The Hugbike from Italy looks to reinvent the tandem. This bike is designed to put a parent in the back and the child I the front – thus giving the youngster a better view. Yet it still provides the older (and arguably more experienced rider) a way to steer.
This concept is very similar to the BuddyBike, which is designed for parents of special needs children, and Hugbike has employed some autistic children through a program that teaches them a new skill.
There is a certain joy that many of us have in riding a bike, but for parents of special needs children riding a bike can often be difficult at best and at other times impossible. The Buddy Bike offers an interesting solution that allows parents to share the joy of cycling with their children.
Shelly Patterson, director of Marketing and Business Development at Buddy Bike tells about the company’s alternative tandem. Continue reading Sunday Q&A: Shelley Patterson Talks Buddy Bike
On a bicycle built for two, either your partner and you work together or not at all. There really is no in-between on a tandem. It is a team effort, not only requiring both of you to pedal together to get over a mountain pass, but also work as ‘one’ negotiating turns and technical sections. Usually couples either ride on the road or on dirt trails, but seldom both due to limitations of the bike or rider comfort level. A road tandem, with its 700c wheels and larger gearing, is much faster on the road than a mountain bike tandem. A mountain bike tandem, with its 26-inch wheels and smaller gearing, is much stronger and is geared to make it easier to climb – especially while riding trails. My wife and I are in-between… we want the speed of a road tandem, but be able to ride some trails on a whim. Our 1998 Cannondale MT1000 mountain tandem has served us well for five Triple Bypass tours, but we both are looking for something that will roll faster on the road and yet still handle the trails. We just do not want to own two different tandems. Enter the 2012 Java from Co-Motion.
