Given that we’ve had our Landescape since October 2007 it’s probably time we said hello . We purchased it from J.D. Cycles and it has since changed our lives. Previously Jonathan (Captain) did a lot of miles on his solo bike with occasional company from Clare (Stoker) on her hybrid, but since acquiring the tandem the poor solo bikes have rarely seen daylight.
Since October we’ve cycled 1900 miles up hill and down dale (more up hill, of course). We live near Appletreewick in the Yorkshire Dales so our usual routes cover Wharfedale, Nidderdale, Wensleydale and Swaledale, plus occasional trips further afield, including a five-day trip in January where the tandem was introduced to extreme weather conditions for the first time.
We must mention that service from J.D’s has been truly excellent throughout, from pre-sales support through to servicing.
In ten days or so we set off to Land’s End for a three-week End to End (see http://tandem2008.blogspot.com). Whilst we’ve done a lot of training we’re still a little nervous, inevitably. Our route will take us (mainly) on B-roads and C-roads, as we’re not planning on breaking any records, and we plan to arrive at John o’Groats on or around 12th June. We’re in the final stages of planning now - the difficult part has been getting the tandem to Penzance and back from Jo’G. The route has been planned on a new Garmin Edge 605 which has so far proven useful and reliable for route-planning and recording of our trips.
So that’s it for now, we have time for a couple more training trips this week before the tandem is shipped down to Penzance. Wish us luck!
We bought our Landescape from JD’s about the same time as you and we love it,although we have not done nearly as many miles the ones we have done have been a pleasure. It is an excellent tandem to ride,it’s a shame JD’s have stopped supplying them.
The worst weather we endured was returning from the York Rally last year which was the first day of the “Great Rains”,it was like pedalling through a fishtank.
This forum tends to be a bit quiet but the one over at the Tandem Club ( apologies if you are already attendees ) is a bit livlier and full of hints and tips.
Just delivered the tandem to J.D’s for shipping down to Penzance…
Good to hear from another Landescape owner, we like ours very much - using it over the winter has meant a fair amount of maintenance but that’s to be expected, I don’t think cycling through floods is regarded as normal usage, but it sounds as though you’ve attempted it too!
The mileage has been a result of our unexpected enthusiasm for tandemming - we thought we’d like it, but didn’t quite realise how much. We tried out a very ropey hired tandem on the Camel Trail in Cornwall for a day last summer, and despite the fact that it bounced alarmingly over the bumps we enjoyed the day. So on our return we borrowed a Landescape for the weekend, so we could try it out on the rather hillier terrain near home. After that we bought one straight away and couldn’t wait for it to be delivered. We’ve done far more touring than we expected, though with panniers on we’re considerably slower…
Thanks for the recommendations about the various forums (fora?!) - we use the CTC ones (although sadly they have no tandem-specific forum) and lurk in the Tandem club one, other online time is spent obsessively checking out other blogs describing experiences on LEJoG.
I imagine living in somewhere like Appletreewick it takes very little persuasion to get out on the tandem.We live on the outskirts of Wakefield and to say that the surrounding area is unappealing and the roads even more so is an understatement.We tend to put the tandem on the car and go for the day somewhere around York/Tadcaster way.Not very environmentally friendly I know and we are adding to the traffic ourselves but unfortunately needs must.
We had a week in Norfolk recently ( and Suffolk last year ),now that was something else,got a fair few miles under our collective belts.All it needs is Mr.Lottery to shine benevolently and that is where we shall be heading on a permanent basis.
I was interested to see that JD’s was sending your tandem to Penzance for you.I have read one or two posts regarding LeJog and the hardest bit for a lot of people ( well nearly the hardest bit ) is getting the tandem to the start and from the end back home.I didn’t realise that they provided such a service.
Is it expensive ?
If you are going to the York Rally next month ours is a blue Landescape.There aren’t that many about,we will be in the cavalcade.
You’re right, there is every incentive around here to get out and cycle, except perhaps on Bank Holiday weekends when the roads are full… It’s particularly enjoyable to seek out the very quiet lanes where one can still cycle in relative peace and quiet. Mind you, we cycled through Nesfield to Ilkley and back on Sunday, on a normally quiet road, and as it was the day of the Etape du Dales there were cyclists everywhere. Good to see, of course. We’re lucky enough to work from home, which gives us plenty of options for going out when the weather is fine and the roads quiet. Our only excuse today is that the tandem has disappeared off to Penzance!
Transporting the tandem to/from the start and end points has been the most difficult thing to arrange - J.D charged us about 60 quid I think to get the tandem to Penzance (including boxing it up for us), but the return journey is more problematic - we’re getting an expensive “bike taxi” from JoG to Inverness, then having the bike shipped back from a shop in Strathpeffer back to Ilkley. So no, it’s not cheap, but the train is a non-starter, particularly as we have no guarantee of the precise date we will (we hope) arrive at JoG. It’s easier if you have a support driver, I suppose, but persuading someone to take three weeks off work to drive slowly between LE and JoG is a little tricky!
When is the York Rally, and how do we find out about it? We may get there if we’re back from our trip, assuming we’re not all tandemmed out!
We pedal from home and stop in the Youth Hostel but there are camping/caravan facilities as well.
There is a cavalcade of cyclists which sets off from outside York Minster at about 9:30am on the Sunday morning which winds its way back to the racecourse.
It is a good weekend where many bargains can be had ( especially in the clothing line ).Plenty of tandems to look at and JD’s have a stall.All in all a good weekend.
. We purchased it from J.D. Cycles and it has since changed our lives. Previously Jonathan (Captain) did a lot of miles on his solo bike with occasional company from Clare (Stoker) on her hybrid, but since acquiring the tandem the poor solo bikes have rarely seen daylight.
