We started riding a tandem in earnest this past spring. Ended the year with 1,110 miles. My stoker had been riding her "Comfort" style Trek mountain bike on bike paths with our grand-kids maybe 50 miles a year and I've been riding for years on racing bikes (see listed below) with high cadence. I have wanted to ride with her for decades but it never came together so I was excited to say the least. She was was pretty motivated which was fun and was a very quick learner. I really over communicated and made sure she was good. Within just a few rides we were getting pretty much in sync. The only thing I did for me, right or wrong, was get her to rest with the same foot down as me. I figured she was the one learning so give me that one since I had 50+ years of memory in my legs! :-) pretty much everything else I went with what she wanted. She wanted a helmet mirror so she have that so it is fun having her keeping me informed of whats going on behind us. She does the navigating for us too. Best of luck, this shared experience has been one of the coolest things for me and something that I've been wishing for, it is Wonderfully fun!