I am 83 kg (183 lbs) and usually ride with my 54 kg wife. Yesterday I took an 80 kg male stoker from our cycling club for a spin on our Co-Mo Mocha. The ride was in a closed cycling loop in Buenos Aires with only cycling traffic (Circuito KDT).
We could move pretty well, 35-40 km/hr (22-25 MPH) cruising, 34 km/hr average in spite of some slow loops, maybe 2-4 MPH faster than with my wife. We rode alone most of the 40 km ride, some of the time we would get behind a group, but eventually we would get bored and pass them. Sometimes we were pulling riders who when asked to pull would not take the challenge. Only a fast pack of four riders would pass us plus the occasional triathlete.
However it takes getting used to a heavier stoker, bike handles quite differently, and the extra stoking power made it harder to stay smooth behind a pace line. Stopping and starting would work OK, but I had to be more on guard. Not quite sure of myself enough to try open roads with Buenos Aires car traffic with this new stoker.
Fun, but more fun with my wife, who lately has been finding lots of excuses to skip a ride. Maybe she would have less excuses if I took on another dainty lady rather than a fellow.
brewer45
05-14-08, 09:12 AM
Along with being a captain, I'm also a linguist. Apologies in advance for the following grammatical corrections:
Maybe she would have fewer ("excuses" is a countable noun, i.e. 1 excuse, 2 excuses, and therefore requires the quantity modifier "fewer" rather than the non-count modifier "less," which is properly used with uncountable nouns like water, air, sand, etc.) excuses if I took on another approach that made rides more enjoyable for her (not really a grammatical error--more of a symantic preference...).
Cheers!
Hermes
05-14-08, 09:32 AM
Maybe she would have less excuses if I took on another dainty lady rather than a fellow.
:eek::eek: :banned: :backpedal: :P
TandemGeek
05-14-08, 09:42 AM
Along with being a captain, I'm also a linguist.
How'z your grammar in Xanti Andia's native tongue, noting English is most likely a second language for our good friend from Buenos Aires, Argentina?
merlinextraligh
05-14-08, 10:21 AM
How'z your grammar in Xanti Andia's native tongue, noting English is most likely a second language for our good friend from Buenos Aires, Argentina?
I was thinking the same thing. Moreover the OP is at least as well composed as half of the posts from native english speakers.
Xanti Andia
05-14-08, 10:38 AM
Along with being a captain, I'm also a linguist. .....if I took on another approach that made rides more enjoyable for her (not really a grammatical error--more of a symantic preference...).[/I]
Cheers!
Thanks TG for arguing my defense, but I stand corrected on both counts, particularly on the thought of making the rides more enjoyable to my favorite stoker! It is a challenge, we are in a large city, stoker seems to enjoy morning rides no longer than 60 km, 30 km range from our city apartment does not get us out of the city for the most part, and morning rides are hard to work into our schedule. Our club rides are at night or late afternoon or some whole day affairs which push my stoker beyond her comfort range / patience. Not sure what part of her turns off after 60 km, used to be the seat, but now it is more of a general shutdown, maybe she needs to eat along the way.
swc7916
05-14-08, 10:44 AM
The incorrect use of the word "less" when "fewer" should be used is one of my pet peeves (even advertisers do it - how many foods have you seen advertised as having "less calories"?), however I'm with Tandemgeek on this one. Besides, a lot of my grammatical errors are typing mistakes and I wouldn't want to be called on all of them.
brewer45
05-14-08, 11:06 AM
<font = hanging by my heels out a window>
I offer a complete and utter retraction. The imputation was totally without basis in fact and was in no way fair comment and was motivated purely by malice, and I deeply regret any distress that my comments may have caused you or your family, and I hereby undertake not to repeat any such slander at any time in the future.
</font>
And I have the greatest respect for bi-lingual folks. Sometimes my brain just fires that way.
:beer:
Cheers!
TandemGeek
05-14-08, 11:10 AM
Thanks TG for arguing my defense, but I stand corrected on both counts,
True, but as someone who doesn't usually even proofread my own posts -- often times tapped out rather quickly -- I take quietly take umbrage when something posted to the net is clearly well-written with perhaps a few typos or errors and a reader feels compelled to point out the error for no other reason other than nit-picking. I don't believe brewer45 was being mean-spirited; however, I also don't believe he realized his faux paux.
However, in this instance it rubbed me the wrong way as it reminds me of the story about the American tourist who, while visiting Greece, attempts to get directions from a native. The native attempts to communicate in Greek, French, German and Italian but the American only speaks English. Frustrated, the American walks away and mutters to their travelling companion, "Can you believe that... he couldn't even speak English".
Anyway, on-topic now...
In some tandem circles, riding with a stoker other than your spouse is tatamount to an extra-marital affair as it invites all kinds of anxieties and bad feelings, not to mention unintended future comparisons that can REALLY get you in all kinds of trouble. Again, it's almost analogous to those touchy discussions about intimate relationships where experiences with a past partner inadvertently slip out, e.g., Captain: "Holy smokes, I don't remember this hill being that hard to climb the last time I rode it!" Stoker: "You mean that time you rode it with HER?!".
Xanti Andia
05-14-08, 01:52 PM
<font = hanging by my heels out a window>
and I hereby undertake not to repeat any such slander at any time in the future.
</font>
Cheers!
Slander? Noooo! a useful correction, which I appreciate as intended. No worries mate, if I had never been corrected on my English I would never have learnt what I know. I even went to the dictionary for the word "symantic" in your post and did not find it, Ï suppose you meant "semantic" right? Or might it be linguist's jargon?
uspspro
05-14-08, 02:31 PM
Perhaps his spelling was corrupted by this company:
http://www.symantec.com/index.jsp
;)
brewer45
05-14-08, 02:52 PM
LOL. Guilty as charged. Semantic. Not Syntactic.
Cheers!
zonatandem
05-14-08, 05:24 PM
Xanti: suggest an occasional break with your favorite stoker . . . for coffee/snack/ice cream before getting back to pedaling . . . can work wonders!
The heaviest stoker I have ever captained for was pushing the 300-lb mark while I am a rather small 135. Do-able, but would not like it as a daily effort!
Have done many test rides with male/female stokers to teach the ins-and-outs of tandeming with the majority being weightier than I.
As far as language goes, English was my fifth language (the advantage/disadvantage of being a European!). True, many Americans do not have command of another tongue and they assume that everyone understands them; after all the speak " 'merican!"
Had an acquaintance that traveled to Mexico and upon her return stated " . . . them Mexicans can't even speak English!" My reply: "And how good is your Spanish?"
However, I don't mind having my utterances corrected, no matter what the language.
Pedal on TWOgether!
Rudy and Kay/zonatandem