I never thought I would go back to Bicycles after selling all of them to make room for motorcycles. But after riding motorcycles, I've become well-acquainted with their downsides. The big downside that I did not foresee is the pillion conversation impediment. The seating arrangement, helmets, and the wind noise detracts so greatly from a conversation, it's not even worth having most the time. Then there is also the danger aspect. A motorcycle is not as glamorous a date-vehicle as the movies led me to believe. But, neither are bicycles, so I thought.
Bikes are slow, you have to manage distances with partners, and the fitness difference between riders can also make for a frustrating experience. The tandem bike mostly eliminates those issues, but there is still the stroker face-in-butt fore/aft issue. It's not the best for socializing. But nonetheless, I was looking for a tandem bike for my girlfriend and myself. I came across a freak of a tandem bike that I had never seen before on Craigslist.
Enter the Buddy Bike.
An 80's funk machine where the riders are side-by-side, on a single pair of wheels. Only one rider operates the steering, gears, and brakes. The other simply helps pedal. The pedaling is synchronized. It was briefly sold back in the early 80s before the company went out of business. These bicycles are extremely rare. I cannot emphasize enough how ecstatic I was to come across it. Dare I say I felt divinely blessed. I purchased the bike, full aware of people disqualifying them as slow, hard to balance, and frustrating.
After my girlfriend and I took about 30 minutes just figuring out how to launch, I began to comprehend just how wonderful this bike is. The fun we had was incomparable to any other physical activity we have done (kayaking). The ease of talking to one another and the lack of visual obstruction of the stroker separated this bike from all other tandems. And really, once you get going, it's not hard to balance at all, heck I can confidently ride the thing solo.
What a shame these things didn't catch on. I would love to get more of them in different sizes, better gears, etc. The gear shifting on this antique is the old style lever on the frame - just AWFUL to use. Other than that, I am the proud owner of a really unique bike. My girlfriend and I just can't wait to ride this thing every time. This bike will be in my family for as long as possible. I don't see myself ever selling this thing.
Bikes are slow, you have to manage distances with partners, and the fitness difference between riders can also make for a frustrating experience. The tandem bike mostly eliminates those issues, but there is still the stroker face-in-butt fore/aft issue. It's not the best for socializing. But nonetheless, I was looking for a tandem bike for my girlfriend and myself. I came across a freak of a tandem bike that I had never seen before on Craigslist.
Enter the Buddy Bike.
An 80's funk machine where the riders are side-by-side, on a single pair of wheels. Only one rider operates the steering, gears, and brakes. The other simply helps pedal. The pedaling is synchronized. It was briefly sold back in the early 80s before the company went out of business. These bicycles are extremely rare. I cannot emphasize enough how ecstatic I was to come across it. Dare I say I felt divinely blessed. I purchased the bike, full aware of people disqualifying them as slow, hard to balance, and frustrating.
After my girlfriend and I took about 30 minutes just figuring out how to launch, I began to comprehend just how wonderful this bike is. The fun we had was incomparable to any other physical activity we have done (kayaking). The ease of talking to one another and the lack of visual obstruction of the stroker separated this bike from all other tandems. And really, once you get going, it's not hard to balance at all, heck I can confidently ride the thing solo.
What a shame these things didn't catch on. I would love to get more of them in different sizes, better gears, etc. The gear shifting on this antique is the old style lever on the frame - just AWFUL to use. Other than that, I am the proud owner of a really unique bike. My girlfriend and I just can't wait to ride this thing every time. This bike will be in my family for as long as possible. I don't see myself ever selling this thing.
