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09-19-08, 05:32 PM
Well, after about 16,000 kilometers and over four years of fairly concerted tandem riding (averaging just under 4,000 km each year), I finally crashed the tandem. We were making a fast (I'd say 35 kmh), sweeping turn at a moderately-busy intersection just outside of town when the front wheel just washed out. My first reaction (after total surprise) was to be completely pissed off - at the road design (slightly off-camber), debris on the road, unreliability of Continental tires, my imperfect line, etc. I got up right away with only a mild rash on the side of my knee and torn tights, but my stoker coulnd't stand up. She had a huge hematoma on the left hip and had to be driven to the hospital by passersby for x-rays (no broken bones). She has spent the last couple of days at home in bed, but she is retired, so no working commitments. I guess the body is more easily damaged after age 60?
I found the previous posts on tandem crashes on this list and they were very instructive. I note that people have already observed that in a tandem crash, the stoker usually gets the worst of it. One more reason I would like to add to the list of why the pilot has a higher survivability rate is that the rear handlebars act like "crash bars" and protect the pilot's hip. I have crashed enough times on the single (don't you just hate this stupid, arrogant, and demeaning term "half-bike?") to know that the hip usually gets it at least as bad as the knee, but in this tandem crash, although the tights were "melted" at the hip from road friction, the shorts underneath were completely intact, and the skin under the shorts showed only signs of scratching and mild bruising. Hardly any broken skin.
Just to let you know what happened: As we entered the turn with the bike leaned over, the front tire hit some unseen debris that caused a pinch puncture (judging from looking at the tube) that immediately let all the air out of the tire, or enough to cause deformation sufficient to lose all traction at the front. I didn't even know the front tire was punctured until after the crash when I picked up the bike and noticed the tire was flat. All I remember during the crash was that we were suddenly rolling/sliding on the edge of the rim just before the wheel gave away. Before the ride, I knew that the front tire had a very, very slow leak, as I had to inflate it about four strokes more than the rear tire with the floor pump, but I didn't think it would lose enough pressure during a 1.5-hour ride to allow a pinch puncture to occur (front and rear are typically aired to 120 lbs).
Well, this serves as a good lesson about the additional level of safety required in driving a tandem, and I'm sure it will make me a slightly better pilot in the future. This is also a good argument for eschewing lightweight tront tires. I am beginning to realize that you need a bulletproof tire on the front of a tandem, none of these 200-gram racing clinchers. I was going to go 23mm front/25mm rear, but now I'm considering 25mm front and rear...
Luis
I found the previous posts on tandem crashes on this list and they were very instructive. I note that people have already observed that in a tandem crash, the stoker usually gets the worst of it. One more reason I would like to add to the list of why the pilot has a higher survivability rate is that the rear handlebars act like "crash bars" and protect the pilot's hip. I have crashed enough times on the single (don't you just hate this stupid, arrogant, and demeaning term "half-bike?") to know that the hip usually gets it at least as bad as the knee, but in this tandem crash, although the tights were "melted" at the hip from road friction, the shorts underneath were completely intact, and the skin under the shorts showed only signs of scratching and mild bruising. Hardly any broken skin.
Just to let you know what happened: As we entered the turn with the bike leaned over, the front tire hit some unseen debris that caused a pinch puncture (judging from looking at the tube) that immediately let all the air out of the tire, or enough to cause deformation sufficient to lose all traction at the front. I didn't even know the front tire was punctured until after the crash when I picked up the bike and noticed the tire was flat. All I remember during the crash was that we were suddenly rolling/sliding on the edge of the rim just before the wheel gave away. Before the ride, I knew that the front tire had a very, very slow leak, as I had to inflate it about four strokes more than the rear tire with the floor pump, but I didn't think it would lose enough pressure during a 1.5-hour ride to allow a pinch puncture to occur (front and rear are typically aired to 120 lbs).
Well, this serves as a good lesson about the additional level of safety required in driving a tandem, and I'm sure it will make me a slightly better pilot in the future. This is also a good argument for eschewing lightweight tront tires. I am beginning to realize that you need a bulletproof tire on the front of a tandem, none of these 200-gram racing clinchers. I was going to go 23mm front/25mm rear, but now I'm considering 25mm front and rear...
Luis