:-) All joking aside, I have always had a good time riding a tandem with my wife and doing so without fear of being served divorce papers the next morning. A few years ago after trying out Ray Homiski's 1952 Herse tandem, I approached two USA frame builders about a KOF custom tandem for us but they declined, as it was outside their area of specialty. I thought about approaching a second CT based frame builder but he said that until they create a xcross tandem category, it wasn't going to happen.
Fast forward 4 years later, that window of opportunity has since closed for us (sort of) but it does not change my mind that for some couples and those stokers with special needs, tandems are great fun.
Mike Schmidt Millington, NJ Sent from my iPhone
On Jan 16, 2011, at 5:55 PM, Matt Gorski <milanocc@gmail.com> wrote:
> Mikey,
> Try riding in Crazyfornia....it seems just the opposite out here.(knock on wood?)
>
> Don't you remember when you got married.....'For richer and poorer, in sickness and in health,
> for cheech and chong, for paper and plastic, for ginger and maryanne and for happiness on a
> tandem for the rest of thine life so help you god!"
>
> Missed that part??...just pulling your timing cranks!
>
> Matt Gorski
> Long Beach,
> CA USA
> On Sun, Jan 16, 2011 at 1:13 PM, Michael Schmidt <mdschmidt56@verizon.net> wrote:
> There is a reason why they call tandems "Divorce Coaches"
>
> My wife and I have known several cycling couples have the worst fights on a
> bike ride. They all sounded like this - Captain: "Work harder" Stoker:
> "I am working as hard as I can" Captain: "No you're not. This is not
> working, let's sell the tandem" Stoker: "Fine"
>
> When you see couples on a tandem that are smiling, you know they're not
> married.
>
> I think Paul & Rita Lee are the only two people that I know that ride a
> tandem and don't fight on a bike ride.
>
> My .02
>
>
> Michael D. Schmidt
> Millington, NJ
>
>
>
> Message: 3
> Date: Sun, 16 Jan 2011 09:30:00 +0000 (GMT)
> From: alex m <alexpianos@yahoo.fr>
> Subject: [CR] Why are tandems relatively unpopular?
> To: Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
> Message-ID: <4987.37741.qm@web26607.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
>
> Looking through period photos and magazines, and as a Rene Herse Alex Singer
> etc collector, I notice that tandems were really popular in the 50s and 60s
> in France. Always husband in front, wife behind. Sometimes a little trailer
> behind for the offspring.
>
> Why is it you never see a tandem on the road nowadays?
>
> Something to do with people being more individualistic? Or women's
> liberation? The radical decrease in the number of tandems produced and
> ridden must say something about the history of social relations.
>
> Are there any tandem riders on the CR list? Peter (Weigle), have you ever
> made a tandem?
>
> Alexander March
> Bordeaux
> France