Tandems.co.uk

Having collected our new tandem from the shop on Friday - thanks again to John for his patience and experience in adjusting both the tandem and the carrier - we took it for a trial spin yesterday.  There’s a lot of difference bewtween a single and a tandem!  I must get used to anticipating gear shifts!  We got caught a couple of times in too high a gear for the terrain and had to stop to change down.  Cycling along the Derwent Walk cycle path (actually a ‘multi user’ path now and part of the Sustrans C2C route) I had forgotten that it is a deceptive but relentless climb westward and we both got a bit of a sweat on before turning.  Wow - on the return leg the tandem really showed the difference as we swept along passing a number of solo cyclists at speed.  Probably did no more than ten miles but it was enough for us to agree that we love the Landescape and that we are looking forward to longer rides and touring Holland again next year

Hello,glad you liked it as we did.Takes a bit of getting used to doesn’t it ?

As you say it is nothing like riding a solo.

You would think,or at least I did,that going up hill would be a comparative doddle with two pairs of legs providing the power and not much more than 1 1/2 *solo’s* to move,but it does not seem that way.

Ian

Hi,

I suspect the uphill difference is due to the difference in abilities of the riders.  Karen cycles much more slowly than me uphills, riding the tandem averages out the speed so I’m slower than on a solo whilst Karen is actually going faster than she normally would.  Two riders of similar strength and ability would probably find that they can go uphill at similar speeds to what they’d achieve on solos, especially if they master the art of getting out of the saddle which you’re more likely to do on a solo.

Hmm.......... I can see your point but surely there is less mass to move on a tandem as opposed to two solo’s.

Two wheels instead of four,two mechs ( front and rear ) instead of four,three brake levers instead of four,one rack instead of two and so on.

Surely this should cancel at least some of the inequalities out.

Ian

Nice to hear that you are all enjoying your tandems.
Yes riding up hill can be a struggle to start with, getting out of the saddle to honk up the hill as you would on a solo
does take some getting used to.
You have to ask your stoker if they would like to stand, on the reply yes I say UP, Change up 2 gears and stand up in unison.
If you don’t change up you end up spinning out.
Keep honking for as long as you can, Then I just say down, again, try to keep it together, not one down then
the other. Otherwise you will be all over the place

I very rarely honk uphill on my solo so think honking uphill on a tandem is going to have to wait a short while.
http://www.tandems.co.uk/forums/smileys/#
grin

Ian

Oh dear,I think inserting Smileys is going to take as much perseveance as honking.

Ian

Yes the first time we tried honking as a team was very very funny, Lack of communication was the first problem.
I was still in solo mode and just stood up. Whoa
Not recommended. Still after a very short time we were honking up the hills round here, no problems.
Again its all about communication and Trust plus building up your confidence. Same with the smileys.

Thanks for all of your comments. A couple of weeks ago when we were having a test ride a Ilkley I inadvertently got out of the saddle without letting Kate know - disaster!  We didn’t fall off but it was a close thing.  Because of a latent knee problem we are unlikely to try honking and I agree that we will will probably settle to an uphill speed which is less than my usual but faster than Kate’s.  This would be a result as we will be cycling as a team rather than as two people who occasionally meet at the top of a hill or at junctions!!!

Pedlar and I can also now bunny hop the tandem over speed bumps!  Just need to stop laughing for long enough and both jump together!

Yes while on our Devon Coast to Coast to Coast, we went there and back.
We cycled down the nature reserve of Braunton Burrows and on the road back to civilisation it has
alot of speed bumps. Well I asked Stokes what were her thoughts on bunny hopping the tandem.
I knew trying to hop up a curb had never been succesful. OK lets give it a try says Stokes.
Speed is important, the first attempt was not that good. But the laughter factor was incredable,   the next was a complete success. From then on it was laughter and bunny hopping all the way up this road.
Go on give it a go.

Hi MW

When John and I first started riding out of the saddle on the tandem, we used to check the road was clear behind us as we would veer across it, now we can ride out together or John on his own or me on my own.  We found the important thing was to keep the tandem still, unlike a solo where you move the bike beneath you.

Hope this helps.

Regards
Ruth

I appreciate the advice - perhaps we’ll give it a go when we’ve practiced a bit more!!

When Stokes and I first started honking we tryed staying as still as possible
But after a few trys we then moved on to honking, as on a solo rocking from side to side
with no problems at all. Keeping still did seem unnatural. But it is about practicing, the more you practice the easier it becomes.