Price and where to buy first basic medium tandem ?

[dcb]

A friend of mine wants to buy a basic medium sized tandem.

New to it, so doesn't want to spend much, but does want brand new,
so second hand not an option at this stage.

Halfords, Evans and Decathlon don't do, where else is good ?

I've seen a few under £2K on Amazon. I think volumes are low
enough that they are probably bespoke, but I am not sure.

[tertius]

I would suggest joining LFGSS - tandems seem to come up fairly often for some reason and always cheap.

[smifffymoto]

Good tandems are expensive,cheap ones are generally cheap for a reason.
Some tandem selling shops will rent them out or give a long test rides.

[WPA]

I would try www.sjscycles.com

One of the largest Tandem specialists in the UK

[smifffymoto]

Op’s friend could buy mine.
Thorn,rohloff,s&s couplers,andra css rims,blue swiss stop pads,v brake front,4 piston Hope hydraulic on the back and v drag brake.

£3000 or as close to as possible.

I no longer have my stoker and I don’t want to ride without her.

[dcb]

WPA said:

I would try www.sjscycles.com

One of the largest Tandem specialists in the UK

Grand !

They have 16 of them under £1,500, so that looks to be worth investigating more deeply.

[ZetecTDCI]

Quite a few of the cheaper ones are used though.
We had a thorn tandem, it was a superb bike. Good new tandems aren't cheap though as someone said upthread.

[Hard-Drive]

I had a look at Amazon around the 2k mark and they don't look good. I assume your friends want to buy new as they don't want any mechanical issues? Personally I think they would be way, way better buying a high quality second hand bike and getting a bike shop to service it, it will be a much better ride than some nasty Amazon job, and hold it's value.

I've just bought this off Facebook Marketplace and gave it a sort out myself. It's classic, UK, handbuilt Reynolds 531, and rides really nicely, owes me around £300. I'd get that back for it with no problem if me and the stoker end up preferring solo riding!

[Aletank]

A Dolan for £2350 https://www.dolan-bikes.com/tdr/

[dcb]

ZetecTDCI said:

Quite a few of the cheaper ones are used though.
We had a thorn tandem, it was a superb bike. Good new tandems aren't cheap though as someone said upthread.

Interesting that you mention Thorn. I've seen a few of those.

Another possible site is tandems.co.uk, based up in the wilds of Yorkshire.

Sizing seems to be a major issue. I have seen Tandems which appear
to require both riders to be six-footers, with inside leg measurements like
34".

I know nothing about this, but I would have thought something like 28"-30"
from the seats on the lowest setting, to the lowest point of the pedal travel,
would be reasonable, based on medium sized folks's inside leg measurement.

Or do Tandems get measured in a different way ?

[irc]

Unless your friend has experience of riding a tandem I would suggest considering a day or two hire first. We tried one and Mrs IR.C just couldn't get on with it.

My daughter and I did a tour of Arran on it and a few local rides but there was never much love for it

Bought second hand and sold for not much less.

[oddman]

dcb said:

Or do Tandems get measured in a different way ?

They usually quote the frame size for the front and back

Depending on style/vintage this could be, for example 23"/19" 55cm/50cm or L/M

So essentially you choose the frame combo that would fit the pilot and stoker for a normal bike. The distance between the saddle and the bottom bracket is pretty important for the stoker as they don't get to control cadence or when to rest and take the weight off their bum. This is miserable for the stoker if their legs are under or overstretched and, TBH can be pretty miserable if the fit is perfect . Suspension seat posts and good communication about freewheeling/pedalling, gear changes etc help

There is fair bit of leeway for the stoker in relation to height and reach of bars as you can see the bars are mounted on a stem which is telescopic and attached to the pilot's seat post. Won't compensate for wrong seat tube length. A drop handle bars with dummy brake hoods are de rigeur to give a lot of options for hand positions.

I would strongly recommend a non purchase option to try out with your stoker. Hiring or try before you buy is a good idea. There is a reason there are so many facebook/ebay bargains.

A 531 frame like the one pictured above will be a really good starting point and will sell for what you paid for it. The only real development in the last 20 years is disc brakes. Tandems are woefully underbraked on rim brakes alone and you need to be careful but otherwise a well maintained Orbit or Dawes Tandem is a really good starting point.

If you are ready to take the £2500+ plunge, those Dolan bikes look great value. However setting up a tandem is a bit of an art and a the extra spend at a specialist is probably worth it.

A few random thoughts
1) If you're considering touring, tandems have much less space for panniers etc.
2) An ebike for a weaker cyclist of a pair might provide a more versatile solution
3) More of a ball ache to transport, either in you own vehicle or public transport
4) You attract far more attention and comments than solo cyclists - you or your partner may or may not welcome this
5) Mountain bike arguably a little bit more robust than road bike with stronger wheels
6) Custom frames will have more braze ons for luggage, bottles etc.
7) Tyre choice also fairly important - If you buy second hand check these and brakes carefully. Likely to be perished in the 15 years between last ride and finally acknowledging need to sell the thing.

Edited by oddman on Thursday 5th October 10:46

[dcb]

oddman said:

They usually quote the frame size for the front and back

Depending on style/vintage this could be, for example 23"/19" 55cm/50cm or L/M

This is useful. I just measured my road bike and the 19" seems to be from the bottom
bracket to the top tube. Add in some more inches for seat height over the top tube
and crank length and that 19" seems to work well for my 30" inside leg.

So it looks like I need a 19" Front / 19" Stoker combo (50cm / 50 cm)

oddman said:

A drop handle bars with dummy brake hoods are de rigeur to give a lot of options for hand positions.

Maybe for the serious cyclists, but at the entry level I am aiming at, I think flat
handlebars may be the way to go. Not a deal breaker, either way.

oddman said:

The only real development in the last 20 years is disc brakes. Tandems are woefully underbraked on rim brakes alone and you need to be careful ...

I am a big fan of disc brakes over rim brakes anyway (no flamefest please).

I would be reluctant to go back to rim brakes, but I don't know how much
of the marketplace I would be cutting myself out of with that choice.
We will see.

oddman said:

3) More of a ball ache to transport, either in you own vehicle or public transport

How true. I have 190 cm available in my Skoda and the tandems I have seen so
far are 240 cm. Even with the front wheel off, it's going to be a good game of
Tetris to get it and the stoker's luggage needs in.

Roof bars for a year or two's time when we might get serious about it.

Tandem on a train could be an adventure. Only when all other options have
been exhausted.

oddman said:

7) Tyre choice also fairly important - If you buy second hand check these and brakes carefully. Likely to be perished in the 15 years between last ride and finally acknowledging need to sell the thing.

Indeed. If I go down the second hand route, two new tyres, new brake pads / blocks
and a full service will be priced in.

[oddman]

dcb said:

oddman said:

A drop handle bars with dummy brake hoods are de rigeur to give a lot of options for hand positions.

Maybe for the serious cyclists, but at the entry level I am aiming at, I think flat
handlebars may be the way to go. Not a deal breaker, either way.

For the stoker, drop bars aren't for aero and can be mounted quite high The side by side hand position on the top of a drop bar is the same as a flat bar. The stoker has very restricted position and no independent option to stop pedalling, get out of saddle and relieve back. Drop bars with hoods give you at least four hand/wrist positions. These also give options of bent elbows or straight arms in the hoods or drops thus giving and upright or more tucked position for the back. Flat bars give you one hand position and only the straight back position. Old fashioned bar ends are an option on flat bar which give the position of drops.

dcb said:

oddman said:

The only real development in the last 20 years is disc brakes. Tandems are woefully underbraked on rim brakes alone and you need to be careful ...

I am a big fan of disc brakes over rim brakes anyway (no flamefest please).

I would be reluctant to go back to rim brakes, but I don't know how much
of the marketplace I would be cutting myself out of with that choice.
We will see.

It's not so much cutting yourself out of the marketplace, it's just that most second hand bikes and many hire bikes will be on rim brakes. So if you want to dip your toe in you will be unlikely to find a disc specified bikes. As far as I can see only one of the SJS second hand bikes is on discs. Most older bikes have a drag brake (hub brake) operated by the stoker. As long as you're careful and not going down really steep hills you'll be OK.

[irc]

If the friend is in London there is, or was a Thorn Voyager tandem in a charity shop for £250

https://forum.cyclinguk.org/viewtopic.php?t=158351

[Alickadoo]

dcb said:

A friend of mine wants to buy a basic medium sized tandem.

New to it, so doesn't want to spend much, but does want brand new,
so second hand not an option at this stage.

Halfords, Evans and Decathlon don't do, where else is good ?

I've seen a few under £2K on Amazon. I think volumes are low
enough that they are probably bespoke, but I am not sure.

https://tinyurl.com/2b5y5pzd

Edited by Alickadoo on Thursday 12th October 08:51

[dcb]

Thanks for all your replies. My friend has bought a 2nd hand Claude Butler
for not much (< £500 ? )

Black colour, rim brakes, 700x37 tyres, Medium for the Pilot but seems
to be Small for the Stoker.

I plan to help out with repairs and servicing, but if it proves unsuitable, then
it can be moved on. We will see.

[Alickadoo]

dcb said:

Thanks for all your replies. My friend has bought a 2nd hand Claude Butler
for not much (< £500 ? )

Black colour, rim brakes, 700x37 tyres, Medium for the Pilot but seems
to be Small for the Stoker.

I plan to help out with repairs and servicing, but if it proves unsuitable, then
it can be moved on. We will see.

May I quote you?

"New to it, so doesn't want to spend much, but does want brand new,
so second hand not an option at this stage".


I scoured the country looking for new tandems for your 'so-called friend' and then he goes out and buys a second hand tandem!

Frankly, I despair.