Cycling

Ken Haggett


A bicycle built for two. If you have never tried riding a tandem bicycle you may be missing out. Tandem cycling is one of those things you seem to either love or hate. Since it requires two cyclists you have to be able to play well with others. If you are very independent and need to do things your way and your way only it might not be the thing for you. If you do work well with others and have a partner that you enjoy riding with it can be a great experience.

If you like to talk with your partner while riding it is much easier to do on a tandem since you are closer together with out having to ride side by side which is not practical on most roads.

A big benefit to riding a tandem is when there is a difference in riding ability or strength of two cyclists. The tandem averages out the difference allowing the stronger rider to work as hard as he or she wants while at the same time allowing the other person to keep up with out being pushed to the point where it is not enjoyable. Often if two cyclists are of different ability the faster rider will have to stop and wait for the second rider to catch up and rest. The tandem eliminates this completely. Both riders do have to peddle since the cranks are connected so there is no sitting back coasting for either rider. For example if one rider can go out and do a fifty mile ride and the other can only do a twenty mile ride on their own you might well be able to do a thirty or forty mile ride as a team.

Riding a tandem can provide you both with a strong sense of accomplishment and team work. You really have to work together in order to get where you’re going and it requires a lot of communication to make it come together.

The person in the front of a tandem who steers; pedals and shifts is called the captain. The person in back has the job of peddling and has the benefit of being able to enjoy the scenery with out constantly watching the road is called the stoker. If one of the riders is going to stop pedaling for some reason they need to communicate this to the other rider because your cranks are connected by a drive chain and fixed gears. It is common courtesy for the captain to alert the stoker to large bumps that are coming up so they have time to prepare. The stoker doesn’t have as clear a view of the road ahead and therefore has a harder time seeing upcoming bumps.

As with other bicycles tandems come in various styles. There are road tandems; cross tandems; and mountain bike tandems. Which you choose will depend on the type of riding you do. Tandems do tend to cost more than a single bike but would be less than buying two individual bikes. The frames and wheels are built stronger than a typical single bike due to the extra weight they carry with two passengers aboard.

Tandems do take some getting used to since they are so different to drive than a single bike. I recommend borrowing or renting one to try it and see if it is something you enjoy. The first time I rode a tandem I thought it felt like driving a tractor trailer. They have a much wider turning radius due to the longer wheel base. Starting and stopping can be a challenge since you both have to get your feet in the pedals and moving together. You have much more weight on the bike so down hills can be very fast. The down side of that is it also takes more effort to get up hills. If you are riding in a hilly area like Vermont you will probably want to have a triple crank so you can gear down for the larger climbs. On flat roads tandems can be faster than single bikes because the stoker is in affect drafting the captain. You achieve twice the power with the wind resistance of one.

I highly recommend trying tandem riding. If it is something that works for you and your partner it could be the beginning of many miles of riding a bicycle built for two.