In addition to bringing one's cat to the park, the other summer trend Cheryl and I are laying claim to is the surge in tandem bikes.

Like many couples, we are not exactly matched in desired bicycle riding speeds. An attempt out together on separate bikes would unfold like a low-grade math problem: Two cyclists leave the same spot simultaneously, the first exerting enough effort to sweat like a wild animal before covering the first block, the second going at a pace that best facilitates enjoying the scenery. After 2 minutes, which cyclist is mad at the other? Answer: Both.

This is unfortunate. One of the best ways to enjoy summer in the city is on a bike, especially when living close to Central Park and Manhattan's west side bike path.

In an attempt to work around our problem, we went to Central Park's bike rental to try a tandem. The bike we picked up was probably the worst machine Cheryl and I have ever pedaled, but we had a great time. Due to the bike's weight and clumsy design, the first few minutes consisted of Cheryl in back yelling at me for unnecessary swerving and attempted tourist reduction, accompanied by me feverishly trying to explain it was not my fault. Eventually we mastered riding together.

As expected, the tandem solved the problem of different riding speeds. No matter how hard one of us peddled, the other was right there. And as an added bonus, I was always in the lead. So of course we wanted our own.

Knowing that tandems can easily run $3,000, we set out to find a used one. Why drop three grand on something we may only use occasionally, when someone else probably did the same thing. Our thinking was that some couple probably bought a tandem thinking it would be neat, and then grew tired of trying to make room for it in their apartment and would be happy to get rid of it. I set up a few different RSS feeds on Craig's List, and for a month did not see anything decent come across.

So, about a month ago I was biking by myself in Central Park on a gorgeous afternoon when I decided to bite the bullet and buy one that day. Using my Treo, I plotted the west side bike shops leading uptown from 59th Street. I thought that by going uptown I would be closer to Cheryl to when I found one. I didn't find one until I was in Inwood on 200th Street. Tread Bike Shop had a 2004 tandem that the owner, Ozzie Perez, said he had only rented out a handful of times, and offered to sell it to me at a great price. Since then, Cheryl and I have been out every weekend and as many weeknights as we can work in.

Now, it seems, tandems are all the rage. About two weeks after buying the bike, we went back to the bike shop to upgrade the handlebars. Ozzie told us he had more inquires about tandem rentals in the past two weeks than he had had in the two years of owning the bike. Also, there are now multiple posts on Craig's List of people looking to buy and trade for tandems. And, whereas we used to be the only tandem on the road a month ago, last Saturday we saw four tandems on the west side bike path on one ride.

Just to get it out there, I really want a border terrier puppy. I spent this evening calling breeders in the area, and will go to meet two border parents early next month. So, when everyone gets off of the current oodle puppy craze and instead gets all nuts for border terriers, please note that I wanted one first.