Road Fan

A cycling friend was getting his home cleared out in prep to relocate, and I bought his never-built Meridian frame set and most of his build parts. I do not know much about tandems, riding with my wife, or really, anything relevant beyond our more-normal bikes.

How good is this machine? They were an offshoot of Santana BITD but now out of business. This frame set was one of their last. How do they stack up?

Kit included a set of wheels built for the frame, most of a drivetrain, and the specialized stem and seatposts.

How can I check the fit to judge whether it's gonna work? I've recently refit myself for my road bike, and it is real different from the position I think I'll get on this tandem frame. Also, how can I estimate how it will fit my wife? It's also very different from how her road bikes are fit. We both have rather low positions for 70-ish years old. She has no experience with tandems or being a stoker and is a bit nervous about not having control, and her nose being stuck in my back.

Is there a good "All About Tandem Selection and Riding" blog somewhere?


Meridian Tandem Frame

CaliTexan

We rode with several teams on Meridians back in the early 2000s when we were riding on a 1998 Santana Sovereign. They were comparable and the owners liked them.

Assuming your project is from that era, all the components will be dated, but should otherwise be serviceable.

The captain’s position will be similar to a single road bike. You can be as upright (or not) as you like. The stoker’s position is does not need to follow road bike norms since she will likely not be putting her foot down at every stop. (So, for example, stand over height is not so critical for the stoker.)

The #1 consideration is making sure your wife is comfortable- physically and mentally. You’ll find a lot of helpful beginner advice on the web written by Bill McCready, the founder of Santana. He can be overly dogmatic about things, but his piece on the Proper Method is required reading.

You’ll get lots of good tech advice here, but the #1 thing is making sure your wife enjoys the tandem.

Road Fan

Yes, some of the parts are dated, but my friend cautioned that most were sturdy enough to hold up used on a tandem, where some of the favorite lighter-weight stuff would not, even if it was intended for touring. I would normally depend on Wallbike for advice and sourcing, but they aren't in the game any more. So I don't want to make too many changes. I've attached the chainsets, chains, brake calipers (no drag brake in the kit!), headset and fork, and verified which seatposts work. She has a saddle which she loves and i"m seeking another one for her, but its a rare bird. Another expensive piece will be a Cirrus seatpost for my wife. Seatpost shimming will be necessary to install it.

She has one bike which is always comfortable for her. If I can replicate that setup in the stoker section with the addition of vertical flexion, that will be a good start for her.

I also need to buy a new set of generator lights and a rear support for the tail, but maybe that will just be a fender.

Thanks for the note on the Bill McReady "handbook!"

TobyGadd

Bill's one-size-fits-all dogma is highly flawed. There are many ways to mount and unmount a tandem, depending on the skills of the team and the terrain. Furthermore, I also disagree that the stoker can never make a mistake--it's a team sport, and an attentive and active stoker makes for a safer, more efficient, and enjoyable ride.

Road Fan

My stoker (wife Mrs. Road Fan) is a good and skilled rider, but being a music teacher is not as technically oriented as I am. She at times has subjective balance problems where she feels out of balance, but if you watch her, she is moving just right. As well, when she conducts her chorus she is totally aligned within the activity. She is worried about swinging her leg over, but with this frame she might be able to lift it over the dropped top tube. But whether she swings over or lifts over, I'll have to be on the bike holding the steering bars, making sure it is stable for her to hold the stoker bars to get herself on board hold the bike, because I need to swing over rather than lift my leg over.

I think in the past few years I've read about tandem bike frame sizing not mattering much, and that makes no sense to me. I can appreciate that some people might want to get me to stop overthinking and just go with the flow, but, I am what I am, lol! We've both come to appreciate how the details of a fitment matter on a good single bike, and what is there about a tandem which is truly different? Good fitting on a single depends on good perception and comprehension of problems, as well as a bike which enables workable component locations (saddle, seat post, TT, bars, stem, and more) so that correct setting-up for the individual is within the design's range of adjustment for all contact points. I can't see why we do not face the same considerations with a tandem. The fact we are looking at building up our first tandem frame does not mean we are unsophisticated riders.