Tandem Questions-Mimi, Veronica??

[tprevost]

Another naive question. On a tandem, is the peddling coupled, i.e. to we both always have to work at the same cadence? If he pushes hard do I have to also, or if my knees are hurting can I back off a little. He's controlling the gears, so I can't downshift and spin faster like I might if my knees are hurting, or can I?

I just got an aluminum burley on craigslist... it was a great deal... however, DaVinci makes a tandem where you can each pedal at your own cadence. I saw one last weekend and it looked pretty wierd to me but if it helps, I'm sure its nice to have that option.

We haven't even ridden on ours yet... well, SO has ridden it solo to get used to it and we are riding it together tomorrow I think it'll add another fun dimension to cycling and am now going through our organized ride list to see which ones we can ride on the tandem

[mimitabby]

from Raleighdon: "YOu can too buy a used tandem!"

honey:

here's the link I told you about. Maybe share with your forum.

http://www.tandemmag.com/classified/

The magazine site itself is pretty cool, but this is a fantastic resource for used tandems. They will list both for sales and wanteds.

Happy searches, girls!

D

http://www.tandemmag.com/classified/

[tprevost]

from Raleighdon: "YOu can too buy a used tandem!"

honey:

here's the link I told you about. Maybe share with your forum.

http://www.tandemmag.com/classified/

The magazine site itself is pretty cool, but this is a fantastic resource for used tandems. They will list both for sales and wanteds.

Happy searches, girls!

D

http://www.tandemmag.com/classified/

I found mine on craigslist in Salt Lake City... bought it sight unseen and hoped for the best I was SO happy that it was actually even better than I expected!

Although I'm pretty sure it was also listed on the tandemmag.com site too

[salsabike]

And we found ours, a 91 steel Burley Duet, at Recycled Cycles in Seattle for $350. Considered the S&S coupler thing and decided against it for now. We love ours, have done about 5,000 miles on it in the last couple of years.

Here's a link with a bundle of different tandem articles, links, etc.--

http://www.thetandemlink.com/Learnin...anchor10417632

[SheFly]

We have bought tandems on both craigslist and eBay. Got a great deal on a used tandem for a couple we know who is getting married this fall - could be a good thing, could be a bad thing .

SheFly

[singletrackmind]

, DaVinci makes a tandem where you can each pedal at your own cadence.

On a Da Vinci you can coast whilst the other pedals, but when pedaling you maintain the same cadence, when the stoker begins to pedal, they time it so the pedals are in the proper position on the pedal strokes.

The biggest advantage to this that I could see is butt-rests at will, less need to get it together when starting off and lack of knee jerks when the captain forgets to mention a sudden stop or begin in pedaling.

[KnottedYet]

Anybody use those "Tandem Talk" headsets?

We're researching tandems because the person I want to ride with and I just don't have matching paces.

I'd get to be captain, cuz I'm bigger (and bossier!) and can hear. Stoker doesn't hear well, and sign language just ain't gonna happen on the bike. (and I only know a few "universal" signs, anyway... so far. )

Do the headsets help?

[Triskeliongirl]

I just want to thank everyone who posted for all the great suggestions. This is not going to be something we do overnight. I guess we'll start by borrowing a friend's tandem to see how we do. We are lucky that a really good friend recently bought a tandem to ride with his son/wife that is both light and exactly our size, so if I can figure out how to put my dropped pedal on it we are in business.

[mimitabby]

Knott, some friends of ours have the headsets and have used them for years.
Having said that, i've seen them try to get off the bike before disconnecting and it's messy when they forget.

[emily_in_nc]

I would be very wary of buying a tandem on ebay or craig's list unless you are sure of what size you need in a particular brand. Some of you got lucky, it sounds like. Since a tandem has to fit both of you, it can be even harder to fit than a single, and we all know how important fit is! A tandem is one item I'd be sure to test ride several brands and sizes at a bike shop (one that does a lot of tandem business). Once you do that and know what brand/size you need, and that you don't need to go custom, then ebay/craigslist are certainly options, but I wouldn't neglect that all important trip to the LBS (or several LBSs, since it can be hard to find many tandems in a size that works for both team members). We were lucky that we got to test ride tandems at Mt. Airy Bicycles in Maryland. Larry Black is opinionated, but he knows tandems and carries a bevy of brands and sizes. They are one of if not the biggest tandem (and recumbent) dealer in the east.

Emily

[Jiffer]

I ditto the comments others have made about being able to cycle with DH (and faster groups) and keep up and simply "be together". Men, over all, will always be faster than women. They are simply built stronger. For me, as a newbie, even most women are faster than me. So getting on the tandem gives me a chance to do something with DH and a group where I'm not holding anyone back. DH can get a really good workout and so can I. Or one of us can take it easier if we need to and let the other do more of the work. Tandems are great that way.

It's especially fun if you can hook up with another couple who tandem. We have friends who let us try out their tandem before we got ours. They rode with us on their singles and gave us pointers, which were very helpful. We are now in the midst of trying to suck another couple into our little tandem club! It's a wonderful thing to do with friends and get exercise at the same time.

You definitely have to trust your partner. It's a huge thing with riding tandem. My husband is a very strong rider and, though he freaks me out from time to time, he has never had a crash on his own bike, says he's even way more cautious when I ride with him, and I know I simply have to trust his judgement. Just as with driving a car, he slows down later than I ever would and makes decisions differently than I would, but the more we ride, the more I can anticipate what he's going to do. Communication is also key. The more you ride, the less you need to commnicate, but first, I wanted to know everything he was doing and made sure he knew when I was uncomfortable with something. Like fast speed down a hill. "Scary, scary!", I'd say. "You think we should slow down a bit?!" Being brand new to that kind of speed, it was something to get used to. Since you've already been riding, these things won't be nearly as big of a deal to you. Plus, just so you know, a tandem is much more stable because of it's weight. It's much less likely to crash on a downhill because of a rock or something, because of it's stability.

Tandems seem to be getting more and more popular. Our cycling club used to only have a couple. Now they have quite a few, including the couple who run the whole thing. They are fast and competitive tandem riders.

[Jiffer]

By the way, we have a 2006 Burley Rivazza. It's a medium frame, and of all the brands we considered, it was the closest we could find to fit us both. We're both 5'9" and most tandems are made for a larger pilot and smaller stoker. So, it doesn't "really" fit me nearly as well as it should. We learned just how much so when I got my first single last week. The saddle is like three inches farther away from the handlebars as it is on the tandem.

We are considering moving up to a Zona eventually. You can get those custom made. Not cheap, but from what I understand, SUPER sweet bikes. I don't know if they come any lighter than a Zona. The couple that runs our cycling club has both a Burley and a Zona. They absolutely love their Zona and ride very competetively. They are the one's who encouraged us to get the Burley, though, since it was closer to our price range. Not particularly cheap, either, but a little more affordable.

Burely doesn't make tandems anymore, by the way. 2006 was their last year. So, if you did decide to look for one, it would be used.