Relax man, Teachndad has not posted since starting the thread so he probably has not seen your question. I don’t know for sure but I think that most tandems have the captain and stoker cranks connected by a chain with no freewheel so I do not think that one person can coast while the other pedals.
There could be some sort of freewheel mechanism between the gears and the cranks but this would be just one more thing to break and adds to the cost. also if one person freewheeled for a bit then started pedaling you could have offset rhythms which could be bad.
You could be patent and wait for your answer or if you want the answer NOW go and do some research.
It’s been a very very busy week at work and family. I just didn’t get a chance to respond until now.
I am glad to hear so many of you have good stories from riding tandems. They really are a jewel of an experience. You seem them only very seldom. I wonder if a lot of them sit in garages next to unridden unis and keep each other company.
Steve,
Your idea of the “triple” was also something I had in mind. I do have an old beat up Burley bike trailer that i bought and renovated from a garage sale almost ten years ago. It sits in the garage taking up space and gathering dust. We had a lot of fun with it when the boys were smaller. My four year old can still fit in it, but I thought if I added the trailer, that it might pull the Trail-a-bike off track on a tight turn. But, now that I think about it, If I had son number 3 on the Trail A Bike, a 60 lb kid with trailabike would be enough weight to counteract my worries. When it stops raining here, I am gonna put the “train” together and we will go down to the 7/11, for kicks. Unfortunately, we would have to take two cars to take that all down to the beach to ride.
Steve(unibrier) answered that pretty well. The Captain and the Stoker are connected. When the Captain coasts, the stoker coasts. They cannot run independently of each other.
It is a hell of a way to bond with your kids. I don’t know how to describe it, but it is intimate, not in a sexy way, but in a close way. You get to talk. The kids aren’t distracted by a computer, Gameboy, or gaming system. No one else is around, and you get to talk about whatever. It’s been really good for my 9 year old. I really really enjoy it! We are outside in the sun and getting exercise. There are too many distractions in the house, and you get be out in the world and explore together.
That is a Wonderful! beach cruizer!! I want one! No, not a girlfriend.
A tandem like that. She looks awesome.
My tandem was bought on the cheap. Can I ask how much you paid. That wins the Character award for tandems!!
I do have to admit, I have been tiring of uniriding. Not sure what it is, but the Love I once had for it is not there as it was when I first started 7 years ago. I love Muni, but it’s not the same anymore. My 9 year old can ride, and we went on a short Muni ride about 6 weeks ago on my old 20 inch. We had a good time, but the tandem was better. I don’t think I will ever drop Uni riding, but, right now it’s not at the forefront of the things I want to do. Weekend warrior rides on techie trails once every two months is it for now.
Bruce,
That will truly be a labor of love. A lot of TLC is needed for that one. I love the handlebars with the fenders! That must be in the garage with an old 43 Dodge? Just joking.
Ya, and are the pedals extra? Notice the pedals are not pictured. From their website.
“As more families strive to find healthful activities they can do together, Co-Motion Cycles has seen an enormous increase in triplet and quad sales. The PeriScope Trident and Trident Convertible, introduced in 2005, have made triplets more affordable and versatile than ever before.”
The periscope model (move your mouse over the tandem to see it change) runs over $6,800. That’s more than I paid for my van when I bought it used 4 years ago. I spent 125 bucks on my tandem and bought two new seats and two new tires for it. It will go the same places as the Periscope model. But, hey, if you got the cash, why not, I guess.
She’s a proper beauty. I’m even moving to the coast next month so it can feel at home… Well perhaps for other reasons too but the first thing I want to do when I get there’s go for a ride along the beach.
I paid £180/$360 for it second hand. It has a few bumps and scratches but only wear and tear really.
Yeah, for me in order of preference it has to be unicycle, recumbant trike, tandem then bicycle. I can understand the attraction of a tandem and have had one for 15 years. Recently I rode the Snowdon Bike Ride on the tandem 'cos the route was too difficult for me on the uni - here it is in action on that event…no jokes about my stokers headgear please
Yeah, for me in order of preference it has to be unicycle, recumbant trike, tandem then bicycle. I can understand the attraction of a tandem and have had one for 15 years. Recently I rode the Snowdon Bike Ride on the tandem 'cos the route was too difficult for me on the uni - here it is in action on that event…no jokes about my stokers headgear please
Cool picture. Where did you get it? Do you have any other pictures? I’m wondering if the kid in the front is sitting on it backwards? Is he supposed to be facing the middle? But then he would have to pedal backwards.
Anyone interested in obscure HPV’s should check out Velovision magazine/website. They mostly cover recumbents, trailers and other utility cycling stuff but they have some really cool looking machines to salivate over in just about every issue.
They even did an article on Harper’s Blue Shift hub and an article on Uni magazine.
Very cool, but I don’t think I would want to be in the back seat going 60+ kph downhill… no thanks! I like how the back guy can do the turning signals. That is, as long as the guy up front clues him in on which way they’re about to go…
Check out the downhill section of this video. Its so insane it has to be good…for a laugh 
