To Tandem or not to Tandem

[Vetseun]

I have to ride a tandem, alone.

After I won the 10km funride at the local NG Church bazaar for the third year in a row, they passed the rule.

[ratherberidin']

Tandem is great as a couples outing and the added weight is great on the downhills! SO and I did 92kph down Kyalami on last years 94.7. I havent heard the end of how I basically committed suicide for her but we have a good laugh after.. And the endorphins do good for a lazy afternoon...

[Roer]

Agree with WayneP. We tried it too. Its crap. Nothing fun about staring at someone's back for 4 hours. Not for me anyway. If you want to get my back up, use the "because I have to wait for my wife" excuse when shopping for a tandem. Shame, so you have to wait for her. She is doing a sport. A sport, I might add, you love too. By riding (or trying to), she's showing you support. Would it kill you to once in a while cramp your style and do a slow ride with her. Stuff the tandem. Just go ride with her and appreciate that you have something in common, a love for cycling, that you can chat about. Having said that, I have tandem friends who love it and swear by it. I think they're a bit a bit 'off'.

[Squier]

Would be awesome if one can rent one somewhere. Would also love to give it a go before 94.7.

[Jorrie]

I was in a simmalar situation. At last years 100miler she kept falling off the back of the bunch, not because of lack of power but more a lack off bunch riding skills...so after the 10th time I had to drop back and collect her I decided its either both of us on the same bike or nothing at all!

 

Bought a tandem a couple of weeks before the Argus last year and absolutely loved it.

Finished with a 3:10 which was about halve a hour faster than we thought we'll ride. Go for it!

[GLuvsMtb]

Agree with WayneP. We tried it too. Its crap. Nothing fun about staring at someone's back for 4 hours. Not for me anyway. If you want to get my back up, use the "because I have to wait for my wife" excuse when shopping for a tandem. Shame, so you have to wait for her. She is doing a sport. A sport, I might add, you love too. By riding (or trying to), she's showing you support. Would it kill you to once in a while cramp your style and do a slow ride with her. Stuff the tandem. Just go ride with her and appreciate that you have something in common, a love for cycling, that you can chat about. Having said that, I have tandem friends who love it and swear by it. I think they're a bit a bit 'off'.

My wife tried twice completing the Argus with me pushing her on her hardtail (she never takes her hands off the bars, so pulling is never an option) we bought a second-hand tandem and on her 3rd attempt she got her medal. Be careful about knocking something you don't quite understand.

[Pure Savage]

I much prefer pushing my wife up the hills on her own bike. Much better view. Also you get a legitimate reason to have your hands over your wife's behind all day.

[GLuvsMtb]

I much prefer pushing my wife up the hills on her own bike. Much better view. Also you get a legitimate reason to have your hands over your wife's behind all day.

On the tandem my wife actually takes her hands off the bars. Nothing like a mid-ride neck and shoulder massage followed by a nice back-scratch. Ek pedal sommer vinniger!

[Giant]

Never tried a tandem with the wife, but did a tour D'urban sitting behind my Brother-in-law. One of the best, and worst experiences of my life: Was terrified not having any control. Our riding styles are very different, I move the bike further from side to side than he does when standing, which resulted in me sometimes not having the bike under me. My ass killed me, cause he never stands up to let a little blood in. but we did hit 97kph coming down M19 and obliterated my PB. what I'm trying to say is, its not as easy as you might think. try it first.

[Pure Savage]

On the tandem my wife actually takes her hands off the bars. Nothing like a mid-ride neck and shoulder massage followed by a nice back-scratch. Ek pedal sommer vinniger!

 

Now that's a great way to advertise a tandem

[GLuvsMtb]

Never tried a tandem with the wife, but did a tour D'urban sitting behind my Brother-in-law. One of the best, and worst experiences of my life: Was terrified not having any control. Our riding styles are very different, I move the bike further from side to side than he does when standing, which resulted in me sometimes not having the bike under me. My ass killed me, cause he never stands up to let a little blood in. but we did hit 97kph coming down M19 and obliterated my PB. what I'm trying to say is, its not as easy as you might think. try it first.

You have certain inefficiencies to deal with such as gearing up the climbs (and even flats) as we all perform better if we establish our own rhythm. Two similarly skilled riders will always perform worse on a tandem than on individual bikes because there is never perfect synergy, but doing it with someone with a much lower fitness level and / or skill-set can be very rewarding, depending on how patient and encouraging you are, and how much you are trusted by the stoker. I can't wait for my boy to be big enough to come along for his first tandem ride. I do have a few years to go still though.

All this tandem-talk has sommer made me enter Die Burger long route

[Slowbee]

would you guys go road bike tandem, or mountain bike tandem ?

[Paul Ruinaard]

Try one first - borrow one. But they are really huge fun, they are very social and are great to add a new dimension to your riding.

 

Get a good one as well. There are lots of long chains and things that need to be well aligned. Try and gte a disc brake version if your budget allows it.

 

Some lessons:

 

1.) They are fast - if one of you is a speed freak and the other not then you will have a war.

2.) They require a sense of humor - I remember the whole bunch pissing themselves at me and my wife. We hadn't had a good start to the ride and I was screaming at her to "pedal" as I wanted to stay in a bunch and she replied with a curt "I am F@cking pedaling". It was up Krugersdorp hill. About a hundred okes pissed themselves and the whole bunch nearly stopped.

3.) Decide whether social or racing. Social are great. Racing means both of you have to have it in your head to win the race. It doesn't help you want to go with a bunch and the stoker is popping.

 

You can also get better start times and have a jol with a bit of fitness. I never won anything on a single bike but on the tandem i actually won races and we got a number of seconds.

 

What I did was I used to ride with the wife on social etc, and then have a strong mate for racing who would stoke with me. Gave me the bets of both worlds.

 

Man typing this i am convincing myself to get another one.

[Popit]

I have been cycling for 25 years .

My wife decided it was time to join this fraternity , so we built her a reasonably good road bike .

She has never enjoyed it . She battles with the gears and is just soooooo nervous on the bike .

We got a tandem 2 months ago and she has really enjoyed that . We ride twice a week , weather permitting ....she hates the cold .

I compromise with gearing due tothe fact that I am the fitter of the two on the bike .

We are enjoying it and plan to ride 94.7 . need to get her used to other bikes around us so will do a couple of short races in the coming months .

[straatvark]

would you guys go road bike tandem, or mountain bike tandem ?

My first response is that you wont see me on a MTB tandem. (but then I cant comment if I did not tried it...) - Don't think I can handle it and then to find a willing stoker...

Edited September 2, 2014 by straatvark

[Gandalf]

Id say test it, and test it more than once, so that yo ucan actually get used to one another before you decide its not for you.

 

Tandem is a lot of fun.

 

I have only done road tandem, and very keen to try mtb tandem. saw a guy and his partner riding mtb tandem this weekend at nissan trailseeker no3. Flup it looks like great fun. and it was a rigid build, kudos to them!!