★★★★★
Reviewed 9th Nov 2021 by Tim and Sarah (ID:52)
Great bike - good value
We too, now have a Gepida Thoris tandem and love it. Purchased in July 2017, and very much going strong. We have ridden tandems for the last 25 years, starting with a French Motobecane (not very robust and with weak componentry), then a KHS (long wheelbase and quite a 'flexy' frame) before graduating to a Thorn Adventure (brilliant, bomb-proof, round-the-world tourer). But we are both getting longer in the tooth, and needed some assistance for a hilly, windy Shetland tour, so we upgraded to the Gepida and haven't looked back.
Like many continental bikes, it comes fully equipped with lights, a kickstand, mudguards and pannier rack fitted as standard. The frame is very solid and doesn't appear to flex, despite having a conveniently low step through for the stoker. We have made a few upgrades including a suspension seat post for the stoker, a second battery holder, uprated brakes to Shimano Zee (twin pot) discs, improved headlight (B&M IQ-X), rear view mirrors and a wider ratio cassette (10 speed 11-42 Sunrace).
One quirk, which took us a bit of getting used to, is that pilot and stoker don't pedal 'in sync', as on a standard tandem. This is because the Bosch motor adds assistance at the front bottom bracket and the motor is geared. In practice, the pilot pedals approximately 49 revs to the stokers 50, so one is always pedalling slightly out of sync! But overall, this is a wonderful bike which has given us no-fuss touring, and with the second battery we can ride all day. This 'out of sync pedalling' seems to have been 'fixed' on current models, as the new Bosch motor is ungeared, with a direct 1-1 drive.
Although we didn't buy from JDs (they weren't stockists 4 years ago), our Gepida has been into their Gargrave workshop for servicing, and I am pleased to endorse all the positive reviews and comments. John, Ruth and Jamie go above and beyond with customer care, and are nice people to deal with as well.
5 stars for both the Gepida and JD tandems.
★★★★★
Reviewed 28th Sep 2020 by Mel Dickinson (ID:40)
Great People
We purchased a Gipedia Thoris in August, the process from start to finish was superb. These guys know what they are doing and really care about their customers, we had a few problems with mounting the Tandem on our car - mostly I think self inflicted. The car being an SUV it is a little higher than the average car, so a bit more difficult to get up. Having said that after consulting the guys and getting some help we are sorted. The next time we are in Yorkshire we will be popping in to say a real thankyou. With regard to the Tandem it performs beautifully affectionally referred to as 'Ted'
★★★★★
Reviewed 4th Jul 2020 by Nigel (ID:38)
Just get one
It has given my wife and I a new lease of life. The electric assistance makes all the difference, riding it is so enjoyable. We both get a good amount of exercise and ride much further than we did on our previous traditional Tandem. Purchasing online from JD Tandems was a great experience, the team are friendly and extremely knowledgeable. It would have been lovely to have met them in person, but the pandemic prevented it.
★★★★★
Reviewed 22nd Jun 2019 by Andrew Brandon (ID:32)
The service at JD Tandems is the best
The service at JD Tandems is the best we have received in 60 years of cycling. Exceptional in every way. The knowledge of the three person team, John, Ruth and Jamie, was exhaustive and they communicated information succinctly and clearly. We were impressed by their honesty and genuine concern for us. There was no subtle pressure to buy the most expensive tandems in their range. On the contrary, they listened carefully to our requirements and recommended the tandems that matched our unique needs; these we were able to test ride on a seven or eight miles circuit. Customer care was unrivalled; I run out of superlatives.
The tandem that we finally settled on was the Gepida Thoris. This was one of the less expensive tandems in their range, but the frame specifications suited us. The long wheelbase and low descending rear crossbar were priorities.
Customer care did not end with the purchase. We were regularly updated on our order and Jamie gave us information on unpacking the boxed tandem and reassembly. He also provided helpful Vimeo links to assembly instruction videos. These were filmed in-house and were straightforward and easy to understand. Professionalism distinguishes this team.
The staff have thought out every stage of tandem sales from trial rides, purchase, delivery and after-service. On our first ride on our new Gepida, the front Shimano disk brake was rubbing and the on board computer was not syncing with the Bosch electric motor. We immediately rang JD Tandems. John, the engineering wizard of the team, gave us concise advice and helped us resolve both problems. He was patient, concerned and communicated clearly.
My wife and I have owned five tandems - Hobbs, Peugeot, Dawes Galaxy, Roberts, Dawes Galaxy - but the Gepida is the most comfortable: "My bum doesn't hurt as much; I can see more and my nose isn't squashed on Andrew's sweaty back; there's plenty of room for my legs; getting on and off the tandem is much easier" (Pauline). The long wheelbase means that there is some lateral movement when the frame is loaded, but the ride feels reassuringly solid.
The tandem is thoughtfully designed with reliable components. We live in a very hilly part of Britain. The Gepida, weaponised with a the Bosch Performance Line CX motor, shot us up the steepest climbs without fear of lung rupture, heart failure and exploding arteries. Hit 'turbo' on the onboard computer and it's like having Chris Froome as your stoker: a surge of power and sheer exhilaration! I thought that dragging my wife up 9% grades would lead to a premature Hereafter in Cycling Hell. The Gepida has given me back my tandeming youth and recalled those days when mountains were a joy to climb and hills were merely tiny undulations in my onward progress. Thank you Jamie, Ruth and John for your advice and service.
JD Tandems deserves to survive and prosper and fill our roads with happy tandemists.
★★★★★
Reviewed 1st Jun 2019 by Rod Calver (ID:27)
We love our Gepida Thoris
We Love our Gepida Thoris and have done several of the big NZ Cycle rides including the Alps to the Ocean.It is extremely well built and it has withstood being abused several times!!We have modified it somewhat by doing away with the mudguards and fitting 29 inch mountain bike tyres and have replaced the 10 speed with an 11speed with a 46 toothed cog giving us better climbing ability,It has the Bosch Performanceline motor and maybe the new model with the more powerful Performanceline CX would not need the lower gearing.We have fitted a sprung rear seat and similar grips for the stoker that the captain has.A fabulous machine and happy to talk to anyone wanting further information.I also have a Gepida Asgard mountainbike with the Bosch PerformancelineCX motor which I use as a farmbike up and down our hills!!
