Young tandem teams--are we really THAT weird? [Archive]

DrPete

10-23-05, 09:32 PM

So my fiancee and I were on a group ride today, and at the end of the ride one of the other riders mentioned that "usually people wait till a certain age to start riding a tandem." I'm 28 and she's 32.

Mollie had a horrible cycling experience in her past (hit by a car, facial reconstruction, whole 9 yards), and tandeming was a way that we found to get her riding and enjoying it again. In fact, after our first weekend of owning a tandem, she was itching to ride a half century. We couldn't be happier!

So the question is this--Are young tandem teams really that unusual? Granted, I haven't met many, but I haven't really met a ton of tandem couples yet, so my sample size is pretty small. It just seems like such a cool way to enjoy an activity that totally brings a couple together.

How old were you when you started tandeming? Is a team average age of 30 that strange?

DrPete

TandemGeek

10-23-05, 09:54 PM

How old were you when you started tandeming? Is a team average age of 30 that strange?

It's definitely at the low-end of the bell curve if you assume that overall tandem ownership (and perhaps more importantly, ridership) parallels major tandem rally attendance.

Assuming that the average captain's age is representative of the average team age (big number theory), the attached graph depicts the distribution for the ages of 447 teams who attended the Midwest Tandem Rally in 2003.
http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=16434
(2nd link to image also at the bottom of this post)
Age = X Axis / No. = Y Axis

For further amusement, here is a study that was conducted based on a survey of 452 attendees at the 1999 Midwest Tandem Rally: http://www.prr.msu.edu/miteim/econimpact/tandem.pdf

We know of a several younger couples in their late 20's and early 30's who own and ride tandems, but the lion's share of our regular riding partners began tandeming in their 30's, with another large contingent in their 50's and 60's who either were part of the original surge in tandeming that occurred back in the early 80's or who took it up as their kids left home.

metal_cowboy

10-23-05, 10:12 PM

I think it takes a great deal of understanding, trust and patience to be a tandem team. I am guessing that these are virtues that take time to develop in a relationship.

My wife was 30 and I was 32 when we bought our tandem. Five years later...we are still riding and having a great time.

Wind 'N Snow

10-23-05, 11:00 PM

+1 what has been said here, but here is some other angles. I've always wanted to tandem but couldn't because:
Couldn't afford one that was close to the same standards as my road bike;
Didn't have a partner I could trust enough - and want to spend that much time with
Couldn't get the damn thing up the elevator into my apartment.

Younger folk deal with all of those issues, as one ages, one overcomes a lot of those barriers.

I'm still hoping to one day get a tandem. I'm tired of riding with my shadow.

Brian

10-23-05, 11:20 PM

I'll agree with W&S.

In my early 30's, I found myself newly married to a wonderful woman that hadn't ridden a bike in years, but was easily to persuaded to allow me to spend more on our bike than we did on our car. 2 years later, she now has 2 bikes of her own (We sold her BMX race bike to buy her a beach cruiser) and we have the tandem. It may sound backwards, but the tandem was her gateway back into cycling. I doubt she would have gotten back into it if it wasn't for a custom fit tandem with all the little touches just for her. By the way, I'm 36, she's 39.

Oh, I still enjoy the company of my shadow once in a while.

mandovoodoo

10-24-05, 05:31 AM

I built my first in 1976 when I was 22. I had stokers at that time as young as 16. I anticipate that in 4 years our kids will start as a team at 16 / 10.

I'd never thought about it.

galen_52657

10-24-05, 05:41 AM

As a member of the LSV/Kelly USCF cycling club here in Baltimore, I ride with lots of younger folks - mostly men. I always talk up tandeming whenever I get a chance. Same when I do a BBC (touring club) ride. I will often do a BBC ride on my tandem. Also, the BBC has its own tandem wing - CRABS. I don't think there is a single team in CRABS under 40. These are my thoughts on why:

1. Most guys under 40 are raising kids or confirmed bachelors who want to get AWAY from the family when they ride or, if unattached don’t have a steady partner.
2. The above demographic if married w/kids is already taking flack for the cost of the single bike with all the accouterments and mistakenly believes you can’t get a decent tandem for under $1,500.
3. As a tandem is most-often piloted by the male in the couple, the female does not wish to relinquish control or does not have any confidence in her partner’s abilities (maybe she has seen him do stupid stuff while on single bikes???).
4. Lots of guys think tandems are slow, or that they won’t get a workout. WRONG on both counts!

I think it is sad, because you can get a decent tandem for way under $1,500 and if you have little kids, you could tow them around in a kid trailer with the tandem and both parents could get a some exercise together. If you have bigger kids, you could take them out on the tandem or have them ride along on single bikes. Weakest rider could ride w/dad (or mom) on the tandem and even out the pace.

PaMTBRider

10-24-05, 10:01 AM

My wife and I both turned 40 this year. We are slowly catching up in age with the majority of the people we tandem ride with. We are now at least in the same decade of our lives as many of them. We bought our first tandem in 2000 at age 35. We find it very inspiring to ride with couples 10 to 15 years older than us that can make us really work to keep up. Hopefully we will still be riding and making younger riders chase us as we grow older.

halfbiked

10-24-05, 02:05 PM

ROJA

10-24-05, 06:29 PM

Here's one data point for you: We are both in our late 20s and just bought our first tandem.

zonatandem

10-24-05, 07:58 PM

ricardo kuhn

10-24-05, 09:10 PM

3. As a tandem is most-often piloted by the male in the couple, the female does not wish to relinquish control or does not have any confidence in her partner’s abilities (maybe she has seen him do stupid stuff while on single bikes???).
.

Totally agree,, this is the reason why i made a posting not to long ago about why "Stokers=Female" so silly Tandems need to be about "equal oportunity".

I'm 43 now and this is my second Ibis tandem, the first one i have was 12 years ago(31 then and I have it for 4 years until i move here) and for sure was pretty dificult to find partners female or male , specially if you have a reputations of riding extremlly dificult trails and crash a lot... most of my young lady friends wants to ride on their own machines or at least be at the front, some of them were to small to fit on the big bike(captain size 20") (even if many times they were stronger than i was) but i being in the back seat many times and also have some awesome spills, i Guess some how i'm glad that the whole feminist movement rended the male/female roles obsolete, i don't know if older people grow on a diferent enviroment and they were more willing to be "in the back" for sure that is kind of the case on the latin culture i grow but let me tell you i dislike that whole "macho" thing it a lot, I never got to understand why a woman needs to be separatated (view as a lesser individual) from a man, the same way any racist issues are totally impossible to believe they still exist at this time and age...

even with male copilots is always a issue about relinquish power and control, persons just like to be on their own power and freedom and not codependent, i don't know if this change when you get older but so far is a constant problem.

i don't know to me tandems are fun, because they diferent (same as i have recumbents and skates and a few others toys) because they make even the easiest trail far more challenging, because i enjoy very much to pedal around with people i like, in my view who cares if they are really fast or cost a lot of money, i also got to share my bikes with many blind and "small Yellow bus" persons and i think those moments, memories and smiles more than paid for the bike many times over.

anyway i think i have some of the best moments of my life on my bicycle and for me that is all it counts,, even better some of them i got to spend with some incredible human beings on my tandem.

one thing is for sure you will never find me wearing a matching uniform with my partner and even more on a cruise of the caribean when i'm 80, i want to life life now, same i'm being doing everyday and hopefully i will keep doing it a litle longer...

DrPete

10-24-05, 10:34 PM

Age really is not that much of an issue in tandeming; younger, older?
Friends of ours bought a new Co-Motion tandem to celebrate her 80th (!) birthday; and the next weekend they rode a club 60 miler!
We're only in our 70s . . . and those 2 folks are our idols!!!
At most tandems rallies there are not too many duos in their 20s, but lots of folks are a bit older than that. But, take into account the kids that are riding tandem with parents and the age average lessens a bit!
So join the fun, we don't care how young/old you are!

Pedal on TWOgether!
Rudy and Kay/zonatandem

Oh we've joined the fun, and plan to continue as long as possible. Our limited time on our new tandem has defnintely shown us that tandeming is very open and inclusive, and I've never gotten a negative vibe from anyone about our age... Mollie's even buying cold weather gear so we can ride through the winter! I'm in heaven! I have a fiancee who bugs me to go riding more!

DrPete

DrPete

10-24-05, 10:36 PM

one thing is for sure you will never find me wearing a matching uniform with my partner

So now we don't feel alone about that one either :D

DrPete

vosyer

10-25-05, 12:29 AM

Nope there are lots of younger tandem teams. There are many reasons why people go into riding a tandem and your's doesn't sound that unusal. I do think most of the tandem clubs I've been around though seem to have older members, but I think that's an issue of both time and in some circumstances money. Just a a FYI - I haven't seen to many teams in their early 20's. Mike

woodcycl

10-25-05, 09:25 AM

I am 36 and bought my first tandem this year. However, when I was 23, I had a GF who wanted to start riding so we put a THEN new Cannondale on layaway (they were closer to $3k back then). But, the GF didn't work out ... we were both still in college, etc. So, I would've been in my mid 20's with my first tandem.

In our wheelmen club, I'd say a majority of our tandem teams, and we have approx. 18 teams, are in their 40's, 50's, and 60's. However, I'd say there are 5 or 6 that are in their 20's and 30's.

mtbcyclist

10-25-05, 05:51 PM

Age really is not that much of an issue in tandeming; younger, older?
Friends of ours bought a new Co-Motion tandem to celebrate her 80th (!) birthday; and the next weekend they rode a club 60 miler!
We're only in our 70s . . . and those 2 folks are our idols!!!

Thats awsome. 70s? 80s!!! Wow. I rode a single with a guy who was 65 and was with us in the fast break away pack and I though that was awsome. Hmm.... I guess you all topped him!

Guz

10-25-05, 06:21 PM

Maybe this will skew your stats some (and add us to the "weird" category). My girlfriend and I are in our early 20s but we ride a tandem that is in it's early 30s. It's a 1972 Schwinn Twinn. We just got it a couple months ago and it's been a lot of fun. We have mostly been riding it around town and we rode it in a 14 mile community ride on Saturday. All of the other tandem teams we saw were older but there were some that looked to be in their 30s.

The bike rides great, and it's somewhat of a "sleeper" since we put a 7-speed Shimano Nexus hub on it.

Here's a pic:

Brian

10-25-05, 06:29 PM

That Schwinn looks like a lot of fun, at an affordable price.

Michel Gagnon

10-25-05, 10:30 PM

Agewise, do you count the age of the pilot or the average age? Because then, my 46 years old plus Ève's 9 years old plus Sophie's 5 years old give us an average of 20 years of age.

stapfam

10-26-05, 11:28 AM

At the other end of the scale I am afraid- I am 58 and Pilot 42. Doesn't make any difference though once you start passing the solos on rides. All they see are powerful legs disappearing into the distance - Till the first hill.

Age is immaterial on a bike. Only thought from me is that it is great to see some youngsters that can slow down to the pace of the more experienced, mature teams out riding their tandems.

rlong

10-26-05, 09:44 PM

We just bought our first tandem, I'm 54 and my wife is 49. We always rode and raced singles and she wasn't interested in a tandem because she didn't really trust me (too many crazy moves on bikes and too fast). We went to Solvang Century a couple of years ago and she was really struck by the number of smiling people on tandems rather than the hard faces of racers she was used to seeing. So when I began talking about a new bike she said, "Why don't you get "us" a tandem." After I picked myself up off the floor I started furiously searching for one while the iron was hot and a month later we had a used Burley Rock n Roll. We love it and can't believe it took us so many years to discover. I can beat myself to death and never drop her, and she can talk on the phone to her sisters. Life is good.

Brian

10-26-05, 09:59 PM

My wife takes calls on the tandem too. Tandems are rare enough around here, but I'm sure we're an amusing sight.

will dehne

10-26-05, 10:22 PM

Money!
Many Tandem user want single bikes also. I certainly do. A high quality bike may cost $5000 each.
OK, you can get some for much less. But if you are really into it then it is $5,000 to $7,000.
A quality Tandem starts at $3,000 and can go up to $10,000. (The riding experience is depending on the quality of components.)
That is a bit much for most young couples in their 20's.
I know of some entrepreneurs in their 30's who own a Titanium Tandem. (over $10K)

My wife of 43 years and I started single biking 18 years ago. The disparity in endurance and speed was a constant friction detracting from our enjoyment. I am type A performance driven, she is easy going. The Tandem kept us together instead of me going off on my own for days and weeks. I am somewhat addicted to biking. We enjoy our time together and that is all that matters. Other people opinions change with the wind. This has been IMHO.

Brian

10-26-05, 10:44 PM

I know of some entrepreneurs in their 30's who own a Titanium Tandem. (over $10K)

I find that very amusing. Not in a mocking way, either.

R900

10-27-05, 07:31 AM

I guess we haven't seen maybe other tandem teams in general, so didn't realize average rider age would be shifted left. I'm 39 and my wife is 41, we bought our first tandem this year, but have been riding mountain bikes for about 10 years. Actually we road MTBs a lot when we lived in Tennessee, but moving to Indiana, buying a home, having kids, etc... really slowed our biking. This year we thought it would be fun to try a tandem, so we bought the Fuji, that lead to two new Cannondale road bikes, and finally a new Trek tandem. The feel of the Fuji made us interested in singles, and once we bought them it was all she wrote, nice to just leave from the house rather then drive 1hr to the trial. We have both really enjoyed getting "back" into cycling. The main issue with the kids (2) is time. We need to hire a sitter, or take our son in the trailer (we usually ride while our daughter is in school). Not bad, but not as easy to just go on the tandem as it is with a single, while the other parent is home with the kids. As our kids get older, I see them riding with us (we'll keep the Fuji tandem around), and when are old enough to stay home alone, I think we'll see a lot more tandem miles. This might be another reason younger couples with smaller children don't tandem as often.

John

gregm

10-27-05, 11:12 AM

Team average ages -- 23.5 when I'm riding with my daughter, 30.5 when riding with adult friend.

Don't think we've spotted a younger adult/adult team in the wild.

-Greg

will dehne

10-27-05, 01:36 PM

I find that very amusing. Not in a mocking way, either.

Expatriate:
You are over my head with your comment. What am I missing?
I do rely on information from others. I was told that a Santana folding type bike for international travel costs OVER $7,500. These owners of a hotel in Wisconsin have a very nice looking Titanium bike, custom build for racing. Approximate cost $10,000.
I did not question that. Do you know better? Just curious.

stapfam

10-27-05, 01:52 PM

Expatriate:
You are over my head with your comment. What am I missing?
I do rely on information from others. I was told that a Santana folding type bike for international travel costs OVER $7,500. These owners of a hotel in Wisconsin have a very nice looking Titanium bike, custom build for racing. Approximate cost $10,000.
I did not question that. Do you know better? Just curious.

Expat will give you a run Down on pricing his custom built TITANIUM Tandem, But his is an offroad Tandem so may be a bit cheaper than your pricing. Or was till he replaced all the Bolts with Titanium and proved that Titanium Discs are not really that good.

Expat- See how you are regarded now- Entrepreneur????

For Information and enlightenment only so don't take it the wrong Way--

Brian

10-27-05, 02:29 PM

I had financed my holiday here by buying the inventory of a bike company that had gone out of business, and selling bits and pieces on ebay. When I moved to Australia, the sticker shock was pretty bad though. I still had boxes of spares left over, so I started selling them here. Folks here will pay a lot for quality parts. The LBS is not likely to stock XT or Ultegra replacements. As a matter of fact, LX and 105 are upgrades, even on bikes costing AU$1000. So I did what any entrepeneurial Yankee would do - I called all my friends with shops and connections in the US, and had them send me whatever they could. I also trolled ebay for more liquidators. The money we made doing this was enough to justify the expense of the tandem to my wife. Between exchange rates, and a trip to the US for the forks and wheels, we'll never know the true cost though. With the changes and upgrades we've done since, it's got to be close to the AU$10k mark, if not over, and the shop I work at part time figures it would cost $15k to build another.

I don't really consider myself an entrepeneur, but...

[edit] I was taking a cheap shot at anyone, I save that for the BMX forums.

Has everyone voted (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=149118) yet?

TandemGeek

10-27-05, 03:30 PM

I was told that a Santana folding type bike for international travel costs OVER $7,500. These owners of a hotel in Wisconsin have a very nice looking Titanium bike, custom build for racing. Approximate cost $10,000.

The high-end of the tandem food chain is now somewhere close to $13,000; take your pick:

Santana Ti/carbon Beyond w/S&S couplers & chi-chi components/wheels
Seven Sola/Axiom 007 Ti w/S&S couplers & chi-chi components/wheels
Calfee Dragonfly w/S&S couplers & chi-chi componnets/wheels

Custom paint or other unique features could drive the prices a bit higher.

A stock Co-Motion Easton 7005 Alu Robusta (non-coupled) is $7575, $8225 w/Campy 10. In fact, the frameset alone is $3,595. Even some high-end steel production tandems are approaching $7,000 these days, closer to $8,000 for one with Couplers.

However, it's worth noting that you can still get a "good" tandem that will stand-up to routine use for under $1,500 (MSRP), and premium quality is now available beginning at $2,000 - $2,400 given the Burley & Cannondale price reductions of a few years ago. Moreover, used tandems can be found at just about every price point and I've probably seen the same big smiles from folks out cruising "two-up" on a $100 garage sale special that I see on the high-end dream machines.

Bottom Line: There's a tandem out there for just about every price point that will meet just about every different type of consumer's wants or needs.

DrPete

10-27-05, 05:51 PM

I'll be 32 when I finish my residency in 3 1/2 years, and my "entrepeneur" butt will be headed down to the shop with Mollie to order up a Santana Beyond or some other outrageous high-end tandem... Custom decals with "Dr. Pete" on the captain's top tube and "Dr. Mollie" for the stoker as she will have also finished her Ph.D. by then...

I mean, come on--Where else but in tandeming would the wife be OK with dropping 11 G's on a bike? Ah, life is good :)

will dehne

10-27-05, 08:22 PM

The high-end of the tandem food chain is now somewhere close to $13,000; take your pick:

This is useful info for me. We got an 10 year old C'dale and it needs a replacement. Hydraulic brake brackets are worn, twist type gears shifters stink, gear shift sticks.
So you are giving me ideas. :)

zonatandem

10-27-05, 09:59 PM

Many of those expen$ive tandems sit in a garage or shed, gathering dust and cobwebs.
Don't care what your ride, have fun and enjoy being TWOgether!
BTW, that is a 'stealth' Schwinn Twinn with the Nexus hub! Nifty!!!

Rudy and Kay/zonatandem

djembob02

10-28-05, 06:08 AM

I am young but I find that many tandemers, and many road bikers are significantly older than I am. I am only 24 and my stoker is 4. We ride a triplet that my wife rides occassionally. I find that a lot of young adults that I talk to have no motivation to do things like this with their kids. To me, it is perfect, I love spending every minute I can with my family.

Money was an issue for us. We ended up paying for the bike with my education loans. It seems that most of the people who have really made cycling a lifestyle are older. The young ones are more into mountain biking and recreation.

I am excited to be planning my first "touring" trip. My little one and I are going to go camping on the bicycle. Its about a 30 mile trip each way. I expect it to be a blast!

Brian

10-28-05, 06:13 AM

A triplet sounds like the perfect family vehicle. :D

Have you voted (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=149118) yet?

TandemGeek

10-28-05, 06:21 AM

I mean, come on--Where else but in tandeming would the wife be OK with dropping 11 G's on a bike? Ah, life is good :)

Just so long as you recognize that you can obtain the same "functionality" for $4,270, e.g., premium brand-name tandem with S&S couplers that will perform quite well. Moreover, since the number I'm citing is for a Co-Motion Primera with S&S, it's probably worthwhile to point out that the only real differences between the Primera & the next model up -- the Speedster S&S $ $5,270 -- is a slightly different component mix where you get:

- FSA Gossamer alloy cranks instead of FSA Forged
- DuraAce STI instead of 105
- Ultegra FD instead of 105
- XTR RD instead of XT
- Avid Single Digit 7 cantilever brakes instead of Single Digit 5

If you jump up to the Supremo Co-Pilot @ $7,795 a similar change in components -- most everything being top-shelf & lightweight racing grade -- is what differentiates the machines.

The frames used on the Co-Motion's travel tandems (Primera, Mocha, Speedster, Cappuccino, & Supremo) are all the same high quality, tandem-specific Reynolds 725, heat treated tubing that was created for use on their "Co-Pilot" travel tandems and which is also used for their non-coupled Primera. You will find that the same will hold true on other brands of travel tandems, e.g., Santana, Bilenky, Bushnell, daVinci, etc...

My point is, it's important for buyers to know what they're paying for when shopping for a tandem. I'm hardly frugal when it comes to my sunk cost on cycling and tandems (since they don't appreciate in value I'm reluctant to call it an investment in the context of economics), but I did go into my purchases with my eyes wide open on what it was I was getting when I wrote the specs and the checks. In many respects, the purchase of a given model & price point of tandems is probably analogous to cars... make sure that you really want to drive that S500 or Viper R/T every day and won't be too upset when it gets dinged, dirty, and left sitting out at lunch stops. After all, if you fret about the thing all the time or feel compelled to drag along a 5lb lock + rack & trunk bag to secure it when leaving it unattended during a ride you may find that instead of escaping from the normal stresses and strains of normal life through tandeming you've added stress to it and, or killed the featherweight handling charasteristics that you payed a premium to obtain.

I have no regrets with regard to buying what are still considered to be pretty high-end custom tandems, even though their actual costs in CY98 & CY02 dollars are now being eclipsed by box-stock and more lightweight performance bikes. Given that I'm still carrying around a few extra pounds, it's not worth dropping $1 a gram to shave anymore weight off our tandems -- after all, the motors are still the most important component on any tandem when it comes to looking for performance improvements -- so even the allure of a 28lb Calfee isn't all that strong vs. our 35lb steel Erickson. Knock on wood, both of our road tandems have escaped with only minor dings during many road trips, several flights, and a combined 28k miles of use. Moreover, our homeowners insurance policy covers their replacement so I don't fret over their well-being when routinely left out of sight with at most only a wire cable ski lock used as a deterrent to a 'target of opportunity' walk off by some kids.

Bottom Line: Ride what you like and like what you ride, but go into your buying decisions with your eyes wide open. And, like most things, next year's models and those that come after will all be that much more attractive while all the others that came before continue to depreciate.

galen_52657

10-28-05, 06:29 AM

However, it's worth noting that you can still get a "good" tandem that will stand-up to routine use for under $1,500

Mark,

Does that mean my KHS Milano has made it into the "good" column? Or is it still a POS????

Just kidding....

TandemGeek

10-28-05, 06:42 AM

Does that mean my KHS Milano has made it into the "good" column?

Absolutely... If the machine holds its own and doesn't falter under the abuse of a tall and strong team like yourselves, then it is absolutely a good tandem. I think you've made some preferential changes to improve the front shifting, had a chain slack issue that was easily cured, and have probably changed out the tires, but I don't recall that you've had to make too many other changes and are otherwise pleased with your KHS. That's all it takes. I don't recall implying that it was a POS... but at the same time, there are still differences that factor into why a Co-Motion or other domestically produced tandems demand a higher price.

galen_52657

10-28-05, 09:14 AM

Well last week I added some fenders in anticipation of riding in the rain. The fenders helped....but at a certain point - like when there is 2" of standing water on the road - you are gonna get wet.

Since my learning curve issues - not having the timing chainrings centered comes to mind - have been solved for the most part, the bike has been riding flawlessly. Our out-of-saddle climbing is very smooth (unless Nancy is tired) which permits us to surmount smaller rises without as much loss of speed.

We can't climb longer hills with the top teams, but that is more a factor of Nancy's 'beginner' status as a cyclist than anything else. However, she is progressing steadily and I think if you had asked her a year ago if she could ride a bike 63 miles in one outing, she would have said you were crazy. Yet, she has done just that. With any luck and some gym work, we will come out next spring as a stronger, lighter and fitter team.

If I wanted to spend $10K, instead of buying a more expensive bike for myself, I might consider getting several Milanos as gifts for friends who might enjoy tandeming. After all, for the cost of one carbon Fiber Santana, I could buy ten Milanos and have some cash left over for upgrading the saddles and such.

Or, I could buy 3 Milanos for friends and Nancy and I could take a nice vacation.....

gregm

10-28-05, 02:26 PM

Well last week I added some fenders in anticipation of riding in the rain. The fenders helped....but at a certain point - like when there is 2" of standing water on the road - you are gonna get wet.

One weak point that I find in even most full-wheeled fender designs is the coverage at the lower rear of the front fender. Attached is something I've done to extend this coverage right down to the ground. This really helps keep the captain's feet from getting soaked.

-Greg

masiman

10-28-05, 02:52 PM

During my NW days, the material from the plastic 1 gallon milk jugs was preferred. Had the right amount of stiffness and was easily available. The issue with extending the fenders is that the flap extension, if too flexible, can get sucked up by the wheel causing a rather sudden wheel lock up (think "Breaking Away" and the Italian rider frame pump scene).

gregm

10-28-05, 03:38 PM

The issue with extending the fenders is that the flap extension, if too flexible, can get sucked up by the wheel causing a rather sudden wheel lock up

Interesting!

I'm using stiff plastic soda bottle for the top portion, and bicycle tube for the lower portion. Haven't had it suck up in a couple of seasons of riding with them, but it's good to consider.

Also, I would expect/hope the SKS fender mounts to unclip (as designed) if there were a serious bunch-up between the tire and fender. <fingers crossed>

I think that the topic has drifted into a new thread... but I suppose you're never too young to run fenders!

Tying youth & fenders back together... I haven't reinstalled the fenders yet for the rainy season. Monday morning it was raining, so we commuted by train and bus instead of the tandem. My pre-teen stoker, in her best soon-to-be-teen voice, said "Dad, will you PLEASE put the fenders on before it rains again." :)

-Greg

NewbieIATandem

10-28-05, 08:02 PM

Don't worry about are you too young. We are late 39 and 41 ourselves. I think some of the stats from the rallies may be a bit skewed. These are "generally" people who have been riding at least a while and are "serious" about riding. It is also easier for the "older" set to get away for a few days, a week, because most of them do not have young'uns at home they need to find care for or have to figure out how to take them along. That is one of the reasons we are just now getting into tandeming. Our kids are 11 and 13 now and we can leave them or take them with us more easily.

But basically, other than curious about what the average is, just enjoy it and don't worry if you fit someone elses definition of normal.

TandemGeek

10-28-05, 09:47 PM

I think some of the stats from the rallies may be a bit skewed.

Actually, the bigger rallies like MTR, ETR, and NWTR do provide an interesting cross section of the folks who are both very active and semi-active tandem riders. Moreover, while rally attendance may provide for a very skewed population, an equally skewed population has taken part in a few Web-based survey's I've created over the years that included members of forums like Tandem@Hobbes, BikeForums, Double_Forte, VTT, Tandem Fahren, etc... and they have similar bell-shaped curves for ridership that parallel the rally data. The results from one of these more recent survey's taken back in late 2003 - January 2004 included the team age question (it was #5) and they can still be viewed at this URL: http://www.opinionpower.com/results.cgi?id=149012009

However, your general observation about the "gap" that often times occurs in tandem ridership -- and I'm deliberate about my use of ridership vs. ownership since so few tandems sold are ridden very much -- is because couples who may have acquired a tandem early in their relationship do go on to have families and cycling gives way to other demands and non-cycling activities. Obviously, the exception are young couples where one or both are active cyclists who discover tandeming and keep cycling as a central part of their family and social activities (Jay Hardcastle of RTR & Hobbes, Mel Kornbluh of Tandems East, as well as Mark Johnson of Precision Tandems fits this model), or couples who simply decide to forego families and embrace tandeming as a life-long recreational or social pursuit. Families that are able to raise children while staying actively involved in cycling tend to also be the exception and not the rule.

However, getting back to your comments about rallies and serious tandem teams, in many respects it is the couples and families who discover major cycling and tandem events like RAGBRAI in Iowa, BRAG in Georgia, the Hilly 100 in Indiana, and the Midwest Tandem Rally and who make them a regular part of their annual social calendars that "seem" to remain more active as tandem cyclists along with the folks who are competitive racers. While there are certainly many other tandem owners out there who ride their tandems who never attend any kind of cycling event, it's hard to capture much information regarding their habits UNLESS they belong to a forum like this or attend events where demographic data is captured.

Anyway, as always, it's not what you ride, where you ride, when you ride, or who you ride with that matters... so long as you get out and ride.

Nachoman

10-30-05, 08:47 PM

My wife and I really got into tandem riding as a secondary consequence of having children. We both love biking and the tandem was a natural progression after the kids bike seats and trai-a-bike. Now that the kids are 9 and 12 and seem to have a will of their own (darnit), the wife and I tandem together even more when the kids choose to do other activities. But for years, it would be a couple captains in their 40s with a couple stoker children.

mrfish

12-05-05, 01:10 PM

I am just 30 and my wife is 28. After cycling together for almost ten years we just bought a tandem to ride together as a birthday present.

I can completely agree with the comments that few young couples ride tandems. Lots of people on our local group rides have flash carbon bikes (us included), but none of the others own a tandem. Thinking about it, it's a bit odd as the couples obviously have the money and often get split up on the hills. I can understand why tandems don't really get a look in compared with the 'buy new wheels, go faster' message pedalled by the magazines and dealers keen to sell people what they first ask for, while people of our age are generally trying to keep up with ruinous mortgage payments brought on by moving to a larger house or are still saving for their first house, paying student debts, financing a decent car, thinking about a pension (but probably not doing anything about it because of the former points) or having babies.

Part of the problem is critical mass, pricing and dealer support. Anecdotally the shop we bought our tandem from got 3 tandems in at the start of the year as they wanted one for the shop guys to play with and thought the others would sell. The others didn't as they were too big for the shop so lived in the warehouse until they were advertised on the website for a good reduction, after which they went in a few weeks. This is probably true in general as I've never seen a tandem in the flesh at a bike shop in London, and have never seen one on any of the many local group rides I've done.

There is definitely a cost-related issue here as people happy to spend £2000 on a bike normally have it in their head that £2000 buys top-end components and so have a mental block on getting mid-range items for that money (I did). This is stupid as the £2500 that Trek will charge in '06 for an Al+Carbon fork+Ultegra tandem is less than twice what they charge for a similar single bike, and the same shop has absolutely no problem shifting Carbon Cervelos Colnagos, Lightweight wheels and custom-made Titanium frames at vast expense.

It comes down to the fact that if nobody brings a tandem on the group ride, nobody spreads the word, and also nobody gets to test ride their friends' bikes. Illustratively as soon as we had it parked outside the house, our non-cycling neighbour came to chat and within 10 minutes had arranged for a test ride round the local park! He never did that with my C40! I'm looking forward to doing a bit of spreading the word on the next group ride, as well as jamming up some hills in the big ring, which should sort out the myths about tandems being slow. Maybe we'll have a few tandemists with us by the middle of next year?

Andrew

ou98dtbiggs

12-06-05, 10:47 AM

Captain 30 Stoker 28 Well I was tryingto reply to the member out there from Baltimore. This past summer, I bought a tandem for my girlfriend and I. This was a bold move, but I bought it for two reasons, the first was I thought it would be a way for us to ride together. I had bought Jenny a bike in December and she rode it a couple of times, but she didn't really want to ride unless I was with her. I had some hard times riding with her, because she had a hard time stoping and using her shifters. Jenny is very athletic so I thought the tandem would be the way to go. Tandems have good resale so I felt I didn't have much to loose. We barrowed a Sanntanna Novelta which was a great bike, way too expensive to buy, but got us into tandeming, then 2months later I got the a Tsunami Ti Boom for a good deal the bike was stiffer then the Santanna and more comfy for her. We have gotten better as a team and she MADE us finish a century in September, that I had planned for us to only ride the metric. With her athletic ability we are able to do hills pretty good, we just have to work on the circles to be faster on the flats. Other younger Tandem riders in the DC area come out and play!