Tandems?

[MojoGrrl]

I am NOT a fan of our tandem, but that is in large part due to the view. I am nearly a full foot shorter than my husband and the rear cockpit is pretty short, so I end up with my nose in the small of his back. I cannot get comfortable on the thing and I can't see much at all...nothing at all in front of us. I end up sore all over from having to tilt my head back to keep my forehead off his back (I'm short, but long-torsoed).

I have some of these problems too (although it's not quite as much of a tight squeeze as you describe)...but when we're on the tandem, I actually like just putting my head down, going on autopilot - I turn into a pedaling machine. Sometimes I look around a bit more, but I enjoy it being a sort of mindless workout too.

[zoom-zoom]

I have some of these problems too (although it's not quite as much of a tight squeeze as you describe)...but when we're on the tandem, I actually like just putting my head down, going on autopilot - I turn into a pedaling machine. Sometimes I look around a bit more, but I enjoy it being a sort of mindless workout too.

I wish I could do that. When I get bored I just want to stop. I do so much better when I have a landscape in front of me to pedal towards. Looking down at the ground gives me wicked vertigo, too.

[Kiwi Stoker]

But I get to look on either side of us and get to see stuff you wouldn't being on a single.

Actually yes I like not having to worry about gears, brakes and getting my foot unclipped to stop. However I do ride my single also to give us a break.

Hey other stokers, what does your captain say when he's about to "perfume the air"? Or does he give you no warning at all?

[SheFly]

Um - I never get a warning on that one.

We've been riding tandems for years, and started out on an MTB tandem riding singletrack . After that bike was literally hurled into the woods on a ride (and we had broken nearly every component imaginable - think about scootering home 7 miles because of a blown rear hub), we switched to road tandems.

Sizing is important, but communication is KEY - especially starting out. Kiwistoker and I are in the same boat - almost no communication needed now, but it wasn't always that way. For newbies, talking through EVERYTHING - shifting, stopping, turning, bump, etc. is vitally important.

We race one of our tandems in a local TT. I can't see ANYTHING the entire time, because I am trying to be as aero as possible. On the road tandem, I also can't see over DH (he's 6'1" and I'm 5'10"), but I still can see plenty on both sides.

Oh - and we use road shoes and pedals without issue - everyone is different.

Give it another try, but also realize that tandems are not for everyone.

SheFly

[Bethany1]

But I get to look on either side of us and get to see stuff you wouldn't being on a single.

Actually yes I like not having to worry about gears, brakes and getting my foot unclipped to stop. However I do ride my single also to give us a break.

Hey other stokers, what does your captain say when he's about to "perfume the air"? Or does he give you no warning at all?

ROTFLOL!!

Oh dear. I hadn't thought of that one. I'd need a gas mask. He calls gas his proximity alarm.

Found a recumbent tandem online that DH fell in love with via Craigslist. I'm thinking it's from the store I bought my Fargo from as the brick wall seemed familiar. I could be wrong. I know they sell recumbent bikes and with spring coming, maybe he'll bring some new ones in. He gave a great lesson on how to ride a recumbent bike when we looked at one.

I have ridden a recumbent bike. It was really nice and a lot of fun once you figured it out. It reminded me of the Barbie Big Wheel trike I had as a kid. Plus once you figured out how to brake, you could do power slides through the park we rode in. It just wouldn't make it up the killer hills and along the rough highway so we didn't buy it for DH.

That would take another set of lessons right there with the recumbent tandem..LOL. If it's from the store, I think he'd give lessons and there's a park across the road to work with.

[emily_in_nc]

We used to have a recumbent tandem (as well as two upright tandems, over the years). It was a blast to ride with a couple of caveats:

1. VERY VERY slow up hills, even for strong riders. This tends to be true of recumbents in general as they are typically heavier than upright bikes and you can't stand and power over hills. Small "tandem rollers" can be quite fast on an upright tandem, but there's really no such thing on a recumbent tandem.

2. Depending on what kind of tandem it is, it can be extremely long and cumbersome. Ours was the longest type (long wheelbase with under-seat steering), which made it 10' long. Try doing a u-turn with it, or transporting it to an event. We actually had it made with s-and-s couplers for travel, but rarely used them as they were time-consuming to deal with too.

We ended up selling it back to the dealer (Larry Black in Maryland, who specializes in tandems, recumbents, and other "funny" bikes) and getting an upright tandem instead. (And that didn't work out either, but for other reasons -- like others have said here, I couldn't give up control and the ability to see in front of me, brake, shift, etc.)

Tandems can be fun but are definitely not for everyone!

[alimey]

We have a Trek 1000 which we love. My husband is 6' and I am 5' - it seems to fit very well & is nice & stiff. I would try to find a second hand one.. I've been told that a tandem 'speeds your relationship in the direction it was already going . . .'

It is up to the captain to never scare the stoker. There are a couple of things which mean couples cannot ride a tandem:

1. Irreconcilable cadence differences. Usually the guy is more experienced and has a higher cadence - if he can't/won't slow down and his partner can't/won't speed up then it won't work

2. Thoughtless/boorish captain: frightening stoker, not warning of bumps, direction change etc. will mean the stoker will eventually get off & refuse to get back on

3. Stoker unable to give up control/trust the captain

Apart from that a tandem is a wonderful addition to your cycling stable - it's an amazing feeling of teamwork, you stay together, you can talk, everyone is pleased to see you. Navigation is easier - I could go on. We love our tandem - we took it to NZ for our honeymoon!

[Bethany1]

I told DH if he didn't want a tandem since he had a bad experience, I'd just tie a rope to the back of my bike and to the front of his. He started laughing and said that wouldn't work.

I then told him we both have cell phones and bluetooth ear pieces then we wouldn't be stuck yelling back and forth.

I think my kids would have a blast riding a tandem.

[malkin]

Another reason a tandem won't work:

Stoker has a migraine.

Kinda funny looking back on it now, but at the time it was pretty horrible.

[malkin]

As for the view, I kinda like it, but I guess that's where our relationship was heading.

[carolp]

My husband and I are on our third tandem. We now have a CoMotion Speedster and love it. If you are serious about tandem riding it might be worth traveling to a tandem shop, or writing to CoMotion about sizing.
That being said, tandem riding is a serious commitment. I am the stoker and I cede all control (or at least most of it) to the captain. We are about to do our sixth AIDS Lifecycle (550 miles-- SF to LA) on a tandem and I love that I can ride with my husband all day. if we were on singles I wouldn't see him all day.

[MojoGrrl]

I love that I can ride with my husband all day. if we were on singles I wouldn't see him all day.

Exactly! Same here. He's a much stronger/faster rider than me, so when we're not on the tandem, he (almost) always leaves me in the dust.

[Boudicca]

The spouse has a tandem that's a bit too small for him, and a lot too small for me. We've only ridden on it once, and I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. Yes, there's a view of his back (he's a chunk taller than I am), but I liked the fact that I could look around and actually quite liked giving up control. He takes blind riders on the back, which means he's an excellent captain -- considerate, giving plenty of warning of what he's doing.

I have this dream of getting a tandem that fits both of us, but he's leaning more toward shorter city rides (mostly on his recumbent), and leaving me to do the long out-of-town ones alone or with friends. Last year was a funny one for biking - we were living in temporary accommodation and he was working on the new house we moved into in December, so neither of us rode that much. But right now his work has slowed hugely, so maybe things will be different.

[malkin]

...I cede all control (or at least most of it) to the captain...

Nah...
The captain controls the bike, sure, but the stoker controls the captain.

[SheFly]

Nah...
The captain controls the bike, sure, but the stoker controls the captain.

I can definitely control the bike as the stoker ...

SheFly