Transporting a tandem

[bobwillis]

I read a recent discussion about shipping bicycles.  My wife and I ride a tandem which would seem to make solutions more complicated.  We have done a number of one week and two week tours in the midwest transporting our bike and gear in the back of our Ford Explorer, but with retirement now just four months away, we are anxious to carry through with long deferred dreams.  The northern tier comes immediately to mind, but I would love to spend extended time in Europe.  New Zealand is our big dream.  There and Europe removes the Explorer from the list of transport options.  I would love to know how others have dealt with this.  Is a fold up tandem perhaps an option?

Bob Willis
Cincinnati, Ohio

[whittierider]

I would say S&S-coupled would be far better.  You get a full-sized, full-performance tandem that fits in a suitcase and is just as stiff and durable as a standard tandem, does not creak, etc..  The S&S website is http://www.sandsmachine.com/ where you can read about the characteristics, advantages, and myths about the couplers, and find a long list of bike manufacturers that make frames with these couplers.  Really their only disadvantage is what they add to the cost of a frame and the price of the suitcase(s); but you may recoup that the first time the bike is not damaged, lost, or stollen when it goes on the airplane with you in a situation where a normal bike would have been.

You can find a lot of info on transporting tandems in general however on the tandem@hobbes website.  I was on their forum for quite a few years.  http://hobbes.ucsd.edu/tandem/ should help, especially http://hobbes.ucsd.edu/tandem/shipping.faq

This message was edited by whittierider on 3-2-08 @ 7:44 PM

[bogiesan]

http://www.adventuresportsonline.com/club/tandemclub.htm
http://www.co-motion.com/faq/resources.html
http://www.co-motion.com/faq/resources.html#Org
http://www.thetandemlink.com/TLLinks.html

david boise ID

go, ristretto, FCP/AE
"Read the manual."

[BioDiesel_Bob]

I happen to have a tandem and ride with blind folks. A friend of mine just asked me last week if I was interested in a Tandem travel case (I'm not).  She used to travel a lot, New Zeland, Italy (sound familiar :-)  Should I see if she's interested in making a deal?

[bobwillis]

To BioDiesel Bob,

Thank you for responding regarding the tandem travel case.  Right now I am just looking for education.  Any super tour plans would be at least a year from now.

Bob Willis