pickettt

Necessarily "couples?" Or maybe a man and his son?
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WillFam-Reno

Don't think negatively due to the title, the picture shows a "couple" of great riders that look happy, regardless of the size difference.

WillFam

JanMM

Lots of room to grow, too!

jimmuller 

@pickettt, that is an awesome picture!

pickettt

Thanks. I'm just glad he's out of that trailer and pulling his own weight. (Sorry for the poor quality pics, they're screen captures from video.)
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Nick & Chris

Climbed Haleakala last week in Maui. From sea level to 10,000 feet in 35 miles.

NoTrail

That's a great shot!

Nick & Chris

Thanks. When we got to the top, there was real photographer up there photographing the crater and he was nice enough to use our phone and take some very nice pictures of us including this one.

oldacura

We did that ride in 2003. Paia to the top. Completely self-supported. I took a wrong turn in Kula and added several miles. THE HARDEST RIDE WE HAVE EVER DONE! Many times on the ride I was ready to turn around. My stoker kept cheering me on. I think it took us 9 hours elapsed time for the climb. About 2 hours descending. I was so tired when we got down I could barely sit up to eat dinner.

I think that is considered the longest paved climb in the world.

Congratulations!

Nick & Chris

Thanks. It took us almost as long as you (and we didn't take any wrong turns). It was a tough day for us. We weren't used to the humidity in the first half of the climb and that really drained our energy. But in the top half, where I'm told weather can be quite changeable and cold, we lucked out with very good weather--didn't need the extra gloves, jackets etc that we lugged up to the top. Just a little rain in the last 7 miles back down to Paia

oldacura

The weather was good for us as well. We would have been better off eating more but we would have had to carry it. We did this on our old steel Co-Motion that weighs about 45 pounds empty. I'm quite certain that we could not do this ride today. Definitely a bucket-list ride.

How did this rate compared to other rides you have done?

Nick & Chris

We have had longer days on double centuries, but because of the humidity, elevation and relentless climbing Haleakala is probably hardest ride we have done with one exception, our local Climb to Kaiser. Climb to Kaiser has 15,000 feet of climbing in about 155 miles and much of the climbing is very steep. We've done Climb to Kaiser 10 times, but not for a few years. Might not be able to do it now. We are slowing down (both age 67).
We also did Haleakala unsupported. Chris is good at always packing more food than we need--lots of gels and bars. But we did run out of water for about 20 minutes before the visitor center at about 7,000 ft.

joelcool

Great climb, great picture, great memories for you two! Kudos!!!

lichtgrau

A press fotographer got us and used the pic for the website of a (Berlin, Germany) local radio station. So happyness can't be seen from the back, but we are really happy: With every mile we ride together :-)

oldacura

Looks like your bike has disc brakes. Cable or hydraulic? Did you ever have indication on the descent that the brakes were overheating?

Nick & Chris

Yes, TRP hydraulic discs front and back. We also have a third brake--a rim brake on the back that the stoker controls. The bike is about 13 year old steel Land Shark. It was custom made for someone else and then hung in their garage for 5 years after 1 30 mile ride. We bought it from them about 8 years ago. It originally had dura ace rim brake in front and small avid disc in the back. We added the rim brake for a little extra braking power for when the disc got hot. About 8 months ago we upgraded to the TRP's. The new brakes along with the new Co-Motion disc brake ready steel fork added some weight (bike wasn't too light anyway--probably now weighs about 39 lbs), but the brakes work very well. And yes, I could tell that the brakes were getting hot a couple of times, but we just stopped for a while to let them cool and enjoyed the view. I think a more courageous and skillful descender than me could have come down the mtn with our brake set up without stopping.

jimmuller 

Great pics all!

My sweetie and I rode Acadia National Park's Park Loop Road today. Great weather, light traffic, but dang those 15% grades keep getting harder.

belyaevm

I want a good video of the multi-seat tandem (quad, quint). On the Internet, this almost does not exist.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1pOycJ2whM

Ludkeh

We also rode the Acadia National Park Loop Road last September. Great ride


Sorry only half the crew while riding the Carriage road.

noglider 

Jim and Sharon look happy together wherever they are and whatever they're doing.

jimmuller 

Tom, that's a lovely thing to say! Thank you.

OneIsAllYouNeed

merzcm

noglider 

Oy. That couple was like my first marriage. Only mine was worse.

NoTrail

From a recent ride with some of our tandem friends. Always a good time.