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We hope you enjoy our tandem bicycles website, ~ The "Tandem-Bicycles" Team.
Date: 12:51pm Saturday the 07 of November 2009
Last updated: 2009-11-6
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Advice on buying a Tandem
Basic Questions to Ask:
How much do you want to spend on your tandem - buying the cheapest
tandem isn't always the best idea - talk to your local bike shop or
tandem dealers or a cyclist who has some experience of riding tandems.
Getting the Correct Sized Tandem:
There is no doubt that the best way to do this is taking a tandem or
two for a test ride that can be arranged at our bike shop. 26" inch
wheeled tandems are for bumpy off road bike riding. 700c wheeled
tandems are for road tandems. The components are tailored for on and
off road use accordingly.
What performance do you want from your Tandem:
Tandems come in varing price ranges, lightnesses, strengths and
qualities. Do you want full suspension tandems?... a front suspension
only tandem, a tandem ith disc brakes... the list goes on depending on
your pocket.
How do I find a good Tandem bike builder:
Find a list of high quality tandem bike builders on this page at the
bottom.
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Tandem Buyers Guide (continued)
Off-the-shelf Quality Tandems:
Quite a few well known bicycle brands build off the shelf tandems such
as Giant cycles, Cannondale, Dawes Tandems, Holdsworth cycles, Turner
Bikes, Claud Butler Tandems etc etc. We can get you a great deal on most
of these tandems.
Who's the best person to sit at the front of a
Tandem:
The largest, tallest and strongest rider normally sits at the front of a
tandem because... tandems are easier to ride when the heaviest rider is
up front. Having the weight mostly at the back makes the bike more
unstable and more difficult to ride. So and gals - we'll leave it to you
and your spouse or you and your ride partner to fight over who's the
heaviest and strongest to have main control of the bike for stops and
starts!!! Tandems are normally higher at the front accordingly and also
for aerodynamics and ridgidity.
Do both people need to pedal when riding a Tandem:
Both sets of pedals move at the same time. You might see this as a
drawback as people obviously have different strengths and pedalling
power but think about it... if the guy at the front is pedalling hard -
all you need to do at the back is ADD your pedal power to his (or
hers!)- you wont in fact be fighting each other in terms of pedalling.
Most riders report that it only takes a short while to get used to
pedalling together.
What's a Softride Tandem:
Softride Tandem Beam technology is for the person at the back. The
Softride beam is a carbon fiber beam rubber midway designed to reduce
road humps and judders. Often dismissed by non-softride tecnology using
brands as rubbish - here's what we say. Try it for yourself! You might
find you want to ride nothing other once you've tried it - often the
case! They say: it's proven. Ask the triathletes who ride softride
singles. In eight years as the leading dealer of tandems, which has
included sales of hundreds with softride beams, we have NEVER had a
problem with the beam! You've really got to try the beam for yourself to
decide.
Whats the difference between a mountain tandem or a road bike tandem:
Well basically it's the same deal as for standard single person mountain
biking and road riding. The mountain bike tandem is made from heavier
duty parts - is more likely to have suspension and disc brakes etc and
are designed believe it or not for going over rough ground and off-road
in general.
Where should you buy a tandem:
Try any reputable dealer on this site at a great price or a fantastic
combined tandem / parts deal.
Are Tandems Easily Adjustable:
Like a bike built for one person - tandems are very adjustable and come
in different frame sizes and but in general fewer sizes. When you ride a
tandem - the 'leader' is the person who holds the bicycle upright when
you stop and this person needs standover clearance that allows this.
This is not a problem for the guy at the back as he or she stays on the
saddle normally at the traffic lights!
Handlebar Reach on a Tandem:
Getting the arm reach right for both tandem riders is important. New
leaders (the person at the front) will also need to adjust the cycle for
correct weight distribution and handling. A reputable dealer can assist.
Custom Built Tandems:
After riding for several 100 miles or a few seasons most riders will
have a good idea of what's worked well and what hasn't. It is not
uncommon for tandem riders to need or want a custom tandem to be made
for a number of reasons - namely special tandem frame sizes, tailored
tandem framesets, racing or touring specific tandem designs or just the
desire to have something different to the usual tandem. If you think a
custom built tandem might be the best choice for you or your tandem
team, here's some tandem cycling tips that will help in you search for
your perfect, long-term tandem. If you are buying a custom built
tandem... a good tip is to trust the bicycle builder to build the right
tandem design for you - it's his job:)
Tandem Builders
Bike Friday Folding Tandems
Burley - largest Tandem manufactuers in USA
Yeti Tandems USA
Innerlight Metal Works US Tandems
Co-Motion custom tandem maker and builders USA
Univega Tandem Builders USA
da VincI Tandems - 26 inch spacial Tandem builder USA
Tandem Bulders Worldwide UK United Kingdom
Cannondale Tandems - the best off the shelf road & mountain bike
Argos Racing Tandems UK
Bob Jackson Cycles UK Tandem Manufacturer
Brilliant Bicycles UK
M&B Custom Tandem Cycles UK
Roberts Cycles UK road bike & Tandems UK
Swallow Tandem UK brand
Orbit Cycles UK Tandems
ICE Inspired Cycle Engineering UK
Dawes Tandems - United Kingdom UK
Longstaff Bikes UK
Kinetics custom built tandems UK
Mercian Tandems - UK Tandem Frames & Frame sets
Trek Mountain Tandems & Road Bike Tandems USA / UK
Tandem Bulders Worldwide / Europe
Chaka - German Built Tandems
BMC swiss Tandems
Gazelle - Dutch Tandem Manufacturer
Gitane Tandems France
Rabeneick Bikes Germany
KHS Taiwanese Tandems
Koga Miyate Netherland Tandem Company
Kuwahara Tandem Company Germany
Raleigh Tandems USA manufacturer
Vetta Bike & Tandems
Vittorio Bikes
AeroLite Bikes
Bilenky Bikes
Bob Brown Cycles
Bohemian Cycles USA
Borthwick USA
Boulder Bikes
Concept Technolog Tandems
Davidson Frames
Ellsworth Tandems & Road Bikes
Redlof Bikes & Cycles
Caribike Bikes
Franklin Classic Frames
One Off Titanium Tandem Frames
Serotta - Titanium Tandems
Ti-Cycles - Titanium Tandems
Boulder Bicycles USA
da Vinci Symbiosis Full Suspension
Intense Cycles Tandems US
Univega Bikes
Greenspeed Australian recumbents
Huber Bikes
Litespeed Bikes Tandems
NexiBikes
Norco Tandems
Powers Design Quality US Tandems
Rosenthal Tandems US
Ventans - US Full Suspension Tandem Builder
IBS - Innovative Bike Systems Germany Based
Lite Speed Bikes & Tandem Frame Builders US
Optima recumbent cycles
SB Recumbents
www.pinarello.com road bikes
Zox recumbants & bikes
Varna Innovation Research
Cinelli Tandems
Claud Butler Tandem Bikes UK
Fisher - Gary Fisher Tandems
Montague Folding Tandem Bikes
Motobecane French Bikes
LeMond carbon racing Tandem
Peugeot Cycles Tandems
Ritchey Tandems
Scott Tandems USA
Schwinn Tandems USA
Tandem-Bicycles
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