Folding e bike tandem (1 Viewer)

suavecarve

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Reason for starting post is a couple of questions and possibly more about our recent purchase of a folding electric tandem.

Firstly neither wife or i are anywhere near cyclists. We can ride bikes, we can do 20 mile on a bike and have a sore bum, she has always wanted an e bike, i have always said, "waste of money" mainly because I am a tight fisted old git.

We have a garage that takes a suzuki address 110 so we dont need 2 extra bikes on the back that i didnt think we would use and then have to charge them. Leaving them on the back is not as secure as inside (imho) so it was a no go.

Until we were at the moselle a couple of weeks ago. Maybe 40 vans and 39 of them had e bikes. I began to wonder if I might be wrong and everybody else was right. I held on to that idea for a couple of days before admitting e bikes have their moments and we have the money so we would look at them with no promises.

Got home and worked a night shift where i did my research and came across this ecosmos folding tandem. What enticed me to it was it was 2 bikes for the price of one. I was expecting a grand per bike for us and this thing was advertised on ebay for £1,369 but if you went to the shop it was £1,299 delivered but they were out of stock, quick email and one was available for £1,299. Ordered it (had discussed with wife)
Came 2 days later in the post. Had to unfold it, add the pedals and handles, put the chain on, blow up the wheels and turn the battery on. That was it. No looking at instructions as there werent any and they arent required. Instructions for the on board computer were read.

Went out for a ride and realised we needed more air in tyres and tightening up all the bolts would have helped. Teething issues but no skin lost !! Then we realised the gearing is incredibly low and other reviews of the bike indicated this so it was not an unexpected problem. Cycled out to a pub and 3 couples started chatting about the bike, which personally i think looks ugly, but not everyone apparently. It is certainly a conversation starter. We have since had 2 other couples chat to us about it and the man from the cycle shop who was well intrigued by it.

We changed the drive chain from 36 teeth to 44 teeth and now it is pretty reasonable along the flat. We cycle at 18-20 kph on the flat, any faster and we would be getting near sprinting because it is only 20 inch wheels. From reading about it one bloke has changed the shimano gears (14-28) for a cassette 11-32 but bike shop man said this couldnt be done. So thats why we went for the 44 tooth drive sprocket. (Now this might make you think i know something about bikes, you would be wrong)

The battery is 250 watts and good for pedal assist for 40 miles or 60 kms. It is a king metre km256 (i think) and we may orr may not have an issue with this but the company are dealing with it as i dont think it is set up right and have sent them a video, but dont let this put you off because it is the first time they have come across the issue i raised and it is unknown if i am right or not. I ll try to update when it is resolved but its no biggy.

It has disc brakes which i am told are required because of the extra weight and having done some hills that needed stopping at the bottom i would suggest they are. The pedals are independant of each other, so the captain (front man) or the stoker (rear man) can stop pedaling and freewheel and let the other one continue to cycle. We like this. But then again we have never tried anything different. It would appear that experienced tandemers cant get their head round it and it is likely to make it feel wrong for them, but we dont know any different and it feels all right for us because we cant compare it to anything and dont really want to !

We have bought a set of panniers to go on the back, a thermal sort of picnic bag which goes on top of the panniers, a repair kit which goes under the frame and i ll probably use a disc lock and d lock with strong loop when we are out.

I was expecting to have to fold it into the garage of the motorhome. We are going to take the motorbike and tandem on next holiday late August. The motorbike is going to sit more on the back wheels and there shold be plenty of space (with a couple of new floor fastenings) to get both in without having to fold the bike. We intend to to get away for a couple of days next week just with the tandem.

By all accounts it goes into the back (folded) of a small car with the seats down (we have hyundai i20) and measurements indicate it goes in there.

All in all, having done a grand total of 65 kms on it, I think it is an excellent bike for what we need which is trundling up and down rivers and canals. We dont intend to do Ventoux on it. I doubt we will ever do 40 miles in a day as our bums will tell us we have gone too far. If you are a cyclist, it may not be the bike for you. If you arent a cyclist it may be.

Photo incoming next as its on my phone.

Any questions I am more than willing to answer.
 
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suavecarve

suavecarve

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Well done the both of you.
You'll soon be doing 50 60 miles and wondering what all the fuss was all about.
I ride a tandem with either the Granddaughter or wife as stoker, we have ridden hundreds and hundreds of miles of the past 4 years.
It's great.
Phil

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My wife fell off her bike this year, too heavy. (Bike not wife) so I am selling both and looking for something more manageable (for her). I was thinking light weight folding ebike but tandem might be ok with me in control.
How heavy is it?
How small does it fold?
How do you lift it?
How is it for carrying in/on the motorhome?
 
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suavecarve

suavecarve

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Cant remember the exact weight but a search for e cosmo tandem will give you the exact weight.

It folds by removing the rear chain, releasing 2 catches, and then selecting your favourite method of pulling them apart. Grand total of 1 minute after a couple of goes.

It lifts very easily. I can pick it up in its folded mode and lift it into the garage with it out in front of me using my belly as a lever if that makes sense.

We put it into the garage, unfolded, folded. We have a motorbike in there as well. I had to move one side of the motorbike to one side, but it does go in straight without having to unfold it. It also goes in the back of a Hyundai i10 in about a minute.

There are a few anomalies about it you need to be aware of. It is only good for canals, rivers, designated cycle paths etc, dont try going off road on footpaths with it, you will break the spokes and they are a bugger to replace whilst on holiday.
The battery at 250 watts needs more power, buy an extra one or a bigger one at point of purchase.
You will need to change the sprocket to make it go faster.

All in all it does what it says on the tin. However after a couple of weeks in Germany, we found it didnt suit us as we expected. We couldnt keep up with anyone. All of whom were a lot older than us. It isnt great on hills and do not expect more than 20kph even with the smaller cogs. The 20 inch wheels are limiting.

All in all, it did make sense, just not for us. Unsure what I will be doing with it as it is still quite a nice bike that may well have uses for the children who have children as it is so versatile for days out in the car, but we wont be taking it on holiday with us again as we bought 2 decent e bikes.

I would recommend it IF you are aware of all the above and prepared to accept its limitations, unfortunately we werent.

In terms of the stoker (your wife presumably) my wife had never ridden tandem and i had never been captain and neither of us had ridden an e bike when we got it. We just put into place a system or letting each other know what was going on which we got used to quite quickly.

issues but not insurmountable for the right people is what i would say

Hope that helps

Jon
 
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Firstly I have no commercial link with this company other than we have bought 3 tandems from them! We only have 2 at present.

I can highly recommend JD Tandems in Gargrave. They sell and build all sorts of different tandems and recumbents. Service is second to none. We absolutely love tandeming and given that we have only been riding them for about 5 years, find it a brilliant way to see the countryside.

If anyone want any further advice feel free to contact me. These links may be of use.


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suavecarve

suavecarve

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I am thinking of doing something like this for number 2 daughter to have the bike by affixing a child seat (for 2 year old) in place of the saddle for the stoker.
Any reasons I shouldnt ?
 
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Firstly I have no commercial link with this company other than we have bought 3 tandems from them! We only have 2 at present.

I can highly recommend JD Tandems in Gargrave. They sell and build all sorts of different tandems and recumbents. Service is second to none. We absolutely love tandeming and given that we have only been riding them for about 5 years, find it a brilliant way to see the countryside.

If anyone want any further advice feel free to contact me. These links may be of use.


I can also recommend J D Tandems in Gargrave.
They helped Cyclists fighting Cancer build a Dawes tandem for the eldest granddaughter as she had leukemia and was unable to walk. It was a huge stepping stone for her and I will be eternally grateful to J D and the charity for their help.
PS the tandem is still in use today 12 years later but with her little sister "stocking" for me.
Phil ( super proud granddad)
 
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That is brilliant PhilMary! They support many causes including the recent round the world tandem record breaking ride by two ladies and the Lands end to John O'Groats (LEJOG) record breaking ride which had stood since the sixities. What John, who builds the bikes with Jamie, doesn't know about bikes isn't worth knowing!

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suavecarve

suavecarve

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Just reigniting the thread to let anyone who would be interested know I have decided to sell it.

Its done about 200 kms I think from new, I have bought the spare spokes and there should be some left over and i will replace them soon. NB the first post so you know what it is good for and what it isnt.
I suppose a bit of oil on the chain would be required but it has been in the garage all winter so as good as new only I have upgraded the gears.
It cost £1350 brand new.
I will start it at £1350 but will accept £800. I wont be going any lower.
I ll put the advert up in the next couple of weeks on here
 

Aerialmark

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I second JD Tandems, We are looking at ordering this but would like a test ride first as its a lot of money. Unfortunately with the Ebike boom of the last few years we can't even look at one as the dealers ( including JD Tandems) are all waiting on stock. Its a great bit of kit but comes at a price ! (Over 5K )
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Just reigniting the thread to let anyone who would be interested know I have decided to sell it.

Its done about 200 kms I think from new, I have bought the spare spokes and there should be some left over and i will replace them soon. NB the first post so you know what it is good for and what it isnt.
I suppose a bit of oil on the chain would be required but it has been in the garage all winter so as good as new only I have upgraded the gears.
It cost £1350 brand new.
I will start it at £1350 but will accept £800. I wont be going any lower.
I ll put the advert up in the next couple of weeks on here
Did you ever manage to sell this?

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Sep 29, 2019
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I never understood ebikes.

That was until I was in the Alps a few years back going up a very long and steep hill on my normal bike. I was sweating and working very hard, I don’t mind and do enjoy it, but the kids wouldn’t enjoy it in the slightest and I can’t keep it up for more than a few days without a break.

A French family came zooming past me, laughing, smiling and generally having an amazing time. All were on ebikes and they were working a treat!

The below route took me 5 hours and I was shattered! An ebike it would have took me half that and I would have done it again. :)

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Nope.
I m sort of ambivalent as I think it has numerous uses between the family.
Still prepared to sell it though
I will have a discussion with the management. She may not be happy at looking at my a**e for that long

Edit: what is the length and height folded and ready for use. Just want to make sure it fits the garage.

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Jamesh

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You can fit a 11 - 36 cassette if the rear mech is a long cage model. I have done so on several bikes as I live near the Yorkshire dales.

Cheers James
 
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suavecarve

suavecarve

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I will have a discussion with the management. She may not be happy at looking at my a**e for that long

Edit: what is the length and height folded and ready for use. Just want to make sure it fits the garage.
It ll be a couple of days (as working) til i can measure it, but it will easily (and surprisingly) fit straight into your garage without folding.
If youre thinking of having a weekend away and heading west, come and pick it up and try before you buy for the weekend.
I can take it to Guildford where you can pick it up (during work times)
 
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You can fit a 11 - 36 cassette if the rear mech is a long cage model. I have done so on several bikes as I live near the Yorkshire dales.

Cheers James
Yes, but, living in the Yorkshire Dales you are made of much stronger "stuff". So the less fortunate ones from panzy land need big electric motors.

P.S.
My Whyte E160 is probably the best bike I have ever bought. 🚴⚡see picture below.
IMG_20211009_113223.jpg

Nidderdale.

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