bwebel

I resemble that remark. I think I have 3 full stokid attachments that have been sitting in a box for 3+ years waiting to be gotten rid of. I'm kind of expecting the kids to be in college before it actually happens.

Philly Tandem

I have a legitimate reason to keep at least one of my stokid kits, figuring when I go to sell the triplet the buyer will likely want a kit. With the other one, it's probably a factor of not wanting to admit that my kid is grown up enough not to need one :-)

At least I don't have tandems and parts on two continents, right @bwebel? ;-)

bwebel

The difficult is part is answering the question "how many bikes do you have?" Because it leads down a philosophical path of exactly how many parts does a frame have to have on it before it becomes a "bicycle?"

zonatandem

Micargis are the bottom of the heap.
Worked on a brand new one . . . NO grease on the bearings . . . yup, you get what you pay for!

Philly Tandem

What is the point of posting this, @zonatandem? The OP is excited about getting a new triplet (rightfully so, it seems like a good deal for a hard to find bike), and you come in and basically say it's crap? Not cool IMO.
@bajajoaquin, I still say it's a good score and it will pay great dividends in family time. That's what matters. Sure, it's not a Santana or Co-Motion, but it meets the needs of this family and from the sounds of it will get plenty of use.

bajajoaquin

For whatever it’s worth, that’s an accurate description of the bike. An an accurate description of my feelings towards it.

What’s the common thought around here about how far the average tandem is ridden? 200 miles or something? I’m sure I’ll ride the triplet weekly for the next 5-6 years and it won’t go much farther than that. (Okay, I just did the math and it will likely go more than 200 miles, but not 1000.)

I’d love love love to have a nice triplet just for the appreciation of the fine construction and mechanical systems. But realistically, for the use I put it to, the Micargi works just as effectively at a price point I’m willing to pay.

bajajoaquin

I managed to get the kids out on the triplet for the first time tonight. We did our regular route from our house down into the business district of our town. Had some happy hour food and drinks with work colleagues in town then rode up the San Diego river bike path home.

One colleague from India had his wife with him so I gave them a quick “proper method” lesson and popped them on the Raleigh.

Everything everyone said about triplets and micargi triplets was true. The difference between a tandem and a triple is greater than he difference between a tandem and a single. It’s not helped by how whippy the Micargi frame is. You can really feel the five year old and my wife moving around. It will take more practice to get smooth on it.

Still perfectly happy with the bike. The components actually ride nicer than I feared but the frame is flexier than I’d hoped. You get what you pay for.

(Can’t upload a pic without a URL from my phone. Will try again from computer)

bajajoaquin

Pics!

pickettt

smh.

WillFam-Reno

ZT has been around a long time and knows what he's talking about.
What I take from this is not a put-down, but a warning that you should expect to have a LBS grease the bearings (even the headset) or DIY. I think his comment should be looked at as wise advise, not necessarily criticism.
A used tandem (or half bike for that matter) should be thoroughly checked out.

zonatandem

A very cheap set of tandem wheels will cost MORE than $400!
Come down to reality . . .

bajajoaquin

Have you guys actually read this thread? I can’t imagined you have because your comments make no sense.

I’m happy to have people speak the truth about the quality you get at the price points, but try to be relevant.

bajajoaquin

Philly Tandem

Hey sorry just catching up and will reply to the PM. Yes I still have one. Just have to go put hands on it.

bajajoaquin

Woo hoo!

That would be awesome, thanks. If I didn't put my email address in my PM, let me know and I'll give you a way to contact me directly.

Going back up to some of the other comments, allow me to clarify and amplify: The expert opinions of the quality, durability, and upgradability of the Micargi (and other cheap) triplets is exactly correct. I take no exception to them as such. The issue is that I was pretty clear that I knew that in advance, and was purchasing this with that limitation in mind. Therefore, telling me that you can't get a set of wheels "properly" built for $400 doesn't really move the conversation along. I'm not saying you're wrong, but in a "fitness for use" sense, it's not relevant.

This is my fourth tandem. That's probably more than many of the "experts" have owned. I have never had a "nice" one, a road-racing style, whatever you want to call it. I probably never will. The issue I have with this board is that most of the users only consider a single use case, which is that of the enthusiast or competitive rider. The wants and needs of the casual rider are dismissed. I live in sunny San Diego, five blocks from the beach, and miles of flat bike paths. The biggest elevation change I have is from sea level to my house, a rise of about 30'. I take my wife and kids on quick little jaunts to get tater tots and a pitcher of beer. For me, an inexpensive...nay, cheap!.... tandem or triplet is just fine.

---Edited to remove snarky comment---

Sorry, I don't know what came over me. I do believe there is room for every type of interest on a tandem (it would be a really big bike), but I don't think making snarky, insulting comments is appropriate. Thankfully I was ignored, or at least not quoted, so I can remove it.

Darth Lefty 

bajajoaquin

Philly Tandem

Here's one of the stokid crank setups that I'd be interested in selling. Cranks are Burley Designs 125mm, square taper. The BB shell adapter is by Santana and is a nice block of machined aluminum, not the cheaper steel ones you often see. It fits standard steel frames by Santana, Co-Motion, etc. (If you have a 29.8mm seatpost this should work.) BB spins fine. It has a 36-tooth chainring on it, but I have a bunch of different sizes in my parts bin and would be happy to switch it out to match your bike's timing chainrings (they should all be the same size). I'm thinking $70 + shipping and PayPal fees if desired.

On our triplet, I ran the stokid setup on the middle seat position, and had the stokid cranks setup so the chainring was on the right (drive-side) instead of the normal left (timing) side. I did this by adding a crankarm with spider to the right side middle position on the "regular" bb. This made things a lot easier to setup when using on a triple. (See photo below.)

@Darth Lefty makes a good point about chainring teeth and BCD. But, it's pretty easy to deal with. Just make sure the stokid setup has a chainring with the same number of teeth as your timing chainrings, so that they don't get out of sync. Most stokid setups I've seen are 110/74 BCD and are easy to find cheap chairings for (if anyone needs one, let me know as I have a pretty good stash of them I'd sell for cheap).

Darth Lefty