Why a Bicycle-Built-for-Two?
Some of my fondest memories as a child were of bicycling. I remember first learning to ride a tricycle in Sparks, NV. I then graduated to regular bicycles. After we moved to Texas, back in the 1960’s I often rode my brother’s Schwinn 10-speed. I went everywhere on that bike for many, many years. I literally used that bicycle until the early 1980’s. It was indestructible! I was never into racing or any of that. I used the bike mainly for transportation to work and school. After Virginia and I met in 1979, we had our own bikes and would ride to the University. We then moved to California for a short time in 1985 and finally ended up in Seattle.
In our first few years in Seattle, I did a lot more cycling than Virginia. But as time went by, we were spending more time riding together on our single bikes. Often, we would go on a ride and end up being angry at each other because we were not equal in strength. Indeed, Virginia was always angry with me because of my impatience. And rightly so. We very much enjoyed riding together, but we were not “together.” We were frustrated and weren’t sure how to solve this problem.
Then Came R+E Cycles
It was in 1990 that we came across the solution to our cycling situation. We happened to visit a bicycle shop in the University District of Seattle called R+E Cycles. There we were, looking in their front window at a bicycle-built-for-two. Suddenly, we both realized that we had found the answer to the question, “how can we arrive at the top of a hill together?” As it turned out, this shop was founded by two fellows who were incredibly passionate about bicycles, but they were also well-known for manufacturing and selling tandems. So, we ended up purchasing a mountain-bike style tandem manufactured by Burley (a company in Eugene, OR). The model was a “Bongo.”
We purchased our 2nd tandem from R+E in 1997. We had them custom-make this bicycle because we had been planning an cross country tour. On Mother’s Day, 1998 we started our journey on this tandem and arrived in Bar Harbor, ME in August 3rd after riding 4547 miles!
Moving to Italy
As Life would have it, we had a unique opportunity to move to Italy in 2014. I got a job with a company called UmbraGroup where I would be coaching English. Of course, for such a great adventure we needed a new tandem, one with which we could travel more easily. So, we had R+E build us a new, custom bike with couplings so we could take it apart if we were taking a train, or plane or other mode of transportation.
We have now been tandem bicycling for over 30 years. We have logged thousands upon thousands of miles together. We have ridden our new tandem here in Umbria, Italy, in Switzerland, Austria and Germany.We have participated in tandem rallies in the Northwest US. We even brought it back with us on a work assignment in 2018-19 in Michigan where we rode on very flat, yet beautiful rail-trails. We even went to the Midwest Tandem Rally there in Grand Rapids.
There’s something wonderful and inspiring riding a tandem bicycle with your life-partner and best friend. It has been one of the most powerful parts of our relationship. We have seen some truly awesome and beautiful things over the years. We have weathered storms and winds and steep mountain passes. We’ve had some tough rides on occasion. And, we have also plummeted down long mountain passes, seen the “Big Sky” country of Montana and explored ancient towns in Italy. We have also met kind and generous people along the way who, on occasion have helped us when we really needed it.
We are “Tandem Spirits!”
Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer true
I’m half crazy over the love of you
It won’t be a stylish marriage
I can’t afford a carriage
But you’ll look sweet
Upon the seat
Of a bicycle built for two
