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Couplers are amazing, it'd be a totally different trip without them. That said, we're set on not taking flights apart from the one that took us to the starting point. All the rest is ferries and trains or buses when we want to reposition on the map. It's definitely more hassle than a solo bike, but not a lot and easily measured: 5 minutes to decouple the front section, another 30 if the rear bit is to be decoupled too (rarely happens). If you're packing it, it's quite a bit of volume to carry but still less than two solo bikes.
Now, let me tell you this: tandems are amazing. Just amazing. There's no end to my love for them. They make SO much sense for touring, they are not agile or easy to manoeuvre but perfectly suited for plugging along at a steady, comfortable pace. Speeds are very relative, depends on how lazy we are, how far we want to ride on the day, how much there is to see. I'd say that on a flat road, no wind, there's no reason why two accomplished riders shouldn't be able to at least match their pace on solo bikes (unless you're climbing!)
To give you a bit of context, my girlfriend rarely cycles solo, and when she does it's the 5 minutes ride to the grocery store. If we'd be on solo bikes she'd really struggle to cover half of the distance I could ride on a day. If we'd be on solo bikes this trip would never happen. But together on the tandem we probably move at a pace only 10% slower than I would do solo. In other words, it's a wonderful leveller for cyclists of different aptitudes and it allows us to share something we had very little chance of doing together.
One last point: tandems put more stress on the components, so it's worth spending a bit more to make sure you get quality stuff. Wheels, tires, brakes and drivetrain take a hell of a beating on a tandem. We wanted peace of mind and that definitely comes at a price.
But hey, do it. If it wouldn't be for me seeing people riding tandems on this forum I'd never think that's a reasonable thing to do. They're amazing things.
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ough
Awesome stories and photos! Thanks for sharing! I was just wondering how stressful it is to pack and transport the bike to airports and all that? I found it already a big hassle with my 'normal' bike and 4 panniers. And what speed would you guys normally cruise on a flat road without wind? Don't know much about tandems but I'm getting pretty excited reading all of this.