Giordano Viaggio Tandem Road Bike (White Pearl)

by Kent

Product Features

• Custom-designed 7005 aluminum frame
• Frame size: 20 inches (front), 16 inches (rear)
• Shimano ST2300 STI 8 Speed
• Rear derailleur: Shimano RD TX51D
• Freewheel: Shimano CS HD30 11-30 8 speed

Product Description

Amazon.com

The Giordano Viaggio tandem bike encourages you and a friend or family member to share the thrill of cycling. The Viaggio boasts a strong yet lightweight aluminum tandem frame, along with a Shimano 24-speed drive train that provides a gear for virtually every riding terrain. The Viaggio's Shimano STI integrated shifters provide fluid, lightning-fast shifting and braking from the same position. Responsive alloy side pull brakes stop on a dime. Other details include smooth-riding 700x32 tires, and sturdy resin pedals. The Viaggio Tandem is finished in a beautiful white pearl paint.

Specifications:

• Frame: Custom-designed 7005 aluminum
• Frame size: 20 inches (front), 16 inches (rear)
• Fork: 700c CS-9217 steel painted
• Geometry: 31-inch stand over with 21-inch top tube length (front), 28-inch stand over (rear)
• Headset: VP-H692W, black
• Stem: HL alloy ext, 100mm x 7-degree alloy, Silver
• Handlebars: HL-DR-8BW, 430mm, steel black
• Bar tape: CB-0108, black soft wrap
• Shifters: Shimano ST2300 STI 8 Speed
• Brakes: Alloy Side Pull
• Brake levers: Shimano STI integrated with shifters
• Front derailleur: Shimano FD M191
• Rear derailleur: Shimano RD TX51D
• Freewheel: Shimano CS HD30 11-30 8 speed
• Chain: KMC Z51
• Crank Set: A106PP40T steel black, 28/38/48 x 170mm alloy, silver crank
• Bottom bracket: VP-B33 steel
• Pedals: VP-990S resin body
• Wheels: High V profile rims, alloy 700c, brass nipples
• Tires: Touring 700 x 32 black with silver line
• Saddles: Velo
• Seat post: Alloy SP-233 300mm alloy silver
• Weight: 42.5 pounds

Product Description

The Giordano Viaggio tandem bike encourages you and a friend or family member to share the thrill of cycling. The Viaggio boasts a strong yet lightweight aluminum tandem frame, along with a Shimano 24-speed drive train that provides a gear for virtually every riding terrain. The Viaggio’s Shimano STI integrated shifters provide fluid, lightning-fast shifting and braking from the same position. Responsive alloy side pull brakes stop on a dime. Other details include smooth-riding 700x32 tires, and sturdy resin pedals. The Viaggio Tandem is finished in a beautiful white pearl paint.

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 60 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B004Q3PE30
• Item model number: 00400
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #105,585 in Sports & Outdoors (See Top 100 in Sports & Outdoors)
  • #3 in Sports & Outdoors > Bikes & Accessories > Bikes > Tandem Bikes

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I second that!, April 27, 2011

By 

Wiihab - See all my reviews

This review is from: Giordano Viaggio Tandem Road Bike (White Pearl) (Sports)

Looking for a light inexpensive entry-level tandem. Found the father bike "lamborghini viaggio" but didn't purchase quick enough and it disappeared from the web. Do a search for this and you may find more reviews. The second generation "Giordano Viaggio" is basically the same bike with a couple changes (brakes).

Out-of-the-box:
As the UPS truck drove up and a cute young lady-driver stepped out I went to meet her thinking she might needed help with the heavy awkward package. Well I was wrong, she strong-armed that box like a pro and when she handed it to me I was shocked at how light the bike was (so far so good). Lucky for me I didn't have a broken spoke like many other reviewers. Everything was packed nicely with little padding and lots of heavy-stock paper wrapping. The bike went together very smoothly, almost everything is Allen wrench bolt tightened except the front axle quick release. I listened to the other reviewers and removed the rims and tires immediately and thoroughly inspected them. Lots of aluminum debris and spoke hole punchings came out (the reason many reviewers have trouble with flats). Yes the seat posts are different diameters because the stoker handle bars attach to the narrow post.

Adjustment period:
Everything must be tuned. Here's what I did, true wheels slightly, adjust seat, bars. Tighten all cables. Adjust both derailleurs range and front position on down-tube. Loosen the idler gear, giving enough slack in the chain. 1 hour riding around my block going through the gears, slamming on the brakes etc. Back to the garage to tighten all the cables again from the stretching. You will need to repeat this in a couple weeks.

Maiden voyage:
After adjusting the bars and seat for my smoking-hot-stoker-wife (5'4"), she and El Capitan (6'0") went for a 20 mile loop ride. She has very little bike experience, and we only rented a tandem once. With a couple stops and lots of "communication" we were able to get in the groove and enjoy the scenery in SF Bay. Everything works great, shifts smoothly (after lots o' adjustment), brakes good-enough.

Read the reviews for the lambo, just ignore comments about the brakes, shifters, flats, broken spokes (those things have been addressed in the giordano)

With a few upgrades this would be a very solid bike. As-is, it is great for the beginning tandem crew, weekend cruisers, and couples who need to work on their "communication".

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Vaggio returns!, April 18, 2011

By 

Robert G. Thibodeau (Coral Springs, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Giordano Viaggio Tandem Road Bike (White Pearl) (Sports)

I purchased this bike, or I should say it's "father" in August '09 as the Lamborghini Vaggio. A internet search will pull up lots of info on the basic bike. This latest incarnation sports the Shimano 2300 shifter set, and Shimano FD and RD. I can't testify to the Shimano product at this level, but my Lambo came with Microshift shifters which have performed flawlessly.

This is an entry level department store quality bike. Real "bike aficionados" will tell you this is a piece of C%$@. In point of fact, it does not hold a candle to an entry level product from Trek or one of the other LBS brand bikes. It is, however, a viable choice for the right person who is informed of the pros and cons of the product.

I will give you the pros and cons of the Lamborghini. Some will apply as the frame is identical, some may apply as I don't know if they are the same.

PROS:
* The frame is stiff but comfortable, surprisingly so for an ALU frame. This is due to the long wheel base since it is a tandem. Also, the bike comes with 35 x 700 tires, which smooth out the ride.
* The 20 x 16 frame size is a pretty versatile. I have ridden and stoker (6ft) and I have had 10 or 12 yo stoker children ride in the back with the seat all the way down. The stock seat post is too short to raise for me, but a little shopping can find a good long one for $20 or so.
* The frame is light compared to a comparable steel frame, but the stock bike is 43 lbs. I don't know where the get the 25 lb shipping weight! I wish!
* Cant beat the price - $579

CONS:
* There is only one frame size.
* The sync chain uses an idler gear rather than eccentric bottom bracket found on "real tandems."
* All components are cheap, entry level. They work ok, even very well, but they will wear out under heavy use.
* The bike, like any on-line bike purchase, requires some assembly. If you are not familiar with adjusting brakes, derailers and truing wheels you MUST have this done by a qualified bike mechanic. The bike could be dangerous if not properly assembled and adjusted. Read on.
* The stock brake pads SUCK big time. Or at least the did on the Lambo. Add to it that the wheels will probably need to be trued and the brakes adjusted before the bike is ridden. The bike is likely DANGEROUS out of the box until these details are tended to. When I first assembled mine and took it for a very cautions spin, I almost could not stop the bike, and I was solo and on the flat and level. With 2 people on a hill, this thing could be deadly. I took the advice of several others and changed out the break pads to Kool Stop MTB pad. After truing the wheels and properly adjusting the brakes, I can stop on a dime on a hill.
* My stock rim tape was crappy. I was warned to remove the tires and tubes, clean any aluminum debris from the spoke holes and rims, and put on new high quality rim tape. I didn't and I blew a tube just inflating the tires the first time. YMMV, but assume that the rim tape needs to be changed.
* Bearings in the wheels, Bottom bracket, and stem/fork should be checked and repacked if needed.
* The bike only has braze-ons for 2 water bottles. In Fla anyway, you need at least 4. I added a 2 bottle seat post holder to the back of the captains seat post. Works great.
* For some reason the captain and the stoker have different seat post diameters. Weird. Perhaps that has changed.
* The hubs are not QR skewers. You need to carry a small wrench to change a tube.
* White looks nice, but it shows dirt and scuffs.

In spite of the long list of cons, this can be a good serviceable tandem option for some one who is looking to get into some light road tandem riding. I have about 2,000 miles on the bike and have had my wife and my grandson in the stoker seat. I enjoy riding the bike, even solo. I am very happy with my purchase, and while I dream about someday getting a "real" tandem, I still do not regret my purchase. I have lots of happy miles on the bike. It was a good choice for me.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good value, July 2, 2011

By 

Brent - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Giordano Viaggio Tandem Road Bike (White Pearl) (Sports)

I purchased this bike expecting to have to do some work on it and put some money into it. I've been riding for a while, and wanted to be able to ride with my wife, who can't keep up with me on her own bike. It does the job quite well, at a great price. We just got back from our first ride on it, and were pleased with how smooth the ride is.

The package arrived in typical Amazon style, showing up at the door before Amazon said it would even be shipping. It was packaged very well, and didn't get any damage.

On to the bike... If you don't have experience working on bikes, plan to take it to a bike shop for an overhaul, if not for assembly. I couldn't find any instructions for assembling the bike. Just a user's manual, and instructions that had come with some of the Shimano components. I've built a few bikes, though, so I probably wouldn't have used it anyway. The first thing I did was readjust and add grease to the headset and both wheel bearings. Out of the box, all of the bearings were stiff and way too tight. As others have mentioned, the rim tape was a little off, so should be adjusted to avoid punctures. The wheels were mostly true. The rear derailleur needed no adjustment, but the front needed a little help. Most of the components are obviously cheap, but the important parts are all low-end Shimano, so they work well. I was disappointed about their decision to use a threaded headset, since threadless aren't much more expensive. They also used relatively low-pressure tires -- only 85psi. Higher pressure tires would have been nice.

I immediately replaced a few components after taking the bike out for a quick ride:
-The idler pulley on the timing chain between the captain's and stoker's pedals is LOUD. I replaced it with a rollerblade wheel with a deep groove cut in it, and that completely eliminated the chain noise when pedaling.
-Most importantly, the brakes are not suitable for a tandem. They use no-name single-pivot caliper brakes, and the bike just doesn't have the stopping power necessary for two people, especially going down a hill. DO NOT purchase this bike unless you are willing to immediately spend $40-$100 on a new pair of dual-pivot caliper brakes. Besides safety, this also provides the convenience of a quick-release lever on the brakes to widen the pads for easy wheel removal.

Last, the frame geometry is a little off. My wife and I are both about 5'9". I captain, and the handlebars are just a touch too far away for my liking. Riding stoker (the back position), my wife's handlebars are too close to her, and she occasionally bumps her knees. We'll be getting her a shorter handlebar stem.

All considered, we are incredibly pleased with this purchase. For the price, it's a great bike, especially for couples of differing riding levels. With some care and upgrades, it makes for a fun, comfortable, and so-far-reliable tandem bike.