Jerome and Donna’s packable recumbent tandem

Well these things are a big project – this is number three after the one I built for Misha and I, and the yellow one in Australia. This one was for a couple who had a Rans Screamer with S&S couplers, but wanted something lighter and easier to pack. The overall design is the same as before, but with customised features and geometry. The custom fork has a tapered steerer to plug into the oversize headtube, which gives good surface area for attaching the boom. This build has 406mm wheels with 1.75″ tires. The drivetrain is 4×10 with the custom middrive unit, running clutched SRAM derailleurs for no chain drop with the single drive rings. The captain has control of the disc brakes, with 203mm IceTech rotors for heat control. The stoker has the backup/parking brake of a V-brake under the chainstay, controlled with a barend shifter.

The pannier bags are from Radical in the Netherlands, for which I built a custom rack. The matching seatbag slides onto the back of the Rans seat, with additional storage in the Revelate frame pack.

The bike packs down into two Samsonite Flite suitcases for no-fee travelling.

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