Tandem Question (or two)

[oldcrank]

Thinking about a Tandem for the Mrs. and myself this spring. I've seen tandem sprints on the track, but I'm not that familiar with them on the road for recreational riding. A few questions, if you don't mind the initial ignorance:

1. I'm a little over 6-feet, my wife is a little under 5-feet (4'11"). Is this too much of a discrepency in size for tandem riders riding the same frame?

2. How is the workload distributed between the two riders? Can gears be selected that could place 60% (or so) of the workload with one rider and, say, 40% (or so) with the other? She's tiny, I'm pretty big -- I don't think she would enjoy a 50/50 workload. I'm not sure how this works.

3. And the most stupid question of all: What does the rear rider "see" when they're cycling -- the back of the front rider? Do they have to look around the front cyclist, or to the side to see anything? I'm curious about this, especially considering our size differences.

I know it's a lot to ask. I just want to know if we would be able to consider this, or if it's pretty much out of the question for us. Been a life-long rider myself, but dumb as a stump when it comes to tandems. If we'd be good to go, then I'd take it from here.

[lmzimmer]

I'll take a crack at these- I am sure others will have more to add.
#1. I think this is possible- even small children can ride with an adult- a good tandem dealer can help with this.
#2. Although there are special drive systems that allow each rider to pedal/coast at there own level in reality it works out if one rides more agressively than the other. The more agressive rider just expends more effort. Matching cadence is more important than effort- a single rider can pedal the tandem if need be.
#3. My stoker looks at whatever she wants including the surrounding scenery, sometimes on steep hills just closes her eyes and goes 100% on the pedaling. Some put cameras in the pilots jersey and take pictures. Even though fear of the potential scenery may put off some,the captain(pilot) is the one who who often cannot look around as much as they want- I find that piloting the tandem takes more concentration than riding my single and therefore watch the road more closely.
Good luck

[galen_52657]

I think an X/S (extra-large/small) Cannondale would fit.

The workload is never 50/50 unless both riders have the same ability, or the stronger rider is slacking off. The gear selection has nothing to do with the division of labor. I would say it is 80/20 or 70/30 most of the time. Hopefully, both team members work to their ability.

Some stokers get tired of looking at the captain's back, but they also get to look left and right and point out stuff. If the stoker is constantly moving left or right to look around to the front, it makes steering the bike difficult.

[zonatandem]

The Co-Motion Periscope tandem would be ideal for a size combination of 6 ft and 'almost' 5 foot tall.
Ultra adjustable design (seatpost-within-a-seatpost), has adjustable stoker stem and for a bit extra cost, an adjustable pilot stem too. Can be ordered in 26 inch or 700c wheelsize (same price).
Tandem riding is about teamwork, not one rider overpowering the other. You will develop a compromise pace that is amenable to both of you (or you won't have a tandem team!).
With your height difference, stoker will definitely not see over the top of you, even if you ride in the drops. However, stoker does get to look to the left/right and can enjoy scenery more than pilot can as she is not burdened with issues like steering/shifting/braking/traffic.
BTW there is no such thing as a 'dumb question!'
There are independent pedaling systems available but add to the price; daVinci tandems has a great system for 'independent' pedaling.
Do your research, ride a few tandems and then decide!
Pedal on!
Rudy and Kay/zonatandem

[just me]

1. ...discrepency in size for tandem riders riding the same frame? Best advice we received was go to a Tandem Specific Dealer. I don't think the size is a problem.

2. How is the workload distributed ...answered well already

3. And the most important question of all: What does the rear rider "see" ......The first 200 miles of riding my wife/stoker complained that the bike felt like it was leaning all the time and I was having a devil of a time dealing with keeping the bike upright????? What we discovered was that she was leaning around me to see what was coming!! With more practice, trust and a lot of communication we were able to overcome this. The Stoker will normally see alot more than the captain, just not what is in front. It is my responsibility to keep her informed of what she cannot see.
.

Getting a tandem has been a wonderful experience for us. We are able to spend more time together, communicate better and just plain have a lot of fun. Be sure and read as much as you can, I would recommend starting with Sheldon Browns website http://sheldonbrown.com/tandem.html and TandemGeeks website http://www.thetandemlink.com/

Jack

[TandemGeek]

1. I'm a little over 6-feet, my wife is a little under 5-feet (4'11"). Is this too much of a discrepency in size for tandem riders riding the same frame? Not at all. In general you find a tandem that fits the captain properly and then apply one of two different schools of thought on sizing a tandem for your stoker. This thread asked a similar question to yours and addresses the various issues: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=116031&highlight=tandem+size+stoker+horse

2. How is the workload distributed between the two riders? Can gears be selected that could place 60% (or so) of the workload with one rider and, say, 40% (or so) with the other? She's tiny, I'm pretty big -- I don't think she would enjoy a 50/50 workload. I'm not sure how this works.Power distribution on a tandem is analogous to being on a tug of war team; everyone put's forth their best effort to achieve the net sum of power and it's infinitely variable

3. And the most stupid question of all: What does the rear rider "see" when they're cycling -- the back of the front rider? Do they have to look around the front cyclist, or to the side to see anything? I'm curious about this, especially considering our size differences.Everything to the left and right of their captain's back with no worries about focusing on the road ahead. When riding side-by-side with other teams, stokers tend to spend most of their time talking to each other much as they would in the back seat of a car.

More articles for first time tandem shoppers / owners can be found here:
http://www.thetandemlink.com/LearningCenter.html#anchor356041

[Old Hammer Boy]

FYI, we often ride our M/S Cannondale with a team that approximates your sizes. They ride a Cannondale X/S. They have ridden across the entire U.S. on that bike, and a few months ago came in 2nd in their division at LotoJa, a 211 mile race between Logan, Utah and Jackson, Wy. Their time was 32 seconds short of 13 hours. Bottom line; You should be able to find a good fit.

[oldcrank]

Thank you very much for the responses. I am currently in the middle of a road bike rebuild for my wife, and the tandem idea struck (there's a very active tandem rider from the UK that posts in the over 50+ section). I will look into the resources mentioned above, along with the suggested companies.

We live in an urban, center city east-coast town and would more than likely want to transport the tandem out of the area for rides. I'm not sure if a trunk-mount bike rack would work considering the length of the tandem sticking out from each side of the car -- but I'll find out the answer to that along the way.

Thank you again. I think we will enjoy tandem riding much more than individual bikes.

[ElRey]

1): A size L/S will probably work;
2): it don't work that way! She can sit there and do nothing if she wants;
3): she sees your glutes.

[stapfam]

I will warn you that Tandems are not for everyone. Some cannot get used to being Stoker with no control over brakes or steering. Then there are the two different riding styles on cadence, power input and length of riding. Tandem riding will initially be a compromise, but the best rule I have used is that the stoker is the boss. She/he dictates the cadence, the gears, the speed, and when you stop. I know this will cause a problem to the more powerful rider, but it is pointless the strong rider putting in all the effort to carry the stoker. If that happens- the pilot gets tired very quickly.
Normally the stoker wants a lower cadence and this is fine. Stay in the higher gear and you just put in your power. As you power up- speed goes up- cadence goes up and the stoker wants a higher gear. Then the pilot is in too low a gear, so power up, speed up, change down and start all again. Painfull I know, but gradually the stoker gets a higher cadence, the pilot comes down and it works.
This normally takes about 3 months/500miles of riding but at the end of this time- you wonder what the fuss was about. Then you can start learning how to ride the damn thing properly.--Tandems are not easy.

On the point that the weaker rider will not put in the effort. They do !!!! I am our weaker rider but if Stuart, my pilot, has a different stoker, even a more powerful one- The tandem stops working. OK- they can go faster, but only for a short way. Then the lack of tandem expertise notices. My co-pilot did a ride a couple of months ago on his solo and he is fit. He was the first up the hills in the group, he was the fastest on the flat, downhill he was markedly slower as he did not have the Tandem stability. What he said though was that he really had to work his solo- he did not have the turbo on the back and he was glad the ride was only 30 miles. On the tandem, not that he comes down on effort, his effort seems to achieve more.

As I say- Tandems are not for everyone, so try a hire for a couple of hours initially. Providing you have not got a divorce after that time. Look around for your new Tandem and come back to us before you buy for any advice needed.

That tandem rider on the 50+ forum

[lmzimmer]

I'm not sure if a trunk-mount bike rack would work considering the length of the tandem sticking out from each side of the car --
We put our tandem on the back of a Subaru with a hitch mounted rack- it is still not as wide as the mirrors. we use a couple of bungee cords to prevent sway- works well. Again good luck- try a test ride or two before you buy.