We've had our tandem a little over a year and also just gave out of phase a proper try and really liked it. We briefly experimented with out of phase quite early last year, but my stoker wasn't at all keen then - her main complaint being that it was very off-putting seeing my legs offset to hers all the time. Having got a few thousand kms on the bike now, we decided to give it another shot when we took the bike out a couple of weeks ago after it's winter rest.

The feeling when moving away from a stop was a bit weird, but WAY more effective than doing so in phase, so that was a big positive. When climbing a gradual grade, I really felt our power was being applied more efficiently and my stoker said that she also preferred the feeling. When we found a steeper climb, I did what I often do and stood up for a short period while my stoker remained seated. I wasn't sure how well that would go, but she said that it was way better than when we did the same thing while pedaling in phase. Apparently, the oscillation in pedal speed during the revolution when I was standing made it hard for her to put power in during her downstroke when we were in phase because the pedal was being whipped away from her. But doing this out of phase felt way better to her (I didn't notice any difference in this situation).

For some reason, my motions being offset from my stokers is no longer off-putting for her. She couldn't say why that had changed, but I think it may be due to more experience on the tandem and a greater level of overall comfort and ease.

We're therefore sold on out of phase, and we'll be keeping it that way at least for a while, maybe permanently. Starting is better, seated climbing is better, and climbing with only the captain standing is better. It does look a bit odd compared to pedaling in phase, but to most people tandems look a bit odd in general, and looks are of very minimal importance.