# Co-motion vs Santana Tandem



## bigwaves

Where I live there is neither a Co-motion or Santana dealership close by. There are dealerships about 2 hours away, in opposite directions that carry each brand. They both appear to have bikes that will fit us. Does anyone have any pointers on which bike may be better? I am looking for a steel S&S bike.


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## bsdc

Do you have the Santana booklet? If not, give them a call and they'll send you one. Santana has really put a lot of work into their design. Just look their S&S design. It's different from the others and seems to make a lot of sense. Reading the booklet will convence you to go with a Santana. I've got two.


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## HeronTodd

I used to sell tandems, and I chose Co-Motion over Santana. However, both are very nice. Santana developed much of the tandem technology that we now take for granted. However, their marketing can be a bit heavy-handed, and they sometimes bash competitors. Some folks think of it as blowing their own horn, but others are turned off by it. That doesn't affect the quality of their bikes, which is great, but it might cause some to look elsewhere. The gang at Co-Motion are top-notch, and their bikes are beautiful. Hard to go wrong either way.


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## wily in pacifica

*Co-Motion*

I ride lots f tandems and own a Santana triplet, a Bilenky tandem and three Co-Motion...........singles.

Althou both are quality bikes the one thing that would lead me to Co-Motion is the 160mm rear spacing of Santana vs the 145mm rear spacing of the Co-Motion.

If you never have wheel problems it is not an issue but the 145mm rear hubs are easier to come by. I have bought a couple extra wheelsets in 145mm off Ebay but rarely does a 160mm version come around.

Also, I kind of look at Santana as a Mercedes, whereas, I think of the Co-Motion as a BMW. A bit more contemporary and probabaly holds its value better.

I bought the Santana used but any time I have e-mail or phoned Co-Motion they were very friendly and helpful.

Willy in Pacifica


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## wily in pacifica

*One more thing*

If you are going to order one from the dealer then Co-Motion has way more paint options to choose from including fades which look great on tandems.

When I see a tandem on the road I think more highly of a Co-Motion then a Santana even thou both are probably of the same quality.

I am in a tandem club and I have noticed a lot more new Co-Motions then new Santanas so there must be something there as well.

Willy in Pacifica


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## SantaCruz

I've had my Co-Motion Capuccino for almost 10 years and still love it. Back then it was the best handling bike of all the tandems that we tested (including Burley, Santana, Trek, Cannondale, DaVinci). You are looking at the top two "big" manufacturers in my opinion. 

Back then finding a dealer was very tough, so I sympathize with your problem. 
Good luck.


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## radman42

Both are top notch but handle differently. Even though it might not be convenient
it would make sense to try each as it is quite an investment. Also as already mentioned
the S&S couplers are placed differently on the two brands. Pluses and minuses of each.


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## ispoke

+1 on the comments above. I researched tandems for a while but didn't pull the trigger - but I do own a Co-Motion Nor'Wester single. Both brands have strong engineering/design skills and well thought out logic regarding their products. I've had a number of prompt email replies as well as phone responses from Co-Motion and have been very happy with their product. Co-Motion claims to have deep expertise in precision machining and frame alignment. I'm sure Santana must be pretty darn good too.

Given the amount of money you're contemplating spending, I'd take a close look at their front-end geometries, specifically head angle, rake, and the resulting trail and wheel flop factor "f". If you google "tandem wheel flop factor" or something similar, you should find some detailed discussion mostly from the Bicycle Quarterly publication. It's very handy information which helps better understand the handling traits of a bike, particularly important for tandems...


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## stevoo

You need to ride both as they have differing geometries. Pick the one best for you. Not better or worse, just different.

Good luck


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## froze

I know very little about tandems, but I did see a KHS Milano? that cost $1,800 and was as well appointed component wise as a similar Santana (model ?) for about $1,500 less then the Santana.


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## blakcloud

This is a six year old thread! I think the OP probably picked his new bike by now.


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## pmf

radman42 said:


> Both are top notch but handle differently. Even though it might not be convenient
> it would make sense to try each as it is quite an investment. Also as already mentioned
> the S&S couplers are placed differently on the two brands. Pluses and minuses of each.


That's great advice ... get in your time machine and travel SIX YEARS BACK IN TIME TO WHEN THIS WAS POSTED AND ANSWER IT. Seriously, why do people respond to ancient posts? I'd bet the guy has bought his bike by now. 

There ought to be some way to lock old, inactive threads.


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## froze

blakcloud said:


> This is a six year old thread! I think the OP probably picked his new bike by now.


Dang it, I didn't even notice the date!! I agree, they should lock a post that is more then 3 months from the last response.

By chance though, does anyone know anything about the KHS tandems?


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