MTB Tandems

I didn't see a thread for tandems, so thought I'd start one here. Was recently inspired by this FANTASTIC photo over on The Radavist:




Of course that what goes up, must come down, and you can see the follow up pics here: http://theradavist.com/2015/10/things-got-a-little-rowdy-today/

But I tell you, riding in the dirt on a tandem is a blast. I have done that occasionally in the past, and miss it a lot. My stoker-wife and I are on our fourth tandem, and it's set up for just cruising around with upright bars and fat seats, but I sure have an itch to get a Salsa Powderkeg or a a Co-Motion Java and get on some dirt!
She's not feeling the stoke so much to get one, but I'm working on it!!!

Remember, wherever your relationship is heading, you'll get there faster on a tandem!

 

Another way to have fun in the dirt.

Check out mtbtandems.com, and ogle the El Conquistador de Montanas and Fandango. Those are the serious dirt platforms, both mfr'ed by Ventana in California.

 

Oh yeah, I've been on that site plenty! I have loved the Ventana ECdM for a long time now. Almost bought a used one once, but just couldn't justify it. Just awesome rigs!

 

I grow to trust the guys I'm riding with when it comes to fast fire roads where we are dicing back and forth. I don't think I could EVER sit on the back of a Tandem......ever!

 

Yeah, whole other world being on the back of a tandem.

But I would take a rinky-dinky ride with my wife on the tandem over epic by myself any day!

 

Used to call them "divorce bikes" in the shop.

 

Ha! I've found that a couple will know w/in 30 seconds if it will work out or not. I've had friends borrow ours before, and if the stoker says "No way!" then quit right there and do not attempt ever again.

Luckily for me, my wife would rather ride on the tandem than a single any day!

The MTB tandem obsession I have isn't flying so much because she doesn't want to, it's just that she has things she would rather do. Riding isn't high on her list of priorities, but when she does go out, she wants to ride the tandem!

 

Divorce horse, hehe... So far it hasn't worked for us, but you can bet that living for 60 days on a bike with sweetums brought out our full spectrum on occasion. Trail riding is a hoot, literally...

Fandango fun.

Being on the back of a tandem is too weird. It's only worked for me after a few beers.

 

That singletrack is awesome! Much chunkier than anything I've rode on a tandem. We always stuck to fire roads. Steering with the rear brake is the best!

Dug around and found this: http://forums.mtbr.com/passion/honey-wanna-go-bike-ride-914081.html

To which I can think of no better way to travel!

 

Aye, sounds like you're the right guy to be captaining a big bike

We have had a lot of fun on our tandem, but the Weasel has gotten much better on single FS bikes, so it's tougher to get her on the back of a HT. Despite obvious wheelbase and wheel lofting limitations, tandems do surprisingly well on steep and rough. The traction of a 270-lb team plus a 50-lb bike is impressive. Richter core workout.

It'll always be a weird, little niche. Which is okay. You don't need another bike to ride with – you already have an awesome partner.

 

We'd need a lot more practice to ride singletrack. It would have to be pretty buffed out and flowy, but wouldn't mind getting to that point!

Dirt foray on our Santana from back in the day:

 

Nice, David. You'll gravitate to whatever is fun for you both. The trails and bikes will be there when you're ready.

Nice bike there. We had a Arriva. Santana does great work, but their mountain stuff is too esoteric for me.

Here's to good weather for all kinds of biking...

 

Santanta is really great, but they do have a bunch of proprietary sizings. I guess they led the move to wider spacing in back. I'm thinking Boost sizing might be good for tandems, and somewhat standardized in the industry. Could be a nice standard to work with.

I tell you that Powderkeg might just be the bike for us. Keeping my eye on it!

 

Interesting. I agree that upsizing almost everything on a big bike makes sense. Plus-size tires seem like a natural. Not expecting a quick response from the industry, although production fat tandems exist. Tandem-rated forks...people seem to have abandoned this concept. I think Rohloff is the way to go; ymmv.

Powderkeg has done the Great Divide; I'm sure it's a solid bike for its intended purpose. (Read: the photo is certainly not that!)

Keep stoked, have fun...

 

The wife and I borrowed a friends tandem to try it out....1st ride was Whiting. Wife said it didn't seem that hard to pedal(while I was dying up front). She also had a hard time with trying not to steer from the back...she turned my seat a few times.

Second ride we went up Blackstar...we had a meeting about 1/4 of the way up so she could see how much I was working, and how hard she wasn't working. From then on we were a team. we also got the DH down.

Would have loved to ride it more, but it just wasn't set up for me, and was hurting my knees.

I keep my eyes out for them, hoping a great deal will come up for one.

Going down Cattle Pond at Whiting:

 

Looks like a fantastic time! What make/build is that? How was the climb up Blackstar? My wife gets pretty bored on climbs, loves the downhills though!

 

Ventana ECDM. Custom built by our friends.

Climb up Blackstar wasn't bad. My wife regularly rides anyway, so she was used to it. Plus we had another friend with us, who had a very hard time keeping up, both up and down.

 

Couldn't see the rear suspension, makes sense now!

My wife just isn't patient enough to go through a long slog like that. At least not at the moment!

I happened across this full suspension model, which sure is a good looking bike. No distribution in NA though, and only available in one size (M).
https://www.mscbikes.com/index.php?sec=bikes&subsec=bike&id=53&montaje=440#.Vi_efn6rS73

We have a good gravel-grinder/cruiser grade tandem now. Trek T200 w/ 700x40C tires that work good for basic rides on road/hard-pack trails.
No need to upgrade unless we start putting more miles down, which I'm slowly hoping we start doing more of!

 

I'm on the T@H tandem list, and this popped up: http://hobbes.ucsd.edu/tandem/hypermail/201511_Nov15/0052.html
It's soliciting interest for a mountain bike tandem rally in Tuscon this winter/spring. You can reply directly to Mark, his email is in the link
I think our tandem's 40mm tires are too skinny to get serious about it...

 

WTF???
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Looks like fun. Don’t knock it til you tried it.

 

The best tandem video ever... Guy Kesteven and his daughter doing Enduro.

 

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Is that like saying "best uni-cycle video ever" ?
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Hhmm... Trying to read the brand was tough. Guess they like mirror writing or are dyslexic.

 

Looks like "Nicolai"

 

AWESOME video.!! Looks like some great Father/dtr time!!

 

Unigeezer! I wish he'd come back...

 

I have a mtn Tandem. I have had it for at least 35 years. We love the singletrac on the tandem. You just need to drive it like a bus or you will wipe the stoker off his/her seat. We have ridden Cheeseboro and the Palo pass, Space, Rosewood, and our favorite Sidewinder and Cedar in Tajoe. We do not get air, that would be a poor decision. Now days it is ridden mostly by me and my stoker. This way I never leave her far behind. And it allows her to get out for a few miles. Our last adventure was El Cap to Refugio on the closed bluff bike path. That was about the perfect distance for her.
Happy sharing on the bike trails

 

After we get the kitchen remodeled, then will probably get a new car for me, then maaaaaybe we will get a mountain tandem!!!!
Salsa Powderkeg would have been perfect, but NLA. If I trip across a used one at the right place/time, I may do that, although I'd like to get plus sized tires in it. Might have to get a Co-Motion... have time to worry about it!

 

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No one noticed its an E Bike??.
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