Congratulations on your new Trek! We started our tandem adventures with a Kuwahara from the 80s that we found on Craigslist. I am also short and was uncomfortable with the height of the stoker's crossbar. It's rideable and we enjoyed it enough to discover that we really enjoy riding together, so decided to look for a tandem that fit us better. The Trek 900 is our answer. We love it! We too switched out the original tires to road tires and have thoroughly enjoyed our rides. After riding in our first NW Tandem rally last year, we looked wistfully at upgrading to a nicer road tandem, something with 700 wheels, but have found the Trek works really well for cruising through our rougher country roads. I'll always lust for a 700 but we'll happily ride the Trek for quite some time. It's a great bike! Wishing you many happy miles together!