Hi first of all just wanna thank Marian and Geoff, who looked after me the whole ride to the gong yesterday. really appreciated learned a whole lot of skills and rules on the day which probly would've taken me @ least a few month to learn.
I'am thinking of buying a tandem,to just ride around olympic park for starters as a Saturday outing thing with the girlfriend and my questions is
1) Is it possible to ride a tandem with a person who has not ride a bike on their own before?. Eg: does not know how to balance
2) would it be easier to get her to learn riding solo first or riding a tandem then solo?.
3) where is a good place to look for a tandem around the sydney area?. and what types are they?. eg: road or moutain?.. or is it just one design?.
thanks in advance.
tandem riding
I'm not sure if I can answer those questions but I'm also greatful to Geoff and Marian for their advice. It got Emma and I to the Gong yesterday with barely any practice. The scariest part was coming up the hills with slow riders cracking suddernly leaving no time to stop or space to get round them.
Next scariest moment was for the rider behind this pair of tandem riders who suddenly stops and ready to roll back over the top their heads, ten pin bowling style....The scariest part was coming up the hills with slow riders cracking suddernly leaving no time to stop or space to get round them.
Many thanks for the thanks. glad to be of help.
We're always keen to help riders interested in tandems because they are so much fun.
When I met Marian she had only been on a bike a few times when she was a kid and that was it. The crash into the blackberries might have been a bit of a disincentive!
So a tandem is a great way to introduce someone to cycling. Lindsay and I are taking turns riding with Susie who is visually impaired and she is getting better and better every ride.
How deep are your pockets Frank? Tandems range from $500 to $20,000 so I'd be looking at second hand to start off with. Our Co-motion Mocha has 26" wheels but a road bar set up at the front. We got it as a bomb proof tourer. The Sovereign is a road tandem and it does feel faster.
Trek T200 are to bad. Canondale are reasonable and they appear on the market occasionally.
If you look on Ebay at the USA site there are plenty available and even with the dollar the way it it they can still be cheaper than buying local. It costs about US$300 freight to Aus.
How tall is your girlfriend? We have a Santana Sovereign that we keep as a loaner. If your gf is over 5'1" she should be alright for clearance. The seat wont go any lower unless she's got long legs.
we are happy to lend this on a you wreck it you fix it basis.
We're always keen to help riders interested in tandems because they are so much fun.
When I met Marian she had only been on a bike a few times when she was a kid and that was it. The crash into the blackberries might have been a bit of a disincentive!
So a tandem is a great way to introduce someone to cycling. Lindsay and I are taking turns riding with Susie who is visually impaired and she is getting better and better every ride.
How deep are your pockets Frank? Tandems range from $500 to $20,000 so I'd be looking at second hand to start off with. Our Co-motion Mocha has 26" wheels but a road bar set up at the front. We got it as a bomb proof tourer. The Sovereign is a road tandem and it does feel faster.
Trek T200 are to bad. Canondale are reasonable and they appear on the market occasionally.
If you look on Ebay at the USA site there are plenty available and even with the dollar the way it it they can still be cheaper than buying local. It costs about US$300 freight to Aus.
How tall is your girlfriend? We have a Santana Sovereign that we keep as a loaner. If your gf is over 5'1" she should be alright for clearance. The seat wont go any lower unless she's got long legs.
we are happy to lend this on a you wreck it you fix it basis.
how deep are my pockets?... hmm not too sure actually well this sunday we going down to the olympic park and see if we can rent a tandem for a few hours, and see how we go
she is around 160cm so yeah not very tall never touched a bike either shes keen but just abit scared and embarrased to learn how to balance the bike on her own.
yeah thanks on the offer for the santana i might just take up that offer if sunday goes well cheers
she is around 160cm so yeah not very tall never touched a bike either shes keen but just abit scared and embarrased to learn how to balance the bike on her own.
yeah thanks on the offer for the santana i might just take up that offer if sunday goes well cheers
how about i take you for a ride on the back of the tandem on Saturday after slowies and i can give you a few tips that will help with Sunday.
some reading for you
http://www.thetandemlink.com/LearningCenter.html
and the Proper Method explained
http://www.precisiontandems.com/artpropermethod.htm
some reading for you
http://www.thetandemlink.com/LearningCenter.html
and the Proper Method explained
http://www.precisiontandems.com/artpropermethod.htm
Saw an ad in Cycling Aust magazine by KHS advertising a range of tandems - priced from around $600 up to $1900. Australian Cylcing Co. in Kensington were listed as the dealers.
We bought an ex-hire tandem from the Pegasus Crew who do the mechanical support on the Big Ride each year. They regularly sell off their hire bikes so I just phoned them (Melbourne) to see what was coming up for sale. Peter just put our bike on the truck with all the others when he was coming up for the NSW Big Ride that year.
The bike was a suitable standard for touring and has a sloping frame to suit different-sized riders. We've used it with both adults and children on the back and it goes well.
When my sister-in-law borrowed the bike for a Big Ride she got Ashfield Cycles to fit a drag brake, which provides constant braking on long descents. The other thing we added was SPD pedals - if the stoker's feet come off the pedals it is hard to get them back on so cleats or toeclips really are essential.
When we bought the bike I thought 'will we use it enough?', but it has proved really handy for lots of jobs:
- towing a baby trailer and a half bike
- ferrying kids around. It handles well with just one rider so we can use it for drop-offs and pick-ups
- taking less confident riders (adults and kids) for a spin
It now goes on slowies from time to time with Rob on the front and Owen(10) on the back.
We've never regretted the purchase. Hopefully the kids will eventually get big enough that Rob and I can get on it together - wow!
The bike goes on the car rack OK if the front wheel is removed (too wide a load otherwise)
For more info on tandems the Pegasus Tandem website has some useful links.
The bike was a suitable standard for touring and has a sloping frame to suit different-sized riders. We've used it with both adults and children on the back and it goes well.
When my sister-in-law borrowed the bike for a Big Ride she got Ashfield Cycles to fit a drag brake, which provides constant braking on long descents. The other thing we added was SPD pedals - if the stoker's feet come off the pedals it is hard to get them back on so cleats or toeclips really are essential.
When we bought the bike I thought 'will we use it enough?', but it has proved really handy for lots of jobs:
- towing a baby trailer and a half bike
- ferrying kids around. It handles well with just one rider so we can use it for drop-offs and pick-ups
- taking less confident riders (adults and kids) for a spin
It now goes on slowies from time to time with Rob on the front and Owen(10) on the back.
We've never regretted the purchase. Hopefully the kids will eventually get big enough that Rob and I can get on it together - wow!
The bike goes on the car rack OK if the front wheel is removed (too wide a load otherwise)
For more info on tandems the Pegasus Tandem website has some useful links.
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