New World
New Member
Hi, we are on our 3rd tandem bicycle and it is our first ebike, a Gepida Rodanus 1000. We love it!
Our first tandem was a Kuwahara we bought 25 years ago. We put a lot of miles on it and my wife especially liked how a tandem frees her from shifting, braking and turning. All she does is pedal, take pictures, talk to me, talk to friends, view the scenery, feed us both, etc. I would sometimes wonder (and very rarely actually ask) if she was focused on pedaling as much as on the other tasks. The bike was great, but could certainly use better brakes since two people are depending on the stopping power of rim calipers.
About 15 years ago we sold the Kuwahara and bought a Cannondale. It was a big step up in terms of technology and quality of components. The big-diameter aluminum frame is a beautiful thing. We did trips to Yellowstone, Yosemite, Monterey, several rails-to-trails rides such as the Route of the Hiawatha and any we could find in our local area of Western Oregon. Also a great bike, with many fond memories. I still sometimes wondered if my stoker was fully involved or merely an observer. This bike also could use better brakes - we put a big disk on the back to replace the back caliper and only had trouble one time. We were riding down to the ferry dock on Vashon Island after a great day of touring the island. It was a steep downhill and we were doing about 40 mph. I applied the brakes and had slowed to about 30 when a pedestrian decided to cross the road a short way ahead of us. I gave the brakes all the pressure I dared, felt them heat up and fade, missed the pedestrian, missed the cars that were lining up for the ferry and came to a halt a hundred yards from the ferry on-ramp. The disk was severely overheated and oxidized, so we changed it to a bigger size.
This year we bought a Gepida Rodanus tandem with the Bosch Active Line mid-drive. Wow - what a bike! The electric boost can be set on economy mode, where it adds 40% to what we are doing, giving a range of about 90 miles. On the one hand, it is so unobtrusive we can't even feel that it is working; but on the other hand everything seems easier and faster. We reach the top of a hill quicker, and I'm still able to talk. I no longer wonder if my partner is really exerting herself, because a smidge of boost can compensate for either of us who might be slacking! If a really steep hill comes along, the boost can be toggled to a higher mode, giving assist up to 225% of what we are doing. We used it extensively on a 45 mile trip between Baker City and Union, Oregon - the steep hills were easier to climb and we very comfortably hit 45 mph on the downhills. The battery and drive motor give the bike a low center of gravity that gives a rock-solid feel at high speed. The two big hydraulic disk brakes have seemingly limitless stopping power. This bike is absolutely phenomenal in every way. I'm a fan of every aspect of it. The Bosch drive works so well moving two people on a tandem that I have to wonder how it does on a single bike powering just one person around!
Are there any electric tandems out there other than the Gepida Rodanus?
Our first tandem was a Kuwahara we bought 25 years ago. We put a lot of miles on it and my wife especially liked how a tandem frees her from shifting, braking and turning. All she does is pedal, take pictures, talk to me, talk to friends, view the scenery, feed us both, etc. I would sometimes wonder (and very rarely actually ask) if she was focused on pedaling as much as on the other tasks. The bike was great, but could certainly use better brakes since two people are depending on the stopping power of rim calipers.
About 15 years ago we sold the Kuwahara and bought a Cannondale. It was a big step up in terms of technology and quality of components. The big-diameter aluminum frame is a beautiful thing. We did trips to Yellowstone, Yosemite, Monterey, several rails-to-trails rides such as the Route of the Hiawatha and any we could find in our local area of Western Oregon. Also a great bike, with many fond memories. I still sometimes wondered if my stoker was fully involved or merely an observer. This bike also could use better brakes - we put a big disk on the back to replace the back caliper and only had trouble one time. We were riding down to the ferry dock on Vashon Island after a great day of touring the island. It was a steep downhill and we were doing about 40 mph. I applied the brakes and had slowed to about 30 when a pedestrian decided to cross the road a short way ahead of us. I gave the brakes all the pressure I dared, felt them heat up and fade, missed the pedestrian, missed the cars that were lining up for the ferry and came to a halt a hundred yards from the ferry on-ramp. The disk was severely overheated and oxidized, so we changed it to a bigger size.
This year we bought a Gepida Rodanus tandem with the Bosch Active Line mid-drive. Wow - what a bike! The electric boost can be set on economy mode, where it adds 40% to what we are doing, giving a range of about 90 miles. On the one hand, it is so unobtrusive we can't even feel that it is working; but on the other hand everything seems easier and faster. We reach the top of a hill quicker, and I'm still able to talk. I no longer wonder if my partner is really exerting herself, because a smidge of boost can compensate for either of us who might be slacking! If a really steep hill comes along, the boost can be toggled to a higher mode, giving assist up to 225% of what we are doing. We used it extensively on a 45 mile trip between Baker City and Union, Oregon - the steep hills were easier to climb and we very comfortably hit 45 mph on the downhills. The battery and drive motor give the bike a low center of gravity that gives a rock-solid feel at high speed. The two big hydraulic disk brakes have seemingly limitless stopping power. This bike is absolutely phenomenal in every way. I'm a fan of every aspect of it. The Bosch drive works so well moving two people on a tandem that I have to wonder how it does on a single bike powering just one person around!
Are there any electric tandems out there other than the Gepida Rodanus?
