Litespeed

My husband and I had practiced VERY little in Paso Robles on how to both start with our left foot on the ground and push off with the right foot. A couple of days ago we had considered practicing again but planned on riding to a parking lot to do it. At our first stop light the wind kicked up and my husband was having a terrible time keeping the bike balanced with me still clipped in. He finally ask me to unclip and dismount, which I did. Then we had no choice but to try the new method and we did surprisingly well considering we had to take a left turn before the light changed. The rest of the day at every stop we had to make we used the new method and we did very well. I'm still wobbly getting onto the saddle but I'm hoping that will improve with time. This method is a whole lot easier on hubby and myself. It takes the stress off of him of having to try and balance the bike and I get some time off the saddle.

cornucopia72

I must ride with my saddle higher than you guys because for me there is no way to have a firm foot on the ground while remaining on the saddle forward or otherwise. I could if I leaned the bike considerably but no way I can go that far with my stoker clipped in.

Carbonfiberboy 

Captain mounts, spreads legs wide, both brakes on, not in saddle. Stoker mounts and clips in. Stoker presents captain with favorite pedal at 10:00 and stoker holds pedal firmly in position with her pedals. Captain leans bike away from presented pedal and steadies it, brakes still on. Captain picks up foot, clips into pedal, releases brakes, pushes down on pedal and at same time lifts him/herself into the saddle, using the downward pressure on the pedal. Second foot clips in when that pedal comes up, either on 1st or second revolution. Nothing to it, even uphill.

Important thing is to be in the right gear, so that the stoker can accelerate the bike by herself, and yet the pedals are moving slowly enough for the captain to get into the saddle and easily pick up the second pedal.

uspspro

Sorry, I mean DON'T sit on the saddle. Straddle the top tube with the saddle pointing at your back.

That's what I meant by slide forward of the saddle.

Pat from CA

Starting has evolved for us to the point where "it all depends..."

If you are starting on relatively flat ground or downhill.... I prefer to have the stoker on the bike but we often will start with each of us clipped in on one side and just push down and then worry about clicking in....

We have an understanding in this scenario that I am gonna click in first and once we are stable I'll stop pedalling and let her click in...

On uphill...we always start with the stoker clipped in on both sides... we have lots of touring miles and starting a loaded touring bike on an uphill (something we try to avoid like the plague) is a drag--whether loaded for touring or not, but especially if loaded... We feel you need to have at least on reliable source of power even if it's the not as powerful pedaler... therefore...stoker is fully clipped in.... we often go ten or more revolutions without my being able to click in my free foot... stoker grinds away and I pedal down and pull up on the left foot until we are stable enough to momentarily pause so I can click in...

I think the key to most starts is the gearing you get into BEFORE you stop... make it nice and easy...way easier than you need...and start problems will go away