Meet Olga

Hi,

Strong, sturdy, dependable…that’s me. My name is Olga, and I’ll be ferrying Matt and Mary Ellen down the East Coast for the next couple of months. While sitting in my packing crate in the factory waiting to find my new home, I had a chance to talk with some of the other tandem bikes. All of us were wondering where we would end up, what kind of family would adopt us, and what adventures awaited us around the next bend of the road. When I think back on those days, I remember the words of a wise old tandem that was getting refurbished after thousands of miles of riding. She told me about how important is for me to be reliable, to ride smooth and true. I learned the importance of making sure that the shifting is crisp and quick, and that my disc brakes stop really well, even when shooting downhill with a full load. But most importantly, I realized the important role I would play in two people’s lives. After all, I would be responsible for their safety and well being for many years to come. I came to understand one of the most important laws of tandeming…"Wherever the relationship is going; it’ll get there faster on a tandem!” It's my job to make sure it goes smoothly.

I now find myself living in Montana, and if you ask me, life is pretty darn good. Matt and Mary Ellen have taken me to a lot of interesting places. My first ride out of the box was on the Trail of the Coeur d’Alene in Idaho last year. Matt was a little shaky at first, getting used to my gearing and my disc brakes, and learning that you can’t make sharp turns at slow speeds with two riders. For Mary Ellen, I think it was love at first sight. Once she got a new saddle and suspension seat post (they skimped a little on some of my components at the factory), she took to me like a fish does to water. Sitting on the back, she gets to look around, sit up and ride no hands, take photos, give neck massages…whatever suits her fancy. And now that they have ridden me about 600 miles in Montana, they’ve become a great tandem team. They still haven’t met the hill that they can’t conquer, although I hear tell that there will be some tough climbing on the East Coast route. I think my gearing is up to it, but life is different since they introduced me to this guy named BOB.

There’s no polite way to say this...BOB is a pain in the butt. He hangs out on my rear wheel, and is a real drag. He weighs something like 70 pounds when fully loaded, and doesn’t do anything really, just hangs on for the ride. I have to do all the work. But it looks like I’ll have to put up with the guy for a while, as Matt and Mary Ellen seem intent on bringing him along. I just hope he behaves himself back there, doesn’t get any wild ideas and go off in another direction or get a flat or something even more grievous.

But hey, this entry is about me, and if I must say I look fantastic. My picture doesn’t do me justice. We ALWAYS get compliments when we ride anywhere. People actually stop us to find out where Matt and Mary Ellen got me, or say things like “That looks like fun”. As tandems go, I’m no lightweight, but I’m built for endurance and adventure. Matt is a bit reluctant to let me show all of what I can do, but the other day I felt really good, and we were going 47 mph on a downhill with nary a wobble. It’s fun to let it all hang out once in a while, but with BOB hanging on, I tend to move a lot slower. Better get used to it I guess.

I’m looking forwarded to going back east. I was born in Pennsylvania, so it will be good to be in my old stomping grounds again. You can check out my vital statistics and dimensions at the Cannondale website. Everything you need to know about me is there. They've added racks and a few other trinkets that make me look and feel good. I'm looking forward to the trip.

Hope to see you on the road!