Just a few days to Christmas and my wife and I took the tandem out for a spin. It’s not unprecedented to be riding a road bike that late in the year – I gave my wife a Specialized Alias for Christmas four years ago and we were able to take it out for a test ride – but it is rare to be comfortably riding paved roads that late in Michigan.  I love taking that bike out for a spin with my wife.  It puts a smile on my face (almost) every time.

Our Co-Motion as it was brought home, set up for my daughter at the time…

Our Periscope is on the heavy side, but my God is it comfortable. Our tandem is good ol’ fashioned steel – a good explanation for its comfortable nature (and its weight).

Interestingly, of all the tandems in our club, better than 70% are Co-Motions and we have two triples, a Co-Motion and a Santana. That I know of, other than the Co-Motions, we’ve only got two Santana’s and a Cannondale in the club.

The only down-side I can think of, Co-Motion tandems are anything but cheap. Our tandem is only a couple steps above entry level and it’s the second-most expensive bike in our stable. On the other hand, looking at the welds, one can’t come away without knowing the bike is next-level top notch – you can see a fair bit of love went into that frame.

While our tandem is no lightweight, it’s a pure joy to ride (a Co-Motion $9,600 Macchiato is a svelte 24 pounds for a tandem – ours is closer to 40 pounds if I had to guess, including mud guards).

Our tandem will never be a svelte rocket ship. Instead, it’s a pleasure cruiser that still has quite a bit of giddyup. While we could drop a a few thousand Dollars into shedding some serious weight (a lighter wheelset, a carbon fork, and a lightweight crank and Gates carbon timing drive would go a long way), I just don’t see that as being necessary for how my wife and I use the bike.

That said, my experience with Co-Motion tandems has been exceptional. I have no complaints whatsoever, nor have I ever heard anyone complain about theirs. And with all of the cranks and prima donnas in cycling, that’s saying something.

If you’re looking for a tandem, I don’t think you can go wrong with a Co-Motion.