Northern California - Another tandem Q - short captain, much taller stoker. OK?

I know I touched on this in the other thread but there's a twist. I'll ask this question in the tandem forum if I stump you folks. Doubt that will happen though.

A year or so ago, I started a thread about teaching an adult how to ride a bike. I thought it was a success, teaching my friend to ride, but his wife says it didn't take, so back to square one. I mentioned to her that I am considering a tandem purchase. She asked me if a tandem bike for them would help her husband learn to ride.

She said she would be captain and he, the stoker. Problem is, she is only 5'4" and her hubby is 6'2' and outweighs her a good 70 lbs, if not more (this was determined visually only). When I tried to teach him, I ended up with sore knees and hands running behind him while keeping him from falling off or capsizing. I'm a heavy guy but he's even bigger. If it's the captain's responsibility to keep the bike upright at stops while the stoker maintains both feet on the pedals, I can't see how a much smaller front rider can accomplish this.

Am I wrong to advise her that her scheme won't work? I told her that I don't think he'll ever learn to ride and that she should take up poker and cigar smoking so they can have togetherness. I taught my son to ride in an hour or less. I spent three hours with my friend on two separate ocassions. He's either a very poor adult learner or the reward I offered, a Happy Meal, wasn't enough of an incentive.

Did he ever get much practice at it? If so, and he can't get a hang of it, maybe he has inner ear balance problems.

I don't think a tandem would be a good idea for this. If he can't maintain balance, he'll take the bike down.

1) I think it will be difficult to find a frame for them. It might work with a very long rear seat post as I assume her husband will be riding in a very upright position therefore not needing too much front extension.
2) If it ever works they are in for a heck of a learning curve. She could be a ball of energy but she will need quite some strength to control the bike. And this is only if he stays very close to the center line of the bike. If he ever moves right or left off center his weight, so high on the bike, will flit the whole tandem over.
3) What could work, may be, is to have him take control of holding the bike at stops. He would be the one putting his feet down and holding the bike, she would control steering.

My husband and I would need that type of tandem and I've not seen any good ideas without going custom, and that's not worth the expense for a brand-new rider. The next best thing I was thinking was maybe a Bike Friday tandem.

I've once ridden a rental tandem with a heavier/taller stoker (poor fit, but had the general idea) and I was able to keep balance, but it's not easy. I've several times taken passengers heavier than me on the motorcycle which has similar balance requirements, some of those were more than twice my weight. It was never necessary, but knowing that the passenger/stoker could put their feet down if necessary would help with confidence.

I definitely wouldn't recommend that combination if the passenger doesn't have experience balancing on a bike.

Maybe you know someone large with a tandem that could take the friend out for a spin to try it out and see if it helps his bike learning?

Thanks all. We'll have to figure out another way to teach him to ride. He might have a balance issue due to inner ear, who knows. He also can't dance.

Not a good solution, for all the reasons mentoned. Plus, while being a stoker requires balance and (especially) trust in the captain, it does not really teach a non-cyclist what you need to pilot your own single.

There may also be a motivational issue, as in he doesn't really want to do it. I have no way of knowing, but keep an open mind that that may be the real issue.

If he really wants to learn to ride, though, here is my suggestion for how to do it. It works great for kids, so it ought to work for your friend, and it does not involve any running behind the new rider.

1) Take the pedals off the bike and lower the seat to the point where the new rider can easily put both feet flat on the ground while in the saddle.

2) Go to a large, flat paved area - school playgrounds are often perfect.

3) Have the new rider propel himself or herself using his/her feet. like a hobby horse, using alternate feet for propulsion, like walking. He/she will learn balance with a feeling of total security.

4) When the rider gets comfortable with Step 3, have him/her switch to propelling himself or herself bringing both feet forward at the same time and pushing at the same time. Still plenty of security, but it increases the amount of time of actual balance. The advanced version of this stage is to have the rider puch off with both feet and then glide for a bit before bringing the feet forward and pushing off again.

5) After Step 4 has been mastered, reattach the pedals, but keep the seat where it is, and watch as your new rider proudly takes his or her first ride. Yes, the seat is too low, but this allows the security of being able to put feet on the ground in case of wobbles, etc. After the reider gets familiar with turning, braking, starting and stopping, raise the seat to proper height.

Anyone with any balance, young or old, can make it through all five steps inside an hour, and probably a fair amount less. Really. And you never have to run behind the new rider.

Good luck.

Ignoring for a moment the technical issues with having a much larger/heavier stoker, I question if this would help him learn to ride a solo bike anyway.

As a stoker he wouldn't be controlling the bicycle, wouldn't be giving steering inputs, wouldn't be getting the feedback required for his muscles to learn what inputs to give in order to keep the bike upright..

Now perhaps it would give him the sensation of being on a bike which he might enjoy so much that it would be a motivation for him to learn to ride solo? I don't know the specifics of the situation to know if "extra motivation" would even be helpful here.

there may also be a motivational issue, as in he doesn't really want to do it. I have no way of knowing, but keep an open mind that that may be the real issue.

+1

You guys are right again. I really don't think he wants to learn either. He must've just been trying to humor his wife as she had to contact me to teach him to ride. If he really wanted to learn, he should've called me himself. I'm washing my hands of this. Don't want to get caught up in the middle anymore.

Thanks all. We'll have to figure out another way to teach him to ride. He might have a balance issue due to inner ear, who knows. He also can't dance.

Those are two separate issues. One is balance (maybe) and one is coordination. Unless he falls down on the dancefloor, in which case it is an issue of balance.