Tandem Cycling - Two Newbies on a Univega Sport Tandem

we bought a tandem yesterday! nothing high end, we found a $350 2001 Univega Sport Tandem on Craigslist in our area. i figured that we could start off with something really cheap and affordable, and if we decided that we were really into it, we could upgrade at some point. we were really suprised how fun it is! but yeah, it was a pretty impulsive decision. my gf isnt as in to cycling as i am and i really wanted to be able to share the sport that i love with her.
anyway, if you guys could point a couple of newbies in the right direction of how to's and how not to's, id appreciate it. also, id like some opinions on the tandem we bought, there wasnt much to find on the net. the bike is in really decent shape but id like to see if there are some things that need to be adjusted.
so here are a few questions:

1. do the pedals have to be exactly in the same position? they are in similar positions but do not EXACTLY mirror each other. will that cause instability when pedaling? (odd rocking/timing while pedaling)

2. previous owners had the bar positions kind of upright. will that cause more instability when pedaling (higher center of gravity)?

3. how can i make the tandem more stable at higher speeds? swap the knobbies out for slicks? lower the bar positions? change the hbars?

4. is all that comfort stuff really necessary? gel seats, suspension seatposts, sprung saddles, etc...? id like to trim down the setup of the tandem a bit...

its a bit odd for me riding hybrid style geometry on top of riding a tandem. before the tandem, i only rode fixed track bikes so theres a whole lot of difference between the two. im used to being in a very aggro position, so this upright stuff is strange to me. any advice on setting the tandem up would be appreciated!

anyway, we're going to go on our first real ride together today. generally flat terrain, really looking forward to it. we're happy to join your ranks! i guess youll be seeing more and more from me here in this forum!

cheers!

modmon

Hey mod, way to go! Now you can share the fun.

I am sure the brainbanks of Bikeforums will chime in directly, but let me tell you what I know:

The pedals should be timed either together (in phase - both left pedals at the same position at the same time) or 90 degrees out of phase. Try in phase first as it makes climbing while standing together easier. If the pedals are slightly out of phase, just derail the chain off the captains timing gear and re-rail it one or two teeth in either direction from where it was to get the pedals in phase.

Move the bars wherever you like them. If you need a different stem or bars, then buy them. My drop-bar tandem is set up like my road bike. I don't think being upright has much of an effect on stability, just comfort. You might not want to get as low as a track bike, but something confortable to you.

Slicks will make it faster on pavement. Make sure the tires - slicks or knobbies are inflated properly. I run my tires at or close to the maximum. A square-shouldered knobby tire may cause instability on the road at speed, but I have never ridden one so I don't know for sure.

You can get rid of all the comfort stuff. Most folks ditch the suspension stoker post once the stoker has some time in the saddle. You should know what saddle you like, so then you have to find one your gf likes. There can be a lot of experimentation! Find out what other females you know are using. They may have some old saddles your gf can try out for free.

So good luck on your ride and remember if you are climbing, you have to get in the proper chain ring at the bottom of the hill. If your candence gets too slow, you will not be able to shift chainrings and will be stuck in a high gear and have to suffer till the top! I would start out using the granny ring at first untill you get the hang of visualizing what gear you can climb the hill in. You will be going a lot slower than on a track bike and you can't stand and muscle a huge gear up the hill very well on a tandem.

Always compliment your stoker after a good effort on a climb.

I understand that your Univega is the same bike as the Raleigh Companion, which we started out on. We've done about 800 miles on ours over the past year.

The biggest improvement we made was to put on 26 x 1.5" tires at 100lbs. Quicker, smoother, quieter than stock tires. I also changed out the seat for a Specialized comfort seat...a lot more firmness, yet still a bit cushy. My wife actually likes the stock seat, so we left it on for the stoker's position.

I've found that shifting and braking work quite well and the bike handles easily. We've had it up to 36 mph on one downhill.

Dan

Get yourself comfortable on the Tandem. Fit the stems and bars that you want but remember that there has be some compromise so that your comfort does not encroach on the stokers space. Stability come with practice so give it about 3 months before you decide that it is not stable enough. On the personal comfort side, a wider saddle is often required from a solo as you will spend more time sitting down and the stoker does need some protection from the lumps and bumps that do not hurt you but fly straight up the seat stem into vital parts of the body. That is from a stoker- we need some protection from the pilots inability to miss the potholes and not tell us it is coming up. On the tyre side, 2 thoughts. Go for slicks if solely on the road but bigger tyre to absorb the bumps or narrow for speed?

Until you get used to the fact that in general Tandems are slow up hills so a lower gear than expected is required, hit all the hills in a lower front sprocket than you may think you need. Out of the saddle climbing take skill and you won't have it initially

You now have two sets of legs on the bike. The one that will suffer will be the stoker, Different cadence, different fitness levels, different everything. Be guided by the stoker as to what gear they want, how much effort they want to put in and do not attempt to carry the weaker??? stoker up the long hill. You will only wear yourself out and then the stoker has to put in the effort carrying a worn out rider on the bike. It does not work.

Believe me, and others will confirm it, Tandem riding is all about Team work. Initially that will not be there but when it comes in,(Took us 3 months and about 500miles) Boy will you fly. Hills will not be easier, but they will be shorter, top speed on the flat will be phenominal without putting any real effort in, And providing you can gag the stoker who has no brakes, and no steering and no control- the downhills are unbelievable.

Wow! you've gotten a whole lot of good advice already, but I do need to put my two cent in too. I think you will get a major improvement in ride quality if you put some 1.5" slick or semi-slick road tires on your tandem. We did this for asphalt and other smooth surfaces with our Cannandale MT800 and it was a whole lot of improvement for the money spent. The tires I currently have on it are actually intended for beach use and have a bit of tread which allows fine sand to get out of the way. When these wear out, I'll probably put on some even narrower slicks. Just a thought.

Anyway, welcome aboard, browse the sources and enjoy and most of all ride. It really is fun.

Doc

thanks for all the great advice. im going to throw on some slicks once we get used to riding in general. we'll probably stick with the thicker, fatter tires. we bought the tandem more to share the experience of riding, not for speed. i have nothing against speed at all :p its a shame though, i was given a free pair of 26x1.5 slicks earlier this year, only to give them away to a friend of mine who never installed them. i never had a need for 26 inchers until now...
as for the setup, ive already lowered my handlebars as low as they will go. if i need to get it lower, ill install the openface modelo road stem i bought recently. ill probably ditch the seat for something narrower and less bulky, im pretty fond of my selle italia slr. its very rare that i get out of the saddle so ill be used to the long sits. the smaller seat will allow more space (itll probably add a few inches) for adjustments on the stoker bar position (its pretty tight spacewise on my seatpost because the current saddle is so thick plus there is a gel seat cover on top of that).
it would be great if we both really liked the experience and got more serious into tandem riding. its great to share a passion together, especially at such close proximity. also, im glad to hear that our purchase wasnt completely foolish. i had a hard time passing up the price for the tandem, especially when my gf seemed excited by the idea of it. i think we are going for our first real ride (one that is longer than a circle or two around a college parking lot) tomorrow morning. ill let you all know how things progress once we get it going. again, thanks for the great help! if there any interesting link that would be an essential guide, or a '101' to tandem riding, please direct me to it. im really interested in learning as much as i can so that we will have positive riding experiences.

Some good advice already posted!
Well as you have probably noted by a few yelps from the stoker compartment when you shifted/braked/coasted unexpectedly, COMMUNICATION is a very important part of getting together as a team.
Pilot should say "out loud" whatever he is planning to do; whether shifting, braking, coasting, pedaling, and by all means call out the bumps as stoker can't see them coming up.
You also voice out loud when you are slowing and turning. The stoker then does the appropriate signaling (that way you keep both hands on the bars).
Most tandems when they stop for a light/stop sign have the stoker stay seated and clipped in. When dismounting the tandem, be sure for the pilot to stay put while holding the brakes. Stoker dismounts and walks away from the bike, voicing "off". That way she does not get a karate kick when pilot dismounts.
You'll come up with your own tandem lexicon! Communicate and you'll ride better as a team!
Good luck and. . .

Pedal on TWOgether!
Rudy and Kay/zonatandem

Modmon...

We took our Raleigh (like your Univega) out on a little 10 miler with the kids tonight. I just got my 16 year old son a Rans Rocket recumbent, and my daughter on her hybrid.

Something that I remembered tonight from our first rides is not to freak out the stoker, whether by going faster than comfortable, turning tightly or coming too close to people or stationary objects.

You might notice that you're shifting gears more than on your single. You'll need to have your stoker get used to a bunch of stuff like shifting, braking, coasting. And don't freak out if you feel the bike wiggle when the stoker stands up for a butt break...ask to be notified first, though.

Ten miles when we started on the tandem was a big deal. Now it's fun but easy.

When we started, my wife freaked out easily. Tonight, very little rattled her. And we talked a lot as we rode...especially after my son took off on his Rocket and whizzed home :o

Enjoy your chance to share your cycling passion!

Mod, You'll love it. We've got two in our family. One for me and the girl, and one for wife and the boy. This past weekend for example we did a quick 25 miles together before most families are even getting out of bed! Have fun!

we went out for a ride today after i got home from work. just simple loops around the local college campus. we had a great time, and we're getting used to tandem riding quickly. no more clumsy start ups, no weird balance stuff. it all came pretty naturally. i was surprised how much power she was putting down on the uphills. you guys are right about the constant shifting. im getting the hang of it now, i think. im trying get it down so that shifting is seamless. the only problems we had were feet getting off the pedals because of jerky shifts or out of synch pedalling. i think im going to install some powergrips on the stoker side--ill put on a set of clipless on for me. if it works out and my gf likes the powergrips, maybe we'll upgrade to clipless. i think using something a little better than simple platforms will improve our pedal stroke a lot.

It's a hoot!