Tandem bike advice

[Weasler]

I've never ridden a tandem before & am now considering one for me (male) & my partner (female). can anyone give me some basic advice on what to look out for when selecting the right one?

 

[Zimmerframe]

Electric tandem ?

 

[Weasler]

Electric tandem ?

I prefer non electric but electric also okay..

 

[markloch]

I prefer non electric but electric also okay..

Moustache makes a nice Bosch-powered tandem e-mtb. Not sure who else does mtb e-tandems, if anyone.

If I could get my hands on an old tandem mtb that my wife and I could fit on (I'm 6'4", she's 5'10") I'd take on the conversion project, slap on rear hub motor, maybe a bafang mid-drive if feasible. Or maybe a 700c frame I could squeeze wider rims/tires on, and some kind of suspension fork in front.

Wonder if any of the Asian frame makers that have bafang-ready frames do tandems?

 

[duk916]

I've had a couple of mountain and road tandems.
I would say fit is important the right size for you and your stoker. We had great fun on ours, riding all the trails that i could do solo.
Speak to MTB Tandems in the US. MTB Tandems | Website
That's where i purchased mine from and had them shipped to New Zealand.

 

[GrahamPaul]

I've never ridden a tandem before & am now considering one for me (male) & my partner (female). can anyone give me some basic advice on what to look out for when selecting the right one?

I've got a Santana. Made in the USA but we bought it in Germany.

As mentioned above, it's critical that you get the sizing right. Santana have an excellent range and you really do need to have a try out on one at one of their open days.

Get it wrong and you'll really regret not being able to get any distance from the noise coming from the engine room...

 

[Funkeydunk]

consider how you'll transport it, if you're taking it somewhere to ride, how wilt fit on your vehicle?

 

[GrahamPaul]

I've never ridden a tandem before & am now considering one for me (male) & my partner (female). can anyone give me some basic advice on what to look out for when selecting the right one?

One thing to keep in mind is your terrain. We spent years touring in Germany on river valley routes. Tandems are great on the flat or on mild inclines. But they really hate going uphill.

Where we now live, it's all hills and the tandem hangs on a wall while I think about how to add a motor.

 

[GrahamPaul]

consider how you'll transport it, if you're taking it somewhere to ride, how wilt fit on your vehicle?

Santana have that covered: they make ones that dismantle.

 

[Barbara_Reed]

Pino Hase might be of interest. Indépendant pedaling, front rider recumbent. Performer do one similar, a good deal cheaper.

 

[GrahamPaul]

Pino Hase might be of interest. Indépendant pedaling, front rider recumbent. Performer do one similar, a good deal cheaper.

The Hase tandems were really popular on the German tandem meets we went on. Their owners loved them.

However, the stoker needs nerves of steel: they're exposed at the front with no steering control and no brakes. I realise that the stoker on a traditional tandem also has no steering or brakes, but there's that psychological/physical barrier in front. We went the traditional route to save the screaming...

The Hase Pino Steps is the ebike version. Around €10k.

 

[hogicid]

The Hase tandems were really popular on the German tandem meets we went on. Their owners loved them.

However, the stoker needs nerves of steel: they're exposed at the front with no steering control and no brakes. I realise that the stoker on a traditional tandem also has no steering or brakes, but there's that psychological/physical barrier in front. We went the traditional route to save the screaming...

The Hase Pino Steps is the ebike version. Around €10k. I am in the process of putting together and kicking off a conversion project to electrify our tandem. I have been doing a lot of research and have spent a fair amount of time running simulations on the ebikes.ca website and have narrowed down to a specific motor, battery plant, and controller. This is not a "what do I need" or "how do I choose" thread on e bike. I am interested in others experiences and lessons learned either electrifying and/or owning and riding an electric tandem. I realize the population is small here

I am in the process of putting together and kicking off a conversion project to electrify our tandem. I have been doing a lot of research and have spent a fair amount of time running simulations on the ebikes.ca website and have narrowed down to a specific motor, battery plant, and controller. This is not a "what do I need" or "how do I choose" thread. I am interested in others experiences and lessons learned either electrifying and/or owning and riding an electric tandem. I realize the population is small here, but this is one aspect that really isn't covered elsewhere on the interwebs (that I have been able to find) and this is where folks in the know hang out. I would be interested in some details of your setup (voltage, battery plant, etc.). How you ride (electric assist all the time, hills only, etc), what kind of range do you get from your setup, and finally, what you learned and what you would do again or differently if doing it again?