We hit over 48 mph on the tandem!!!

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06-20-2007, 10:45 PM
Jiffer

We hit over 48 mph on the tandem!!!

DH took me on a new route today on the tandem. We did 27 miles with a really, really nice steep hill in the middle. (NOT! ... nice that is!) But, of course, what goes up, must come down ... so it was WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE all the way down! I tried looking at my GPS at one point, but DH's cute butt was in the way! We were in serious aero dynamic wind resistance position ... which we look SO official doing. But I digress. When we were down the hill he told me that the last time he looked at his computer it said 48 mph and he didn't dare look at it again after that! So, who knows if we broke 50!

Anyone else gone that fast? I can't believe I wasn't more freaked out. It's definitely more comforting on a heavier bike, like the tandem. More sturdy.
06-20-2007, 10:50 PM
salsabike

Think our highest so far was about 44 mph. Lots of fun, isn't it?
06-21-2007, 06:02 AM
SheFly

A couple years ago, DH and I hit 58 :eek: . Fun, fun, fun!

SheFly
06-21-2007, 08:46 AM
Fredwina

I've hit 50 by myself. But then again, I weigh as much as some tandem teams:( Don't beleive me . ask Tom and Sue- they were right behind me. I rememebr Sue yelling at Tom to use the brakes. It was probably the same spot - goind down Euclid in San Antonio Heghts /Upland? :D
06-21-2007, 08:51 AM
mimitabby

i think we got up to 49mph once, my DH and I on the tandem.

BUT on the Menage di Trois time trials, my captain said we got up to 55
but I was not looking. I was focusing on being as light and small and
calm and quiet as I could be while pedalling as hard as i could. and in the really fast parts, I just shut my eyes.
06-21-2007, 11:55 AM
BleeckerSt_Girl

:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:
06-21-2007, 12:10 PM
HeatherErin

:eek: Holy cow - that's fast!
06-21-2007, 12:31 PM
RoadRaven

So thats 77kph?
Does a tandem get to feel more squirrely than a road/mono bike at that speed?

Getting a tandem is still something partner and I are thinking about... sure do sound fun from everything I have read on this forum...
06-21-2007, 12:43 PM
mimitabby

the tandem we were on is a 6 or 7000 dollar bike. (someone loaned it to us)
it never got shaky or unstable. We were going down something like a 10% grade on a mountain road, and the only other bike was my son Tom who was our 3rd.

And we took 3rd in that time trial; it was a 10 mile downhill time trial.
06-21-2007, 12:47 PM
teigyr

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lisa S.H.

:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

what she said :D
06-22-2007, 05:06 AM
SheFly

Quote:

Originally Posted by RoadRaven

So thats 77kph?
Does a tandem get to feel more squirrely than a road/mono bike at that speed?

Getting a tandem is still something partner and I are thinking about... sure do sound fun from everything I have read on this forum...

Raven - 58 mph = 93.34 kph :eek:

We tried to hit 60, but couldn't make it happen :D .

Our trusty Cannondale is VERY stable, even at this speed. We do have friends, however, who exeperience the dreaded "high speed wobble" at speeds over 40 mph...

You should DEFINITELY get a tandem! We LOVE ours, and have had so many great adventures together. This weekend we are riding the local MS 150 on our tandem - 100 miles on Sat and 75 miles on Sun.

SheFly
06-22-2007, 05:25 AM
Tri Girl

HOLY SMOKES!! :eek:
48? 58? You ladies are ANIMALS!

And I got excited when I hit 32 on a flat with a major tailwind. The fastest I've ever gone is 38 on a downhill, but our downhills only last maybe 1/4 mile at the most. Just no mtns here.
06-22-2007, 08:40 AM
northstar

:eek: :eek: :eek:

I love the idea of a tandem, but I'm such a chicken on downhills that I'd probably get off and walk down!!! 48 is insanely fast! I think I broke 35 once and was terrified!
06-22-2007, 09:43 AM
mimitabby

Quote:

Originally Posted by northstar

:eek: :eek: :eek:

I love the idea of a tandem, but I'm such a chicken on downhills that I'd probably get off and walk down!!! 48 is insanely fast! I think I broke 35 once and was terrified!

the guy on the front of the tandem is not going to let you get off and walk! :eek: :eek: :eek: :cool: :cool:
06-22-2007, 10:25 AM
Deanna

My tandem captain (DH) is a downhill nut, I'm more cautious. He can tell without looking at the speedomater that we've hit over 45 because I start yelling at him to slow down. I think he snuck it up near 58 once (way back when we we're young'uns), but since I've been recording on BikeJournal the highest I show is 55.5
06-22-2007, 11:18 AM
Jiffer

It's a lot more comforting to go fast on a sturdy tandem, than on a single. DH is a fast rider and he said he feels so much better going those speeds on the tandem. (Pretty sure he's gone that fast or close to that fast on his single.) Definitley not wobbly at all. Fastest I've gone on my single is I think 29. (Only had it a few weeks, though, so only time will tell how confident I'll ever be going faster. I don't have a death wish though and know it takes skill, so ... we'll see. :))

Fredwina You are exactly right as to where we hit that speed! What an amazing creature you are! DH said the cycling club does that route every Saturday, so I guess that means you do it a lot?
06-22-2007, 11:45 AM
RoadRaven

SheFly!!! I only calculated on Jiffer's 48... didn't register HOW MUCH FASTER 58 was...

Even my partner hasn't hit that much... I think he got to 91-2kph... when he and the boys start talking about getting into the 80s Ileave the room. The thought of them stopping suddenly scares me silly - so I pop my head in the sand and don't acknowledge it!

I can't imagine 100km on a bike - you'd need your glasses on, thats for sure! Did you have to go low into an aero tuck together? Or was your combined weight and the momentum and length of the descent enough?
06-22-2007, 01:10 PM
Fredwina

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jiffer

It's a lot more comforting to go fast on a sturdy tandem, than on a single. DH is a fast rider and he said he feels so much better going those speeds on the tandem. (Pretty sure he's gone that fast or close to that fast on his single.) Definitley not wobbly at all. Fastest I've gone on my single is I think 29. (Only had it a few weeks, though, so only time will tell how confident I'll ever be going faster. I don't have a death wish though and know it takes skill, so ... we'll see. :))

Fredwina You are exactly right as to where we hit that speed! What an amazing creature you are! DH said the cycling club does that route every Saturday, so I guess that means you do it a lot?

actually, that's not the "official" route. Tom wants folk to go down Mountain - reason being that the speed limit is 35 and most folk can hit 40 easy (it's about a quarter-mile/half Kilo of 12% grade) It's even more fun to go up it :eek:
You might want to have DH show you Esperanza in La Verne. it's probably about 15%.
50 and up does get scary. And l lied:o a little:o After looking at Bikejournal.com, I've done 60. It was not fun. I had gone up Lytle Creek when the Santa Ana's were blowing., So i was descending with a humongous tailwind. I think I freaked out a few car drivers that time. I remember being sacred that I wouldn't be able to control the bike, and I'm usually a fairly fearless descender
06-22-2007, 02:34 PM
northstar

Quote:

Originally Posted by mimitabby

the guy on the front of the tandem is not going to let you get off and walk! :eek: :eek: :eek: :cool: :cool:

Erm...it's debatable who would be on the front of the tandem in this marriage...;) We're pretty even weightwise :eek: (DH is a long-distance runner) and let's face it, I've got the biking skillzzzz...DH would corroborate this story...