co-captain

Hi, some quick tips for beginners who want to tour. These are lessons learned riding our Santana over the years.a
1) On your first ride, change positions (captain vs. stoker) and see what the other person is experiencing. It’s an eye opener!
2) The Stoker is always right.
3) BOB trailers - don’t bother buying the version built especially for tandems (wider yoke and longer skewer). A BOB built for a single will work just fine. Mount the trailer using the rack “braze-ons” on the rear. Don’t use the wheel skewers that the trailer comes with - they just bend after a while. Remove the machined collars found on the trailer skewer and attach them to the frame. It will take a little work to get the spacing right but it’s worth it. And, you can still use your BOB for singles. This technique works even with the Santana 160 mm spacing.
4) When coasting, signal the other rider that you want to change foot positions by back pedaling slightly.
5) Don’t ride in the city until you’re really confident about stopping and starting.
6) Install an ESGE/Pletscher double legged kickstand and you’ll never regret it. Makes loading and maintaining the bike much easier.
7) Put the lightest gear you have in the front panniers. It’s hard enough to steer a fully loaded tandem without extra weight on the front.
8) If you’re coasting on curves, lower the outside pedal and weight it for better stability.
9) Stop every 20 and stretch. This really helps us.
10) A drag brake is a must and seems to work o.k. if the stoker operates it on request from the captain.
11) Everything on a tandem wears out incredibly fast. Even components designed for mountain bikes are stressed on a tandem. This means check your running gear more often than your single.
12) Learn how to adjust the timing chain and buy the tool(s) that may be required to accomplish that job.
13) After you learn how to adjust your timing chain, try riding out of sync. Going up hills is very smooth pedaling “out of sync”.
14) It’s funny but even though you’re riding so close to each other, the person on front doesn’t see the person behind. A mirror mounted on your helmet visor helps to see them.
15) We let the stoker signal turns in the city.
16) The stoker is in the best position to deal with dogs.
17) Ask the stoker for a neck rub.
18) On long up hills, plop it down into low and enjoy the scenery. Ask the stoker to read short funny stories, open up a power bar or identify wildlife around you.
19) A handlebar mounted bag holding snacks, earplugs, maps, whatever is very convenient.
20) We hang a rubber chicken off our rear rack to distract evil car drivers. Don’t know if it works but we’ve very few road rage incidents.
21) Communicate, communicate, communicate! Tell the stoker what’s coming up, if you have to stop, bumps ahead, sharp turns, dogs, espresso stands, etc. And, the stoker needs to let the captain how they are feeling.
22) Amtrak will take tandems but they won’t make it easy for you. Consider a break-apart for air travel.

galen_52657

Great list! 17 through 21 are my favorites!

DocF

Okay, I want one as I agree with this; now how do I get it to mount on our Cannondale?

Doc

co-captain

Hi DocF, I don’t know if your Cannondale is different from our Santana, but the ESGE/Pletscher kickstand mounts on the chain stays between the rear wheel and bottom bracket. I added two pieces of old handlebar tape between the kickstand clamps to protect the paint. I ordered ours thru the Internet from Harris Cyclery. It required removing the rear wheel in order to swing the Allen wrench. Because there is a stainless steel bolt threading into an aluminum casting, a little grease on the bolt will help lessen corrosion.

Mr_Super_Socks

I would move #2 to #1 and repeat it five times. great list!

TandemGeek

Actually, the first rule of tandeming is, "The stoker makes no mistakes".

The whole thing is explained here: https://www.precisiontandems.com/artpropermethod.htm

Regardless, I would echo the sentiments of others: good list for touring.

DocF

The chains stays on our Cannondale are quite short and welded into an oval tube which is then attached to the bottom bracket. Mel at Tandems East tells me that it can be done with some modification.

Doc

Steve Katzman

I had a hard time, but was successful mounting one on our Co-Motion Speedster. The extra height of the chainstays made using the supplied bolt too short. So I procured a longer bolt (hex head instead of countersunk - no problem - works fine). Also I needed to put a .060" sheet metal shim between the clamp face and the bottom of the non-drive side chainstay to angle the kickstand enough to clear the wheel when it is retracted. Works great now. Love it.

TandemGeek

Yup. You need the large model and some longer bolts and washers and/or the ability to modify the spacer provided with the stand.

mtbcyclist

Sweeettttt.... I may just try that on both the new tandem (when it comes in) and my single as lately I have been dealing with a lot of buttheaded drivers.

DocF

Thanks, guys. I will proceed with getting one and installing it.

We found we were very limited in places we could park in the town of Mackinac Island as there are only a few poles to lean a bike against and there are no racks in the town proper. That being said, the island is a great place to ride; there are plenty of flat places for climbing impared riders, plenty of nice paved hills for the climbers and an extensive net of single tracks for the off-road set.

No cars, just 900 horses and 13,000 rental bikes. (The 900 horses is about right, however, the rental bike fleet is closer to 2,000 but 13,000 is funnier.) Only about 3 bike thefts a season are reported as it is impossible to get a stolen bicycle off the island and the locals build their own bikes from some of the most interesting assortment of parts I've ever seen. Ever see a Columbia Newsboy special with A Campy Record gruppo?

We are most fortunate to not need a "BS filter" on the tandem board. I really do appreciate this very much.

Doc

malkin

Thanks for the list.

Re: #2
At first I was a little disappointed to be the stoker, but now I like it just fine.