subject: Kent Dual Drive Tandem Comfort Bike Great Bike For The Money! [print this page]
By Peter K. Fallon
We ordered the Kent Dual Drive Tandem Comfort Bike on a Friday, and had it in our hands by Tuesday. Unlike other reviewers -- few in number -- we found no problems in shipping. In fact, having read the (very few) negative reviews, I had my eyes wide open when unpacking the bike to see if I could understand what had happened to those who say the bike was delivered damaged.
The front wheel comes strapped to the front fork, and I believe that if you were not careful removing the bike from the box (it's best, by the way, to just take a carpet knife and cut the box away at the edges, not trying to lift the bike out of an open box), you could very likely bend or even break a spoke. I couldn't understand the (again, very few) negative reviews that said the bike had come with a bent WHEEL. I believe FedEx would have to drop the box down a flight of stairs to do that kind of damage!
Neither the front nor rear tire comes inflated. It is important, before inflating, to make sure the tire valve is center in the rim's valve hole, and that the tube and tire's rim are securely inside the wheel rim. I could see how you could easily cause a blowout if you were not careful taking these steps.
It's also important to fill the tires to the prescribed pressure. You should have a pump that has a pressure gauge built into it. The prescribed range is between 30-50 psi. I filled our tires to about 48 psi, and it is a very comfortable ride.
There is one slight (and I emphasize the word slight) engineering problem: the bike has a "U" shaped guard to protect the rear shifting mechanism, and you must take care to put this guard on. But the bolts that were supplied are about 1/8 inch too long for the chassis, and this originally caused some shifting issues. I took care of this by just putting a couple of penny washers on the outside of the guard. If anyone from Kent is reading this, take a look at this very minor problem.
All in all, my wife and I have already enjoyed some very comfortable and relaxing rides, and plan on spending the rest of the summer, and well into the fall, biking places to which we would previously have driven. We're going out to dinner this week on our Kent Dual Drive Tandem Comfort Bike.
