Tandem Bike-Riding "Technique"?

Mark Hickey wrote:


Sure they do. After all, it's the man's job to lead, and the wimmin
are s'posed to follow. Quietly.

;-) ----- NOTE

Hmm...how do I make the smileys nod and applaud?

If you had some twofer time in, you'd realize that the bigger person
really should be up front. I've ridden with larger stokers a couple
times, and it's no fun. One that's my size is OK though.

Ah, I dunno, I'm thinking of the set-up like it is on a tandem kayak
for some reason, where the heavier person is aft.

It takes a lot more upper body strength and control to captain the
bike - but I've found that the ability for tandemists to stand up
while climbing is primarily due to the stoker's ability to keep their
cockpit level. If the stoker is even a little twitchy, there's
nothing the captain can do to make the bike stable enough to stay out
of the saddle.

Ah, interesting tip! I hear tandems go faster, too...what you say
sounds even more dangerous down-hill!

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com
Home of the $795 ti frame

Claire Petersky wrote:


There's two parts to it. One is that the pilot needs to have superior upper
body strength. When I ride tandem with my daughter, it takes all the upper
body strength I have to hold the bike upright while stopped, and she weighs
about 60 lbs less than me.

Hmm! Would've thought that the team both dismounts.

Second, there's the control issue. Just like guys like to have the remote in
their hands, they like to be pilot. Tandems can amplify existing power
struggles in a relationship, which is why they're sometimes known as
"divorcycles". Since generally I get more miles in and in more varied
weather than my husband, it's sometimes an interesting situation for me,
sitting in the back, thinking about what I'd be doing different if I were
steering. To what extent should I back-seat drive? Will he get annoyed by my
advice or will he find it helpful? It's these sorts of things that make
tandeming, mm, interesting, with one's partner.

Heh, I was wondering about that! Thanks for the confirmation. Though
I think I'd find it interesting to see how the other person
reacts...that's how you really get to know someone, to see how they are
in certain on-the-fly situations...that's why I prefer "activity dates"
-- which might sometimes give the impression that I'm cheap or boring,
I guess!

At the same time, there is something like a tandeming groove, where you get
it together and you really kick butt as you zip down the road. A "poetry in
motion" feeling. That's what you're aiming for, if you can work it together.

And I was hoping for that! It really sounds like a wonderful thing.

I don't think I'm ready for it. =)

--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
http://www.bicyclemeditations.org/
Sponsor me for the Big Climb! See: www.active.com/donate/cpetersky06
See the books I've set free at:
http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

NYC XYZ wrote:
Mark Hickey wrote:
I've ridden with larger stokers a couple
times, and it's no fun. One that's my size is OK though.

Ah, I dunno, I'm thinking of the set-up like it is on a tandem kayak
for some reason, where the heavier person is aft.

On boats the steering (whether with a rudder or by paddling) is
primarily, although not entirely, done at the rear whereas bicycles
are almost always steered from the front.
The Counterpoint tandem I mentioned is a bit of an exception with the
smaller front wheel underneath the stoker and steered by the captain at
the rear of the bike.

It takes a lot more upper body strength and control to captain the
bike - but I've found that the ability for tandemists to stand up
while climbing is primarily due to the stoker's ability to keep their
cockpit level. If the stoker is even a little twitchy, there's
nothing the captain can do to make the bike stable enough to stay out
of the saddle.

Ah, interesting tip! I hear tandems go faster, too...what you say
sounds even more dangerous down-hill!

Except we tend not to get off the saddle when descending. I find the
tandem to feel very stable on fast descents. But I've sometimes had
stokers pull the 'emergency brake' cable. (Our bike has no brake levers
on the rear bars but one of the rear brake cables runs along the top
tube where the stoker can grab it.)

NYC XYZ wrote:
Say, why is the woman always in the back on a tandem?
I've yet to see one photo of a guy in the back!
First of all, I'd imagine that the guy would enjoy that view more...but
also, doesn't the stoker provide more power? I don't know why I
imagine this...maybe being closer to the rear wheel and its cassette
naturally suggests the idea to me....
Any of you ride tandem with your wives/girlfriends? Do they just
prefer you take the lead or something?
Just wondering. Never been on a tandem in my life.

I prefer to ride stoker and my captain says she wouldn't
have it any other way.

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

"Dennis P. Harris" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 20 Jan 2006 04:36:39 GMT in rec.bicycles.misc, "Claire
Petersky" wrote:

At the same time, there is something like a tandeming groove, where you
get
it together and you really kick butt as you zip down the road. A "poetry
in
motion" feeling. That's what you're aiming for, if you can work it
together.

it really *is* a rush, and with the same forward surface area as
a single, quite a bit less than twice the mass (sustains
momentum) with twice the crank power means you can really crank
along. the first time i really got into a tandem groove, we were
riding at 29 mph on the road that i usually rode at about 20 mph.

The worst bike accidents I have ever seen have involved tandems. And it was
always due to just one thing - going too fast. The stokers usually came off
the worst and it was always a woman, poor dumb creatures that they are.

Many woman will not ride a tandem with their husbands because they do not
trust his judgment on what is safe and what is unsafe. From what I have seen
of tandems, I would not be caught dead on one because I think that is how I
would end up anyway. They are all about going fast. Anything else that is
told to you about them is just so much rubbish.

If women had the brains that God gave them, they would NEVER ride a tandem
with their husbands. They should always be on their own bikes. That is more
than enough togetherness for any couple.

Regards,

Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota
aka
Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota

"Claire Petersky" wrote in message
ink.net...
"NYC XYZ" wrote in message
oups.com...

Say, why is the woman always in the back on a tandem?

There's two parts to it. One is that the pilot needs to have superior
upper body strength. When I ride tandem with my daughter, it takes all the
upper body strength I have to hold the bike upright while stopped, and she
weighs about 60 lbs less than me.

Second, there's the control issue. Just like guys like to have the remote
in their hands, they like to be pilot. Tandems can amplify existing power
struggles in a relationship, which is why they're sometimes known as
"divorcycles". Since generally I get more miles in and in more varied
weather than my husband, it's sometimes an interesting situation for me,
sitting in the back, thinking about what I'd be doing different if I were
steering. To what extent should I back-seat drive? Will he get annoyed by
my advice or will he find it helpful? It's these sorts of things that make
tandeming, mm, interesting, with one's partner.

At the same time, there is something like a tandeming groove, where you
get it together and you really kick butt as you zip down the road. A
"poetry in motion" feeling. That's what you're aiming for, if you can work
it together.

Newsgroups trimmed.

Claire's first two paragraphs are full of sense, but her last paragraph
gives her away. Yes, it is all about going fast even if it kills you.

Claire should ride her own bike and leave the tandem nonsense to her
husband. Men are stupid that way. They think going fast is what it is all
about. Some women want to please their husbands even if it kills them. That
is the main reason women ride tandems in the first place. She should just
tell him to go to Hell. After all, a woman is too intelligent to think that
going fast means anything at all. The only butt she should ever want to kick
is her husband's butt.

Regards,

Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota
aka
Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota

In rec.bicycles.misc Claire Petersky wrote:
Say, why is the woman always in the back on a tandem?

Not always, I rode primarily as stoker.


There's two parts to it. One is that the pilot needs to have
superior upper body strength.

Not necessarily. My captain had not, still as a stoker I can hold
myself off the ground while standing.


Second, there's the control issue. Just like guys like to have the
remote in their hands, they like to be pilot.

Not all guys 8)

Being the more experienced and more powerful rider I enjoyed riding
as stoker and with my girlfriend piloting work as a team. Being
stronger _and_ in total as captain control made the tandem a
somewhat boring heavy bicycle for me and for her...

--
MfG/Best regards
helmut springer

On Fri, 20 Jan 2006 02:57:59 -0600, "Edward Dolan"
wrote:


"Dennis P. Harris" wrote in message
.. .
On Fri, 20 Jan 2006 04:36:39 GMT in rec.bicycles.misc, "Claire
Petersky" wrote:

At the same time, there is something like a tandeming groove, where you
get
it together and you really kick butt as you zip down the road. A "poetry
in
motion" feeling. That's what you're aiming for, if you can work it
together.

it really *is* a rush, and with the same forward surface area as
a single, quite a bit less than twice the mass (sustains
momentum) with twice the crank power means you can really crank
along. the first time i really got into a tandem groove, we were
riding at 29 mph on the road that i usually rode at about 20 mph.

The worst bike accidents I have ever seen have involved tandems. And it was
always due to just one thing - going too fast. The stokers usually came off
the worst and it was always a woman, poor dumb creatures that they are.

Since this last sentence doesn't appear to be tongue-in-cheek I assume
that it accurately reflects your views. In that case you must be one
sorry individual. Having been married to the same beautiful woman for
more than 32 years I think I know a few things about her. To refer to
my wife a "poor dumb creature" leads me to assume you must be a sorry
bigot.

Many woman will not ride a tandem with their husbands because they do not
trust his judgment on what is safe and what is unsafe. From what I have seen
of tandems, I would not be caught dead on one because I think that is how I
would end up anyway. They are all about going fast. Anything else that is
told to you about them is just so much rubbish.

No, riding a tandem is not all about going fast. In my case it is
about enjoying life with my wife. We can cruise along at 15 - 20mph
for many hours enjoying the countryside and getting in some enjoyable
exercise as well. Which is not to say we have never gone faster than
we should have, but those are mistakes that I have made which my wife
has forgiven me for.
If women had the brains that God gave them, they would NEVER ride a tandem
with their husbands. They should always be on their own bikes. That is more
than enough togetherness for any couple.

Since you don't appear to have ridden a tandem, why do you think you
are in the position to offer advice to those of us who do? Apparently
the wonder of a happy marriage escapes you. How sad.
Regards,

Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota
aka
Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota

Harry

"NYC XYZ" wrote in message
oups.com...

Claire Petersky wrote:

There's two parts to it. One is that the pilot needs to have superior
upper
body strength. When I ride tandem with my daughter, it takes all the
upper
body strength I have to hold the bike upright while stopped, and she
weighs
about 60 lbs less than me.

Hmm! Would've thought that the team both dismounts.

The stoker stays in unless s/he is actually getting off the bike. You're
used to putting a foot down at a red light, and it's hard sometimes to
remember to stay clipped in.

I think I'd find it interesting to see how the other person
reacts...that's how you really get to know someone, to see how they are
in certain on-the-fly situations...that's why I prefer "activity dates"
-- which might sometimes give the impression that I'm cheap or boring,
I guess!

No, that would be my first choice, too. I was always a hiking-for-a-date
type of gal, 'way back when, when I was dating.

--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
http://www.bicyclemeditations.org/
Sponsor me for the Big Climb! See: www.active.com/donate/cpetersky06
See the books I've set free at:
http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

In rec.bicycles.misc Claire Petersky wrote:
The stoker stays in unless s/he is actually getting off the bike.

Some do, some don't.

--
MfG/Best regards
helmut springer