Yes. No nearer knowing what to do.
The positives about getting the SuperGal sorted are that it is a good all-round tandem, able to cope with more off-road than the stokers can, stable under load, and fast otherwise (wheels/BBs/pilot's lungs permitting
).
The negatives are that it's never going to suit our needs totally - fitting couplings isn't an option, so it isn't so useful for touring bacause we can't get it on a train so easily (forget about cars for the moment - I have to sell. Hired vans & club cars are an option). In addition, the stoker position is a bit of a compromise. We have a seatpost (also dying) that has immense layback, just so there's room. And, let's face it, Butterfly (tall though she is for a stoker, as we found on the Windsor ride) doesn't take up that much space, so, if she's cramped, it's cramped.
I'd love to strip the SuperGal down & respray, change over to STIs, maybe swap the brakes for Vs, stick randonneur bars on the front etc etc. It'd be a lovely machine. But it will never be all we need.
I guess that, now Superstoker is gaining more independence on his solo, we could consider cycle touring without a tandem. But we enjoy it, and want to continue.
And, yes, steel is real.
The frustration is that we know what we want. We want the Santana Arriva Niobium with S&S Couplings. But that's £7k we don't have, and are unlikely to have for a while.
