We got started two years ago when our family doc, a major jock, heard we were both riding a lot and said, "Oohooh, why don't you guys train to do the STP on a tandem? I've done it on a tandem the last eight years and it's so much fun!" We rented one and took it for a 20-mile ride, and had a blast. Ended up finding a 91 Burley for, um, $350 at Recycled Cycles.

My husband Chris is the captain because he is by far the more experienced and skilled cyclist. He is a really good captain. He read up on basic tandem etiquette before our first ride (warn stoker about any changes, like Mimitabby's sidewalk thing; announce stops, turns, bumps, etc.) and has practiced it quite well since the beginning. Neither of us find it more stressful than singles riding; just different--he has to concentrate more and can't zone out as he does on his single. I love both kinds of riding. And as Mimitabby says, it sure smooths out speed differences that get in the way of riding together on singles.

Tandem riding does a nice job of amplifying whatever relationship you have. If it's fundamentally polite and not full of control struggles, you can have fun; if there are "issues" about good manners and power conflicts, you'll get a real CLOSE view of them on the tandem. That being said, some people just plain never like it as much as singles riding, even if they have the most polite and even-powered relationship in the world. But if you do like it, and each partner is willing, the etiquette can be learned and practiced pretty consistently, and then it's just SUCH a blast. It takes lots of conscious practice and it is work for the captain to always be aware of having to announce stuff.