Tandem Bike-Riding "Technique"?

Hi,
We ride with the man in the front. I think we would prefer the other but I
believe most tandems size for the taller rider on the front, which in most
cases will be the guy.
Lyle

"NYC XYZ" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

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.

actually I have seen quite a number of women in front, the stoker in
the rear doesn't actually supply more power, it is a shared
stroke...however eithr of the 2 rider can stop for a rest and you can
still move forwards....the front person has to steer, brake and shift
as well as pedal, thee rear paerson pedals and gets to see a lot of the
back of the front person...But it is an excellant shared experience and
a really different way to cycle as a couple...it doesn't get as
competitive as single bikes sometimes get...

NYC XYZ said:

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.

because women frequently stop to ask directions.

--
Michael J. Klein & Asian Castings Consortium
[email hidden]
Yangmei Jen (Hukou), Taoyuan Hsien, Taiwan, ROC
Please replace mousepotato with asiancastings
Mozilla Thunderbird

NYC XYZ said:

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

There are some tandem designs made for the smaller person to ride in
front. The Counterpoint tandem is one of example where the person in
back is in a normal upright bike configuration and does the steering
(plus pedaling) while the front rider is on a recumbent seat and just
pedals.

However, for conventional upright tandems it's generally a more
enjoyable experience if the heavier and stronger rider is the one in
front and takes care of the steering and braking. I have ridden our
tandem with heavier/stronger stokers on occasion, but it requires more
concentration to avoid having the motions of the stoker affect the
balance and steering.

Many regular upright tandems, including ours, are also designed with a
longer seat tube in front so it's a better fit if the taller rider sits
there.

Quoted message said:

..but
also, doesn't the stoker provide more power?

No, each rider puts out as much power as they wish although on most
tandems they must pedal at the same cadence. But the person in front
might be pushing really hard on the pedals while the one in back is
loafing or vice versa.

On 19 Jan 2006 19:28:33 -0800, "NYC XYZ" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

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

Women are not always the stokers (The person in the back is the
stoker, while the captain is normally up front.) We have ridden with
tandem teams comprised of two women, two men, a mother and her young
daughter, a father and his young son, a father and his older
handicapped son, as well as a team that swapped captain and stokers at
each rest stop.

Quoted message said:

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

I captain our tandem and would certainly enjoy the view of my wife as
captain! Since she has been my wife and sweetheart for over 30 years
there is no more beautiful sight on earth than my honey.

Quoted message said:

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....

Each person on a tandem controls how much power they provide. However,
since the pedals are connected together with the timing chain, their
cadence is always the same (provided the sprockets are the same size.)
There are a few tandems with an independent pedaling system which
allows one person to coast while the other pedals, but normally, when
one person pedals, the other person's feet also go around.

In our case I am physically stronger than my wife, so I normally
provide more horsepower. But, one of the wonders of the tandem is that
regardless of how much power one provides, you both ride along
together and arrive at the same place only milliseconds apart.

Quoted message said:

Any of you ride tandem with your wives/girlfriends? Do they just
prefer you take the lead or something?

My wife is totally uninterested in steering, shifting, braking, etc.
She just wants to ride with me. As stoker, she can enjoy the scenery,
give hand signals, wave at gawking passerbys, read the cue sheet, give
me a back or shoulder rub, open up snacks, etc. If we didn't ride the
tandem together she would not ride at all and I probably wouldn't ride
my single very much.

Quoted message said:

Just wondering. Never been on a tandem in my life.

If you love and respect your spouse, then riding a tandem together is
arguably one of life's great pleasures. We purchased our tandem as a
30th wedding anniversary gift to each other 2 years ago. Neither of us
had done any biking during our married years. We are now approaching
7,000 miles on the bike and look forward to each ride. That is many,
many wonderful hours spent in the company of my best friend!

Harry

"NYC XYZ" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

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.

--
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 article <[email hidden]>,

NYC XYZ said:

Just wondering. Never been on a tandem in my life.

**********
I used to ride on the back of a tandem. I thought It was great, since it
was the only actual bicycle I'd been on in years. Not counting my trike
here.

NYC XYZ said:

Any of you ride tandem with your wives/girlfriends? Do they just
prefer you take the lead or something?

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

;-) <----- NOTE

Quoted message said:

Just wondering. Never been on a tandem in my life.

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.

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.

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

Oh wow...do you have any daughters?

Hehe...lovely post; thanks for sharing!

HarryB said:

On 19 Jan 2006 19:28:33 -0800, "NYC XYZ" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

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

Women are not always the stokers (The person in the back is the
stoker, while the captain is normally up front.) We have ridden with
tandem teams comprised of two women, two men, a mother and her young
daughter, a father and his young son, a father and his older
handicapped son, as well as a team that swapped captain and stokers at
each rest stop.

Quoted message said:

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

I captain our tandem and would certainly enjoy the view of my wife as
captain! Since she has been my wife and sweetheart for over 30 years
there is no more beautiful sight on earth than my honey.

Quoted message said:

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....

Each person on a tandem controls how much power they provide. However,
since the pedals are connected together with the timing chain, their
cadence is always the same (provided the sprockets are the same size.)
There are a few tandems with an independent pedaling system which
allows one person to coast while the other pedals, but normally, when
one person pedals, the other person's feet also go around.

In our case I am physically stronger than my wife, so I normally
provide more horsepower. But, one of the wonders of the tandem is that
regardless of how much power one provides, you both ride along
together and arrive at the same place only milliseconds apart.

Quoted message said:

Any of you ride tandem with your wives/girlfriends? Do they just
prefer you take the lead or something?

My wife is totally uninterested in steering, shifting, braking, etc.
She just wants to ride with me. As stoker, she can enjoy the scenery,
give hand signals, wave at gawking passerbys, read the cue sheet, give
me a back or shoulder rub, open up snacks, etc. If we didn't ride the
tandem together she would not ride at all and I probably wouldn't ride
my single very much.

Quoted message said:

Just wondering. Never been on a tandem in my life.

If you love and respect your spouse, then riding a tandem together is
arguably one of life's great pleasures. We purchased our tandem as a
30th wedding anniversary gift to each other 2 years ago. Neither of us
had done any biking during our married years. We are now approaching
7,000 miles on the bike and look forward to each ride. That is many,
many wonderful hours spent in the company of my best friend!

Harry

Mark Hickey said:

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?

Quoted message said:

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.

Quoted message said:

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!

Quoted message said:

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

Claire Petersky said:

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.

Quoted message said:

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!

Quoted message said:

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. =)

Quoted message said:

--
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 said:

Mark Hickey said:

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.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

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 said:

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

"Michael J. Klein" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

NYC XYZ said:

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!

Just wondering. Never been on a tandem in my life.

because women frequently stop to ask directions.

That's not an appropriate opinion.
Everyone knows it's because you can't trust her to drive.

In rec.bicycles.misc Claire Petersky said:

Quoted message said:

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

Not always, I rode primarily as stoker.

Quoted message said:

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.

Quoted message said:

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

"NYC XYZ" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Claire Petersky said:

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.

Quoted message said:

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 said:

The stoker stays in unless s/he is actually getting off the bike.

Some do, some don't.

--
MfG/Best regards
helmut springer

NYC XYZ said:

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!

Geez, no one's pointed you to this:
http://www.outsideconnection.com/gallant/hpv/trandem/

The bike shop where I used to work had a female-front (drop-bar frame)
balloon-tire tandem on display. It had an interesting steering hookup-
the rear rider (on a conventional "man's" frame) could steer the bike
through chains and tie rods.

Jeff

JeffWills said:

Geez, no one's pointed you to this:
http://www.outsideconnection.com/gallant/hpv/trandem/

Great Stuff! Thanks for the link, Jeff.

Rich