Originally Posted by DubT

Maybe it does not make a lot of sense to you , it does make a lot of sense to some of us.

It appears that you are what might be described as a “purist”, high end bikes designed for maximum performance. I would say that in my racing days that I would have described myself the same way. My last racing back which I built in the mid 90’s weighed 15 pounds ready to race.

when I first built our Calfee Tetra back in 2001 I built is as light as possible with a moderate budget. I had it down to right at 27 pounds.

I installed the motor to increase our range and help battle the almost constant wind we have on the Prairie here in Illinois.

here are the benefits for us: 1. Extended range, my stoker used to only want to ride around 30 miles on a ride, we have extended that to 50.
2. Windy days were non riding days, now winds of over 25 mph keep us off the bike. 3. Taking off from a stop on an incline is no longer an issue, I just use a little throttle to get us going. 4. We can ride with any group and will often set the pace. 5. Hills which we don’t have many of are are a non issue. 5. Having the motor along with the throttle gives us the ability to ride more defensively or accelerate out of a dangerous situation.

We enjoy riding more now than we did prior to the motor and I believe that is what tandem riding is all about, having fun riding with your stoker.

wayne