Certainly by now, most tandem enthusiasts who surf the web on at least an occasional basis have stumbled across a video or photos of the Specialized Shiv Tandem Concept. The latest creation by Robert Egger of Specialized was first revealed in a short Twitter Video from Specialized back on December 7th. For those who have been tandem enthusiasts long enough to remember, Egger had produced a similarly, visually stunning track tandem concept bike back in 1992. Like the ’92 bike, and being skeptical by nature, I suspect this truly is a visual exercise and the bike itself is not functional, right down to the brakes and purported shaft drive (noting the ’92 tandem concept also claimed a shaft drive). However, it has likely had what I suspect was its intended effect by stimulating a lot of Internet buzz in the cycling community. Moreover, the buzz still seems to be making its way through the various blogs, magazine columns and discussion forums replete with the ubiquitous “I gotta have one” comments from folks who have never ridden a tandem in their life. Again, that’s one of the reasons why designers like tandems: they are eye catching in a way that even a radical single bike like the S-Works TTR prototype for the Shiv Time Trial bike will never be.
Anyway, while I’m hopeful Mr. Egger will return from the holidays and reply to my questions about his Shiv tandem concept, I ain’t holding my breath. They included:
1. The design appears to be time-trial specific; Yes? 2. The frame appears to borrow molds from the TTR Prototype, e.g., head, fork, rear stays; Yes? 3. What percentage of the frame is organic vs. borrowed from other prototypes or current bikes? 4. Is the shaft-driven sync mechanism a modified production model from a 3rd party, a one-off outsourced model, fabricated in house or perhaps a spare from the ’92 exercise? 5 Are the brakes functional, i.e., is there a master cylinder buried in the frame for each brake that transitions the mechanical cable pull from the SRAM Red levers to hydraulics… or just part of the ‘conceptual’ package? 6. It appears to have a conventional dual chain ring drive but no front derailleur; was this intentional and is there a conceptual application here or….? 7. What is the actual weight of the concept bike in it’s current configuration? 8. Is the tandem fully functional such that it could be ridden by two adults in an actual time trial or is it purely a visual exercise?
Of course, the internet being what it is, some details have come out such as a posting on the slowtwitch.com forums from Specialized’s Mark Cote who noted:
“Awesome model from the Specialized design master, Robert Egger. Robert worked on this concept piece for a couple of years and finished it last spring. Pretty killer concept bike. You can see how concepts like the fork on this bike have made it into real bikes (like the Shiv).
Mostly made of alloy, wood, bondo, and paint but looks ready to race.”
So, as Mark notes, concept bikes are what they are; awesome-looking designs that often times provide a glimpse of what may be in store on future designs.
The last comment I feel compelled to make is the timing of the ’92 concept bike which may or may not have anything to do with the timing of the ’09 bike. Although Specialized never produced the swoopy ’92 time trial tandem, some will recall that 1991-1992 was a watershed year for big-brand tandem offerings. As noted in a New York Times article from September 7, 1991, it was in 1991 that Specialized introduced its only production model tandem, the 1992 Deja Two. Likewise, it was also in the 1992 model-year that Trek introduced its first tandems, the T100/T200 models. And last but certainly not least, it was also the 1992 model-year when Cannondale began to sell it’s tandems as fully-assembled bikes instead of as frame-only offerings. Again, I doubt there will be a watershed moment like that in 2010 based on the very weak showing of tandem manufacturers at this past year’s Interbike show in September.
I've been around a bit and done a few things, have a couple kids and a few grandkids. I tend to be curmudgeonly, not predisposed to chit-chat but love a good back-and-forth on history, aviation, cycling, and a few other topics.
The TandemGeek's Blog
Specialized Shiv Tandem Concept
Certainly by now, most tandem enthusiasts who surf the web on at least an occasional basis have stumbled across a video or photos of the Specialized Shiv Tandem Concept. The latest creation by Robert Egger of Specialized was first revealed in a short Twitter Video from Specialized back on December 7th. For those who have been tandem enthusiasts long enough to remember, Egger had produced a similarly, visually stunning track tandem concept bike back in 1992. Like the ’92 bike, and being skeptical by nature, I suspect this truly is a visual exercise and the bike itself is not functional, right down to the brakes and purported shaft drive (noting the ’92 tandem concept also claimed a shaft drive). However, it has likely had what I suspect was its intended effect by stimulating a lot of Internet buzz in the cycling community. Moreover, the buzz still seems to be making its way through the various blogs, magazine columns and discussion forums replete with the ubiquitous “I gotta have one” comments from folks who have never ridden a tandem in their life. Again, that’s one of the reasons why designers like tandems: they are eye catching in a way that even a radical single bike like the S-Works TTR prototype for the Shiv Time Trial bike will never be.
Anyway, while I’m hopeful Mr. Egger will return from the holidays and reply to my questions about his Shiv tandem concept, I ain’t holding my breath. They included:
Of course, the internet being what it is, some details have come out such as a posting on the slowtwitch.com forums from Specialized’s Mark Cote who noted:
So, as Mark notes, concept bikes are what they are; awesome-looking designs that often times provide a glimpse of what may be in store on future designs.
The last comment I feel compelled to make is the timing of the ’92 concept bike which may or may not have anything to do with the timing of the ’09 bike. Although Specialized never produced the swoopy ’92 time trial tandem, some will recall that 1991-1992 was a watershed year for big-brand tandem offerings. As noted in a New York Times article from September 7, 1991, it was in 1991 that Specialized introduced its only production model tandem, the 1992 Deja Two. Likewise, it was also in the 1992 model-year that Trek introduced its first tandems, the T100/T200 models. And last but certainly not least, it was also the 1992 model-year when Cannondale began to sell it’s tandems as fully-assembled bikes instead of as frame-only offerings. Again, I doubt there will be a watershed moment like that in 2010 based on the very weak showing of tandem manufacturers at this past year’s Interbike show in September.
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About TG
I've been around a bit and done a few things, have a couple kids and a few grandkids. I tend to be curmudgeonly, not predisposed to chit-chat but love a good back-and-forth on history, aviation, cycling, and a few other topics.