Tandem Cycling - Stoker Symbiosis

My stoker ( we have been riding tandem for 20 years ) says her pedaling effort is directly linked to mine. Thus if she is getting tired, I need to back off or she cannot. We are interested if other teams have a similar relationship. I know some stokers are quite cable of easy pedaling while the captain is working hard from years of tandeming with my kids.

In terms of cadence, she's right. Based on my experiences, however, it is easy enough for the stoker to soft pedal and not put as much effort into the ride if she desires.

We have been tandeming for about 8 years. I've often thought that my stoker could pedal as hard or as easy as she desired (and so could I) regardless of how hard the other was working. My stoker is a single bike rider as well.

This weekend we did a 46 or so mile ride and I pushed myself pretty hard. Toward the end of the ride, she said that she was really spent - about ready to throw up. So maybe there is something to the point that each rider works up to the effort of the other (?).

Just speaking for our team, with 19 years of off and on riding on our C'dale, we generally match each others effort even on those times when we try not too...sounds a bit goofy but that's how it is for us.

Bill J.

We have been ridding tandem for about 15 years and we can "read" or feel the power that the other is putting into the pedals. Before or at the begging of each ride we talk about how we feel and what kind of ridding are we going to do. Unless one of us is hurt or does not feel well, we automatically try to match each other's effort. Aren't all mature teams like that?

Aside from deliberately agreeing aforehand on how hard to ride or having one rider sense the output of the other rider and try to match - isn't one of the advantages of a tandem is that each rider can pedal at their own effort (albeit at the same pace) but still ride together and each get as much workout as they desire?

I've always told non-tandemists this but it sounds like from our own experience and that of others that it is more likely that the team both stop and smell the roses or both ride hard????????

This is a very interesting thread. We're pretty new to tandeming, but we know that we have different metabolisms and aptitudes. Specifically I'm a sprinter and she's the EverReady Bunny. What this means is that once I'm warmed up I have more power than she, until I tire, and then she has more power than I. Or at least the ratio of available power levels changes. I need to work on not burning out prematurely and she is working on not pushing too hard just because I am pushing hard. She's found that if I'm in too low a gear for the power she can put into it, she lets up and pretty soon I drop to an easier gear, since with her pedalling more lightly (I don't think this is really soft-pedalling), I need to drop. So at least this early in the game we're trying to learn to deal with variable power ratios. I don't know how it will work out, so keep the responses coming. As many have said, it's all about teamwork, but I know that doesn't mean equal contribution. So I think this thread is all about whether and how much the ratio of contributions can be varied at will.

We have been ridding tandem for about 15 years and we can "read" or feel the power that the other is putting into the pedals. Before or at the begging of each ride we talk about how we feel and what kind of ridding are we going to do. Unless one of us is hurt or does not feel well, we automatically try to match each other's effort. Aren't all mature teams like that?
My stoker and I agree that we can both tell each others efforts. Her point is that she cannot ease up unless I ease up as well.

My stoker and I agree that we can both tell each others efforts. Her point is that she cannot ease up unless I ease up as well.

I hear you. I do not know if your stoker issue is asssociated with pain. I had cirgury in both my left hip and left knee in the last 8 months. Sometimes my knee hurts just by soft pedaling. I ask my stoker if I could reduce the cadence to a point the the pain is lessen...

I hear you. I do not know if your stoker issue is asssociated with pain. I had cirgury in both my left hip and left knee in the last 8 months. Sometimes my knee hurts just by soft pedaling. I ask my stoker if I could reduce the cadence to a point the the pain is lessen...

Not pain. It is really just effort. If I am making a hard effort, she cannot back off and just spin easy, but must continue to put out power proportional to mine.

We have been tandeming for about 8 years. I've often thought that my stoker could pedal as hard or as easy as she desired (and so could I) regardless of how hard the other was working. My stoker is a single bike rider as well.

This weekend we did a 46 or so mile ride and I pushed myself pretty hard. Toward the end of the ride, she said that she was really spent - about ready to throw up. So maybe there is something to the point that each rider works up to the effort of the other (?).

I think you are right. This is something that I have been mulling over this year as we pick up the pace on the tandem. We are vastly different in strength and I have had the same problem (i.e. stoker exhaustion) even though I am only a little tired. I would like to explore this with her in terms of forcing me to work more at times. Hills are a good example. I tend to push pretty hard getting into the hill and it fries her pretty good. I would like her to moderate her effort so that we can have more power over the top. We HAVE talked about it.

From my experience stoking, the biggest problem is too high a gear or low a cadence especially going
up hills after 50-60mi have taken the bloom off and used up the muscle glycogen. High torque really
kills my legs after 40-50miles and ill timed down shifts can be problematic. If the pilot has markedly
higher torque capacity than the stoker then the stoker is going to wear out faster than they would
otherwise.

I am the stoker and a female, we moderate our efforts (especially mine) with heart rates, my captain asks what my heart rate is (zone) and if I am above his I ease the force on the pedals and he puts the extra effort need until my heart rate is bellow his heart rate, most of the time we get in sync in just few minutes.

We do the same thing. We have HRMs and we'll discuss about how hard we want to ride. But often on a ride that's supposed to be Zone 2, I'll quietly give it extra gas and hear my stoker start to pant. If stoker picks up the pace, my HR goes up. On a fun ride that we're not doing by zone, we'll stay in sync on the hills. So for sure enthusiasm is transmitted through the timing chain. It's just like anything else that long familiar couples do together.

I guarantee you my stoker can soft pedal, and work at a much lower RPE.

Until we actually started to train to race on the tandem, using HRM's she had very little idea how little work she was often doing, or how hard I was riding.