Co-Motion Cycles Speedster

Price Paid:  $6500.00 at Tandem Cycle Works

Favorite Ride:
Colorado National Monument

Bike Setup:
Standard Speedster set up, with the fork and brake option mentioned. Only change is we use Selle Italia Gel Flite saddles, they are more comfortable, we use the Old Man Mountain rear rack that is compatible with disc brake, it was very easy to set up but is heavy. We use Ortlieb panniers and they are awesome, easy to fit on and take off.

Summary:
My wife and I love the bike, we have the co-pilot option and have traveled twice. No hassles at the airport and the bike breaks down and goes back together easily. Just make sure you check the couplers periodically the first time you ride after puttng the bike back together. My wife and I ride the bike at least 4 times a week together, ride length is 20 - 50 miles. No way could we ride together on single bikes due to physical differences. Perfect for credit card touring, bike fenders went on easily on the back but because of the Woundup Fork option it was difficult to get a front fender to work. If you live in a rainy area you may want to stay with the stock fork, to get a good fit for a fender in the front.

Strengths:
I would say right now the strength of the bike is the blend of performance, comfort and handling. I would guess our team weight is about 400 pounds, when we stand to sprint or climb there is absolutely no frame flex.

Weaknesses:
No real complaints at this point, we selected the rear disk brake and front rim brake option with the woundup fork while we are happy with that combination I would now choose to get disc brakes front and rear for extra stopping power. If you are a serious touring team you may want to stay with the steel fork for better front rack options. With the carbon fork the only choice is Old Man Mountain that I can find. Those racks are fine but heavier than Tubus.

Similar Products Used:
First tandem was a Raleigh tandem, to see if the wife and I would ride on a regular basis. After two years on the inexpensive bike and lots of mechanical problems we upgraded to a high quality tandem with excellent parts.

Price Paid:  $0.00 at LBS

Favorite Ride:
Banff NP Highway

Bike Setup:
A stock Speedster Copilot with some component changes: FAS K-Wing carbon bars, Specialized Pave carbon stoker seat post, Thorn cranks (50-40-26), FSA Ti BB, Campy Chorus left brake/shift lever, Dura-Ace right brake/shift lever, Shimano FD, RD & 9 spd. 11-27 cassette.

Summary:
This is a review of a Co-motion Speedster Copilot Tandem. W/o pedals, the bike weighs 33.7 lbs. – pretty good for a steel frame w/ S&S couplers. The Rolf wheels are awesome – this bike took 7 minutes off our 1 hr. loop compared to our 20 yr old Burley Duet! Steep 8% hills we struggled to get over in 47x34 on the old Burley are easily done on the Speedster with the 40x27 combo. The compact gearing works great for medium fit 60 somethings in W. Oregon hills.

But the 2 biggest differences with the Speedster are handling and the 160 mm cranks for my short-legged stoker. My wife’s in-seam is 28.5” and on 170 mm cranks, she could not maintain a cadence over 90 w/o bouncing. Now we can cruise at 95 in comfort. This is an important overlooked issue for short riders that makes a huge difference in riding comfort. Take a look at http://www.myra-simon.com/bike/cranks.html for crank length recommendations. Blinkey and maybe TA are other options for short tandem cranks. As for handling, this bike is terrific. We tried most of the major tandems – Burley, Cannondale, most of the Co-motions, a couple of Santanas (including the Team Al) and Trek. We tried carbon, steel & aluminum forks, steel and aluminum frames and 40 spoke, Shimano, Bontrager & Rolf tandem wheels. The Co-mo Robusta was probably our overall favorite for a hot rod but we decided on couplers & liked the ride of steel frames so went w/ the Speedster. All the aluminum bikes had significant “stoker steer” but the Cannondale was the worst. The Wound-up carbon fork gives quick & slightly more stable handling on the Co-motion compared to steel. This bike is hungry for fast, twisty down hills.

The wide top K-Wing bars are a real plus. They are stiff when honking out of the saddle but soak up shock. Best of all they have completely eliminated numb & tingling hands for my stoker. The Specialized Pave carbon seat post for the stoker takes the sting out of small bumps.

Strengths:
Flawless, beautiful, fast riding tandem. I’ve never felt so confident AND eager on fast descents.

Weaknesses:
I sometimes regret not getting the rear disk brake option. No rim brake can match a disk in the rain. The Rolf rims gall easily when braking in the rain if the brake pads are too hard. Use Cool-Stop black pads with these wheels.

Similar Products Used:
1983 Burley Duet
Have test ridden lots of tandems.

Price Paid:  $2500.00 at Used

Favorite Ride:
Downieville Downhill

Bike Setup:
Standard except 175 cranks for stoker, Velocity Fusion rims, Flight Deck and CatEye computers, Deda Newton 130mm stem, and Shimano 959 pedals.

Summary:
We test rode Santana tandems (felt very stable - too much so - more like driving a truck) and a Trek 2000 (felt squirrley/twitchy). When we got on our Co-Motion, the difference was easily apparent. "Co-Motion rides more like my single" is not just advertising hype - it's true. It swoops/dives into corners quite impressively. Also, very little frame flex - in fact, it seems to be no more than my single bike (Litespeed Tuscany) under power. In fact, the power transfer is awesome - great acceleration!

I also like Co-Mo's attitude - it's not about hype, but rather people (like Dwan Shepard) who want to build the best product, and will answer any question about and stand behind it!

In sum, more $$$ than I ever have spent on a bike - but well worth it. If my stoker and I like this as much as we have been, the next bike will be a custom Co-Mo Robusta.

Strengths:
Handles nimbly. Race Face crankset with big 54T ring. Stiff but comfortable (my stoker tells me) frame. Both Cap and Stoker able to get aero. Great paint job.

Weaknesses:
It's not a custom fitted Robusta! Oh, well, next time . . . . Also, Trek had better component bang for the buck - so, if I had bought new (my LBS did not have this CoMo model/size, I would give it only 4 chilis for value. No disk brake mount (though it comes with a drum brake ready hub). Hugi hubs, which I don't really trust as much as Kings (but a decent hub for the price).

Similar Products Used:
Santana Arriva, Trek 2000.

Price Paid:  $0.00 at Tandems East

Bike Setup:
Stock Speedster group, with the addition of:
Sun Rhino Light rims (wider)
Burley child stoker kit
Burley Piccolo (best trail-a-bike)
Arai drum brake, controlled by captain's barcon
Tri-fade HOK paint
Thudbuster stoker seatpost

Summary:
Actually a 2003 Triplet, based upon the Speedster components. See co-motion home page for standard specs. Our upgrades were wider rims (Sun Rhyno Lite), Ultegra STI shifters (bar end shifters are standard), Burley child stoker kit, custom paint, Thudbuster stoker post.

This steel triplet was an excellent choice for our 2 adult, 2 child family. One child is accommodated on a child stoker kit, the other on a Burley Piccolo.

Frame - Steel was chosen to keep costs more reasonable (1500 savings), and it should last nearly a lifetime. No S&S couplers were spec'd, as it fits INSIDE our Odyssey minivan and we will not be flying with the triplet.

Any triplet should be a custom size, to be a good fit for all current stokers, and to fit growing kids - our was. It will also accommodate my 6 ft tall stoker in either the center or rear positions, thanks to generously long top tubes.

STI (ultegra shifters, ultegra front, XTR rear) works just fine on a triplet.

DT Hugi hubs, 700c Rhino Lite rims, and 35mm Avocet FasGrip tires have proven both strong and comfortable. If you want to use wider tires for comfort and safety (like us) and fenders (not yet), need to specify when ordering. "Standard" frame and fork might only take up to a 32, depending upon actual mounted dimensions.

Keeping the family together on one bike was our goal - this Co-Motion fit the bill.

Welding, paint, and assembly quality could not be faulted. The HOK tri-color fade is amazing!

Braking chores are taken care of by Avid Single Digit 7s and a bar-end controlled Arai drum.

Ride quality and handling are great - the kids limit our speed down hills to about 20mph - the bike is ready for much more! The bike rides and tracks well, though keeping on course is tougher than with a 2-seater. Our 2 seat tandem feels like a 1/2 bike.

Thudbuster seatpost is excellent, and highly tunable with supplied elastomer inserts. Mucho comfortable for my stoker.

Tough to compare with other bikes - how many custom triplets have you ridden? We much prefer the Co-Motion to our Cannondale tandem, and not just because of the extra seat. Higher quality components make for a more satisfying riding experience.

Would a Santana have been as good? Perhaps, but the Co-Motion philosophy, and the attitude of the owners, are a better fit for us.

Strengths:
Frame construction and finish - excellent, can't find any flaws.

Components - Can't find any shortcomings.

Ability to turn heads - my kids think we are in a parade.

Fit: Accomodates the whole family, now and in the future.

Value - The price is high, but value is there. Meridian or Longbikes might also have been contenders, but no local dealers.

Weaknesses:
Cost - It isn't cheap!

Logistics - Storing and transporting takes planning, space, and muscle.

Similar Products Used:
Cannondale MT tandem - Own one, set it up as a hybrid for road riding, pretty nice, but now prefer road bars
Burley Duet - test ridden, nice, but high standover relative to frame size.