Best Tandem Bikes for Touring Couples [2023] BikeHikeSafari

Sharing is caring!

This is a evaluate of the very best tandem bikes 2023.

On flat terrain, a tandem bike is far quicker than a touring bike and in lots of circumstances quicker than a gravel bike. A mix of two individuals pedaling and additional aerodynamics make them an important possibility, however all that further weight makes them a bit slower climbing up hills.

With so many choices for a tandem bicycle, I’ve researched and reviewed the very best tandem bikes available on the market for 2023, and on this article, I’ll be sharing my sincere critiques on them with you. Let’s check out the tandem bike critiques.

Best Tandem Bike Reviews 2023

The Best Tandem Bike critiques 2023:

Best Tandem Bike – Overall

Thorn Raven Twin S&S Mk3 Tandem

Pros:
> It’s personalized to your particular necessities!
> One of the strongest tandem bikes available on the market
> All the elements are of very prime quality

> Two nice coloration choices to select from
Cons:
> Variable worth relying on specs

I needed to make this my primary decide due to simply how customizable it’s – you may select your personal private specs!

When you go to the producer’s product web page, you may obtain much more particulars than what you discover right here, and a kind exhibiting what particulars are required from you to supply your specifically personalized tandem bike.

Rest assured, nevertheless, each single element on-board will probably be of the utmost high quality, together with the chains, brackets, tires, and tubes. And in actual fact, you simply can’t discover higher high quality chain rings wherever else.

It’s obtainable in a selection of two coloration schemes, particularly pure orange and gunmetal. And you may select between 4 completely different sizes, particularly S/S, L/S, S/M, OR M/M.

So lengthy as you stay the unique proprietor, you can be lined by Thorn’s lifetime guarantee. And there’s additionally a 100-day money-back satisfaction assure.

I’ve mentioned elsewhere on my web site how a lot I really like the Schwinn model, they’re all-American and have been doing their factor tremendous properly for over a century.

This tandem bike has some actually nice options – there’s a pace shifter that may do a 21 completely different speeds, there are entrance and rear mechanical disc brakes that present supreme stopping energy in all types of situations.

I really like the ergonomic grips on the handlebars, and particularly the plush seats for final consolation.

But my favourite function was the rear derailleur, which allows the captain and the stoker to pedal at completely different speeds.

It’s good for taking a toddler with you someplace, as a result of you may have two completely different seat heights, and the step-thru bar between the 2 seats is further low.

It’s obtainable in two coloration choices, particularly grey and blue (my favourite is the blue). And there are two sizes of motorbike body to select from, particularly medium and huge.

Please see the product web page to search out out which might be the very best measurement body for you.

Santos Double Travel 2

Pros:
> You can customise a lot on it!
> Strong 26-inch wheels & broad tires
> It has a powerful, stiff, and secure body
> Rohloff hub with 14 completely different speeds
> It presents wonderful braking energy
> You may even convert it to an e-bike

Cons:
> It has a barely increased handlebar
> Variable worth relying on specs

This is a wonderful tandem bike for 2 individuals who prefer to go on adventures off the crushed observe.

It has tremendous sturdy 26-inch wheels and broad tires, and loads of house on and across the body for water bottles and baggage. And there’s a cushty seating place for riders who like to take a seat deep.

It additionally has a powerful, stiff, and secure body, preserving the 2 of you in full management, even on powerful turns.

It has a dependable Rohloff hub that has user-friendly inner gears, and permits you to shift between 14 completely different speeds. It has wonderful braking energy, even on lengthy descents, because of the Magura hydraulic rim brakes.

If you resolve that is the bike for the 2 of you, you should utilize the Santos Technical Customizer to make your personal selections on all the pieces from the drive, and the brakes throughout to the handlebars, the tires, and the saddle. You may even add headlights!

What’s extra, you may even convert it to an e-bike if you want, with a powerful motor and a giant battery.

There are 24 completely different coloration choices to select from.

Co-motion Java

Pros:
> It options massive 700c wheels and broad tires
> It has confirmed bike body geometry for touring
> Quality twin disc brakes

> You can have the bike made to your specs

> You can select a Shimano, Rohloff, or Pinion shifter

Cons:
> There’s a comparatively excessive beginning worth (not too excessive for my part)

Now, that is what I name a wonderful tandem bike for adventuring on an off-road tour – it presents unbeatable dealing with on any terrain – even with a full touring load.

It options massive 700c wheels and broad tires, and has a confirmed bike body geometry for touring, with oversize tubing and head-tube, and a uni-crown touring fork. All are full with rack and fender mounts.

The headset has lateral stiffness to resist excessive masses, cornering, braking and potholes, and on the similar time it’s rotationally free for steering.

It has twin disc brakes for efficient slowing and braking, and tremendous protected thru-axels to forestall the entrance wheel popping out of the dropouts as you experience.

What’s extra, you can also make the bike distinctive to the 2 of you, by selecting your numerous customized options and having the bike made to your specs.

You can select things like the handles, mountain / trekking handlebars or highway drop bars. And you may select your personal prime quality drive trains, similar to well-liked Shimano, dependable Rohloff, or Pinion.

There are some superb paint choices to select from, together with (however not restricted to) premium paints, metallic ones, customized identify decals, and my private favourite, a two-color fade.

Co-Motion Mocha

Pros:
> It’s designed for 650b wheels and tremendous broad tires
> Excellent headset for final management and dealing with
> Quality twin disc brakes, and tremendous protected thru-axels
> You can select a Shimano, Rohloff, or a Pinion shifter
> Amazing paint choices, together with membership identify decals
Cons:
> Variable worth relying on specs

This is the proper tandem bike for happening grime trails that go on for miles and miles. What’s extra, it’s 100 % hand constructed and made to order, in keeping with your most well-liked specs.

It has loads in frequent with the Co-motion Java I reviewed for you earlier, such because the confirmed bike body geometry for touring, full with oversize tubing and head-tube, and a uni-crown touring fork.

With a headset that gives lateral stiffness mixed with rotational freedom for final management and dealing with.

And it additionally has the identical twin disc brakes for impeccable slowing and braking energy, and tremendous protected thru-axels. And the identical superb paint choices to select from

But the place this tandem bike really differs from the Co-motion Java is that’s been specifically designed and optimized to take 650b wheels, and tires as much as 50 mm broad. This makes it fairly the off-road beast.

And all with out compromising these all-important consolation options that make lengthy off-road touring collectively so gratifying.

Buying Guide

As promised, right here’s your shopping for information. Let me stroll you thru the important thing factors to contemplate when purchasing for a tandem bike.

Overall Comfort

The entire level of a tandem bike is to spend high quality time with each other within the nice outdoor, ideally for a number of hours at a time.

But if both of you isn’t sufficiently comfy, you might find yourself bringing this high quality time to an in depth earlier than you’d have most well-liked.

The key to consolation on a tandem bike is firstly, to get the correct measurement of motorbike, and secondly, to decide on a motorbike with plush, comfortable seats.

You might also need to contemplate a tandem bike with a low step-thru bar between the 2 seats, particularly if the stoker is a toddler.

One of the very best upgrades you are able to do to a tandem bicycle is to switch the usual seat submit with a suspension seat submit. Especially for the rider on the again, the stroker, who usually won’t see bumps and never be ready for them when the bike hits them. There is a purpose nearly each tandem bike for bike touring makes use of a suspension seat submit.

Quality And Reliability

The final thing you need while you’re miles from house, or out in the course of nowhere, is in your bike to interrupt down. To put together for such an eventuality, you may after all guarantee you’ve gotten bike restore instruments and spares with you while you experience. A greater technique can be to put money into a motorbike of the utmost high quality, made with solely high quality elements.

You can relaxation assured that each one the tandem bikes reviewed right here meet my excessive requirements on this regard.

Off-Road Capabilities

If any of the paths elsewhere on my web site have taken your fancy, you might be enthusiastic about a tandem bike with off-road capabilities, which might require things like massive wheels, broad tires, and good wheel clearance. A tandem bike won’t ever be nearly as good as a fats bike, Bikepacking Bike, or gravel bike when touring off-road.

If that is of curiosity to you, I might advocate the Santos Double Travel 2, the Co-motion Java, or the Co-Motion Mocha that I reviewed for you earlier.

Speed

Tandem bikes are a lot quicker than regular bikes on flat roads. The easy thought of two individuals pedaling is extra aerodynamic. This alone is an efficient purpose to decide on a tandem bicycle. But that pace won’t proceed when biking uphill, usually, it is going to be slower.

Aesthetic

Out of the 5 tandem bikes on this evaluate, those with the very best aesthetic (for my part) need to be the Co-motion Java, and the Co-Motion Mocha, as a result of you may select metallic choices, customized decal choices, and far more.

Total Maximum Weight

When there are two individuals using the identical bike, it’s important to contemplate how a lot weight the bike can deal with. For that purpose, I’ve tried to incorporate the utmost weight of every tandem bike I reviewed for you earlier. Also needless to say many of those bikes can be utilized for bike touring and are appropriate to hold not solely the riders however Panniers, handlebar baggage and all of your bike touring gear.

Value For Money

If you haven’t appeared into it simply but, you’ll possible be actually stunned at simply how a lot tandem bikes can differ in worth.

You can get some used ones for lower than $100, whereas on the different finish of the dimensions, you get some retailers promoting their tandem bikes for over $3,500.

So in some situations you may get a tandem bike for lower than the price of two separate bikes, which is a technique tandem bikes might enchantment to some.

But good worth for cash doesn’t imply low cost. The higher high quality your tandem bike, the much less cash you’ll need to spend on future upkeep and restore.

Customization

As you might have seen from my critiques, you may have your very personal tandem bike that has been personalized particularly for you and your necessities.

Several of the bikes I reviewed provide this feature, together with the Thorn Raven Twin S&S Mk3 Tandem, the Santos Double Travel 2, the Co-motion Java, and the Co-Motion Mocha.

This is sort of a flowery function, and from the shopper critiques I’ve discovered, it has proved significantly well-liked with heavier tandem bike riders, groups of riders, and those that need the identify of their membership emblazoned on the bike.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sharing is caring!