Any 2 For $5.00
|
|
The Bulletin Board
Archives: 2001 - 2002
- 2003 - 2004 - 2005 - 2006- 2007 - 2008 - 2009
- 2010
Click on Hyperlinked
News Headlines For More Information.
 The Tandem Curmudgeon
Gets Ready For The Valentine's Day Tandem Blitz - Yes, it's time for
the happy-news reporters and columnists to pull out those
ubiquitous lists of suggestions for how couples can show their
love for each other to include "Ride a Tandem"! Never
mind that February 14th falls in the middle of winter or that
finding anything other than a 60lb tandem-shaped objective to
rent is nearly impossible even in those places where it's not
below 40°, raining or snowing on February 14th each year.
Ah yes, and if a couple did happen to find themselves in a warm
sunny place with dry roads and a tandem at their disposal how
long would it be before a self-appointed safety-expert told them
that they'd need helmets to be safe on that thing because, after
all, cycling can be dangerous... and they'd need to find a bicycle
path because they certainly shouldn't ride on public streets;
not only is it unsafe for the cyclists, it's irritating to the
motorists. Well, and if that weren't bad enough, didn't you know
that bicycle seats can impair you ability to have sex! Heck,
even that cycling racer Lance Armstrong developed testicular
cancer and has called these things 'Divorce Machines'! Why on
Earth would you want to put your gonads or relationship at risk
like that on Valentine's Day! So, by all means, just get some
chocolates for your lover, go out to eat and then settle in for
a nice movie or perhaps an Episode of the Biggest Loser: yeah,
that'll stir the love juices.
We
Told You So; Tandem Rallies Are Filling Up Quickly - As mentioned earlier
this year, and as noted in our tips for first time tandem rally
goers, you really need to make plans to attend rallies early
so that you can be sure to get a room at the host hotel and secure
a registration for the event.
-
Sebring
Tandem Weekend
in Florida is just a few weeks away and has 30 teams signed-up.
-
Southwest
Tandem Rally in
Paris, TX (Apr) had just 15 slots left as of last weekend.
-
Georgia
Tandem Rally
in So. Carolina (May) limited to 100 teams is essentially sold-out.
-
Tennessee
Tandem Rally
near Nashville, TN (Jun) opens registration in Mid-Feb.
-
Midwest
Tandem Rally at
Shipshewana, IN (Sep) has now opened registration.
-
Mid-Atlantic
Tandem Enthusiast Society (MATES) rally at Warrenton, VA (Aug) is now
setting up shop.
There
are many other tandem rallies across the US and around the world
that are now open for registration or will be soon. As always,
we try to keep most of them listed on our events page which you
can find HERE.
 Co-Motion's 2010 Dual Disc Brake-Through - In addition to doing
a re-vamp of their Website, blogging, opening up a Facebook page
and sending a team on a field trip to Taiwan, the good folks
at Co-Motion also found time to make some changes to their 2010
line-up of tandems. Perhaps the boldest change was making dual
discs standard on their steel and aluminum 'Performance' tandems,
e.g., Speedster, Mocha, and Roadster as well as their Periscope
Scouts & Torpedo models.
What
also caught my eye was their new rear disc I.S. mount location;
bravo! This is where I have always preferred the rear disc mount
for a number of reasons. Anyway, good friend and co-owner of
Co-Motion Dwan Shepard offered up the following additional information
on some of the 2010 changes to a posting at Hobbes:
|
After a gentle provocation
from [your's truly], I thought I'd chime in on this topic of
disc vs. cantilever brakes. As observed, disc brakes are standard
on many of our [Co-Motion] tandem models, including the Speedster.
I believe it has also been noted that the Arai drum brake is
no longer being produced. That's a game-changer for anyone looking
at tandem touring, as the Arai brake was long relied on to fulfill
the role of supplemental brake in situations when the rim brakes
became overwhelmed: Namely long or steep descents, especially
when the tandem is heavily laden with touring gear.
Of course, rim brakes are
simple and mostly reliable, and familiar enough to most of us
that we feel comfortable with them. However, for many people,
rim brakes are inadequate for tandem touring. So, why not combine
rim brakes with a supplemental disc brake? That argument has
played itself out many times here on Tandem@Hobbes over the years.
If you've been sitting back and observing, you may recall claims
by one tandem expert or another stating that discs were not "tandem
specific". That myth got its start back when people like
myself and Bill McCready began querying disc brake makers Hope,
Avid, Hayes and others about using their brakes as a supplement
to rim brakes. Without exception, these brake makers shuddered
when they heard how tandem riders used the Arai brake. It's true-
no disc brake can take that kind of punishment.
But, let's not forget, the
Arai brake itself has never been a very good brake on its own.
It's an old warhorse, sure. Because it has so much mass, you
can apply it and let it drag forever and it will get nice and
hot, but to its credit, it won't fail. By itself however, it
does a lousy job of slowing your bike, which is why you've probably
never seen a bike equipped with front and rear Arai drums.
Now, back to those disc
brake manufacturers: Every one of them stated unequivocally that
their brakes should be used as the PRIMARY brakes on a tandem.
While they all expressed concern over their brake's use as a
"drag", none were concerned about their brakes being
used to stop a tandem. If you've tried a good disc brake on a
tandem, you know it doesn't take long to discover why disc brakes
have become more commonplace than cantilevers on all kinds of
bicycles.
Maybe the question we should
be asking ourselves today is why it has taken for tandems to
become available with dual discs. Well, we tandemists are a conservative
crowd, aren't we? We embrace innovation in one hand and eye it
with suspicion in the other. Here at Co-Motion Cycles, we began
offering Avid BB-7 disc brakes as a published option on a regular
basis about 6 years ago. Getting to that point meant having confidence
in the brake, lots of tests on the toughest descents here in
Oregon, and many reports from early adopters. It didn't take
long to discover that the Avid BB-7 with a 203mm rotor was the
way to go, and we soon developed new tandem forks specifically
for disc brake applications as well.
The mounting points for
the disc brakes are integral with the dropouts we make here at
Co-Motion on our CNC equipment. For 2010, we redesigned our rear
dropout to orient the disc adjacent to the chainstay, and reconfigured
the dropout eyelets to make rack and fender mounting easier and
more accommodating to more rack types. It's just another step
we've taken to ensure that our bikes are easy to get along with,
and do the things you need them to do.
I've shared with you all
on T@H several times over the years how our customers have driven
the development of our bike line. We listen to what our customers
are asking for, and we strive to provide what will make the most
people happy. Making disc brakes standard on more tandem models
is one of the decisions we've made based on those observations.
On the Speedster, the vast majority of our sales of the model
were shipping from here with optional dual disc brakes in the
past two years.
Yes, you can still get a
Co-Motion tandem with canti- or v-brake mounts. Our Primera tandem
comes with linear-pull Avid SD-7 brakes. Or, you can order a
custom version of any of our tandems with any kind of brake mount
you'd like. Also, we do offer framesets, a nice option if you'd
like to work with your dealer on selecting all components from
start to finish. What would I recommend? A Speedster or maybe
a Mocha with discs, no question. We have lots of choices, and
as always, we're happy to help you make the choice that works
best for you.
|
Not Everyone Who Rides A Bike Does
It Because They Enjoy It Or To Be Green - When ever the subject
of cycling safety and accident statistics comes up it's common
for most cyclists to simply project themselves into those numbers
in terms of just what type of cyclists are represented in those
numbers. The assumption often is that they were cyclists just
like themselves, doing everything right who were clipped by a
careless motorist. Now, clearly, there are way too many collisions
and fatalities that occur just that way. In fact, one of the
more high-profile ones that we reported on last year involving
a couple run down and killed while riding their tandem near San
Antonio, TX, still remains under investigation four months after
the fact. Anyway, an interesting blog entry from a tandem commuter
couple in the Carolina's came to my attention that speaks to
the often-time not mentioned bicycle commuters who simply don't
have a choice between a car or a bicycle that is worth a read.
You can find it HERE.
 An
Electric Tank For Two? - Call me a tandem elitist if you will, but what's
the point of creating a $2,300 electric-powered
tandem
that weighs 75 lbs? Does this replace the family car so that
the kids can be given a ride to school or does it allow someone
to simply ride on a bike path without getting any exercise? Wait
a minute, can you even use 'motorized' bikes on bike paths? Don't
get me wrong, there are clearly some very cool electric-powered
commuter bikes coming on the market that will make bicycle commuting
far more practical for anyone who lives where there is challenging
terrain and/or to make longer commutes by bicycle more practical.
But this surely isn't one of those more practical applications
and, good Lord, what happens when this $2,300, 75 lb behemoth
runs out of Juice leaving the riders on their own to pedal it
up a hill?
CanVelo - Israel Guide Dog Center Tandem
Club
- Moti Regev wrote to let us know about the CanVelo Tandem Club
in Israel, a part of the Israel Guide Dog Center (Can = Canine
/ Velo = Bike). From Moti's note, CanVelo is a "team of
20 visually impaired stokers and 40 captains with 14 Cannondale
MT tandems, 3 Cannondale RT tandems and 3 Cannondale street tandems
that ride as a team every weekend. Although their website is
written primarily in Hebrew, it can be translated
using Google
to learn more about the group or you can just check out the photo
galleries.
 WebCyclery's Annual Anniversary
Sale, Feb 6-13th - Friend and Webcyclery hack Henry Abel wrote
to let us know that during this year's annual WebCyclery sale
on-now through everything IN STOCK is 20% off, to include a Medium
size 2009 Co-Motion Macchiato Road Race Tandem at only $6916.
Also
on sale, just to name a few items:
 Tandem
Bike: Those Darn Accordions Provide Tandem Enthusiasts With A
NEW Musical Standard
- Let me be the first to admit that I have never been all that
enamored with Harry Dacre's 1892 Daisy Bell's lyrics, although
the music still lends itself to some very nice renditions like
Will Fly's
solo guitar piece. It's just that, as a tandem enthusiast,
it never captured the spirit or 'fun' of tandeming. So, you can
only imagine how excited I was when a fellow Hobbsian (i.e.,
a Tandem @Hobbes list subscriber) shared
a link to a contemporary, upbeat and fun song about tandem cycling
by a San Francisco-based accordion quartet called Those Darn
Accordions hosted on YouTube.
In fact, I was so taken by the song that I contacted the band
leader for Those Darn Accordions, Paul Rogers to learn
more about the song's inspiration and how it came to be. It's
a great story and I've now posted all of the information about
the song's origin, links to the YouTube video, the group's website
and the lyrics to a
new Web page here at TheTandemLink.com. . In the interest
of equal time I also included a link to an authentic 1920's -
1930's audio recording of Harry Dacre's 'Daisy Bell and the lyrics
for anyone who may have never heard it or who have forgotten
it. You can find the new Web page HERE.
Virtual Tour of the Co-Motion Factory
- With yet another
tip of the hat to a fellow Hobbsian, this time Brian Wasson,
we were also treated to a multimedia tour of the Co-Motion Cycles
facility in Eugene, Oregon with a written narrative and many,
many photos by Neil Gunton, aka, Crazy Guy on a Bike. Neil's
article provides readers with an in-depth look at what goes on
inside the Co-Motion factory from a December 14, 2009 visit with
Dwan Shepard, co-owner of Co-Motion. Although not specific to
tandems, as Brian noted in his posting to Hobbes, it provides
all kinds of insight into what all goes into making our beloved
tandems.
- The U.S. Blind Tandem Cycling Connection is
a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation whose purpose is to, "increase
the participation of individuals who are visually impaired or
blind in the exhilarating sport of tandem cycling by connect
blind and visually impaired cyclists with sighted cyclists, educating
people about tandem cycling, disseminating information about
cycling clubs, events, and opportunities for visually impaired
cyclists and otherwise addressing the needs of the blind tandem
cycling community. Christine Tinberg had contacted us a few weeks
back to let us know about the pending launch of her organization's
Web site so we're thrilled to see that the site is now up and
running. You can visit the site by clicking HERE.
 Anyone
Need Any Tandem Decals? -
During the early years of 'TheTandemLink.com' we used revenues
from the sale of tandem decals to defray the costs of hosting
the site and it worked out pretty well. However, we may have
saturated the market early on, as sales of the decals have fallen-off
quite a bit from the 'boom' years right after they were first
introduced. More recently what had become about the norm for
annual sales fell by 40% in 2008 and then another 60% in 2009.
So, to those who have asked, 'Why the Google Ads?' for things
like tandem-shaped objects... it's simply become an alternative
source of revenue for the site. Since we are essentially non-commercial
and don't do much in the way of promotion or advertising those
Googe AdSense revenues aren't all that much, perhaps 1/3 to 1/2
of what we generated in decal sales back in 2000-2002. So, please
accept our apologies for the ads if they seem bothersome or don't
always align with the values or views of TheTandemLink.com, it's
just a necessary evil to keep the fires buring, so to speak.
 So,
how goes the Survey? -
Well, it's been over a week since we launced this year's survey
and about 270 folks have been kind enough to take some time to
be respondents. If last year's survey is any indication we'll
probably get perhaps another 20 or so responses. In four of the
eight previous surveys we did get some pretty big response rates;
however, in those instances it appears that the survey audience
extended well past the normal Hobbes / BikeForums/Double-Forte
on-line communities and beause the questions were more consumer-based,
e.g., how many bikes do you own, what types, etc... Anyway, I
won't delve into any of my armchair analysis just yet. There
are indeed some interesting trends in the data and, at least
for me, it has been insightful to see the results. Speaking of
data, just for kicks I took a look at when the 270 responses
came in following the launch of the Survey last Sunday night.
Monday was a big day with 140 responses and it's tailed off from
there. More to follow.
Central Florida Now Has A New Tandem
Club: The PANTHERS -
Per their official 'press release' this afternoon, the PANTHERS
Tandem Club, Inc., was organized by nine teams in Central Florida.
The club will hold weekly tandem rides in and around The Villages
with additional organized events held in other locations throughout
Florida. The PANTHERS Web site is now up and accessible at the
following URL: http://www.floridatandemclub.org/
The club hopes to promote safe cyling and to encourage the cycling
sport of tandem riding.
Tandems East Announces 2010 Events - We received our annual event notice
from Mel & Barbara Kornbluh at TandemsEast.com this past
week... who probably just finished up leading a 3-week tour in
New Zealand. Anyway, their annual Open House will be held
on March 28 & 29 in Pittsgrove, New Jersey and this year's
guest speakers on the 28th will tentatively include tandem industry
folks like Co-Motion's component buyer Chuck Hood, daVinci Design's
Brian Davis (always entertaining), ATOC/Thule & Draftmaster
rack-master Charlie Buchalter. More info can be found on
their Website in a
few weeks after they return from New Zealand and make the updates.
The TandemsEast Tandem Weekend will be held at Cape May,
New Jersey on September 10 - 12.
Santana's 2010 Tour Calendar Firmed-Up - We also received a nice Email from
the folks at Santana announcing their 2010 tours. The ones
that aren't already filled up include Feb 15-20 Valentine's
Week - Hawaii Three Island Tandem Tour, May 6-9, Mother's
Day - Colonial Williamsburg Tandem Rally, Aug 9-12, Family
Friendly Durango Tandem Rally, Aug 26 - Sept 2, King Ludwig's
Castles - Euro Tandem Tour, and Sept 6-9, Napa-Sonoma Wine
Country Tandem Rally. A bit too rich for our modest means,
if you like to be pampered and can swing it these are really
wonderful events. You can find more information HERE
Calfee, Calfee, Calfee - I tell you, there's no shortage of
articles, blog entries and other web content regarding the Calfee
bamboo bicycles these days. Every once in a while a video interview
pops up as well. Here's
one from the San Diego Custom Bike Show back in April for
anyone who may have never had the opportunity to see or hear
Craig Calfee speak.
|
It's
Time for the Annual Tandem Owners Survey
Given the weather
was still not cycling friendly and the playoffs were on, I've
gone ahead and used last year's write-in suggestions for future
topics to create this year's annual tandem owners survey.
As always, the annual survey is your chance to anonymously share
and compare information about your tandem team, experiences,
and riding habits with other tandem enthusiasts.
Here is the link to this year's survey: The
Annual Tandem Cyclists Survey (Winter 2010)
Graphed results will appear at
this link
as they come in.
Mind you, if you are one of the first to submit instead of the
150th the results page / graphs won't be all that revealing.
Therefore, and in the mean time, if you'd like to see the results
from the seven (7) previous year's surveys, you can find them
HERE:
NOTE: The server will only register one survey submittal per
computer and, as before, let me remind you that these surveys
are intended for entertainment purposes only and responses are
not being collected for commercial purposes. Additionally, no
names or identifies are collected or associated with the completion
of the surveys on the OpinionPower.com website or by me.
|
|
The Influence
of Generational Shifts in Behavior on Tandem Clubs & Rallies - As you'll note below, links for
the older Florida clubs we've had listed
here at www.thetandemlink.com for many years were recently
removed from the site as these clubs have quietly retired. As
we wait for more updates during our annual update of rally and
club information I'm also reminded that Pennsylvania's TOYS disbanded
a couple years ago when founding members were unable to attract
newer members to fill cub leadership / organizer roles. We recently
heard from another club who report membership as well as registrations
for one of the historically more popular mid-size tandem rallies
has been in steady decline since 2003, with club membership down
from 112 to the mid-60's and rally attendance falling from 125
to 57 in '09. I suspect this year's Tandem
Club of America membership list will also show a continued
decline from last year, a trend that's not changed in the 8 years
or so that I've monitored it.
Now, it's not all
bad news as we've learned a new
central Florida tandem club based out of The Villages is
nearly ready to 'launch', with members made up of folks who have
retired from their primary careers or who are making that shift
and migrating from northern climates. We've also noted that as
tandem clubs fade away, the more active members realign themselves
with larger, cycling clubs like the Florida
Freewheelers or middle-Tennessee's Harpeth
Cycling Club which could actually be a good thing given the
added exposure of tandems to other cyclists on club rides with
the single bike crowd. It's also noteworthy that the tandem tour
business, to include the higher-end trips, continue to do a strong
business and sales of high-end tandems remains strong.
Taken in aggregate
this seems to suggest 'change' is a constant within the tandem
community. Our own Georgia-based tandem club and inner-circle
of friends has seen similar changes over the years that have
caused us to see long-time friends with young children less often
as school and extracurricular activities now have priority. Career
moves and other life-events also thin membership roles and there
definitely seems to be a general shift away from traditional
'club membership'. However, we've also gained new members because
of those very same changes, e.g., new folks relocating to the
region and/or 'new couples' discovering tandeming later in life.
In closing, it will
continue to be interesting to see how rallies and club evolve.
We may even need to find a different way of capturing information
regarding tandem ridership since those traditional barometers
such as club membership, rally participation and even internet
discussion group membership become less meaningful indicators.
Yes, yes... we all know about Harry
and Daisy. But
what about C.C. Hassler and his tandem experience? In an item
coming out of The Pantagraph, it was noted that in the late 1800's
Bloomington, Indiana was home to local poet Charles Cunningham
(C.C.) Hassler. Poetry was quite popular at the time, to the
extent it was more or less a performance art practiced in various
public places. Much of Hassler's work was characterized as homespun
and humorous and became published in The Pantagraph under a column
"Fun on Farm", to include a short poem in 1896 that
captured his first experience with a tandem bicycle. I suspect
his sentiment is still echoed by many first time tandem riders
to this day...
Now I've rid a buckin'
bronco, an' a mule that kicked an' balked
An' every
four-legged critter that had ever run or walked;
But of all
the everlastin' wabbly things that I have met,
This tandem
wheel of ours is the most uncertain yet.
You can read more
about C.C. Hassler HERE.
Team Wiggle Tandem... When Names Go
Wrong - While I'm not sure there's anything
they can do about it without changing sponsors, we've learned
Dave Harmon and Jez Hastings from across the pond will be teaming
up on a tandem in 2010 with the goal of breaking several tandem
cycling records. Their sponsor is bicycle retailer Wiggle (who
we have found to be a great source for great products at great
prices, by the way) which means they are, in fact, Team Wiggle
Tandem. Frankly, we've seen a lot of tandem teams over the years
who easily fit the moniker "Team Wiggle", so I can't
help but wince ever time I read the name. Nonetheless, for those
who are interested, it appears Dave Harmon will be the keeper
of the primary tandem team blog updates which you can find HERE.
 Almost
New Calfee Tandem $3,000; Too Good To Be True? Not necessarily.
Bargain hunters rejoice, it's winter time and folks are tightening
their belts all over the place. These two conditions can combine
to produce all kinds of interesting deals on high-end or luxury
items, to include tandem bicycles (Note: Unless you're using
a tandem for transportation or competitive sport, it technically
is a luxury item). Anyway, a couple of these high-end tandem
offerings were recently brought to our attention by Ritterview
on BikeForums, who has a proclivity for surfing the web to find
all kinds of interesting and/or arcane things tandem. One was
an older-model, fully-assembled
Calfee coupled tandem being offered for $8,000 (perhaps a
bit high) and the other was a frame
& fork for $3,000, which is a heck of a deal given how
Calfee's frame prices have skyrocketed over the past couple years
(i.e., up about 20% since we bought ours in 4Q07).
While on the surface
it might seem to defy logic that someone might drop $5,000 on
a high-end carbon frame and then turn around and sell it just
a couple years later, if you're really interested in one of these
deals by all means ask the seller for the back story; there usually
is one. In the case of the $3,000 Calfee frame, the seller is
the second owner who actually got a good deal when it bought
it on a whim from someone who simply wasn't happy with the frame.
However, since they already owned a very nice tandem, there wasn't
a real sense of urgency to build up the Calfee. As time passed
the owners realized they were actually quite happy with their
current tandem and couldn't justify the expense of building-up
the Calfee. So, it's on the market and someone's going to get
a good deal if the frame fits.
Speaking of which,
when looking at previously owned Calfee tandems, it's a very
good idea to ascertain some details regarding the original owners,
i.e., were they really strong or heavy riders? An even better
idea it to get the serial number and contact Calfee to verify
that the frame is suitable for your team's weight and to learn
anything else about the frame's history that might have a bearing
on your planned purchase.
For example, our
Calfee was designed to accommodate us, a 280lb team. If we had
been a bit heavier, our tandem would have needed a larger diameter
top tube to provide the necessary stiffness. So, if we were to
sell it, the frame would not be a good fit for a team that weighed,
say, 350lbs. Now, not even all Calfee buyers realize this so
by all means, ask the seller or Calfee for that additional information.
Again, if you call Calfee they'll also have the history for that
frame which could reveal that it was damaged and repaired (no
big deal since Calfee is one of the few firms that knows how
to repair composite frames) or modified in some way that may
be of interest to a buyer.
Link Updates:
Rally
info added for:
- Sebring
Weekend in Feb, downloadable application/info added
- Alabama
Tandem Weekend in April upated
- Appalachian
Off-Road Tandem Adventure (AORTA) in May added
- Saranac
Lake Tandem Rally in June added
- Co-Motion
Classic Stage Race in July / Aug, dates added
Others
added:
- U.S. Blind
Tandem Cycling Connection on the Links page (Website under development)
- http://www.gorgeousjewelrydeals.com/Bicycle-Necklaces
offers a nice, inexpensive
tandem necklace and has been added to our Gifts, Jewelry and
Collectables links.
Tandem
Clubs added / removed:
- Updated
- WABITS now listed for Virgina, Maryland & DC
- Added -
PANTHERS of Central Florida
- Added -
Tandem Wing of the Harpeth Bicycle Club
- In Limbo
- Many clubs we've not heard from in a while
- Removed
- Florida's FLaTTS, TASTE, Flyers & FLIRTS and Ohio's GOATS
Bloggishnish
Dang, it's cold!
That about sums it up. Atlanta -- like many places in the US
-- has been subjected to a blast of cold air coming out of the
Northwest instead of warmer air from the South and Southwest.
Our temps while mild compared to more northern climates have
been fully 20 to 30 degrees below normal for Atlanta. Adding
insult to injury, after a week of below freezing temps it warmed
up just enough to drop freezing rain and snow and then went back
to sub-freezing temps leaving all of our roads iced over most
of Friday.
Will the Bulletin
Board survive? Good question. My guess is, it may not make it
as a weekly update. It takes a lot of time to create since I
actually read and summarize instead of plagiarizing or listing
RSS feeds. And, as noted, overall interest in the arcane aspects
of tandeming, clubs and broader items of interest seems to be
in decline.
Annual Poll, will
that happen? Again, not sure if the juice is worth the squeeze.
I need to look at the suggested questions I received last year
and see if there's a common thread and if it ties in with things
that interest me. I'm tempted to use more write-in answers this
year, if only to draw out insight that you just can't get from
multiple choice, one-of-ten or similar canned responses. Time
(and weather) will tell.
Note: This is a catch-up
collection of items dating back to July 13th, when I made my
last true update.
 Cycles of Life, by Scott Sutton:
Cyclist, tandem enthusiast and long-time tandem discussion forum
contributor Scott Sutton has published a collection of short
stories entitled, Cycles of Life. A self-described celebration...
of the merits of the cycling lifestyle for all readers conveyed
through short stories and essays about tandems, club riding,
the romance of the bicycle... The book is published LuLu.com.
and ordering information can be found HERE.
You can also find an extract of Cycles of Life and a preview
of Scott's wife Nancy's book, Ride Safe With Lil' Nancy,
HERE.
Hold
The Date - 2009 Tennessee Tandem Rally: Tom Spears wrote to let us know the dates for
the 2010 Tennessee Tandem Rally are June 4 through June 6. The
location will be in middle Tennessee, which is a change from
previous years. The TTR website
will be updated with additional details in early February.
 What
If You And Your Spouse Were Seriously Injured or Killed While
Riding? It's a
terrible thought, but sadly it can and does happen. We've had
several friends who have been struck by cars while riding their
tandems over the years and it makes you give pause to consider
the question: are we prepared to deal with the consequences?
Remember, unlike
with a single bike where one of you is at risk, if a car strikes
you and your spouse while you're riding your tandem either one
or both of you could find yourselves incapacitated or worse.
If both of you were seriously injured, who will help care for
you, your family and your home? Do you have sufficient insurance,
to include long-term disability or perhaps deep cash reserves
to call upon? What if you were both killed? Do you have your
wills in place and/or have you addressed who would care for your
dependents? Who, if anyone, will be able to navigate the insurance
and legal systems on your behalf or the behalf of your dependents
to ensure just compensation is secured when appropriate? Again,
while not a happy topic as we enter the new year I'm reminded
that tragedies do happen.
 Case
in point, back on Oct. 1, Gregory and Alexandra Bruehler were
doing everything right while riding their tandem. They were riding
on a two-lane road with a wide shoulder in broad daylight in
Helotes, outside of San Antonio, TX, when a 40-year old motorist
failed to keep his vehicle in the travel lane, drove off the
shoulder of the road and then ran down the couple as he attempted
to return to the road. Alexandra was killed by the collision
and Gregory died enroute to the hospital. At home was their 7-year
old daughter, Kylie. As if often the case, law enforcement officials
were quick to dismiss wrong-doing on the part of the motorist
before a proper investigation had been performed. The local DA
interceded and the Sheriff's Office stepped back from the original
statement but, as of this writing, no charges have been filed
against the motorist for failing to maintain control of his vehicle.
A civil wrongful death suit has been brought by the family to
both ensure Kylie is provided for and to raise awareness regarding
distracted and negligent driving practices. As is uniformly the
case, the motorist's attorney has responded by making the claim
that it was just an unfortunately accident. And, so it goes...
A trust fund has been established in Kylie's name. Donations
should go to the Kylie Bruehler Benefit Fund, c/o 24165 IH-10
West, Ste. 217-720, San Antonio Texas 78275-1160
So, are you prepared?
Daytime
Tail Lights; A Good Idea Or Overkill? OK,
so we all know a bright tail light is essential for cyclists
who ride between dusk and dawn, right? In fact, it's typically
required by law in most states. However, have you considered
if running a tail light during daylight hours may also be prudent?
We have and now we do. Yes, it scores fairly high up on the Fred
Curve, but given we're riding a tandem, are middle-aged, non-competitive
cyclists who wear mirrors attached to our helmets... we're fairly-well
stuck in the middle of the Fred-Curve anyway.
But, seriously,
given the recent rise in collisions where motorists have rear-ended
cyclists in which all indications point to a distracted motorist
(see above for an example), we have finally come to the realization
we need to do what we can to remove the "I didn't see you"
defense from motorists.
 To that end, we were introduced to
the DiNotte line of lighting products in a very dramatic way
at a tandem rally when we found ourselves about a 1/2 mile back
from good friends Bob & Jan Thompson. There was no way we
could not see them up ahead even on a dead flat road in full
daylight. I was impressed, but not yet moved to act UNTIL this
past fall.
I should note, in
addition to the rear-end collision that took the Bruehlers' lives,
a friend and company executive was also killed while riding his
bicycle on the shoulder of a road. Once again, for unexplained
reasons, a motorist drifted out of the lane and struck him from
behind. To the best of my knowledge, neither of these investigations
have been closed nor have charges been filed.
Regardless, look
for us on the road... Please!! Hopefully our bright red DiNotte
tail lights will make that a bit easier for all concerned.
 Rolf's
for Santana:
Mark Johnson of Precision
Tandems wrote to us back in September to let us know
Rolf Wheels has released a 160mm rear-spaced version of it's
Prima Vigor Tandem wheelset called the "Perfect Vision"
(Geez-o-pete, I guess Perfect is the new Mega at Santana these
days).
The Santana-compatible
160mm rear-spaced tandem wheelset at 1768g per set (w/o q.r
or rim strips) is about 1/2 a pound lighter than the Shimano/Santana
Sweet 16 at 2055g per set (w/o q.r or rim strips). While
not cheap at $1,495 (gasp) are priced to be competitive
with the Sweet 16s. I should note, the 160mm "Perfect Vision"
wheels have 20 spokes front & rear vs. the Santana-Shimano
Sweet 16's with 16 front & rear. According to the folks at
Santana, Sweet 16's will continue to be available to consumers.
Note Regarding Rolf:
In case you missed it, Rolf Dietrich sold Rolf Prima Wheel Systems
to Brian Roddy (majority owner and one of Rolf Dietrich's
original partners) and two other long-time members of the
Rolf team back in August. There are several articles on the web
regarding the change as well as a press-release from Rolf.
Santana Offers
Shimano Di2 Electronic Shifting - At
this year's big bike shows Santana debuted tandems outfitted
with Shimano's Di2 Electronic Shifting. Bill McCready was kind
enough to share more details regarding the system to the readers
at the Tandem@Hobbes list back on Sept. 26 in a post that you
can find HERE. Bill also posted a follow-up to
address gearing limitations, i.e., double-only no triple cranks
that you can find HERE. The twice mentioned follow-up on
pricing, compatibility and availability has still not materialized.
In December Jack Goertz of Tandems Limited in Birmingham, AL,
posted a review of the system after putting their first Shimano
Di2 equipped tandem into inventory that you can read HERE.
What does the TheTandemLink.com
think? Looking across the more recent technical offerings from
the bicycle industry, this is yet another one of those things
that makes me realize I'm really getting old. Does Di2 really
do anything to improve the cycling experience? Not really. But
it is cool and costs a lot so it will generate some much-needed
revenue for retailers and give consumers bragging rights for
a little while until the next great innovation comes along. Frankly,
the smartest guy in the room is probably riding an aluminum or
steel 90's model tandem with rock solid 9 speed components, conventional
wheels, a steel fork and has a few thousand extra dollars sitting
in his Scottrade account. The extra cash will allow him to retire
a year or two earlier than if he'd gone out an bought a $10k+
tandem with all of the latest "innovations". That's
not a slam on Di2, by the way. It's just my take as a connoisseur
of fine tandems has traded a few extra years of work for a stable
full of really nice bikes and tandems that really are only as
good as the folks who ride and maintain them. Seriously, it's
not about the bike it's about riding the bike and keeping it
properly maintained.
Et tu, Alpha
Q? For those who
may not have notice, Reynolds quietly got out of the carbon fork
business a while back so no more Ouzo Pro Tandem forks. In fact,
John Slawta of Land Shark cycles apparently bought up a lot of
Reynolds' remaining inventory and blew them out on Ebay at about
1/2 price. More recently I've learned that True Temper (aka,
Alpha Q) is also exiting the carbon fork market so, again, for
those who had tandems built around an Alpha Q X2 tandem fork,
replacements may be hard to find as current inventories are exhausted.
Now, on the bright side, I have it on good authority that a well-known
bicycle design and fabrication house has approached True Temper
regarding the possible acquisition of Alpha Q fork technology
and tooling. More to follow IF something develops.
 Specialized Shiv Tandem Concept: Certainly by now, most tandem enthusiasts
who surf the web on at least an occasional basis have stumbled
across a video
or photos of the Specialized Shiv Tandem
Concept. The latest creation by Robert Egger of Specialized was
first revealed in a short Twitter Video from Specialized back
on December 7th. For those who have been tandem enthusiasts long
enough to remember, Egger had produced a similarly, visually stunning
track tandem concept bike back in 1992. Like the '92 bike,
and being skeptical by nature, I suspect that this truly is a
visual exercise and the bike itself is not functional, right
down to the brakes and purported shaft drive (noting the '92
tandem concept also claimed a shaft drive). However, it has likely
had what I suspect was it's intended effect by stimulating a
lot of Internet buzz in the cycling community and the buzz still
seems to be making its way through the various blogs, magazine
columns and discussion forums replete with the ubiquitous "I
gotta have one" comments from folks who have never ridden
a tandem in their life. Again, that's one of the reasons why
designers like tandems: they are eye catching in a way that even
a radical single bike like the S-Works TTR prototype for the
Shiv Time Trial bike will never be.
Anyway, while I'm
hopeful Mr. Egger will return from the holidays and reply to
my questions about his Shiv tandem concept, I ain't holding my
breath. They included:
1. The design
appears to be time-trial specific; Yes?
2. The frame appears to borrow molds from the TTR Prototype,
e.g., head, fork, rear stays; Yes?
3. What percentage of the frame is organic vs. borrowed from
other prototypes or current bikes?
4. Is the shaft-driven sync mechanism a modified production model
from a 3rd party, a one-off outsourced model, fabricated in house
or perhaps a spare from the '92 exercise?
5 Are the brakes functional, i.e., is there a master cylinder
buried in the frame for each brake that transitions the mechanical
cable pull from the SRAM Red levers to hydraulics... or just
part of the 'conceptual' package?
6. It appears to have a conventional dual chain ring drive but
no front derailleur; was this intentional and is there a conceptual
application here or....?
7. What is the actual weight of the concept bike in it's current
configuration?
8. Is the tandem fully functional such that it could be ridden
by two adults in an actual time trial or is it purely a visual
exercise?
Of course, the internet
being what it is, some details have come out such as a posting
on the slowtwitch.com forums from Specialized's Mark
Cote who noted:
"Awesome
model from the Specialized design master, Robert Egger. Robert
worked on this concept piece for a couple of years and finished
it last spring. Pretty killer concept bike. You can see how concepts
like the fork on this bike have made it into real bikes (like
the Shiv).
Mostly made of
alloy, wood, bondo, and paint but looks ready to race."
So, as Mark notes,
concept bikes are what they are; awesome-looking designs that
often times provide a glimpse of what may be in store on future
designs.
The last comment
I feel compelled to make is the timing of the '92 concept bike
which may or may not have anything to do with the timing of the
'09 bike. Although Specialized never produced the swoopy '92
time trial tandem, some will recall that 1991-1992 was a watershed
year for big-brand tandem offerings. As noted in a New York Times article from September 7, 1991,
it was in 1991 that Specialized introduced its only production
model tandem, the 1992 Deja Two. Likewise, it was also in the
1992 model-year that Trek introduced its first tandems, the T100/T200
models. And last but certainly not least, it was also the 1992
model-year when Cannondale began to sell it's tandems as fully-assembled
bikes instead of as frame-only offerings. Again, I doubt there
will be a watershed moment like that in 2010 based on the very
weak showing of tandem manufacturers at this past year's Interbike
show in September.
2010 Rally
Dates & Calendar Update: As
the 2009 Tandem Rally Season draws to a close it's time to start
making your plans for 2010. We've recently rolled the Tandem
Rally Calendar forward to 2010 and are starting to populate the
dates and places for next years events. As usual our very organized
tandem brethren across the pond in the UK have already posted
up their entire 2010 calendar, beginning with the Annual New
Year Rally on Dec 29 - Jan 2. Dates & locations for the Southwest
Tandem Rally, Midwest Tandem Rally, Georgia Tandem Rally, Northwestern
& Eastern Tandem Rallies are also posted. So, if you plan
to do a rally in 2010 -- and I highly recommended it to anyone
who has not -- start making your plans NOW by checking your calendar
and penciling in an event or two. you can find the full rally
calendar HERE.
Here's Your
Chance to Shape What You Read Here At The Bulletin Board in 2010:
I'm almost at the
point where I feel I can start updating on a more regular basis.
However, before doing so I'd like to give any regular followers
a chance to let me know what you'd like to read about. Is it
industry news that captures your attention, or the more personal
tidbits that pop up around the world. Would you rather see my
rantings on whatever happens to trip my trigger in a given week,
or is there something else regarding tandems you'd like to hear
more about that you just can't find elsewhere on the web, at
least without being inundated with all kinds of commercial stuff.
Speaking of which, would you just as soon see the Google Ads
vanquished from my site given that there are clearly some advertisers
(whom I really don't control) that you're rather not be bothered
with? Now's your change to let me know....
Send me your thoughts via Email
to: mark@werlivingood.com.
Bloggishnish
I'd like to think
I've gotten over my writer's block, but we'll see. This entry
was only possible due to very cold weather here in Atlanta coupled
with a concerted effort to try and publish a few updates to cover
the past 5 1/2 months. Of course, if writer's block wasn't enough
of a barrier, I also had a bit of a computer meltdown on the
old '99 Mac G4 400mhz tower running OS9 that I've always used
to update my site. A new to me G4 500mhz dual processor model
how houses the hard drives from my old Mac so I'm back in business.
Yes, yes... I should move over to iWeb on OSX on my newer G4
or G5 platforms, but I just haven't made the time to start over.
Perhaps I'll try to update at least my home page in 2010.
Anyway, speaking
of being a bit of luddite, I've ended my brief foray into Facebook.
So, if anyone who had friended me was wondering if they'd been
un-friended the answer is no, but... well yes. I like to stay
connected to my friends, but not that connected: call me old-fashioned.
So, if anyone's looking for me, Email still works and, well,
I'll continue to offer up snippets regarding behind the scenes
goings-on here.
 Let's see, what else is new since July?
Well, we've added another tandem bike to the fleet. Well, OK.
It's got an engine, but it is truly a two-fer... our first sport
touring two-fer. Right now we're trying to figure out when exactly
we'll find the time to ride it as the best days to ride the motorcycle
are always the same best days to ride the tandem. Note: For new
readers, it's the silver one sitting behind my white & blue
daily-driver.
Santana Website Address For those who may maintain their
own links lists or Websites with links to tandem builders, touring
companies and the like please note Santana Tandems can be found
at www.santanatandem.com.
Heretofore, the URL www.santanainc.com had also been used
and it is no longer the correct address. Please make a note of
the change and update your links at your earliest convenience.
Hokitika Tandems I mentioned back in March that
Tandems East introduced its own house-branded line of tandems,
the Hokitika a value-priced entry level tandem made in the USA
that fills the gap left by the departure of Burley. Well, I finally
had the opportunity to see one: it was their first Hokitika Triplet
upon its delivery to the new owners at last weekend's Eastern
Tandem Rally. I must say, for the price point the frame and paint
was very good and the build kit was excellent. A great way for
a team to get their toes wet with a hand-made steel tandem before
making the next jump to a premium-brand tandem.
Gates Carbon Drive Belts: Install &
Remove With Care: AND THEY MEAN IT!! For those who have gone all-in with the
uber-lightweight Gates Carbon Drive / Tandem Sync Belt Drive
being offered on new Co-Motion racing tandems as an option or
upgrade for other tandems that have ~28.4" stoker compartments,
be respectful of the manufacturer's belt handling and installation
guidelines. Here's the skinny: somebody had to be first to break
a Carbon Drive belt and to go public about it and they did just
that on one of the discussion forums I frequent. Thankfully,
the team was very forthcoming with the conditions under which
their belt broke to include the root cause: re-installing the
belt by 'rolling it on' with a turn of the cranks after the belt
was pushed off a pulley during unloading. The latter is clearly
called-out as a Bozo-No-No by Gates in
this warning notice. So, please read and heed, lest you
find yourself asking your stoker to power you home all by themselves.
(Link's Repaired 7/14)
R&E Cycles Newsletter Strikes a
Chord With Me
Being a certified geek, I'm on distribution for a variety of
catalogs and newsletters offered up by the folks who produce
and sell my beloved tandems. R&E Cycle's newsletter produced
and largely written by Dan Towle routinely contains Dan's very
subjective views on whatever particular subject that has recently
caught his interest. In the July
August edition Dan brought a smile to my face when
he weighted in on "standards" or the lack thereof.
Definitely worth a read to anyone who has an interest in (or
perhaps an aversion to ) the ever-changing bottom bracket designs
or other proprietary parts that eschew ISO, JIS or other standards.
For those who would like to peruse back issues, here's a link to the
archives.
Team Tatt! The Faces of Tandemings
Future At
this year's Tennessee Tandem Rally we had the pleasure of meeting
some wonderful 'kids' who may be the future of tandem cycling:
Team Tatt, short for Team Tattoo. Jon & Stacy are friends
and fellow track-rat friends of Billy & Melissa who also
represent the younger generation of tandem enthusiasts and and
took time out to chronicle their first tandem rally at their
BLOG. It's a great article with lots of photos which you can
find HERE.
2010 Tennessee
Tandem Rally: A New Location!!
In an effort to mix-it-up a bit, the 8th edition of the Tennessee
Tandem Rally (TTR) will be held in the mid-state region nearer
to Nashville. For those who follow such things, TTR has been
firmly ensconced in the Alcoa, TN area for the past 7 years and
will go on the road in 2010 and 2011 before coming back to Alcoa
in 2012 for the 10th Anniversary edition.
The Best of Craigslist; A few things
from the bike shop. [Warning: PG-18] This was forwarded to me by good friend
Tim P. of Louisville, TN over the weekend and, well, two comments:
(1) the language and sentiment is for mature and open-minded
adults only, and (2) it may not be as funny to some as it will
be to others. It all depends on how often you actually use the
sports racks on your Subaru. Without further ado, and once again
warning you that the F-bomb and other colorful language is used,
here is THE
LINK.
 MTBTandems
Introduces US-Made Twenty-Niner - Good friend and mountain tandem bike empesario
Alex Nutt of MTBTandems.com in Canton, Georgia, has been associated
with Sherwood Gibson of Ventana USA for several years as one
of Ventana's top tandem dealers. Along the way, Alex has become
a big fan of 29" wheeled hardtail bikes and recently collaborated
with Ventana to bring design & fabrication of MTBTandems'
Fandango branded frames back to the US with their new 29"
hardtail model. You can find additional details and pricing HERE. CLICK on the
thumbnail photo to see a high-res
photo of the first production model.
Bamboosero Bikes Now A Reality - Craig Calfee recently launched a
new enterprise called Bamboosera Bikes to advance the production
of bamboo bicycles in places of Ghana and anywhere else where
inexpensive, easy to assembly transportation can improve peoples
lives through both industry and the movement of people and commerce.
Check it out HERE.
 North
American Handmade Bicycle Show Winners! - CyclingNews
ran a very comprehensive series of articles on the NAHBS held
in Indianapolis, IN back on Feb 27 - Mar 1 and in Part 3 focused
on the winners of the "Best ____" awards. Taking top
honors for the tandems was Stephen Bilenky's lugged homage to
the Jack Taylor tandems of years gone by; resplendent in its
deep red and cream colors. The CyclingNews Gallery can
be found HERE
and the tandem gallery from the NAHBS show is HERE.
However, there was actually a second best tandem, but this one
stole the Best Titanium Bike category. Kent Eriksen's coupled
somehow eluded a few cameras but some diligent searching by yours
truly has uncovered a few photos HERE
and HERE.
 Big Ass Chard from Adler Fels Winery - I've got to give credit where
credit is due to Gary
Koenig whose column is carried by the Denver Examiner
for this discovery... and it's a Big Ass find, literally. Adler
Fels Winery apparently has a brand called Big Ass wines -- full-bodied,
robust, soft, warm California wines -- that features some brilliant
labels. Their Big Ass Chard (as in Chardonnay) label makes this
the ideal gift for your next social, off-bike dinner party with
your tandeming friends. We'll have to see if it's carried locally
as the only thing we can buy direct from Adler Fels is the poster
as direct alcohol sales are a no-no to Georgia residents.
Tandem Club of America Continues Its
Slide Into Obscurity
- I received my 2009
TCA Membership Roster and, as I have done for the last six years,
I thought I'd share a quick look at the Tandem Club of America's
(TCA) demographics. As always, my hand-tabulated counts from
the membership listing were entered into my spreadsheets and
looked at on a state-by-state basis as in comparison to data
from last year's Membership Roster and, where noted, to the first
analysis I conducted back in 2002. You can find my highly unscientific
analysis HERE.
In summary, and
based on what was published in this year's 2009 Membership List,
TCA membership at approx 914 is down about 9% compared to last
year, with a net reduction of 92 members. In fact, the drop-off
in 2008 is nearly the same as last year where we saw a net reduction
of 91 members.
Looking back and
comparing membership to 2002 when I first started following the
data, overall TCA membership has fallen by 543 or about 37%:
States like Texas have dropped dramatically from 71 members in
2002 to just 37 in this year's Membership roster.California has
gone from a very healthy 111 members in 2002 to 68 members this
year.Florida and New York have also seen quite a drop-off in
membership during the past year.
Editorial: Given
there have been almost no changes in TCA staff, sans the folks
who maintain the membership and hospitality homes lists up to
date, and that there have been no changes in the way that TCA
promotes itself or the services / value it offers membership,
there is no reason to believe the net downward trend or the short-lived
new membership trends will be reversed. TCA continues to cling
to a model for enthusiast clubs that has not changed in over
a decade and only survives because of long-term membership loyalty
which, frankly, may also be tested in the next year. After all,
even the nominal $15 membership fee may start to look excessive
in terms of the value it delivers as members re-evaluate their
household budgets and expenditures.
Archives: 2001 - 2002
- 2003 - 2004 - 2005 - 2006- 2007 - 2008 - 2009-
2010
|
Winter
-
- Rice Valley Tandem Rally
- Most likely Feb 7th,
Gridley, CA
-
- Sebring
Tandem Rally
- Feb 20-21, Sebring,
FL
-
- More
Rally Dates Here
| Elsewhere On Our Web
Site |
|
Clubs
The location,
contact information and links to Web sites (if they have one)
for every tandem cycling club in the World, to include all of
the Clubs that make up Tandem Club UK and all of the Clubs in
the United States of America.
|
|
|
Events
Locator maps
and calendar listings of all the major tandem rallies and events
throughout the world, including links to Web sites with additional
information and registration forms.
|
|
|
Links
What is perhaps
the most comprehensive collection of links to tandem related
information on the Internet. This is the heart of TheTandemLink.com.
|
|
|
Learning
A huge collection
of links for the beginner looking to learn more about tandems
and tandeming as well as a plethora of links to information on
bicycle fitting, bicycle sciences, safety & advocacy, how-to
Web sites and discussion forums where you can learn more or interact
with other enthusiasts.
|
|
|
Tandems
The basics
for beginners who are just starting their search for a first
tandem, links to many of the tandem dealers who cater to tandem
shoppers, links to all tandem builders in the World, as well
as Web sites where you can find classified ads for used tandems
to meet your needs. This page also features links to our exclusive
Used
Tandem Tandem Price Estimating Tool
|
|
|
Traveling
Links to Web
sites of tour operators who cater to tandem enthusiasts, links
to other very large tour operator indices, travel logs, information
on S&S couplers -- perhaps the greatest innovation in bicycle
travel technology to date --, and links to resources for transporting
your tandems such as car racks, trailers and shipping cases.
|
|
|
Tandem
Magazines
Links to a
few of the publications currently in print that cater to the
tandem enthusiast. There aren't many links here because tandems
are such a small niche market; however, for the publications
that are available we'd encourage you to consider subscribing
to that these few survivors can continue to serve our needs.
|
|
|
Tandem@Hobbes
Information
and subscription information for what is the largest Web-based
Mailing List dedicated to the discussion of tandems and tandeming.
If you yearn to know what's happening in the Tandem world, have
tandem-specific questions, or just want to get to know hundreds
of other tandem enthusiasts who share your interests this is
the list you'll want to subscribe to.
|
|
|
Double
Forte
Information
and subscription information to a discussion forum for an even
smaller collection of tandem enthusiasts who ride off-road tandems.
There are approximately 240 members of this list and the discussions
cover the range of topics that you'd expect to hear at the trail
head -- everything from hard-core technical talk to recommendations
for a great micro-brew.
|
|
|
Captain
Bike
Everything
you could ever want to know about cycling....
Sheldon Brown,
before his passing in 2008, WAS Captain Bike and his Web site
contains information and links to information that will answer
95% of the questions you could conceive of regarding all things
bicycle: and in several different languages (French, Russian
& English).
|
|
|
