Hi. New to riding a tandem - but not new to riding. But, a few things. First, my husband is a much stronger rider than me and is more a fixie rider than anything. He hasn't ridden a road bike with gears in over 5 years. Second, I am heavier than my husband but shorter (we're on a trek T200 57/47). Third - we have a burley piccolo on the back.
OK, so today we went on a short ride (maybe 11ish miles) around an airport loop where we live. This is our 2nd ride on a tandem which we bought used on Craigslist a few months ago, Closed loop but you do have a few road crossings. We can't quite decide how to start. We usually both clip a foot in our pedals and then start pedaling together as I try like heck to get my left foot in. Does this sound right?
Also - not being able to see what I'm doing is driving me crazy!!!!!
How long did it take most stokers to feel comfortable? I'm still a bit stressed especially since we have our son on the back.
Sorry for the long post....

I can't reply from the stokers perspective, but my wife and I just started riding tandem about 6 weeks ago, and in that short time are feeling pretty big-headed about how far we've come with it. After about 450 miles, we're both having a blast on it, and my wife has quickly adapted to stoking.

We use The Proper Method (http://www.gtgtandems.com/tech/propmethod.html) for starting. It seemed a little scary to Pam at first, but we're pretty comfortable with it now. Stopping was initially a challenge for us, as she felt a little unstable as I got my foot down with both of hers clipped in, but I'm getting a lot better at it now, and she's beginning to trust that I'm not going to drop her.

Give it a few more rides. A short 11 mile cruise isn't nearly enough time to learn to work as a team. There was a great discussion out on Tandem@Hobbs (http://hobbes.ucsd.edu/tandem/hypermail/200603_Mar06/subject.html#start) last month about what new tandem teams should expect. Click the "sort by subject" link, and scroll down to the discussion entitled "Bought a tandem" for some great advice for newcomers. You'll see that the most common suggestion was that of communication between the captain and stoker.

Finally, Pam has found that stoking gives her greater freedom to see the sights than riding her single. Even though she can't see straight ahead, she doesn't need to concentrate on the road, and is constantly noticing things that we've ridden past hundreds of time and she has never seen before.

If you can make other arrangements, you might want to try to get a few rides in without the Piccolo before adding it back. From the captain's perspective, there is a lot of responsibility on my shoulders to not make any mistakes that are going to scare or hurt Pam. I imagine having a child riding behind would only increase any anxiety he might already be having over learning new skills.

Above all, have fun! My goal for our tandem is to avoid any situation (rain, cold, too many hills, too many miles too soon, etc.) that might make the ride not fun. If you do that, I think you'll find yourselves like us...feeling hooked on the joy of tandeming!

We can't quite decide how to start. We usually both clip a foot in our pedals and then start pedaling together as I try like heck to get my left foot in. Does this sound right?

Two schools of thought / practice on starts...

1. What you're doing, i.e., two left feet down and launch like you do a single bike, either off the saddles or with tippie-toes pointed. Stops are the reverse; both riders put left feet down as they come to a stop.

2. The "other way", which is best described as having the captain stand astride the tandem with brakes applied and steadying it, then having the stoker mount the tandem like a horse... putting both feet into the pedals while the captain holds the bike. If the captain needs some additional help steadying the tandem, he can rest his backside on the toptube (squating on the tandem, if you will) as the stoker mounts. Using this method, the stoker remains 'clipped-in' at every stop and start until such time as they intend to dismount the tandem for a break or at the end of the ride.

Note: being heavier and shorter shouldn't create a major balance issue. If you were the same height or taller, the tandem can become a bit more of a handful to balance.

Also - not being able to see what I'm doing is driving me crazy!!!!! How long did it take most stokers to feel comfortable? I'm still a bit stressed especially since we have our son on the back.

It varies from person to person... team to team. For many teams, each ride brings with it increased trust and familiarity with the nuances of tandemming... both for the captain and the stoker. The captain can accelerate the stoker's acclimation process by over-communicating at first... which is to say: suggest that he communicate what he's doing and what is happening -- shifts, braking, coasting, turning, bumps, "rugged road", etc. -- as if you were sight impaired (which, to a certain extent you are). Likewise, make sure acknowledge his efforts when they work well (reinforcing the practice) and likewise, tell him when you need more information, e.g., "how'z about calling out bumps like that BEFORE we hit them?". You should also tell him when you're doing things that require you to move your upper torso before you actually do it, like "checking on our stokid!" or "drinking" (then reach for the water bottle). Your movements will cause the tandem to move and by letting your captain know what you're up to, he won't be as likely to over-correct to surprize movements. Communications is a two-way strett.

Over time, a lot of the simple things like shifting, braking, etc. should start to become intuitive things that you can anticipate based on your pedalling rhythm and pedal feedback.

You can find more tips for new tandem teams here:
http://www.blayleys.com/articles/tandem/index.htm

and of course here:
http://www.thetandemLink.com/LearningCenter.html

Regarding starting, my stokers leave their feet in the clips all the time. After the first 3 rides, I got the feel for what gear I needed to be in (a little lower than I would have on a single). I have my right foot down at a stop light (sign, etc) with my left still clipped in. We take off and I clip in naturally after a couple pedal revolutions. The only time we have trouble is starting on an uphill when I haven't geared down enough.

Regarding not being able to see: it took a few times out for my stoker to be comfortable, however, she is very confident of my piloting abilities. I inform my stokers of turns and bumps, but they often say something like "yeah, I know." My wife was not much of a cyclist prior to the tandem and when on a single, she gets very nervous about traffic and gear shifting and things. She is much more comfortable leaving these things to me. Not needing to see allows her to wear non-prescription sunglasses or no glasses at all. She can also check out the scenary, watch the sky, watch for cross and rear traffic. As long as I'm piloting, she's even comfortable riding at night.

Also - not being able to see what I'm doing is driving me crazy!!!!!


One thing you should never do: rubbernecking left and right to see around him. That will throw the bike right and left, and even if he keeps it in control – he should – it will destabilise it just enough to make your ride squirrelly. Then you'll complain that he's not a good pilot and he'll complain that he gets tired quickly.

Gee Michel - you been talking to my husband?

Not yet. But on one hand I have one superb 10-year-old stoker and one almost as well trained 6-year-old stoker. And I really feel the difference when it's one of their friends that stokes instead of my own. Much less stability, much more tiredness.

. . . yeah, and *communication* is a big issue! Realize you can't see from 'back there' so if captain informs you what he will be doing (shifting, braking, slowing, stopping, coasting, etc) you will be more in tune of what going on. Relax, don't peek around the captain or do the hula back there or try to 'help' with the steering!
And 4 weeks from now you'll be a lot more comfortable as a team. Practic, practice . . .
Enjoy the ride TWOgether!
Rudy and Kay/zonatandem

I am a short stoker behind a large, or so he seems, Pilot. One thing a stoker does not want to do is wriggle about trying to see round the pilot, but one thing that has evolved naturally for us is that the Pilot sits slightly to the right and I sit slightly to the left. I can look over his shoulder, not much but I can see a bit in front of me. Another thing we have learnt is communication. Not only from the pilot to the stoker, but if the stoker is going to look behind for traffic- Communicate. If the stoker is reaching for the bottle- communicate. if the stoker is going to do anything- communicate.

Now on the starting. Use whichever way you are comfortable with. We use the right foot clipped in, left on the ground method, and when starting- I get seated as soon as possible. I don't worry about getting the left foot clipped in till we have done a few turns on the pedals, and if either of us have a problem by then, we stop pedalling and clip in then.
I have tried the stoker clipped in with both feet and neither of us like it. Use whichever system you are comfortable with and realise that it does not come naturally overnight.

I can't really add much to the discussion that hasn't already been said. I am also 50% of a newbie Tandem team. We bought ours, albeit maybe stupidly, while my wife was first pregnant. Got a little bit of riding and now am just waiting for the doctor to say she is cleared to ride again.

But I have to ask... 11 mile airport loop. BWI? Just curious.

-D