Tandems

[Nevis]

Hoping to spend a couple of weeks in the summer riding some of the Velodessy out and back from Roscoff with my daughter.

We've done a number of trips over the years so we both know what to expect from one another. She's 9 and we can mange about 100 miles over 4 ~ 5 days on a not too lumpy route with all our camping gear. Not quite on a par with Minipips (who I think is amazing btw!) but we do have fun and dare I say it... adventure

Anyway, it struck me that if we had a tandem we could perhaps cover more ground and I could take some of the load if she was finding it hard going at any point. This would be particularly helpful if we found ourselves short on the return leg when we'd need to catch a ferry.

If we did get a tandem it would be an entry level bike so nothing fancy.

So, a general question really. Any thoughts about tandems and riding them with children, would we be better off sticking with to our own bikes, luggage capacity, etc, etc.

[ton]

I owned a tandem for a few years when the kids were younger. my son loved it off road. my wife and daughter hated it. they both said they got dizzy on the back, because all they could see was my back, and things flashing by on both sides.
also on offroad stuff, the person on the back gets bounced about a fair bit more than the person on the front. the pilot should be telling the stoker about obsticles as they approach. I tended to forget to relay things.

they say tandem riding either makes or breaks a relationship. if we had kept ours me and the wife would have been divorced..............

[Nevis]

Hadn't thought about the "staring at the back" issue, will keep that in mind. Would that be something that could be rectified by a more upright seating position?

I'm trying to arrange a loan bike from a friend so hopefully that will help.

[ton]

we had a orbit mtb tandem. it was quite upright. just didn't suit us.
I keep having the wife on that I am going to buy a touring tandem........she swears at me a lot......

[ScotRoutes]

Find somewhere you can hire one.
Expect to take a wee bit of time getting used to it.
A Thudbuster on the rear is great because you can't see potholes and stuff that you'd normally 'unweight' for.
You can drill cranks to make them suitable for short legs.

We have a couple at work and my Mrs loves them.

[quimarche]

You can get semi-recumbent tandems which give the stoker a much better view. Saw one in Newcastle recently, well sorted for touring.

[Nevis]

I have read that it can be a bit bumpy on the back. Guess I'd know pretty quickly if my daughter is not getting a smooth ride!

I've seen the recumbents but I'm pretty sure one of those would be plenty £££.

[Chew]

I've seen the recumbents but I'm pretty sure one of those would be plenty £££.

Tandems arn't cheap either.

Ask to borrow Rich/Minipips for a trial. I'm sure they wouldnt mind.

Perhaps some kind of tow rope so you can tow your daughter when you have a big climb or need to get moving for the ferry?



The scariest thing was to have a go on the back of an off-road tandem. You cant see, steer, brake. Ok for a 30 min play, but wouldnt want to do it for any amount of time.

[ScotRoutes]

The scariest thing was to have a go on the back of an off-road tandem. You cant see, steer, brake. Ok for a 30 min play, but wouldnt want to do it for any amount of time.

What could possibly go wrong?

PICT3514 by Colin Cadden, on Flickr

[Nevis]

Tandems arn't cheap either.

I've been reading / looking at the Viking tandems. Whilst they are most definitely entry level they seem to be well regarded by their owners. Or there's secondhand option.

Ask to borrow Rich/Minipips for a trial. I'm sure they wouldnt mind.

One like theirs would be ideal, I'm sure they wouldn't mind lending it

Perhaps some kind of tow rope so you can tow your daughter when you have a big climb or need to get moving for the ferry?

That's essentially what we used to do. I'd have all the kit on my bike and a tow bar to hook up her bike when her legs ran out of steam. We did our first trip to Roscoff like that when she was 5.
Fortunately those days are gone, it was a very long and heavy setup. A tandem would be short in comparison.

What could possibly go wrong?

That would put her off for life!

[Mark E]

We use tandems to cycle with our kids and have found they are great for covering larger distances and much more stable than even a decent trailerbike. I would suggest buying a secondhand one as your money goes further then. We recently bought a kHS alite and it's really good for the money. Both our daughters love riding them and you can get loads further.

[journeyman]

We use a Followme tandem for our 6 yr old with her bike and have used it successfully properly touring and camping round Normandy and Brittany for the last two summers. We've got another trip planned linking the two areas this summer with her bike taking (Sorry) her own small panniers on the isla specific rack and a kids handle bar bag. We would use the followme on the velodyssey for sure and thats probably on the cards for next year. It super stable and versatile folding away when the youth is questing out by herself . We used it the full length of the tow path on the kennet and avon behind a Long haul trucker - and more lately behind an ogre. It handles gravel tracks and unsealed surfaces fine. The down side is its weight. Our tandem aspirations may lie with an Orbit Tandem after meeting a family using one on the Tarka trail and it looked very good.

[Nevis]

Gravel tandem, seems just the ticket