Originally posted by MichaelW
Is it wise to do your first tandem ride on clipless pedals? ..... Until your stoker is competant, I would ride the first few times with platforms.
Just my .02, but you should always try to test ride bikes with the shoes and pedals that you're most familiar with, i.e., bring and use your own. If you've gone through the FDGB (fall down go boom) stage of first time clipless pedal ownership that most of us have had the displeasure of experiencing clipless pedal entry and exit is now second nature. However, if you haven't ever used clipless pedals I sure as heck wouldn't start using them at the same time I started riding a tandem because you will, in all likelihood, fall over at least once when first learning how to get in and out of clipless pedals.
The only caveat would be with regard to road-bike racing pedals and Speedplay X-series pedals in particular whose shoe cleats are a bit too slick for the amount of firm footing you require when learning to hold up a tandem with two people on a variety of conditions, road surfaces, etc... In this regard, mountain bike shoes with their lugged soles and recessed cleats are great for new tandem teams and most types of non-competitive tandem riding.
As for the stoker, my preference is that they have their feet strapped to the pedals with at least toe straps and clips just so that they aren't tempted to "put a foot down". The key to smooth starts and stops on a tandem is to minimize the amount of body movements from both riders. Having a stoker who picks up or drops a leg down to reach the ground simultaneously with the captain merely doubles the amount of movement that you'd ideally want to minimize.