd mostly ride with my son and hope to get my wife into it too. Think this is a good deal?

Thanks,

Tom

Ritterview

Does your son have more growth potential?

I don't know if the sizing of a tandem can bridge a height difference of 5' and 5'7".

But, the tandem expressly designed to accommodate stokers of different height is the Co-Motion Periscope.

Tpcorr

Thanks for the response. My son is 22, so he's about done growing. That Co-motion is sweet, but way out of my price range. Forgive me for being dense, but are you saying a 5'7" stoker would be too large on the Cannondale? If I don't find a decent used tandem soon, I may get the Trek T900 tandem. This would not be ideal because it is set up as a street, flat bar bike, and I'd really prefer a drop bar setup. The other option is to buy that Viaggio tandem from Amazon, and upgrade it. I was hoping that ebay Cannondale would be good for us.

Thanks,

Tom

qspencer

I was looking at the same tandem! In my case, it would be an upgrade for my wife who rides with our 10 year old on the back. They are respectively 5'4" and maybe 4'9". The seat tube measurement is comparable to her road bike but the top tube is a little longer, so a shorter stem would be needed. For a 5'7" rider I think it would fit great, and I don't see any problem with a 5' rider in the back. Our (tall) 10 year old currently rides the back of a Raleigh tandem with no modifications other than a crank shortener. A 5'7" rider in the back just needs a tall enough seat post, but there's a good chance the stock seat post is already tall enough.

Tpcorr

Thanks , now I just need to convince my wife. The new Cannondale RT 2 is about $3600, so that one on ebay looks like a deal to me.

Tom

ahultin

We have a 2011 RT2 in Xlarge - Small. with the slope of the top tub the stoker position is very versatile and has accommodated stokers as short as 4'9" and as tall as 6'2". We have a thud buster on the rear but the stock thompson seat post is pretty long as well

dwmckee

We picked up a used CoMotion Cappuccino (1999 model) for about $1650 on ebay 5 years ago and it has been outstanding for us. It is well equipped with Phil Wood hubs and XT derailleurs. This is all we will ever want or need. The CoMotions from this time period are excellent bikes, readily available and reasonably priced. It cost about $100 to ship it via FedEx. I am pretty sure we could still sell it for what we paid for it...

LuckySailor

I wouldn't wait to buy the C'dale RT2. That looks like an awesome bike and the price is fine IMO. I looked for several years actually to find a used one, now We have 2 C'dale mountain tandems (XT components) and they are great. My single touring bike has Ultegra derailleurs and crank and it's just WOW!

merlinextraligh

You can get new with a warranty from REI for $3299 (as well as get a dividend back). The $1800 is just a bid, with 2 days left to go on the auction. I would not chase tha higher.

Given the compact geometry of that frame, I'm pretty sure you can accomodate stokers from 5' to 5'7" on that bike with the right seatpost and stem.

merlinextraligh

Problem is that isn't the price, it's the current bid.

Personally, I wouldn't go over $2000 even. Partially depends on how much you value the warranty.

hockey

My wife is 5....4 and fits nicely as the stoker with plenty of seatpost showing on the thudbuster. Probably 5 inches to play with so m/s is probably a good fit. We have a 2008 with 9 speed Ultegra and paid 1200 three years ago. Good luck.

Paul J

It didn't look like these two sites were listed in this thread yet but are great places to find nice used tandems.
Tandem Club of America | Browse Ads
Tandem Bicycles For Sale, Tandem Bike Components For Sale

ahultin

New to used in this case is not a direct comparison.
The 2011 is a made in the USA frame vs the made in taiwan of the 2013/2014
2011 has ultegra 6700 shifters/derailleurs VS 105 5700
2011 has IRD 11-32 Cassette VS Tiagra 12-30
2011 has US made White industries 40 hole hubs with sun rims vs DT 36 hole hubs and dt rims
2011 has avid BB7 with 203 rotors vs Shimano 514 with 180/203
2011 has Fizik Aliante MG seats VS Prologo t2.0
2011 Has US made thompson seatpost vs Taiwan cannondale branded
And Last which some consider an upgrade, I do not, the new one uses BB30 bottom bracket

Tpcorr

You were right, the winning bid on that tandem was $3063. Guess I'll keep looking.

Tom

SlowJoeCrow

Have you considered getting a "good enough" tandem just to get started? I just picked up an old Nashbar tandem (re-badged KHS) in good condition for $400 off of Craigslist. It may not be the best or fastest but it got us on the road after only 2 weeks of looking for less than quarter of our budget.

Tpcorr

Oh yeah, definitely I would consider something else. I'm even mulling over getting a new Trek T900, but I really want a drop bar bike, or the Viaggio and replacing some parts. That Cannondale Tandem was a sweet looking bike though, and I'm glad the seller got such a good price for it. Craigslist hasn't had very many good looking bikes the past few months, even though I've really expanded my search area.

But I'll keep looking

Tom

ahultin

Have you looked at the KHS Milano? MSRP is 1999 and can be found for about $1600 new
KHS Milano TR30 Disc Road Race Tandem Bike 2013 | BUY NOW at BikeCraze and Board Shop (BikeCraze.com); Questions call 714-744-0266

Tpcorr

Thanks ahultin, that's a nice find. I'm on Long Island so I'll have to find a local dealer. Thanks for the lead!

Tom

walleyenerd

There is a good looking Trek T2000 on Ebay right now. My wife and I ride a T1000 that we really like. I looked to see what the size of our bike is, but I couldn't find it. I suppose the stickers must have come off.

Trek T 2000 54 44 Red Tandem Bike | eBay

Good luck!

Tpcorr

Thanks, I did see that one, but it's in Iowa, and for local pick up only. I'm on Long Island so that would be too far to travel. Thanks for looking though.

Tom

LastKraftWagen

There was also a Renolds pursuit about 2 or 3 pages into a "tandem frames" search. Was a complete bike with a new replacement frame (the pursuits must have had a problem with frame cracking as I came across a lot of them with new/updated frames that "work great now." Bike was in Illinois I think, and was also "local pick-up" but seller did mention the possibility of shipping. Think current bid was $800 (also think seller's LBS produced a receipt for $750 for the frame from Renolds), and the buy it now was $1300, but I think that was about the new price in 2006 so I don't think I would personally pay that FWIW.

Good Luck.

ncbikers

Don’t know where you have looked or what kind of riding you want to do, but I would suggest you check out Tandems East (tandemseast.com). They are a tandem only dealer in NJ. You just missed their annual Tandem Expo (every March). They have over 80 tandems for people to demo at the show. While they don’t list used tandems online, they usually have a supply. Mel, the owner, is very helpful.


I was surprised to see you talking about T 900’s. Trek stopped making them a couple of years ago but apparently has started again. We own one and like it a lot. It is a very comfortable ride unless you start modifying it. If you try to make it into a road bike, it will have as bad a ride as some other road tandems that people have to add things like thud busters just to get their wives to ride with them.


If you ride with a road club, you will not fit in with any tandem. They are slower climbing than almost anyone else on anything and faster on the flats and very fast on the down hills. They don’t fit with DF’s at all.


Most tandem teams are couples and they have some fun events very different from road bike events.


Good luck!

da07079

If you're still looking, there's a Cannondale road tandem for only $680 on CL in northern NJ. (https://newjersey.craigslist.org/bik/4402544383.html) It's probably older (bar-end shifters rather than STI), but should be a great deal and a great starter if it's the right size.

It's not too far from me if you're interested but need help with logistics.

Tpcorr

Thanks for that offer! It looks like the same tandem listed here for $750.

CANNONDALE. Tandem

Do you think it's a scam of some sort?

Tom

da07079

I wouldn't read much into the fact that it's listed in both Northern NJ and Manhattan. I've listed bikes both places because I live in NJ and work in the city. (And sometimes my Manhattan listing has been a little higher for the inconvenience--bikes aren't allowed on weekday trains arriving after 6am.)

Follow the usual Craigslist precautions (https://www.craigslist.org/about/scams; https://newjersey.craigslist.org/about/safety) of course, but the dual listing isn't particularly suspicious.