I laid my road bike down hard, breaking my thumb badly and putting me off the bike for most of the summer. It was my wife's idea to try a tandem and I swallowed my pride to let her haul me around all summer.
Not wanting to break the bank, we looked to lower cost bike, but were concerned because we know that low end bikes can often be very disappointing. So far we have been extremely pleased. The bike is solid and very stable and my wife has had no problem handling it. It can fly down hill and is so smooth we tend to not realize just how fast we are going. Gearing is sufficent to pull just about any hill. The brakes are more than sufficent. My wife is the original gear grinder and almost never manages to shift between chain rings without a problem. However, after careful adjustment, even the Sora front derailleur works well for her and the rear shifter seems to take all she can dish out. This is a fat tire moutain model, but the slick tires seem to be a good compromise between road speed and a tire to handle an occassional trail or rough bike path. I figure we will be riding this bike for years to come even after my hand heals.
Strengths: VALUE. I dare you to find a similar equipped tandem for a beter price. Cromo tubing gives a nice ride without breaking the bank or being too beefy. Plus, it wont fatigue and break in two years, like Aluminum. Nice finish, welds look
purty, ovalized top tube at stoker seat junction is a nice touch, included shock post for stoker is nice touch, but you have to make a few concessions for those extras. Glad to see it comes set up ready for a drag (drum) brake. You could ge a nicer tandem, but not for this kind of cash.
Weaknesses: Now for the concessions: Sadly, brakes aren't super nice. They give up some stiffness compared to Shimano, but I suppose for those who won't be riding too hard they will be ok. The slick tires are a bit of a compromise. Ours have worn a flat spot on the crown of the rear, and they seem a bit big for really fast road work. However, its house brand stuff, so I shouldn't complain too much. My tires probably have 400 miles on them. Pedals are junk, swap them out ASAP. Gear ratios aren't too bad for strictly road/dirt road work, but if you're going off-road you'll need to change at least the front granny to something smaller than a 30t. We went all the way down to 24t with a 34t rear and there is nothing we can't climb. But, getting that Sora front der. to shift 24-38-52 took a bit of "adjustment". Other than those few things she just purrs along. Seems like you almost have to go full custom to get a tandem that would realy fit well a team that is approximately the same size captain and stoker. Not too many out there made with a long enough top and seat tube for the stoker, unless he/she is smaller than the captain.
Bottom Line:
Bought ours in 1999, I believe. Rode the hell out of it the first year, a little less each year since. Have upgraded to 9 speed rear with XTR shifters/brakes. Like very much what you get for the money. It sure beats dropping $2500+ only to discover you and your partner don't like tandeming. You could easily tour all day on this, or with a little care tackle some pretty good off road action. Remember - All bikes had rigid forks at one time. Has plenty of rack and fender braze-ons (I really like that it comes with braze-ons on the fork for lowriders), but not enough water bottles. If you're thinking of getting into tandeming but aren't willing to spend huge money, you can't go wrong with KHS.
Similar Products Used: 1st tandem we have spent any real time on, so can't make comment. We've been very happy with it.
Bike Setup: XTR 9 sp shift/brakes, 11-34 rear cassette, Old style (FC-M735) crankset to get the gears we wanted, 1.5" rise bars F&R, Chris King headset because it's a tandem, everything else pretty much stock. I thought the captains' stem was especially nice. Looks really purty.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Markus Herzberg
a Recreational Rider
from Essen, Germany
Date Reviewed: May 13, 2001
Strengths: Value for money, the cromoly direkt lateral frame, the Sun Rhynos rims.
Weaknesses: The slick tires are not usefull for an enduro bike.
Bottom Line:
This is a great tandem in the middle of the road. You can use it as touring bike as well as a not too strong enduro moutainbike. Cromoly is great for tandems, because it is stiff enough but gives you a kind of comfort.
Strengths: Great ride, Very comfortable. The steel chrome moly frame gives enough flex for the captain and the rear shock post is a must for the stoker. Sweet braking, even for the extra weight of two riders.
Weaknesses: The grip shifts are a bit fussy at times.
Bottom Line:
We looked at a lot of tandems including the Cannondale line and couldn't find a better all around bike for the money. Very comfy and even with the larger tires and hybrid set-up at 45mph on a down hill you can chew up just about anyone. I would recommend it for anyone who wants to log a short ride to the park or a 50 mile spin out of town without any worry of discomfort during or after your ride.
Similar Products Used: Burley, Gary Fisher, Rodriguez
Bike Setup: Mostly Dia Comp with Rhino rims. Added mountain bars, Topo pedals, and gel seats.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Kary Grabow
a Recreational Rider
from Carson City, NV
Date Reviewed: April 28, 2000
Strengths: Full Chrome-Moly frame, XT tandem hubs, Sun rims, adjustable stoker stem, stoker suspension seat post,price.
Weaknesses: None
Bottom Line:
The Comp is a great value. I was pleasantly surprized with it's quality. The frame has clean welds and is nicely finished. It is also set up for the addition of a drum brake. THe KHS brand (Powertools) brakes and cranks perform as well as Shimano. As mentioned KHS uses Shimano chainrings to improve shifting. Overall I am very happy with the bike.
Bike Setup: The bike comes with XT tandem hubs, shimano chainrings, Deore RD, Sora FD, Sun Rhyno Lite rims, and KHS house brand bars,brakes,seats,stems. The shifters and cassette are Shimano 8-speed units. I have added Ritchey clipless pedals front and rear, and also barends front and rear.
