The other day we were riding on the Montour Trail, and at the Enlow ballfield trailhead we noticed one of those tiny little SmartCar Fourtwo cars parked there with a bike rack attached to it. The rack is custom-designed especially for the SmartCar, and has to be installed by the dealer. No way you're going to carry a tandem on there (you would probably lift the front wheels of the car off the ground). My first reaction was "Okay, you're using the SmartCar to carry the bike, but what are you going to use to carry the Smartcar?" It was my first opportunity to look at a SmartCar up close. I was struck by just how tiny that thing is! On a hunch, I went and parked our tandem next to the car. Sure enough, our tandem was actually longer than the SmartCar (see the photo)! Given that the both the SmartCar and the tandem carry the same number of people, a quick comparison might be in order. Our tandem is longer, and has more "cylinders" providing power (4 versus 3). Mileage is roughly comparable, since the tandem gets approximately 40 miles per gallon (of Gatorade). Of course, the SmartCar is faster (especially up hills) and offers better protection in bad weather.Any other comparisons I missed??
