Question: Why is it that the larger person usually ends up in front on a tandem? If the smaller person were in front, then the stoker might have a chance of seeing something other than her partner's back. The few times I took a test ride on a tandem, I hated the stoker position. I could probably never be trusting enough to ride a tandem. In a canoe, on the other hand, I got the bow and my larger heavier partner had no choice but to follow where I led. No verbal communication required.