Review of Lamborghini Viaggio Tandem Bike

Lamborghini Viaggio Tandem Bike
By: Tonino Lamborghini Average Rating: 4.0 Total Reviews: 11
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Good value for the money

On: 2008-06-10

I was somewhat dubious about this bicycle, due to the low price. I have owned more expensive tamdems in the past and did not expect too much at this price. However, I have found that the bike works very well and handles as well as more costly models. The wheels and tires are heavy, but they can be changed out at a future date. The shifters will also need to be upgraded if the rider is used to higher quality performance. But the bike does work as furnished and the assembly is quire forward. Just having the name Lamborghini on the frame is worth something.

Pull the trigger

On: 2008-05-30

Fast and cheap.
If you dont want to spend 2 grand, this is pretty much your only option anyway. Lucky for you this bike aint bad.
You wont find anything comparable for 450 dollars.
What are you waiting for? PULL THE TRIGGER.

Good bike for the price!

On: 2008-04-18

My fiance and I bought a tandem because I am more than halfway through my pregnancy and find it harder to ride a road bike by myself because Im so hunched over. But now i can sit up more in the back and up big hills my fiance can do more of the work so i dont over-do it. The bike was easy to assemble and a great value for the price. The brakes and other parts are not top quality but are easily upgradeable. It weighs 44 pounds which is pretty good for a tandem at this price! Our road bikes separately weigh 22 pounds each so..... The tires are not technically road tires, they are much thicker and wider than a road tire but serve you well if youre not wanting to change a flat too often! All in all we are very happy with our tandem!!!

Pretty good for a budget bike

On: 2008-04-10

I bought this bike for my wife and I, but didnt want to spend too much money as Im an avid rider and shes not. The bike took about an hour to put together -- there are no directions whatsoever. Tuning the brakes and derailleurs has been a challenge because the wheels need straightened and keep rubbing the brakes, and the derailleurs are proving very difficult to get just right (Im normally pretty good at that). Im taking it in tonight to have the wheels straightened and the rear derailleur upgraded with a hardier Shimano Deore. Im also going to look into upgrading the brakes or replacing the rear with a disk brake, and I also might replace the front derailleur which is not smooth at all. I already replaced the seats with Cloud 9 comfort seats and added toe clips and a rack.
But overall Im very impressed that the bike feels pretty light, steers easy, and runs really fast. Im pretty sure that my wife and I easily ride faster than I ride alone, which is awesome. So I would definitely recommend this bike, but dont expect perfection -- plan for some upgrades and help with tuning. Enjoy!

I am pleasantly amazed!

On: 2008-03-20

We own a Burley Rock n Roll tandem at our ocean home and feel that riding brings us closer together. We wanted another tandem for our home 800 miles away but were intimated by $4k through $6k prices we observed for the Vantana, Santana and Co-Motion bikes.
Our Viaggio arrived in a box and we got it put together in about half hour, no big tools. We took the bike out for our first ride yesterday and were pleasantly amazed. Its much faster and more comfortable than our $3k Burley and the aluminum frame acts as a wonderful shock absorber to keep my stocker happy! We rode 50 miles on our first day and the only problem was that the front (crank) derailer wouldnt shift up to the hightest gear.
To give you an idea of how we tax this bike.Im 61" 225 and my girlfriend is 57" 150 and the bike fits us just fine. The only oddity is that the rear bike rack wouldnt fit on this bike as the distance from the rear axle to the rear seat post exceeded its maximum length. I did kludge though and it to worked.
I guess the big impressions Id like to relate to those in our situation is that this $480 bike DELIVERED was magnificent! People have TOO MUCH MONEY when they spend $6k when $480 delivers an attractive and sound bike.

My wife's Lamborghini

On: 2008-03-04

There were no instructions but assembly was easy for me because when I was a kid we learned to fix our bikes or we walked. I bought this particular bike because we plan to ride it only on pavement. It is built by Chinese Lamborghinis. The aluminum frame is beautifully welded and the bike provides good strength at a reasonable weight. Accessories are entry level but still good quality. After assembling the bike I discovered that the right shift downshift lever tab had broken off. Because the 3/4 inch long broken piece was not in the box I assumed that it shipped from the factory that way. Not much is repairable these days so I had to buy the whole shifter brake assembly. Finding the part was a bit difficult because now the bikes are going to 8 speed cassettes instead of the 7 speed cassettes this bike features. I ordered one off the net and asked Amazon customer service to credit me a refund for the cost of the part and shipping to my house, $62.00. Within an hour they had processed the refund and a courteous apology for my inconvenience. The bike is classy looking and great fun to ride. My wife got a Lamborghini for Valentines Day. I am hero and it didnt cost me much. I would buy this bike again in a heartbeat and I would check first with Amazon because of their fine customer service.

Damaged components

On: 2008-01-19

After a couple of weeks of placing my order I finaly received my bike. I would just like to mention that it was not the fault of the manufacturer or supplier but the cargo carrier who was instructed to reroute the bike to me outside of the States once received from Amazon. Amazon were true to their word and the cargo carrier received my bike within three days. When I was informed to collect my bike I was shocked to see the condition of the packaging. There were holes in it and it looked shabby. On opening the package I saw that the internal protective packaging was disturbed and immediately had a feeling that there was going to be some damage. I am an experienced bike rider in possesion of a couple of road and mountain bikes that I maintain myself. In a nutshell the front and rear wheels are bent, spoke damage due to the pedal arms that were protruding through, the rear deruillers are bent as well as the retaining plate. This I will now have to replace at my own cost. I also noticed that the wheels are not quick release as advertised and in this day and age you would think that it would be a normal to include. Besides all the doom and gloom the bike is stunning and for the price including the wheels money worth. I will now carry out a few upgrades before I attempt the road with my young daughter soon. Safe riding to you all.

not bad for the price

On: 2007-11-08

For the money, it really is a good value.
I bought this bike because I wanted to take my son on bike rides. He has a disability, so he cant ride independently. The biggest unknown for me was whether he could straddle the frame. Its tough to judge that by looking at a picture. Im happy to report that the frame is low enough to accomodate his 50" height. We ride every chance we get, and Im very happy with the bike.
Now, just to set expectations properly...
1. It does not come fully assembled. In fact, the box says, "professional assembly recommended". I paid $75 at the local bike shop to do the assembly. I recommend that others do the same. The derailleurs and brakes need to be adjusted, and thats best done by a professional. In case you live in Northern Virginia, you might be interested to know that the good folks at bikes@vienna did the job. Great people, great service.
2. The derailleurs are not top of the line; in fact they are the entry level model. The rear derailleurs shift fine, but as with most low-end components, the front derailleur cant get the chain to drop to lower chainring once you have already started your uphill climb. You have to anticipate the hill and downshift while you are still on flat ground.
3. The brakes are also low-end, and therefore not very responsive. The brake lever has to travel a long way to make the brakes engage. Since my son and I dont ride fast, thats not an issue. If you like, there is a device that the bike shop can add on, to make the brakes engage with less squeeze of the brake lever.
4. The bike is light enough, so that I can lift it up and mount the front tire on a hook on my garage wall, for vertical storage. Thats the bike, plus the added weight of the rack and pack that holds the pump, first aid kit, spare tube, and tools.
5. If youre a serious biker who rides 50 miles at high speed, this bike is not for you. Go spend $2000 - $3000 for a good tandem. Im a 50-something ex-triathlete who just wants to spend quality time with my son, and go at his leisurely pace. For that purpose this bike is fully adequate.

solid performer

On: 2007-11-07

Good, solid performing bike. Received with cut front tire/tube. Not the bikes fault- just the sucky company I UNFORTUNATELY bought it from. They do not respond to emails or phone messages, and will not answer the phone. DO NOT order anything from "Hollywood Gadgets".
Back to the bike.... Minimal setup required. Instructions poor- but easy to set-up, if you have any bike experience at all. Need better initial set-up info, rather than the manual that is provided. Again, only takes a few minutes once you realize what is required, and how it works. Gears shift reasonably smoothly. Easy adjustments. Fair ride. Built more for speeding along, than comfort. Buy the "island" type tandem, if looking more for comfort. A good buy for the money. Plus, loads of fun telling folks how my wife just bought me a new Lamborghini!

solid performer

On: 2007-11-06

Good, solid performing bike. Received with cut front tire/tube. Not the bikes fault- just the sucky company I UNFORTUNATELY bought it from. They do not respond to emails or phone messages, and will not answer the phone. DO NOT order anything from "Hollywood Gadgets".
Back to the bike.... Minimal setup required. Instructions poor- but easy to set-up, if you have any bike experience at all. Need better initial set-up info, rather than the manual that is provided. Again, only takes a few minutes once you realize what is required, and how it works. Gears shift reasonably smoothly. Easy adjustments. Fair ride. Built more for speeding along, than comfort. Buy the "island" type tandem, if looking more for comfort. A good buy for the money. Plus, loads of fun telling folks how my wife just bought me a new Lamborghini!

A good way to try tandeming

On: 2007-11-02

This bike is good to experience tandem biking without a large investment. It is basically a boxstore tandem bike with an aluminum frame.
The shifters are above par for this grade of bike. However the rear cogs are mounted on a freewheel rather than a freehub. That means the rear axle on the cog side has a longer unsupported length which is easily bent so this bike it for smooth pavement only.
Assembly directions are non-existent. The seat posts are of different outside diameters, the smaller with a sleeve with no label to indicate why. I found it goes in the front seat tube to fit the small clamp end of the stoker stem.
The bike arrived with a broken spoke nipple and wheel punchings inside the wheel. The spokes are not stainless.
There are no cable tension adjusters on the brake cables so you will need to purchase these and have them installed at a local bike shop.
The wheels are very narrow for this weight of bike (43 pounds) so, again, ride smooth pavement only.
The idler is noisy but normal for this type of chain tensioner.
See the water bottles in the picture, pretend they are not there, they are worthless.
Think of it as a good trial tandem bike that can be upgraded later if you decide to continue riding.

A good way to try tandeming

On: 2007-11-01

This bike is good to experience tandem biking without a large investment. It is basically a boxstore tandem bike with an aluminum frame.
The shifters are above par for this grade of bike. However the rear cogs are mounted on a freewheel rather than a freehub. That means the rear axle on the cog side has a longer unsupported length which is easily bent so this bike it for smooth pavement only.
Assembly directions are non-existent. The seat posts are of different outside diameters, the smaller with a sleeve with no label to indicate why. I found it goes in the front seat tube to fit the small clamp end of the stoker stem.
The bike arrived with a broken spoke nipple and wheel punchings inside the wheel. The spokes are not stainless.
There are no cable tension adjusters on the brake cables so you will need to purchase these and have them installed at a local bike shop.
The wheels are very narrow for this weight of bike (43 pounds) so, again, ride smooth pavement only.
The idler is noisy but normal for this type of chain tensioner.
See the water bottles in the picture, pretend they are not there, they are worthless.
Think of it as a good trial tandem bike that can be upgraded later if you decide to continue riding.

The frame alone is worth it. Easy component upgrades.

On: 2007-08-15

Good value which can be made into the real deal. Hard to say we are disappointed with anything considering what any other decent aluminum duo seater will run new. The stoker and captain fitment is fine for 52" and 510" riders and would easily go another 4" each.
Seats, wheels, tires and brakes respectable. Shifters are OK and easily upgraged. This bike came assembled ...period. Tube failure is a possibility unless you take some time to talc the casing and insure the tire beads are seated right. Wheels needed truing and of course cable stretch and shifter adjustment are a routine for the first few rides. It has the finger wheels for on-the-fly tuning. We added clipless pedals which you might like on any tandem anyway. Probably the biggest barrier to any serious touring is that the cranks are alloy but the steel drive sprocket is pressed on and the steel rings are riveted together. Same MO with the captains set. Standard square drive bottom brackets made it straightforward to upgrade. I changed these out ($80 ebay) before we loaded up any panniers. Has good bottle ,front fork and rear rack braze-ons. I used the seat clamp on the rear upper. Anyway we put on a 60 mile ride with a 1500 ft climb. No problems. If you cant find a quality reasonably priced used twin around this is a very workable alternative. Bike weight is a relative light 40lbs. Attractive frameset with good quality welds. The purists will scoff at the idler gear on the captains chainset but it works just fine. A beautiful machine that climbs great, glides fast on the flats and is a scream to ride downhill.