N+1 talk tandems to me

[Jayfish]

No I haven't bought some sandals or planned a tour of Europe, I'm looking at a tandem as a safe way of introducing my son to road riding.
I spend a lot of time off road with him but would like to progress his awareness around traffic and also be able to take him out on club runs on a Sunday increasing the time I can spend with him.

I don't know much about tandem frames and not got much of a budget say £5-600, I'm 6'2" he's 5'6" (only 12!!!), so finding one to fit shouldn't be an issue but I'm a bit lost for where to look, what to avoid etc.

[Disco You]

Given that you'll be piloting and he'll just be staring at your back, I doubt that riding a tandem will help with his road awareness at all.

Tandems come up on ebay fairly often, you should be able to get a few years old Dawes steel framed tandem in budget. Some patience will be needed to get the spec you want at a good price.

[Jayfish]

The plan is to coach him from the front seat, running commentary on where we are positioned and why, get to the point where he is making the over shoulder checks automatically and calling out whether it's safe to maneuver, signalling etc. He might be the stoker but I plan on making him think

[Magic919]

Have a look at Thorn tandems. SJS Cycles sell them and they are quite good for the money.

[Disco You]

Jayfish said:

The plan is to coach him from the front seat, running commentary on where we are positioned and why, get to the point where he is making the over shoulder checks automatically and calling out whether it's safe to maneuver, signalling etc. He might be the stoker but I plan on making him think

Careful that he doesn't fall asleep back there then

[DrMekon]

Not that you need one like this, as your boy is big, but we got a Circe Helios to cope with the kids getting bigger. This is ours




Seat posts are telescopic (and massively oversize), so it can fit adults on the back too (minus the crank shorteners).

[Barchettaman]

That looks absolutely awesome!

[Jayfish]

Do like the look of that but was thinking 700c wheels initially, keeping an eye on ebay but will need to get lucky with something fairly local as they look quite hard to post

[marting]

I was under the assumption that having the heavier person on the back would make life a lot harder, I.e. Stopping.

[Jayfish]

Magic919 said:

Have a look at Thorn tandems. SJS Cycles sell them and they are quite good for the money.

Thanks for that, lots of info and an absolute minefield!
Flat barred Tandems seem to be the mainstay and I may have to alter my perceptions and accept that 700c drop bars aren't the way forward.

[yellowjack]

Jayfish said:

Thanks for that, lots of info and an absolute minefield!
Flat barred Tandems seem to be the mainstay and I may have to alter my perceptions and accept that 700c drop bars aren't the way forward.

Drop bar tandems with 700c wheels are out there. There was a couple who would participate in the E1/10 (Audley End) ten
mile time trial on a tandem. Bloody quick they were, too.

[hyperblue]

Why not let him follow you on his bike? He'll pick up more than you think.

At 12, you're not going to exist to him (except for lifts, food and cash) for a few years pretty soon, let alone getting on a tandem!

[mike9009]

Maybe I am being a little foolish, but my four year old daughter is cycling on quiet roads at the moment. I closely follow her (protecting her) from traffic. Admitably, we do not tackle junctions.

Do they still run cycle proficiency courses for kids?

Would hiring a tandem be an option for a few goes, as I reckon your son will get pretty bored and will need to develop his independence on the roads....

Mike

[gazza285]

mike9009 said:

Do they still run cycle proficiency courses for kids?

See if your local cycling club has a Go-Ride session. Most of the clubs around us have a weekly hour long training session for kids from 6 to 16, training the kids in bike handling, riding etiquette, and racing skills.

[Jayfish]

Thanks for the responses, we already cycle a lot together off road but he's nervous about going on road and that makes me cautious too.
The tandem is intended to build his confidence and stamina, it's also a nice way of spending time together at the same pace, it's not very flat around here and I don't want him to struggle too hard until he gets into it. They look like they hold their value fairly well so I'll just move it on once he's ready to go on his own roadie.