Tandem Together: Two Couples Share their Tandem Experiences

Cheryl & Tim A. and Nancy & John W. are long-time recumbent riders that have been riding as a group for upwards of 10 years. On their most recent trip to Stevens Point, we sat down and talked with the group to learn more about their stories, and learn just what makes the Hase Kettwiesel their go-to choice for tandem recumbent riding.

Cheryl & Tim A. and Nancy & John W. are a group of recumbent riders from southeastern Wisconsin. Just over 10 years ago, some friends of theirs told the group about recumbent bicycles, and had told them to research Hostel Shoppe if they wanted to learn more about them. During their visit to the store in 2013, the couples had expressed interest in tandem riding, and according to Nancy, tandem riding was a must for her due to vision complications that deterred her from riding solo. "I have failing vision, so its been something I've been needing to do, and I'm so grateful to have a husband who is willing to be the captain on a tandem bike and good friends to bike with, so it's been a blessing."  After some browsing and test riding, the group decided to purchase two recumbent tandem bikes from the Shoppe, a Volae Venture and a Rans Screamer. These bikes would be the start of a new life for the group of riders.

 "We started out by riding recumbents, and then recumbent tandems, and we, maybe foolishly, did some 6-day self supported rides across the state and had some pretty wild experiences with thunderstorms and so forth," Tim stated. "We started (riding) about ten years ago on a two wheel tandem, and about a year and a half ago, we decided we wanted something a little more stable," he continued. After returning to the store in 2023 and trying out a couple trikes in our inventory, the group took particular interest in the Hase Kettwiesel trike. The Kettwiesel stuck out to the group for a couple reasons, but ultimately, it was the stable handling and plush ride that the trike exceled at. 

Tim told us, "I love being able to scream down a hill at close to 40 miles an hour, and make a square turn at around 25 miles an hour (while staying) completely flat." Cheryl added "I really like the stability too, and since we typically ride in tandem its very nice for me to be on the back with a stable trike when he's doing his downhill turning." 

Since purchasing their trikes over a year ago, the group has made great use of their newfound riding stability, taking on the Lake Country Trail, the Glacial Drumlin Trail, The Elroy-Sparta Trail, and many more in the southern Wisconsin area. John tells us more about the Lake Country Trail, stating "Its a paved Rails-To-Trails route that used to be an Interurban Trail, between Watertown and Milwaukee, and it's a great place to ride."

We'd like to take the chance to thank the Cheryl & Tim and Nancy & John for their continued support, and taking time to talk to us about their riding experiences. We hope to see them achieve their goal of completing multi-day rides this summer on their Kettwiesels, and traveling across the state of Wisconsin together. Happy riding!