Our heavy, steel Co-Motion Periscope was an awesome tandem. When we put the $2,000 down payment on the Kalapuya, I didn’t know how they’d improve on the feel of the steel bike. With its weight penalty, it was still an exceedingly comfortable ride. I was pretty sure I’d feel quite a letdown when we jumped to the new tandem. That’s 42-pounds of pure steel awesome: My
The 105 components on the Periscope were fantastic. The brake calipers left a little to be desired, though. Actually, measured against the upgraded TRP brakes we’ve got on the Kalapuya, the Periscope’s were crap.
Our first rides on the 25-pound Kalapuya (Yup, that’s not a typo… 25-pounds or 11 kg) had me scratching my head at what they’d done to make an aluminum bike more comfortable (by a lot) than a steel frame. I still don’t know what magic or voodoo when into that bike to make it so comfortable – and I still can’t believe it’s so.
We rolled the tandem out to a cold Easter Sunday morning. It was overcast and even misting rain on and off. It wasn’t a morning great for a bike ride, but we were committed. We had friends on the way. A half-mile up the road and I was lost in wonderment again. “Exactly how is this bike so comfortable?” It’s the strangest thing. I took my Trek 5200 out the other day – I’ve been riding it all winter long on the trainer, and it doesn’t feel near as plush as the Kalapuya.
I can’t overstate how odd this is, how contrary that bike is to everything I know about bikes, frames, wheels and even tires. As I currently see it, it’s one of life’s mysteries how Co-Motion can make such a wonderfully comfortable tandem out of aluminum… and for it to be that light.
Come to think of it, the bike actually meets the Rule of Three when it comes to bikes. You can have a bike light, cheap and sturdy. Pick two. It’s unbelievably light, exceedingly sturdy and comfortable, and is anything but cheap.
We put in almost eighteen cold miles, but I finished with a smile on my face. I’m so thankful we bought that bike (and my wife agrees wholeheartedly, we were talking about all of this after our ride).
Oh, and this is not an April Fools gag.
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