Tandems

This was version 1.0 of our custom Bilenky S&S coupled tandem.

I have some pictures here of how we transport this bike, in the car, in a van, and on a plane.  

You can find more details about this bike and the it's eventual replacement, version 2.0, in the account of our trip to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons.

 

This is us riding our 1996 Cannondale RT2000. We rode this bike for 4 years and sold it in early 2000.  At the time we bought it, the Cannondale was one of the few road tandems that would accomodate our 12" difference in height.  Cannondale tandems are made of oversize aluminum tubes, and they are extremely stiff which it good when climbing and cornering, but not so good when riding on imperfect roads.  
     If you're interested in tandems and want to learn more, check out the tandem@hobbes internet mailing list.
 

 

This picture of us with our first tandem, a 1994 Santana, was taken on the 1995 Cycle Across Maryland.  The 1995 CAM started in Oakland, MD and ended in Baltimore.  The first two days of this ride were through the mountains of Western Maryland, which is the most challenging and most beautiful part of the state to ride in.

 

We've also taken a tandem on a two day camping trip along the C&O Canal.  We pulled a B.O.B. trailer which combined with the bike made for a combination longer than our car!  The canal is a great ride for the stoker, but piloting this train on the less than perfect canal towpath required 100% of the captain's attention, making it hard to enjoy the scenery.  We were using 37-622 tires on the Cannondale, the biggest tires it would accept.  Our Bilenky has clearance for 47-622 tires, which will hopefully make for a smoother ride.   (If you're not familiar with the ISO tire sizes, see Sheldon Brown's explanation on his site).

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(last updated 2/23/03)