Are there shops or any one I can rent or borrow a fixed tandem from in the greater Chicago area? Marcus doesn't have one of these joints, right?

i've never seen one around, but man it must be awesome on the track. maybe check with Turin or Albertos?

Snap, I always forget about Turin's. Thanks!

Marcus has one -- he got it from Cycle Smithy, who also have one.

wait, on a fixed tandem, how do you skid? If the stoker does it without telling the captain, does the guy in the front get bucked off the bike?

I don't think you should be on a tandem if you can't communicate to the capt that you're about to skid (unless you're a jerk).

team chicago

other than looking totally sweet you mean

Almost as sweet as flipping a tandem.

I think he meant literally flipping the tandem as a result of attemping to skid a tandem.

Mr. Walker sir, please mail me that fancy tandem you got up there asap. thank you

You know, if I was allowed to ride that thing, I'd even put up with having DW as the captain and having to watch his big a$$ up close the whole time. Track tandems rock.

BTW, did anyone look how every chainring is bigger than the one in front of it on the 10-man tandem? The gear ratio must be like 150 inches... I don't know how they were ever able to get going on that thing.

There was a discussion a while back about whether it would be possible to endo a tandem. As in, lock up the front brake or hit something with the front wheel and have the rear of it fly up and over the front. A guy came over from the tandems forum and insisted that it was impossible, but I (and others) maintain that it can be done. We just need a steep hill, a tandem with a disc brake, and two suicidal volunteers.

I've seen this thing, or at least one very similar (how many could there hve been?) at Henry Ford Museum. Ever since I was a kid, that thing has fascinated me. I don't recall the stepped chainrings, but that might escaped my notice a a child.

DW, you sound like you've had some tandems come back mangled due to operator error.

Re: flip a tandem: obviously, it can be done and obviously, it's an idiotic idea. The guy from the tandem forum probably meant that you can't flip one on level ground short of hitting a concrete barrier at 50mph head on; on a steep downhill it must be relatively easy with big discs. Level ground, turn the bars: you would crash, probably just lifting up the rear a bit. I can't imagine a full somersault resulting from that. Level ground, lock the brake... Who knows? On good pavement, with good tyres and a 203 disc plus a light stoker, it may just happen. Any volunteers? Be sure to film it.

Something I learned from various track clinics: real track riders don't skid on the track.
1. if you were to skid all the other racers would think you were a sketchy rider
2. there is never a need to skid if you ride safely
3. it is bad for your tires (especially expensive tubulars)
4. it is bad/disrespectful of the track itself.

All points make sense if you're riding the nice wood surface
of a state of the art indoor velodrome. Eitherway skidding
on a track tandem would be a sight!

jeff

in order to pull off this hypothetical tandem skid, wouldn't both the captain and the stoker have to get their crotches up on the captain's stem? or at least much closer than the stoker could get from his position?