I lost my tandem-ginity...

[bikerchick68]

I am a tandem virgin no more...

A friend of mine picked up the 2005 Cannondale tandem recently. We had planned and riding with a group today... he called last nght and asked if I wanted to ride the tandem. I've never ridden one. Neither has he.

So I said sure, what the heck. Swapped out the pedals last night, adjusted the fit some (it never works right for me til I'm RIDING! I was too low and had to raise the seat a bunch...)

This morning we meet and as we get ready to ride the nerves set in... oh my word. What am I thinking?

We discussed it a bit and gave it a whirl... I was mostly scared to STOP the first time... the whole "not being in control" thing was also tough for me. No shifting... no coasting... no brakes... no turning... basically you sit back there and... well... pedal. I'm a bit of a control freak... so this was a BIG deal for me!

After a few stops and starts we had the hang of it... downhill ROCKS! Uphill not so much. More like we were the rocks then...

Overall it was fun and I can certainly understand why people enjoy them now... I thoroughly enjoyed sightseeing once we were comfortable... saw a HUGE Cooper's Hawk up on an electric wire... very cool!

33+ miles... no falls, no crashes. A good day!

[SadieKate]

It was a good day. Nobody died.

I have found the sightseeing so much better from the back also. I don't have to look ahead all the time and can even point out stuff to Bubba that he might not see staring at the road all the time.

Thanks for sharing the joy. Have some mini marshmallows.

[RoadRaven]

I love this term

We have been talking about getting a tandem for a couple of years... maybe soon I can say I have lost my tandem-ginity too!!!!

[SR500]

Great! We love rockin' the tandem... but DH has dropped me twice - don't ask, all is still good...

[tattiefritter]

We have an offroad tandem, I find it fun for a few hours but get bored after a while as all I do is pedal. Hurtling down rocky downhills with no control at all over the bike took a bit of getting used to....

[KayTee]

I'm a control freak, too, and consequently our tandem miles average only about 1/5-1/4 of my total annual mileage. But after 5 years BikeBoy & I are finally working together better, and my enjoyment really has increased. We've learned a lot and had a great time attending several tandem rallies but in home territory tend to ride more with single bikes...here we're pulling a paceline on last year's Capitol to Capitol century in VA.

[SheFly]

Woohoo! Another convert. Welcome to the dark side.

We have been riding tandems for about 8 years. We started out as off-road tandemers. That was a challenge, and we kept breaking equipment (we are both fairly strong, and with the technical trails here, regularly broke freehubs, cassettes and chains). We also used to lead a ride called the O-**** - Off-Road Specific Hiatus Involving Tandems. Think 60 miles of off-raod singletrack with 6-7 tandem teams - it was a sight to behold!

About 3 years ago, after a ride where divorce was threatened and the tandem was thrown into the woods, we sold the trusty MTB tandem and invested in a road bike. We LOVE it. I probably put 1000 miles a year on the tandem, and love every minute of it.

Now we even have a TT-specific tandem . Last year, we held out course record, for a week. This year we are out for blood...

The best, of course, is having a group of tandems to ride together. We have a core group of about 6 or 7 couples who regularly go out on tandem adventures, and we all formed a team to do the local MS 150 ride!

Pics:

1. Look ma, no wheels touching the ground!
2. Up and over
3. Tande-Maine-ia weekend
4. Our regular ride crew

[SheFly]

Thought you all might enjoy a collaborative "poem" that I did a number of years ago with another stoker...

Ode to the Stoker

This is a rhyme to explain indeed
The stoker's desire to sit second seed.
What possible virtues can we extol
To praise the loss of all control?

No view to the front, save a sweaty back
Always within reach of a stoker's smack.
Although pedaling is our only role,
Unhappy stokers will exact their toll.

No brakes to squeeze, no gears to grind,
Yet the stoker does not seem to mind.
With pedaling we must be content
Until through poetry we can vent.

The captain in front calls out all the bumps
And depends on us to sail over the jumps.
We can’t just sit back to relax or to chat
Unless, of course, we like being yelled at!

“Pedal” yells the captain as you push up a hill
“I am” you yell back, though it seems you are still
“Push harder” you get in response to your whine
“I’m PUSHING” you argue, but things are far from fine

And if as a stoker we should happen to crash
It is the captain that we lash.
For the fault is never ours, you see,
It wasn’t the stoker who hit that tree.

And what from a captain did I recently hear?
In fact the stoker can actually steer!
Around the corners so twisty and tight
We will make it if the stoker pedals just right.

But for those of us one step from blind,
The stoker life can be quite kind.
On our single bikes the trail prevailed,
Our scars bear witness to how we failed.

Even those skilled at the single ride
Have reasons to join the stoker side.
Where the captain goes you too must follow
No more dust must you swallow.

And if your sweetie has never tried
The joys of riding till they're fried,
Then borrow a tandem to take a spin,
Who knows, you both might win!

The need for speed is at the core
of why smart stokers beg for more.
A tricked-out tandem fits the bill,
For a screaming ride down any hill.

Road or trail, skinny tires or fat,
Tandem riding is where it's at.
So stokers say join us, be ahead of the curve
That is, if you can find the nerve!