BillShepp

Hi, All,

My 13-yr old daughter and I are committing to ride RAGBRAI next summer (2018), and hopefully I'll do the same with my younger daughter when she's the same age in a few more years. Shira doesn't have much athletic endurance (she's fit but isn't particularly into many sports or cardio activities), so I think the only way she'll make it the ~500 miles is if we do it on a tandem. Plus I'm thinking this would be an amazing week-long bonding experience - I grew up in Iowa and rode RAGBRAI six times over the years, starting in junior high and riding my latest time in my mid-20's (I'm 52 now), and have many fond memories of the joys of RAGBRAI.

Any advice for what to look for in a tandem? I'd like to keep it to <$2K, which I think implies used or perhaps a new Raleigh Cadent. I'm 6'0", she's 5'2" and probably has an inch or two more to grow.

Any advice on how to ensure she has a positive experience as we start putting in the training miles would be welcome, too!

- Bill

qspencer

Most of the larger frame Cannondales would probably fit you OK. You'd probably be looking at one over 10-15 years old to get the price under $2K. The best tandem I've seen that can be bought new for $2K or less is probably the KHS Milano (Tiagra group, disc brakes).

I'm 6'3" and ride with my kids (5' and 5'6") on my tandem. I deliberately set it up with a big differential in crank length (180mm and 165mm) so they don't feel like I'm spinning too fast, especially given they are not very experienced cyclists. I accomplished that using single bike cranks and right side drive. It would probably be harder with stock tandem cranks because they don't tend to come in as many sizes.

We're still working on the starting and stopping. We started doing this when they were quite a bit smaller and they would just climb on and I would start more or less on my own. After we moved a couple of years ago we got out of the habit and we're trying to get back into the tandem riding now, but the kids have grown a lot in the meantime. The dynamics have clearly changed and we're figuring it out.

Scraper

We bought a used 2009 Canondale RT2 last year. Found it on Craigslist in Wisconsin and had it shipped to Texas. All set up were under $2000, and it's a heck of a bike. It's a jumbo/medium, I assume you'd want one size smaller.

Seats are a big issue when going beyond 30 or 40 miles per day, and progressively building up miles is necessary.

mulveyr 

My daughter was ten when I first got her on a tandem; pretty much the same sort of situation, where she was fit, liked the idea of some bike tours, but wasn't actually all that interested in the biking itself. :-) It's worked out very well.

What I found worked best was to start out giving verbal indications of what I was doing; i.e. "Shifting up", "Shifting down", "Braking", etc for the first couple of weeks. After that she developed a sense of our riding style and it wasn't necessary any longer. Pretty much the only time I say anything about the biking itself is to warn her when we're getting to a rough spot so she can prepare herself; she's too short to be able to use a suspension post/seat on our frame, so she really bucks around in the stoker position if it happens suddenly.

It really is nice to not have to worry about her lagging behind from being tired, and we've had many great conversations along the way.

Jbhardy

I don't know where you are located, but I have a Cannondale Los Dos that I'm about to list on CL. Lubbock, TX. 1000.00. Recently upgraded to a Co-Motion.

Jim

qspencer

I thought I was the only tandem rider in Lubbock! I'll be listing an old Raleigh tandem next month. I'm hoping there are buyers around here.

nfmisso

Get her used to being in the saddle for long periods - that will take many rides, and you have to start easy, so that she does not have extremely long recovery periods between rides.

Get out on the road; the exact bike you and she choose is not as important as riding it.

Go and test ride these:
https://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/bik/6079055321.html
https://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/bik/6103993384.html
https://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/bik/6103598274.html
https://modesto.craigslist.org/bik/6098784593.html
https://sacramento.craigslist.org/bik/6098438049.html
https://goldcountry.craigslist.org/bik/6070314312.html

Plan some funds for customizing to suit her and your needs - saddles, handle bars, etc.

Alcanbrad

What a great goal to share with your daughter. I used to ride with my teenage daughters (twins, and they turn 30 next week!). My advice is to be sure and read most of the links on how to begin tandeming. Communication is the key. Don't criticize or scold. Ask and praise.

You do want to have time and distances under your belts before your big event. I would always add a destination to the ride. We would stop for breakfast at a diner, or ice cream, or an out door concert. Just something to make it a little more than just a ride.

Also, I would always say how much I enjoyed the time together riding the tandem with them.

One more suggestion is to view the big event as an adventure rather than a ride. Try to convince your daughter to publish a daily blog with pictures and story of the day. This way her friends and family can follow along which will put her in the limelight and garner kudos and props during and long after the event. Posting on Facebook is ok, but it is fragmented and hard to access later. A blog is something her followers will look forward to daily and will talk about long after your trip. Perhaps you can gift her a new tablet as an incentive.

If she does this, bump up this thread with the blog link just before your adventure begins and she will have even more followers.

Good luck and have fun. I'm envious, I miss those rides with my girls.

senna

My daughter is 8 (137 cm). We ride on KHS Tandemania Milano (frame 23x21").
We began to ride this spring from 25-30 km tracks.

BillShepp

Thanks, Senna. I just bought an upgraded 2005 Milano on eBay, eagerly awaiting its arrival! The one I bought is a M/S, not sure if that's the 23x21 or 20x16. Is your daughter able to use a suspension seatpost or is there not enough clearance for her?

senna

I bought tandem in Moscow (Russia) last spring without a suspension seatpost.
And although my daughter is the tallest in the school class, her legs are not so long for suspension seat post.
When she grows up, I'll buy and use it.
But for now I installed thick ballons (28X1,6) and Brooks B17 S.