Where to rent a tandem bike?

[davidB]

the girlfriend went to the path with me today and on the way back i found out she'd be up for the idea of taking a ride out one day on the local trails (parts of bonelli park or the lower part of marshall canyon for those who know it).

that leads me to the question, where to rent one? how much would it be? and for how long (a day I presume). Thanks

[Rockinthecasbah]

o the breakup bike huh ? lol I have no clue but had to throw that in

[Devoid169]

Decent deal on a KHS tandem on craigs list - $350 - they retail for over a grand.

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/bik/585444131.html

[davidB]

not looking to buy at ALL, yet.

[carbonman]

Good luck, I couldn't find anybody that rents real bikes er I mean tandems. We were able to test out an Ellsworth Witness at a Beyond Bikes demo at Lake Hodges with a couple of calls to have them bring one out. After that we were sold, only problem was price. We found a used one that we could afford after months of searching.

[Pickettt]

Originally Posted by davidB

the girlfriend went to the path with me today and on the way back i found out she'd be up for the idea of taking a ride out one day on the local trails (parts of bonelli park or the lower part of marshall canyon for those who know it).

that leads me to the question, where to rent one? how much would it be? and for how long (a day I presume). Thanks

You mention trails, so I assume you're looking for an off road tandem. That really could be the break up bike. I've put cyclocross tires on my Trek T2000 before, and it's nothing like riding a single mountain bike. Good luck.

[Wrecker]

I think Sherry and Tim had one at Switchback, and I think they've let a few people borrow it......I'm not sure if they all survived

Anyway, call them, and give your girlfriend a big kiss/hug before you start

[davidB]

break up bike?

[mtnbikej]

Originally Posted by davidB

break up bike?

You must work as one. You have to find a pedal cadence that works well for both of you. You ride one way, she rides completely opposite. You think she is having fun, instead she is terrified.

Tandem is all about teamwork.....however done incorrectly, it tends to bring the worse out in partners.

[davidB]

*has flashbacks of trying to do other things together that went horribly...

..the first time*

[dutch]

start with that steep loose part that featured in the bonelli races, it'll help you determine whether the breakup bike moniker is accurate much quicker than taking it easy.

[SnowGirl47]

Originally Posted by davidB

break up bike?

It's all about communication!!! The more you tell her what you're doing, the better off you'll be. My husband and I have a tandem and it's A LOT of work! But oh so fun!

[jcbikeski]

Whatever you do, don't start with dirt. Start on pavement on a nice safe trail, lot, etc. The first 15 minutes you'll feel like it's all you can do to stay up, then by the first hour you'll feel pretty solid as long as no surprises come at you (cars, animals, sand, etc.). You need to warn about everything especially any bumps so the one on the rear can be ready to absorb. Since most tandems have you locked into a cadence you need to warn each other anytime you're about to coast (and to a lesser extent when you start pedalling).

When road riding I know the other issue is always how the stronger rider likes a faster cadence where the weaker rider feels that the fast cadence is just bouncing them out of control.

Once you get the hang of it then it is fun though I've only done so on the road. There's no way I could convince my wife to move to the dirt and rocks.

[surlygal]

Neil & I have one you can borrow if you'd like....We tried selling it but no bites...

It's not a Mtn bike, it's more like a bike path one here's a picture



Personally I didn't like it at all, Neils big and I couldn't see around him plus he pedals just a tad bit too fast for me. Maybe if we'd taken it further than my street I would've got a better feel for it.

Anyhow if your interested pm me and we can make some arrangments.

[Cowgirl]

We have a KHS Tandemania Aluminum Hardtail with lots of squish in the front that you could borrow here at the shop...need a big truck to transport it but you are more then welcome to try it out...Tim and I love ours and wish we had more time to ride it together...I quess it just depends on the team that is riding it...we never have any problems together on it! I did have to adjust to the different riding styles (he hits the turns faster and breaks later then I would like)..sometimes you will catch me just closing my eyes!

Let us know if you would like to try it out....it's a size 19 for the captain and a 15.5 for the stoker...

Switchback cyclery (714) 628-3913...we have a local park down the street called Peter's Canyon that is a great place to ride it for the first time.

[bvader]

Everything you wanted to know about tandems...
From Bill McReady "Famous Tandem Guy"

http://www.gtgtandems.com/techtips.html

Especially "The Proper Method"
http://www.gtgtandems.com/tech/propmethod.html

Its a little road oriented but still fits/applies...

BTW My Wife and I Love to ride the Tandem, works well for us, highly, highly, highly recommend a ThudBuster seat post for the stoker.

http://www.thudbuster.com/

[lardbutt]

Tandems are "relationship accelerators". Whichever way yours is going, it will go there much faster when you introduce a tandem to the mix. My wife and I have ridden tandems on the road and in the dirt for the past 10 years. We have had some of the best times, and some of the worst fights, riding our tandems. But when given a choice of riding our singles or the tandem, I would pick the tandem almost every time. In my opinion, there is not a better way to enjoy a day of riding...

Tandems are like gravity squared though. Going up hill suxxx wayyy more on a tandem and coming back down the other side is wayyy more fun.

You get what you pay for too. Tandems take some serious loads so be a little careful when buying. There are some really good and some really bad tandems out there. If you are a big team (we weigh in at about 375 plus the bike) pay special attention to the strength/size of your wheelset and tires. You still only have two rims/tires to take the extra weight.

And remember that crashes now involve BOTH of you, so Captains, pay attention to EVERYTHING. As the article listed above states, There are only two rules to riding a tandem:

1) Everything is the Captain's fault.

2) If you have any questions, see Rule #1.