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Old 07-22-04, 08:36 AM
  #9  
mlwschultz
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Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Southern Maine
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We just jumped right in. We tested a tandem from a shop that was renting them. We didn't like that bike, but knew right away that we'd like to have our own tandem. We decided on a Trek T2000. We knew that if we bought the T1000 & really like it (as we expected to), then we knew we'd want to upgrade it & it would cost us more to sell that bike & buy another one than to just buy the better bike in the 1st place. We made it our Christmas gift that year. Make sure the bike is fitted for both of you. You'll likely need adjustments for seats (usually the ones that come with the bike will need to be replaced as they are usually not very comfortable), stem adjustments, etc. for rider comfort.

No one showed us how to do anything on the tandem, but our rules are a little different than most. While many say that the stoker is always right (or something similar) on our bike it's Whatever the captain says goes. He's the driver. He's in charge of maneuvering through traffic & keeping us safe, so he makes all the decisions. As the stoker if I see something ahead I'll say so, like we were riding the other day & there was a long line of cars at a stop sign & I could see pedestrians up ahead cutting between the cars (not a crosswalk). I told him there were pedestrians cutting across so he was ready to react if necessary.

When we have to stop I (stoker) unclip first, then captain unclips. We both step down at a stop. Many teams have the stoker stay clipped in, we feel we are more insync & have better control our way. No way is right or wrong as long as it works for both of you & you both know what to do. The other day we were riding & our front tire went flat. I immediately unclipped BOTH feet. When we finally came to a stop the bike started to lean to the left, we always lean to the right. I had my foot unclipped & was able to grab the ground & stop us from tipping over into the road. If I had remained clipped in, then we would most likely have fallen over. We always have the captain mount the bike first, then stoker. Reverse it when getting off. Sometimes something will happen & my husband tries to get off the bike quickly & I have to remind him that I need to get off before he does (not like riding your single & you can do whatever you want, you have to remember there's someone behind you).

It's nice if your trip is scenic, or has a destination. If you're wife isn't used to longer rides, then plan a stop along the way. We've gone out to ride & stopped at a restaurant for lunch, get an ice cream cone, etc. It breaks up the trip, you can cover more miles & gain confidence.

Riding the tandem is the only way we can stay together on a ride. My husband is a much better rider than I am, even though we both have singles. He rides more miles than I do & is much faster, so on 2 bikes we are both riding alone. On a tandem we can enjoy the ride together.

It's great that your wife wants to share cycling with you! That means that you'll be able to work together on your own methods to make tandeming work for you & be enjoyable to both of you (you'll make mistakes, you'll learn from them & go on). You'll have to be patient with her as she increases her cycling ability, but if you help her improve her skills then she'll be enjoying herself & will want to ride more & more. So your initial patience will pay off in the the long term. Enjoy!
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