I'm interested in the possible benefits of going 90° out of phase, but I'm worried about one thing. Our Cannondale RT1000 has relatively low bottom brackets. As a result, it's pretty easy to hit the pavement with our pedals if we pedal while cornering. We can even hit the ground with our pedals if we go over a speed bump or sharp dip in the road.

I understand that when cornering with 90° OOP the captain should put the outside pedal down. That leaves the stoker's pedals horizontal and gives both of us plenty of ground clearance. What is the best approach to negotiating speed bumps or sharp dips?

Thanks!

We've got a rt1000 and have been 90 deg OOP for a little over a month. We've never clipped a pedal.

What do you do with the pedals when you go over speed bumps or through a sharp dip in the road?

Nothing special. I most likely keep them at 45 deg.

We were 90 OOP for 27 years before changing over to just three teeth out this past year. We did a lot of off-road and logging-road riding over the years OOP. We generally kept our relative pedal positions in mind as we dealt with obstacles so that no one got to them with a pedal down, particularly when leaning. Many times my pedal was down as the captain cleared an obstacle, but by the time my cranks got there my pedal was high enough to avoid it. (Okay, one time I did stick a pedal down on an object, which resulted in a fun lifting of the rear end and unplanned turn of the bike, but that was back in 1989, so it doesn't count anymore.)

Riding 90 degrees OOP for 40+ years; not really an issue.