How to Order a Tandem Bike
There are various ways to order our tandem bike, the easiest of them being a direct order made in person while visiting our shop. The undoubtable advantage of this kind of purchase is the possibility to test any type of tandem bike on your own. The advantage of personal contact is lost when using other ways of order – such as phone, fax or e-mail. Still, these can be good alternatives especially when a long-distance order is being made. We use out-sourced dispatch services to deliver our products to customers.
How to make your choice
When choosing the right tandem bike, you need to have in mind the ways you are going to use it. The basic questions we ask are: who will ride it – height, weight, age and performance level of the person, and what kind of landscape the bike will be ridden in – paved roads, dirt roads, trails or even trackless terrains, in what speed you prefer to ride your bike and how many kilometers a year you are most likely to make.
This web page may be a help to you in order to find your way through the various choices we offer. We are open to change any features at any type of bike according to your preference – may it be the frame geometry and/or the frame size exactly to your height, or any other individual component and feature including color and accessories. At the final ordering, you will be able to discuss all details with our experts, which will consequently recommend the solution which will meet your needs best.
According to use
Road tandem bike conventional road bike outfit – Shimano or Campagnolo, narrow tires 23-28x622 mm, cheek brakes, cantilever brakes or „V“ brakes, -Control Dual shifters, gears on a two-plate or a three-plate 30-42–52 (56) z. This tandem bike is designed for particularly high-quality roads. The fact that the power of the two riders sums up can be best distinguished with this type of bike as it is no problem to ride at speed between 40 and 70 km/h.
Trekking tandem bikes usually Shimano outfit for MTB – Alivio, Deore… or SRAM components with GripShift technology, straight or ergonomic handlebars, „V“ brakes from a chosen set or hydraulic (rim or disc) wheels 37x622, gears on a three-plate, either mountain-bike-types 22-32-42 sprockets or road-bike-types 30–42–52 sprockets.
„Mountain“ tandem bikes it differs from the trekking tandem bikes only by the size of the wheels, which, however makes it more stable and gives it a better control when riding trackless landscapes. It is designed, however, rather for high-quality paved roads. If used out of tracks, it is necessary to make use your tandem bike includes a spring fork, strengthened frame, the best possible brakes and perfect spokes.
According to the frame material
Cr- Mo, which is sufficiently hard while keeping its springiness.
Aluminium alloys, even large-diameter tubes made of this material show out-standing hardness; it is suitable for power riding (road tandem bikes), or for mountain sprung tandem bikes. The aluminium frame partly clears out one disadvantage of tandem bikes – the fact that while riding the frame tends to move most pedalling energy into an unpleasant snaking and twisting of the whole tandem bike instead of moving it into the rotational moment of the back wheel.
According to the frame type
Gentlemen´s type with diagonal link rod – conventional tandem structure suitable for riders with the same performance.
Gentlemen´s type with diagonal link rod and with supporting diagonal reinforcement – tandem structure for long- distance rides, making it possible -thanks to the 3D frame construction- a better control of a high-loaded tandem bike. It also makes the frame much harder.
Gentlemen‘s type in front and lady´s type with lowered frame tube in the back.
Lady´s type with lowered frame tube in front and gentlemen‘s type in the back.
According to the number of riders
Conventionally two or three-seat tandem bikes.
According to the shifters placement
At the first rider (captain).
At the co-rider.
According to the spokes type
Various types from the cheapest ones – 36 radii in front as well as in the back.
40 – 48 radii in the back (DT HuGI hubs on four industrial bearings), 36 radii in front.
40 – 48 radii DT HuGI in front as well as in the back.
A higher number of radii affects not only the maximum load capacity of the wheel but also the optimum power transfer of the back wheel. Even spokes bursting, most often at the pinion side, is caused by the summing power of the two riders, i.e. by the excessive rotational moment, and NOT by back-wheel overload. For all spokes types, we use best-quality Swiss inox spokes - either DT CHAMPION or Alpine III (3D spokes used at downhill specials).
According to the brake type
„V“ brakes have sufficient efficiency at dry weather and at the total load up to 160 kg.
Rim hydraulic brakes - sufficient efficiency at any conditions.
Disc brakes – suitable only with the reinforced 48-radii spokes.
Drum brakes – used in combination with rim brakes.
For tandem bikes, a combination of two various braking systems is suitable, especially at long downhills, when while using only rim brakes, the rims get overheated and tires get damaged; while using disc brakes in an intensive way they can get jammed.