Customer Reviews

Giordano Viaggio Tandem Road Bike (White Pearl)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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".

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.

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.

Super quick ship, well packaged, no damage. Bike is excellent department store quality. Once adjusted (normal procedure for new bike), it rides smoothly, shifts well. Brakes are weak, as noted by others. I was very pleased with factory assembly: all bearings - front and rear hubs, headset, front and rear bottom brackets - were adequately lubed and properly tightened. Wheels were straight and tightened properly. No metal shards to cause flats at reported by others. No dings or other imperfections on frame - high quality welds and finish. Noisy chain tensioner was resolved by minimizing tension and adjusting alignment (easy). Chain noise is on par with tensioner on a long wheel base recumbent I owned - not bad. Drivetrain shifting adjustment was fairly close to being dialed-in out of the box. Was easy to get all gear combinations smooth shifting and noise free. Everything went together as expected, and with adjustment, works very very well.

I'm an experienced cyclist, but my wife is not. I know how to turn a wrench but am by no means an accomplished bike mechanic. Expect to need to adjust front and rear deraileur cable and limit screws, brake cable length, chain tensioner, routine fit/comfort adjustments (seat height, fore/aft, handlebars, etc). For the money, this is a perfect "toe in the water" for us to experience tandem cycling. I was looking for a 700c hybrid so we can ride road and rail-trails, and this will work. The Kenda 700x32 tires are substantial, but not beefy, and have a nice center line (for road) and low profile, smooth knobs on the edges(for hardpack). The 85 psi max is fine for road: smooth (buttery, actually)and can be lowered to 50-55 for smooth gravel hardpack. Overall, it looks like a road bike, but has one foot in the hybrid camp, which is perfect for us. Weight comes in at 42 lbs which is not bad. Has a very solid feel.

Pros: aluminum frame is upgrade-worthy as parts wear out, great overall build quality and parts pick for price point, hybrid tires (if hybrid riding anticipated), low-investment threshold into tandem riding, Shimano drivetrain

Cons: weak (but acceptable, with caution) brakes, bolt (not quick release) on rear axle (front has quick release), long cockpit for captain (5'7" rider needs shorter stem, seat fully forward), seats good quality, but not cushy enough for stoker, only 2 water bottle cages

Bottom line: I would definitely buy again. If your a purist, or need top-of-the-line, or want a 100% road or 100% mountain tandem, don't buy. If you are interested in trying tandem cycling and plan to ride road and rail-trails, want a lot of utility and quality for minimum investment with great potential for future upgrades, buy it.

This is a good value in a road tandem. It arrived without assembly instructions and I lost some time attempting to use the larger of the two seat posts in the forward seat tube. Don't make that mistake, the larger seat tube goes in the aft location, the handlebar adapter clamps quite nicely to the smaller seat post. I budgeted several hundred dollars for upgrades to make this bike a fun and useful cross country tandem and it wasn't necessary. I upgraded the tires and brake pads and have been satisfied with the results. I expected to upgrade the wheels but have discovered that, although heavy, the wheels are aerodynamic and would be fairly expensive to improve. Handlebars are steel and could easily be improved, the cranks and chainwheels are heavy and could be improved at considerable expense.
With road tires the bike is pretty fast. I rode it ten miles at 19 mph by myself. In other words the bike is as fast as my half-bike on flat terrain. Yes, it's heavy and has cheap components, but you would have to spend a lot more money for a better road tandem.
I would recommend this bike for someone wanting an inexpensive road tandem.

My wife and were always avid runners and I also a biker with touring and racing in my past. We both sustained running injuries within a month of each other and felt biking was our future. It didn't work out that well as our riding ability was to far apart for the fitness I needed. On one of our rides we saw a tandem SMOKE buy us and new I had to try it. Went to a first bike shop and they didn't carry them, calling them "divorce makers". The second hop had one to rent and called them "marriage therapy". We rented one and the second shop was right. We had a blast and logged 30+ miles in a couple hours of the hilliest terrain in upstate NY. Now came the tough part... buying one. There isn't a good middle price. The quality is Department Store to $3K+ with not a whole lot in between. I found the Giordano Viaggo on Amazon and felt it was the best compromise. It looked like a bike a could build off of if it was crappy. I was pleasantly surprised with the overall quality of the bike. As with other reviews I found the the break shoes needed replacement. I am 5'6" and may replace the front stem for a shorter one. There is such low demand that you won't find the perfect fit out of the box. I think you fill be hard pressed to find an expensive bike that is better enough to justify their price. What's nice here is you can replace anything with minimal mechanical skills. I have to nice tn mikes I can pick from. Soooo... I consider this bike a solid buy.

Great tandem bike. It's just as described. We paid a bike shop to put it together and it works perfectly. We did replace the seats in order to be more comfortable.

Read all the amazon reviews for the previous version of this bike [Lamborghini Viaggio], get this newer version, do the necessary upgrades, and then enjoy this fantastic value in a tandem!

This review is for: Lamborghini Viaggio Tandem Bike (Sports)

Summary: You'll need to do a few upgrades, but for the price, it's fantastic.

Pros:
Affordable price
Solid frame
Decent components
Rides reasonably well
Always gets positive comments from other cyclists and passerby

Cons:
Needs immediate upgrades (brakes!, seats)
Non-standard components and sizes
Wheels use nuts and bolts, not quick release
Prone to flats

In addition to this bike I have a Cannondale racing bike, a Specialized mountain bike, and a Trek hybrid. The Lamborghini (made by Kent bikes) is less than half the price of the least expensive of the others, so I wasn't expecting perfection when I bought it.

I agree with a lot of the other reviews on Amazon for this bike and will just highlight a few major points in my review.

The bike is packed well and assembles easily - anyone with a wrench, a set of allen keys, and a rudimentary knowledge of bikes can put it together. That being said, from a safety perspective I would suggest having your local bike store (LBS) give it a quick once-over.

Out of the box, the wheels needed to be trued, but other than that it was ready to ride - albeit slowly. Once the upgrades are made, it becomes a long distance cruising machine.

After a short test ride, I immediately replaced the BRAKES that came with the bike and would recommend this to everyone. I live in San Francisco, and given the hills we have, I couldn't rely on the factory brakes that came with the bike (mass times velocity gets into some big numbers on tandems!). You'll need a Travel Agent brake pulley for both the front and rear brakes. I installed Avid Single Digit 7 V-brakes which are great value for the money. (roughly $110 installed by my LBS)

I also immediately replaced the SEATS on the bike. I didn't even bother getting on the factory seats - some things are too precious to risk! (roughly $50 total for take-off seats at my LBS)

I replaced the pedals with Shimano MTB pedals front and rear. ($40 total on ebay)

I replaced the captain's seatpost and the stem. Note that both of these items are non-standard on the bike - the seatpost is a non-standard size that requires a shim (provided), and the stem is a 1-1/4" quill stem that hasn't been used on bikes for years. Fortunately, I was able to find the stem used at a LBS. (total $15 for the stem, seatpost came with one of the seats above)

The shifters are not Shimano as advertised, but Microshift (an upstart Taiwanese brand). After a bit of adjustment they work fine, and probably are of the same caliber as Shimano in the same price range. The chain is a bit noisy, but is quickly drowned out by the wind as you gain speed.

After the improvements, the bike rides great. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't use it for racing, but I've regularly taken it on 40+ mile rides with different stokers and it's been a champ. It's perfectly capable of being a casual cruiser, or screaming down the bike path.

Interestingly, I have had an unusual number of FLATS on this bike. The tires are 700x38 with Schrader valves, which is not a tube size found everywhere. The bigger issue is that the wheels are not quick release, so you have to carry a wrench in your tool kit. I've installed spoke guards in the tires which seems to have resolved the issue.

Bottom line - if you want a reasonable, roadworthy tandem for under $800, get this bike, do the upgrades, and enjoy.

If you have specific questions, drop me an email at kinichahau1 at gmail.

Its left front pedal hole was not opened properly, so I could not insert its pedal straight.
I rode the bike about 3 times, and then finally the pedal fell down.
I had to change whole crank set.