Stashing stuff - Stoker access
 

We took our first long ride yesterday and since we have not yet gotten a rack I had to improvise on how we carried our essentials (cell, camera, queue sheet, etc) . But even after we have the trunk I think it would be handy to have the cell, and camera handy for the stoker to access while in motion. For our 1st ride we velcro-ed a pouch thing inside one of the bottle cages, but that wasn't easily accessible and in the coming summer months we'll want a bottle in that cage anyway. I'm thinking some kind of small handlebar bag for the stoker, but I'm wondering how the rest of you folks do it?

You can put a lot of stuff in the captains jersey. That's where the Q-sheet goes for sure.

Small bags work, but aren't always as easy to use on the fly as jersey pockets.

For example, the newer compact cameras and phones easily slip into jersey pockets covered with a plastic baggie so as to prevent moisture damage. There are some nice poly cases for compact digital cameras that can be had on Ebay for $6 that are a vast improvement over the baggie but that add a little bulk.

Oh yeah, and by pockets I mean that most of this stuff ends up in the back pockets of the captain's jersey which, for all intents and purposes, really belong to the stoker. Some stokers will carry them in their own pockets, but having them in front instead of behind seems to work better.

As for cue sheets and maps, a lot of teams will simply use a pair of alligator clips to attach them to the back of the captain's jersey such that they are always right in front of the stoker.

Stoker can reach stuff in her jersey pockets and even the trunkrack bag. Of course captain's jersey pockets are easily accessible. A bento box (attaches with velcro) on stoker'stoptube also works for holding small stuff.
Cue sheets attach to capt's rear jersey pockets with roach clips/clothespins (remember those?) or safety pins. There are also several cue sheet holder available for either rider.
Be innovative!

We use the captains pockets and a map bag attached to the stoker's handlebars. Our Olympus camera (brought for cycling) is waterproof and drop proof (hopefully) and easily goes into the captain's pocket with the strap hanging out for quick access.

Putting Q-sheets in mt captain's back pockets just doesn't work for us if I have to access them frequently. While in France, I used something like this on my handlebars:
http://www.gearzone.com/Zefal-Bike-M...17-16401-1.htm
waterproof, folds in half, easily accessible and visible, and I don't have to fumble in his pocket looking for the right zip lock bag.
ITA with other posters... back pocket of captain works for all other essentials ... gu, snotrag, banana, small wrench or two.

We have both the stokers frame bag sold by Tandems East here and one made by Abus, which is designed to hold a cable lock, see the upper picture here. They both go between the rear top tube and captain's seat tube. The former is great when on tour - it takes all of our toiletries comfortably - but is a bit large for stashing a few small things for everyday riding, so we mostly use the Abus bag. They both come with us when touring, but then the Abus moves down to be between the rear lateral tube and captain's seat tube.

Its odd to be answering my own question, but here is a link to a similar thread from 2004.

http://www.bikeforums.net/archive/in...p/t-53308.html

I think what we're looking for is a Bento box, although with the brake wire running under the top tube I don't know about wrapping the velcro around the bar. This sounds like I need a trip to the LBS rather than making guesses based on online photos.

We use an under-seat saddle bag, which fits pretty well, plus a Jandd frame pack. Plus the captain's pockets.

My stoker uses my pockets as her personal glove box!
Sheldon

A lot depends on the clearances of the bike and where the water bottles go. Our Burley had enough
space under the pilot saddle for a small easily accessible bag. Bento bags might work on some bikes
though they assume you have space to access from the top, not always the case under the stoker
stem. We have a rectangular bag with zip access from both sides that hangs by velcro under the top tube and attached to and behind the pilot seat tube that is 10-12" long and 5-6" tall and can hold a lot. On the Burley it runs into the forward WB on the diagonal tube but is usable. Alligator clips on the pilot's back pockets act as map holders around here, and work better in the summer by avoiding sweat stains from pocket storage. When the pilot wears his back pack water carrier in summer the
zipped pocket can hold several items accessible to the stoker.

As long as the velcro ends up between the tube and the brake wire, you're probably ok.

I think that there are a lot of variations, based on bike frame size and positioning (clearance below and above stoker stem), possible.

I've been considering:
- small cylindrical handlebar bag (5" or so diameter, 8" or so long): can hang from stoker's bars, and not so wide as to be bumped by knees;
- Bento-styled bag, with custom stabilizer up to the stoker stem, so stoker doesn't have to reach way forward / way under captain's saddle;
- something thin and triangular, like the Nashbar "slice" bag, to mount atop the stoker's bar/stem intersection (zippers on "slice" are oriented the wrong way, however - for 'normal' bar/stem placement)

I think that ultimately I'll customize something -- after all, the waterproof vinyl fabric and zipper stock which I picked up at http://www.seattlefabrics.com/ was for bike bags -- with a couple of mesh outside pockets, shaped sort of like an under-seat bag, and tied off (velcro?) to top tube, stoker stem and stoker bars, extending maybe 3 or 4" behind the bars. I've mocked up a couple of paper samples, guess I need to get the sewing machine out and start the fabrication process.

For small pocket cameras, the slickest arrangement I've seen yet was by one of the Evergreen Tandem Club stokers: a loop of nylon line pinned at one hip and looped over the opposite shoulder, with the camera's short "leash" passing through the loop (or, with a mini-carabiner). To use the camera, just slide it up out of the back jersey pocket nearest the pinned hip (reach around behind one's back), bring it up to look through viewfinder or at the screen, snap the pictures, and then stow it. No worries about dropping the camera, and enough "stretch" in the restraint system to easily handle it.