Originally Posted by jsun
My sister and I considering doing a century around Lake Tahoe for a team in training event. She lives in Dallas, TX and myself in Portland. We are at different fitness levels, so we are considering renting a good road tandem for the event rather than separate bikes and not seeing each. We'll bring our saddles and pedals. Is this pure folly? I have captained a tandem a bit and am generally experienced, but I'm looking for some expert opinion - is this a catastrophe waiting to happen? The issues I see:
- lack of prep time together
- different position on bike = more likely to cause pain on longer ride, possible knee issues
- course will have hills (and downhills) - no practice with braking
The way we read this is you want to do the century and you want to spend quality time with your sister. Assuming that the relationship with you sister is in good shape... Our advise:
Rent the size tandem that can reasonably fit both of you.
Take brakes as frequent and as long as requested by the weaker rider.
Take it easy on the descents... you do not want to scare your sister or worst...
Have her take measuraments on her single and try to mimic that on the tandem.
If she wants to stand, make sure you give her plenty of room, standing yourself or leaning forward to make room for her.
Have fun and enjoy each other's company!
It has the potential of becoming a very nice memory for both of you.
I once pulled my sister along the Big Sur marathon course... after many years, the memory of her sprinting towards the finish line still brings a tear to my eyes and fills me with satisfaction.