Tandem Dreaming

FNRttC Burnham © The5MileCyclist 2013

Adam and I love our Circe Helios Duo and we've done two Friday Night Rides to the Coast on it. However, the value it brings to our life lies much more in its cargo-hauling capabilities. We haven't used it in tandem mode enough to get my stoker position and fit completely sorted to my satisfaction. What we have is okay for 50-60 miles and it's an easy set-up when swapping out from cargo mode the day before a tandem ride. 

However, I do ponder from time to time the possibilities that might present themselves if we had a road tandem with the sizing for captain and stoker optimised for us. At the moment, it's no more than idle speculation and musings, as I linger over stories, reviews and photos on other blogs, such as --

Ed and Mary's Co-Motion Java is "one of the family", used for both touring and audaxing. 

The Java is a great hill climber! Photo Credit: Chasing Mailboxes (blog) 2013

John and Pamela's custom Seven is a "Faerie Dust" dream machine!

Burke Mountain record breaker! Photo Credit: The Blayleys (blog) 2012

(Pamela's article on choosing a tandem brings together nearly everything you need to know about buying, speccing out and riding one.)

Chris and Lindsay are one of the best-known pair of tandemistes on the UK audax scene, with their distinctive and rather rare Longstaff. 

Love at first sight Photo Credit: Whose Idea Was This? (blog) 2012

If we were to investigate getting a suitable machine for ourselves, I think budget would likely dictate steel as the frame material, especially to offset the anticipated need for custom size/geometry. 

A few times, the thought has crossed my mind "If only Enigma built tandems...".

Well, a Twitter post in May indicates that they do!  

© Paul L. Smith 2015

I have no doubt this build was a bespoke order. But that's actually reassuring to me: if we wish, we can talk to Enigma about what we want in a tandem, including having it made from steel rather than titanium. 

On the other hand, my recent 'virtual introduction' to and subsequent email conversations with Dwan Shephard of Co-Motion in Eugene, Oregon -- whose tandem expertise is second to none -- means I'm spending a lot of time on the Co-Motion website, dazzled by the choices -- 14 different models! 

I don't see a new tandem joining our bicycle family anytime in the next year or two but I suspect my interest will grow rather than wane. For now, I am admiring other people's tandems but it's all grist to the mill. One day, what now is only a dream may become reality.

Musings on tandems prompted by recent reminder by the co-organiser of our planned September tour in France, Belgium and the Netherlands that the route and arrangements are very "tandem friendly".