Paul J

I didn't want to take the "Happy Couples" thread so thought I'd pull this into a new one. Question for jim_pridx, on the picture you posted 10-29-2019. I'd love to hear about your custom build. What areas did you adjust? I too have a 36+ inseam though I'm 6' 1" now that I've shrunk a bit. :-) My wife is taller then yours but we ride a Large/Small older style Speedster which is just within our fit to get the longer head tube. The Large/Small configuration has a head tube is longer then the Large/Medium. https://www.bikeforums.net/tandem-cycling/391947-pictures-happy-tandem-couples-57.html#&gid=1&pid=19

geoffs

I'm not Jim but we do have a custom Co-motion Mocha Co-Pilot so I'll chip in. I'm 6'2" and Marian is 5'3" so we went the custom route as standard wouldn't fit. We had ours made with a 30.5" boom tube so there is plenty of room for the stoker. This does mean that we can't use a Gates belt but we did this back in 2005 so belt drive wasn't a consideration.
If I was going to buy a custom tandem today I'd also be looking at T47 BB's, disc mount on chain stay and internal cable run for rear brake.
Co-motion were very easy to deal with and we bought ours through Tandems East

jim_pridx

Well, the primary goal was to put me into a slightly more upright position to relieve a bit of neck and back strain, so we went with a longer head tube as well as a 350mm steerer tube. It definitely helped, for this is the most comfortable tandem I've ever ridden! At one time I was close to 6'4", but since disc degeneration has brought me down in height by almost two inches as well as causing a considerable amount of pain while riding, it only made sense to go with the custom frame. Other than raising up the front end, the only changes we made from the stock Carrera involved a triple da Vinci crankset instead of a double, and we opted for a set of bombproof wheels. My wife has always been pretty comfortable with standard dimensions for a shorter rider, so we pretty much left that alone. If there's one criticism I can make of the bike, it's about the mounting location for the rear disc brake caliper. Since the seat stays become much tighter to one another on the rear triangle of this frame, it becomes impossible to swap out the TRP Spyre mechanica brake for anything larger (i.e., a TRP HY/RD will not fit). All in all, though, we're very happy with the bike!

Paul J

Thanks for sharing jim_pridx. It is a very nice looking bike and set-up. I noticed you had DaVinci cranks so was thinking you might have purchased a frame and built it up from that.

jim_pridx

Thanks, Paul! You've got a pretty sweet ride yourself! Other than having Co-Motion building us a custom frame, I would suppose one could say that we actually took a stock Carrera while downgrading in some respects, particularly in the wheelset. We certainly didn't lose any weight with the wheels or by swapping out the crankset, but it's still quite tolerable in comparison to our other tandems of the past.