Tandem Newbie Steering Question

[Retro Rider]

Just got our first tandem - a used 96 Trek T200 with what seems like really low miles.

Bought it sight-unseen so I just took it out for a solo test ride.

Everything seems great but the steering is a little odd to me as a single bike rider and complete tandem neophyte.

The steering almost seems notched. Bike tracks perfectly straight ahead, but to steer I need to use more handle bar than hips as I am used to. It only seems odd that there seems to be an "Inertial" point that i need to cross in order to turn the bar.

The headset seems fine and smooth when not under load. Took it apart and it has what seems to be correct number of bearings and all the races are smooth and not brinelled.

Is this a common feeling that will eventually seem normal, or do I need to pursue this further?

[Ginny]

Never been on one yet, also buying mine new but unseen.
Since yours is used, I'd take it to a bike shop and have them give it a full tune up.
Even if nothing is wrong, a used bike should have a tune up.

FWIW,

[TandemGeek]

Assuming there truly wasn't any brinelling on the upper or lower headset's bearings & races and that the fork isn't bent (tough to do with the older steel Trek tandem forks), in all likelihood, it's the combination of:

(1) being a first-time tandem ride... noting that a bike with a 6' wheelbase will always feel "weird" compared to a bike with a 3' wheelbase,
(2) doing so without a stoker aboard which shifts the center of gravity well forward of where it "should" be and places the majority of your weight on the front wheel, and
(3) steering geometry that is also quite different from your single bike, particularly in regard to how it responds to countersteering inputs while attempting to "carve turns at speed", i.e., some brands of tandems are more prone to understeer than others... older Treks would fall into this category.

A brinelled headset on a tandem feels just like it does on a single bike and it doesn't take too many miles of use with a mis-adjusted or underlubricated headset to precipitate brinelling. So, it if truly feels "notched" instead of heavy or sluggish, then I would still consider the headset suspect and recheck both the upper and lower bearings... as well as making sure if a bearing retainer is used that it was installed with the proper orientation.

However, that said, I would still be more inclined to believe that you may find that the handling will be improved on subsequent rides and with a stoker aboard. The more you ride the tandem the less weird it will feel and by adding a stoker you’ll shift the center of gravity back such that the majority of the rider/bike weight is biased towards the rear wheel vs. the rear.

Keep us posted.

[Elton]

Eye up the frame, make sure it's straight... that could cause problems with the steering. Other than that, yes, it will steer differently, since it has a much longer wheelbase. This will cause the bike to make wider turns, and therefor make more use of the bars at low speeds. The faster you go however, as with normal bikes, the more you can use your body to lean the bike into turns.

Matt

[cornucopia72]

(2) doing so without a stoker aboard which shifts the center of gravity well forward of where it "should" be and places the majority of your weight on the front wheel....

+1 We have a triplet and when I take out by myself to check drlr adjustment etc.... I have to remind myself that the steering is going to feel really weird

[twilkins9076]

I'm in agreement with everything that's been said above. Put your stoker on and give it some miles. You're probably OK. Our tandem handles so differently with just a captain on board that I've been known to ask Pam to hop on while I take it around the block after making adjustments.

The other thing is that at slow speeds, it does take a lot of handlebar steering to get those suckers around a tight corner, and at real slow speeds, ours does feel odd enough that you might think it's brinnelled if that's the only exposure you had to it.

[Retro Rider]

Thanks for all the input and advice.

I think I may have figured out the "notch" issue...

The barrel adjuster for the cantilevers is the kind that attaches to a mount from the headset.

I think in shipping (or before they sold it to me...benefit of the doubt goes to the former)the barrel got pretty bent(about 60 degrees). I think the cables may have been catching on the barrel thus creating the "Catch" I felt as a notch I had to pass in order to steer.

Getting a replacement soon and then heading out again.

Can't believe I missed that on "Pre-flight"... brake worked well though. Could have been a pretty catastrophic failure though.

[stapfam]

One thing I would do with any new second hand bike- but Tandems in particular- Is get the wheels checked out for spoke tension. Tandem put a lot of stress on the wheels and it is always good to be sfe than sorry.

[zonatandem]

When folks first ride a tandem . . . solo or duo . . . there will be some handling issues that are different from riding a single. If there are no mechanical issues, then a few practice rides will cure that.
We've ridden many tandem brands/models and there are some distinct differences in handling/riding some of them, just like on different brands/models of singles.
Practice, patience!