We're expecting to do quite a bit of tandem bicycling this summer, so here's first look at what we'll be riding. They're pretty much entry level road tandems, but they have nice, steel frames, made in the U.S. by a great little co-op that just re-organized into a typical corporation and stopped making bicycles. A big loss to the world of tandem bicycles, I think. Nonetheless, we couldn't be happier with these bikes.
This is Cindy and Abbey's sparkly blue tandem. It's actually a 2005, a couple years old now, but they're the first team to own and ride it. Notice that it's a road tandem with 26" wheels. That's a smaller wheel than you'd find on most road tandems, but the only way to make a frame that fits such a small team. It is a much, much better fit than the old green machine they rode last year.
As you can seen in the next picture, the fit is quite good for Abbey in the stoker compartment. The bullhorn handlebars are flipped around and pointed toward her, and we have installed cranks shorteners so her feet can reach the pedals and to keep her pedaling circle reasonable. Cindy wasn't feeling up to being photographed, so we'll have to catch them riding together another time. Most importantly, notice how well the pink handlebar bag matches Abbey's pants. Of course, we always wear helmets when we ride, but this picture is taken on our back porch where vehicle traffic is limited.
This is the other bike, ridden by Quinn and me. We think it's a 2004, a year older than the sparkly little one, and we're the second owners, but it's pretty much unused. It has typical 700c road wheels, and is a great fit for me. A nice change, since the tandem we been riding previously was much too small for me. On each bike, we swapped the stock captain handlebar stem for one that angles up so that the handlebars are almost at the same height as the seat. It's important that we're all comfortable for long days in the saddle.
Here's Quinn, modeling the fit in his stoker compartment. Not only is he lacking a helmet, but he isn't wearing any shoes. We installed his child stoker kit on this bike, so he's able to pedal and give me a real boost when the hills get high. With the seat slid forward as far as possible, and the bullhorns extending backward, the fit actually seems quite good for him. He loves it.
The most important thing about cycling with kids, next to safety and comfort, of course, is that any long rides have plenty of stops at playgrounds, parks, restrooms, and ice cream shops. We'll see how well we do at this for the next few months.
