A Bicycle Built for Two
It was the early 2000’s, and for some reason, my grandmother had installed BonziBuddy on her PC — remember that awful thing? Mostly I remember it being extraordinarily annoying, but it did sing this song…
…and as the Valentine’s season is upon us, it got me thinking about tandems (which we rent!):
(Photo by Ester Inbar, on Wikimedia Commons)
According to Wikipedia (the most reputable source for all knowledge on the Internet), tandems first started popping up in the 1890s, their popularity waned after WWII, and then picked up again in the 60s (go figure).
And did you know? “Tandem” actually refers to the seating arrangement, not the number of cyclists (e.g., 5-person tandems, like “quints”)! The other way to bike for two is on a “sociable,” though they don’t make too many of those anymore:
“Historically it has been used as a courting bike; gentlemen would be able to spend time with young ladies in an activity that allowed proximity.” (Wikipedia)
We’ve got three excellent tandems in our rental fleet, and have sent them out on half-day jaunts, full day excursions, and even on some of our world-famous bike tours. We like tandems for a number of reasons, mostly because they’re great for:
- Family bonding
- Blind and visually impaired cyclists (in the stoker position)
- Group bicycle touring
- And of course… sweethearts!
A wise mechanic friend once said, “The best times I’ve ever had on a bike were riding a tandem with my wife” (we’ll leave out the “and also the worst” part of the quote).
So in that spirit, we’re happy to offer $50 Tandem Bike Rentals Valentine’s Day Week (Feb 13-17).
Enjoy!
