Tandem Cycling - Newbie saying hi and looking for info

My wife and I just bought our first tandem. An '03 Burley Duet with Continental Duraskin +K tires (30 miles) and looking forward to putting some miles on it.

I'm 5'11, my wife 5'2, so rather than getting a custom bike made for our height differences (we were on a budget) we found a medium Burley and it seems to fit the bill.

Questions: With combined weight of 385 are the duraskins alright?

Also, is there a link that could explain details of shoes, cleats and what fits what? I need a complete unbiased tutorial.

We'd like mountain bike shoes so we don't slip and kill ourselves when we get off and walk around on rides, but at 205 lbs, the bike shop guy said that me in a mountain bike shoe on a smaller platform pedal might be a lot of pressure on such a small platform pedal. Do they make an inexpensive mtn bike pedal with larger platform and inexpensive shoes that fit? My wife has really wide feet and a pair of Specialized Taho mtn bike shoes actually fit her, unlike the sleek, thin road shoes.

That's it for now. I'll try to attach a picture.

Any help you could provide would be greatly appreciated.

greetings & welcome. perhaps you would also have good luck with Continental GP 4-Season tires as well.

Thanks for the info on the tires. Do "heavy" riders need to look for different tires? Any advice on the shoes/pedals?

Welcome to the forum. The contis duraskin 700X28 are fine.... we use them on the triplet with a 480 lb team. We use speedplay frog pedals, they are effortless to get in and out and provide side play which is very easy on the knees.

I disagree with the argument that the small size of the pedal can be a problem. When the Shimano SPD system first became common, a number of people complained that the small pedal caused a lot of pressure on one spot on the bottom of their feet, and was responsible for "hot spots," and numbness and pain at that location. Owing to the rigidity of the sole of the shoes, I doubted that the pressure caused by pedaling could be so concentrated, and I felt the problem was more likely caused by the design of the shoes, or some defect of some feet.

When the SPD-R systems were introduced, one argument used in their favor, was that the large pedal platform was more stable, and that "rocking" at the shoe/pedal interface was prevented to a greater degree.

It seems to me that both systems work just fine for riders in normal strength/weight classes, perhaps up to 250 pounds or so.

Perhaps around five years ago, I thought that the Ritchey Series SPD MTB pedals provided exceptional value. I bought three or four sets. 130 full-power runs up the local big hill, plus some other riding (this was road use with no jumps), broke a pedal spindle. I didn't fall. There was a weak point in the design that was prone to failure. I switched to lower-end, double-sided Shimano SPD pedals ( I remember them as being PD-537 pedals), and I have had no problems. It seems to me that quality pedals from a reliable manufacturer, in any system, should work for you.

Given your team weight, and reasonable road quality in your area, 28mm tires should work for you.

You guys are great with all this information. Thanks so much.

"When the SPD-R systems were introduced, one argument used in their favor, was that the large pedal platform was more stable, and that "rocking" at the shoe/pedal interface was prevented to a greater degree."
Do these fit mtn bike shoes and are they the small 4 bolt rectangular pattern I've seen?

FWIW, my stoker switched from these (M520):



To these (A520):



Both SPD. She uses a Sidi shoe. However she said the A520 feels much nicer.

Welcome to the world of riding 'TWOgether'!
You picked a good tandem for your first ride! Tires/pedals should do just fine.
If it ain't broken, don't fix it unless you got a lotsa $$ burning a hole in your pocket.
For the same reason that you picked mt. bike shoes, we pick touring shoes/toeclips . . . no slippin' 'n slidin'!
Now go out and ride some more!
Pedal on!
Rudy and Kay/zonatandem

When my husband and I rode we were a heavier team (started at close to 400lbs, but you don't stay that high if you tandem a lot.:-) ) I went out and looked and yes, we were using the Continental Duraskins 700x28s, and they must have taken us thousands of miles. My husband used Speedplay lollipop pedals on his road bike, but on the tandem went with MTB shoes and Speedplay frogs. I have touring shoes and frogs for both the tandem and my road bike. The MTB shoes work much better for touring when wandering through the Cathedrals and castles.

Thanks guys for all the shoe/pedal advice. I've been out of town for a week on business and leave Monday for a week long reunion so sorry I didn't get back sooner. I didn't want to come off as ignoring anyone.

After we get the saddle situation rectified I'll start looking for pedals and shoes.

+1 on the cheap vs genuine component question - I always thought my generic taiwanese pedals were a bit rubbish, then rode some XT SPDs and found out that the Shimano release and engagement works about 10x better (and my friend rides his bike until components die then replaces them whereas I try to take reasonable care of mine).

All that said, in my view unless you are planning going hiking in bike shoes, then road shoes and pedals are better for riding on the road. Having used new/ old Time, Look, SPD MTB, SPD road, SPD generics, Speedplay and SPDR pedals I think Time road pedals are the all-round best so far. I would recommend them highly as although not best in any one area they are very cheap, bombproof, pretty much maintenance free, have walkable cleats, secure pedal platform and engage and release nicely. You can also colour them in with a sharpie marker to match your bike if you so desire.

Thanks for the info on the tires. Do "heavy" riders need to look for different tires?


At least as important as type of tires would be size of tires. Heavier riders are more likely to get pinch flats. So you either need to run high tire pressures, or go to wider tires.

At 400lbs, I think you'd be pushing your luck with 25c's. 28c's will probably be fine. If you want an extra cushion (literally) and the ability to run a little lower pressure, for amore comfortable ride you could go to 32c. (I know our Burley had the clearence for 32c's and even wider.)

Welcome Rancho5.
We are a 440 lb. team (Captain, 230 lbs.) on a 1997 Duet with 700x28c Specialized All Condition Armadillos, and after 1,000 miles, no flats/defects. Love 'em.
BTW - we enjoyed riding in your neck of the woods last year - especially the Enchanted Circle out of Taos, with overnight in Red River! Had the best empanadas ever in Questa. We are seriously considering moving to NM.

Welcome Rancho
I've had good luck with Speed play pedals and carbon shoes, My stoker is happy with Crank Brothers egg beater pedals and lake mtb shoes. The eggbeaters are cheap , around 49 bucks. I also have had good luck with Conti Gaterskins tires. We run the 28s, they give a little softer ride. I like the fact that if you have a blowout on a 28 you have a few more seconds to get the bike stopped.. Good Luck with your tandem experiance