Tandem Cycling - GF's first 50K ride on a bike...

Double posted to folding bikes...

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5067/5646305413_f9218f24ef_z.jpg

My GF had her longest bike ride ever on a 50K we did yesterday. She's keen on a 100K camping tour next which is a good sign...:thumb:

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5061/5646876936_c12b814420_z.jpg

http://thelazyrando.wordpress.com/2011/04/23/good-friday-tandem-adventure/

Getting a tandem solved the difference in our riding speeds and has made my GF far more excited about longer rides now that they aren't a struggle...:)

Spring has sprung in BC!
Congrats to the stoker!
Looks like both the GF and the tandem are 'keepers'!
Pedal on TWOgether!
Rudy and Kay/zonatandem

Do whatever it takes to hang on to that girl. They are not easy to find.

Well done to both of you.

Looks like both the GF and the tandem are 'keepers'!
+ 1 on that
enjoy
R&J

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5185/5648786548_8716fd68d6_z.jpg

Thanks. I'm very impressed with this Bike Friday tandem. It was a leap of faith to get it, but I'm very glad I did.

We double wrapped the bars with new tape as well as adjusted the brake lever positions/bar rotation. I'm looking forward to the next ride.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2053/5720163032_ae70f717a1_b.jpg

She's enjoying the drop bar mods. So far so good...:thumb:

My GF had her longest bike ride ever on a 50K we did yesterday. She's keen on a 100K camping tour next which is a good sign...:thumb:

So you finished with enough left in the tank that she wants to go a little farther next time. To me that pretty much says it all. It's always best when you run out of miles before you run out of fun. Congratulations!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7234/7017969647_87389574cb_b.jpg

My GF got up to 70km on our tandem last weekend. Our longest tandem ride ever. She enjoyed it and is planning our first 120K ride next month...:)

http://thelazyrando.wordpress.com/2012/03/26/victoria-populaire-70k/

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7048/6871863092_8fb5acd07e_b.jpg

In terms of our cycling relationship getting a tandem was the best move we ever made and it continually seems to get better...:thumb:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vikapproved/sets/72157626194458382/with/6365722851/

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6211/6365722851_aef3d144f2_b.jpg

A big thumbs up to Bike Friday for building such a great tandem. It's been fun and trouble free for us this past 15 months of year round cycling....:D I'm also quite pleased that for a small wheeled touring bike it performs admirably. We are cautiously considering a 200K brevet on the tandem - which prior to getting this bike would have been crazy talk for my GF.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7041/6874888282_32e4c60c7e_o.jpg

I also gotta say thanks to the folks in this forum for providing such a great wealth of tandem info and enthusiasm...:p

You are in tandem cyclist heaven! That one picture looked cold, however.

You are in tandem cyclist heaven! That one picture looked cold, however.

That was our coldest ride of the winter of 2011/12. Generally the weather on Vancouver Island is quite mild.

Double posted to folding bikes...

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5067/5646305413_f9218f24ef_z.jpg

My GF had her longest bike ride ever on a 50K we did yesterday. She's keen on a 100K camping tour next which is a good sign...:thumb:

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5061/5646876936_c12b814420_z.jpg

http://thelazyrando.wordpress.com/2011/04/23/good-friday-tandem-adventure/

Getting a tandem solved the difference in our riding speeds and has made my GF far more excited about longer rides now that they aren't a struggle...:)

I'm loving that Hot-Pink Bike Friday! It looks like you're having great weather in BC, kind of ironic as it was just snowing down here in Portland last week.

The south shore of Vancouver Island has it's own micro climate. One of the reasons we moved here...:thumb:

We also have a BF tandem and have many happy miles on it. I am curious about the one black tube on the bike. Is it special in any way other than the color?

We also have a BF tandem and have many happy miles on it. I am curious about the one black tube on the bike. Is it special in any way other than the color?

No. We had thrown a few different colour schemes around with BF and had a slight mix up in the end result. We'll be getting that one tube painted to match the rest of the bike at some point down the road.

So can you talk about the gearing? It looks like you've got the FSA gossamer setup with standard rings in the front, and it's my impression that BF tends to run larger rings in the front to compensate. I ask, as I've always been under the understanding that as you reduce wheel-size, you loose gear-inches / speed & gain rotational friction.

So can you talk about the gearing? It looks like you've got the FSA gossamer setup with standard rings in the front, and it's my impression that BF tends to run larger rings in the front to compensate. I ask, as I've always been under the understanding that as you reduce wheel-size, you loose gear-inches / speed & gain rotational friction.

It's a 3 x 8: 52/39/30T & 11-34T

For our needs:

- errand running
- touring
- casual road rides [we aren't ever going to race]

The gearing seems fine. I have no plans to change anything. So far I haven't wanted a bigger gear or a lower gear. I am relatively insensitive to gaps between gears as I am happy to change cadence a lot.

We spend most of our time in the middle ring in the city and in the big ring on more open roads. The granny gets used only for the steepest hills.

I like the bar end shifters a lot. They shift well and I can tell which gear I am in by the position of the levers.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7194/6936151988_e5c5dd3184_b.jpg

After the 10K+50K+10K ride the other weekend my GF was keen to ride a tandem metric century. So we did that this Sunday.

http://thelazyrando.wordpress.com/2012/04/17/100k-un-populaire/

Thanks once again to our Bike Friday Tandem for making the ride a possibility (http://www.flickr.com/photos/vikapproved/sets/72157626194458382/with/7082232885/). A year ago this would have been crazy talk for us on single bikes.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7098/6936212008_a056502aed_b.jpg

We'll be making some changes to her end of the bike to tweak the fit and comfort as she learns what she likes/doesn't like on a longer ride.

Overall though it was a great day to be out for a ride...:thumb:

I Highly recommend biking shorts for both of you. They will
make it more comfortable for both of you.

I Highly recommend biking shorts for both of you. They will
make it more comfortable for both of you.

That's not true...:50: I wore biking shorts for 20yrs and suffered greatly. I haven't worn biking shorts now in the last 10yrs and I ride brevets up to 18hrs on the bike at a go with no butt pain...:thumb: I can tour for 8-10hrs a day day in and day out in street clothes with no discomfort. The solution is to find a saddle that your body likes.

In my case Brooks B-17s and Selle Anatomica saddles work great. For my GF she has a Brooks B17 Narrow Imperial she really likes. We'll be moving that saddle from her commuter bike to the tandem now that she rides longer distances on the tandem. She'll then break in a new Brooks saddle on the commuter. She might like the Selle Anatomica saddles, but it took breaking in a Brooks for her to realize that there is bike riding without butt pain. So she's more open to spending the $$ on a nice saddle now.

Prior to using leather saddles I would have told you that butt pain [even with padded shorts] was just part of biking. When my GF collected me after an 18hrs 300K brevet she asked me how my butt was. My response was "What do you mean?". She asked if it hurt? I replied why would it hurt? All I did was ride my bike!

I agree with your saddle choices, we just purchased 2 Selle Anatomica Titanico for our tandem. Best saddle I have ever ridden! Like riding on air.

However, I would not want to ride it in street clothes. A good pair of cycling shorts is just as important.

The two together have given my wife and I the most comfortable ride we have ever had.

However, I would not want to ride it in street clothes. A good pair of cycling shorts is just as important.

The two together have given my wife and I the most comfortable ride we have ever had.

I'm less comfortable on a leather saddle with bike shorts on then street clothes or unpadded shorts/tights. In fact when I first got my Brooks I wore my usual padded bike shorts at first and was about to toss the saddle since it was nothing special in the comfort department. Then I ditched the padded shorts and it's been awesome ever since. My friends had the same experience, but I'd always recommend people try stuff out for themselves to find out what works best in their particular case.

It's funny because I have a drawer full of padded bike shorts that I finally got rid of and as I was doing so I had to really laugh at the fact that I ride far more now than I ever did in the past and bike shorts serve no purpose in my world any longer.

There is definitely something to the posts, above. I'm finding on my SA saddle that my inexpensive Aerotechdesigns shorts (very good BTW) have a thinner pad and seem to be more comfortable than my Giordana bibs with a thicker pad. Worst are some specialized bibs with a thick pad. I also think the thicker pad deprives the saddle of the opportunity to develop a good "fit".

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7194/6936151988_e5c5dd3184_b.jpg
After the 10K+50K+10K ride the other weekend my GF was keen to ride a tandem metric century. So we did that this Sunday.
http://thelazyrando.wordpress.com/2012/04/17/100k-un-populaire/
Thanks once again to our Bike Friday Tandem for making the ride a possibility (http://www.flickr.com/photos/vikapproved/sets/72157626194458382/with/7082232885/). A year ago this would have been crazy talk for us on single bikes.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7098/6936212008_a056502aed_b.jpg
We'll be making some changes to her end of the bike to tweak the fit and comfort as she learns what she likes/doesn't like on a longer ride.
Overall though it was a great day to be out for a ride...:thumb:

You guys are so awesome! So I noticed that you did your century in Saanich, that looks like there was a lot of stop & go in traffic. How does your GF deal with that? I as as I'm hoping that as the weather gets better down here in Oregon, to get my wife out on longer rides away from Portland. I've found that she prefers to go - with limited stops, vs. the stop&go of city / inter-urban riding. In fact, we're driving up to the San Juan's for my birthday in June.

I can tour for 8-10hrs a day day in and day out in street clothes with no discomfort. The solution is to find a saddle that your body likes.

and I think that's the key, I always see people looking for new riding shorts as they get 'sore' and I cannot understand why they don't get that it's a function of their saddle / fit over any fancy "assed" nickers that they may buy.

You guys are so awesome! So I noticed that you did your century in Saanich, that looks like there was a lot of stop & go in traffic. How does your GF deal with that? I as as I'm hoping that as the weather gets better down here in Oregon, to get my wife out on longer rides away from Portland. I've found that she prefers to go - with limited stops, vs. the stop&go of city / inter-urban riding. In fact, we're driving up to the San Juan's for my birthday in June.

Thanks...:)

Our ride was mostly [say 80%] of the non-stop road variety. We stopped a few times for food/drinks and washroom breaks. Our first tandem ride was 3hrs in downtown traffic getting stuff done. Most of our riding is transportational in nature so traffic and stop lights are something we are used to. I'm pretty good at riding the tandem slowly so I tend to do rolling stops a lot.



and I think that's the key, I always see people looking for new riding shorts as they get 'sore' and I cannot understand why they don't get that it's a function of their saddle / fit over any fancy "assed" nickers that they may buy.


There is definitely something to the posts, above. I'm finding on my SA saddle that my inexpensive Aerotechdesigns shorts (very good BTW) have a thinner pad and seem to be more comfortable than my Giordana bibs with a thicker pad. Worst are some specialized bibs with a thick pad. I also think the thicker pad deprives the saddle of the opportunity to develop a good "fit".

Whenever I see someone at a bike shop buying 3 pairs of $100+ bike shorts I think to myself that they should really be looking for a new saddle. I don't try and "inform" strangers at a LBS, but I have weened a lot of friends off bike shorts by getting them onto saddles they are comfortable on. That means different things to different people. Someone with a 20min commute twice a day doesn't need the same solution as a randonneur, frequent century sport cyclist or a bike tourist.

I don't try and tell people what's comfortable. I try and show them that being comfortable without special bike gear is possible and give them a plan they can follow to find what works for them.

When my GF got a new commuter bike I suggested she might want to consider a leather saddle rather than another plastic one. She gave a Brooks a try and didn't like it. I told her it might take a while to break in, but I also offered to replace it with a plastic saddle right away. She decided to try commuting on the Brooks for another week or two. I got called away for work for a month unexpectedly and frankly forgot about the Brooks on her commuter bike. When I got home I asked if she wanted the Brooks taken off? She replied that she loved it and that she wasn't wearing bike shorts any longer because her bike was so comfortable.

When we ordered our tandem I got 2 Brooks B17s installed on it. She hated the B17 on the back so I didn't argue and replaced it with a plastic saddle. Recently she came to me to ask that we move the broken in Brooks from her commuter bike to the tandem and put the hard B17 that was originally on the back of the tandem on to her commuter bike. I'm glad she is starting to put the pieces together that will allow her to be comfy on all her bikes.

We are following a similar process with handlebars. She's trying some different options and seeing what works. We are making changes and homing in on a great setup for her. It takes time and it's a bit of a hassle, but it's well worth it. Being able to ride your bike all day without special clothes and without any discomfort is priceless!...:thumb:

Well done on the first long one. :thumb: And if you're comfortable then don't listen to those who tell you you aren't!

My sweetie (of almost 35 years) and I started tandeming last October. We did our longest this past weekend, 54.4 miles, about 70km, and total of a bit under 100 miles for the weekend. I've always ridden in whatever felt comfortable, generally something with a high SPF because it's more comfortable than sunscreen!

http://users.rcn.com/jimmuller/pics/Ride.4.14.2012/stop_in_Nickerson.jpg

My sweetie (of almost 35 years) and I started tandeming last October. We did our longest this past weekend, 54.4 miles, about 70km, and total of a bit under 100 miles for the weekend.

Awesome bike Jim and congrats on getting a tandem rolling with your lady...:thumb:

You guys are looking even better than when we saw you last year! Congrats on the long ride.

I have to agree with you about not needing to ride with padded bike shorts if your bike is set up properly and has the right saddle. Just about all my Brooks saddles are now broken in, and it's no biggie if I decide to hop on one and go for an evening ride without padded bike shorts.

I still do like to use lycra shorts with flat seams because there is less chance of chafe in certain spots. I bought four pairs of them as running shorts from Decathlon (I think) in France in 2007, and really liked them, and still wear them.

You guys are looking even better than when we saw you last year! Congrats on the long ride.


Thanks Rowan.

I used to specifically wear Exoffico boxers because they had minimal seams, but after having tried other boxers + pants/capris over them I've found it really doesn't matter what I wear. I'm comfy all day long.