Originally Posted by
tkramer
Hey, there's a Bilenky! Now I know that he favors the forward-the-BBs coupler placement, like Co-motion.
We visited Rodriguez a few years back on a San Juan Islands trip. Stayed in Seattle for a couple of days and rode around. We took the factory tour and hung around talking bikes. We also bought some jerseys and accessories. We saw a lot of Rodriguez riders everywhere we went. On the Seattle streets and ferries, in Anacortes, out on the islands. They have a solid following in the region but I'm surprised when one shows up far afield, only two that I know of here in SanDiego - both tandems. Likewise, the owner is surprised I've heard of Rodriguez.
We bought a Rodriguez for one of the reasons you mentioned, the integrated/mitered diagonal tube with the stoker's BB. We were concerned about stoker flex when heavily loaded with camping gear. The frame is great, no flex when standing uphill with full gear or at higher speeds. We also wanted a Rohloff and Rodriguez has payed attention to many frame details specific to Rohloff. We toured the San Juans and the peninsula in 2018 when we bought the bike, very nice, esp. Lopez. We actually made the bag ourselves.