Article about tandem cycling in the Washington Post
 

It's always fun to see tandems covered in mainstream publications - here's an article in yesterday's Washington Post.

Tandem cycling tests more than just fitness - The Washington Post

Had to laugh a little at "Scooter's" comment...

After a quarter-century as the much bigger, stronger rider who happens to ride stoker and control the shifting and most of the braking, I had to laugh at the one-dimensional and somewhat inaccurate presentation of tandems. If that's what is commonly presented as how to ride a tandem, it's no wonder my wife and I elicit looks of keen interest and knowing smiles from the many women we encounter while riding. Still, it was an amusing blurb.

Oh, I just read Scooter's comment. I guess Scooter hasn't seen us yet.

I thought the article was a good if basic introduction to couples riding tandems. I think its great that some guys are stokers but statistically it is very rare. I have only been riding a tandem since 2006 but I have yet to see it in person.

My wife liked "the stoker is always right" quote. Too bad they didn't get that rule correct. "the stoker makes no mistakes" A subtle but important difference.

I agree, it's pretty well written and presents tandems in a positive light. However, I had to laugh at one of the fallacies: "Size matters up front for a couple of reasons, one being that the stronger cyclist can better tolerate the headwinds." - I'm pretty sure that it doesn't matter which set of pedals the extra power comes from. Or maybe the author was referring to the rider with a thicker layer of body fat being less affected by cold winds on cooler days, so it's better for the heavier ride to take the brunt of the headwind.

I find the larger captain forms a nice bug screen on warm dawn and dusk rides. We return home and I have dead bugs stuck to my sweaty body while my stoker is completely clean.

If you want some good reading I highly recommend Mary G.'s blog, chasing mailboxes. She is quoted in the article and very involved in the DC cycling scene. Excellent writing about cycling, much of it done aboard their Co-Motion.

If you want something fun to do with your tandem buddy you might check out her Coffeeneuring Challenge which starts October 4th.

It is nice to tuck in behind the captain to stay out of the cold morning winds on descents. As an added bonus, I can tuck my hands under her saddle for warmth. Of course, I pay a price when climbing since I get less air flow. My wife once spent five minutes laughing as I packed my helmet and shirt with snow at the top of a climb just to cool back off. As has been said by others, maybe I'm just too fat for this sport.

For me, the bigger the captain the better as I like to draft...Depending on which Sherwood/Liggit commentary you watch I'm saving between 10% and 500% effort while in the draft.

On the topic of who rides in front... Check out this bike from 1898: Iver Johnson Tandem Iver Johnson Arms Co. Mass. 1898 | Old Spokes Home
Man rides in the back, note the low top-tube for the front position to accommodate a dress. Also a linkage connects the front and back handlebars so it can be steered from either position. (Right-side timing chain, too!)

I found the last comment on the article interesting- "any woman who wants to captain a tandem can contact WABITS or Potomac Pedalers and be put in touch with several blind men in the area who would be very happy to be the stoker"- because it appears to imply that women can be captains of tandems if their male stoker is blind or otherwise handicapped but if not, forget it. (I'm sure that's not what was actually meant though.) ;)

I really like those old rear-steer tandems. I had a friend convert and old Huffy tandem about twenty years ago to a rear-steer. He added a kids crank and that became the go-to transportation for my young son. My wife and I sometimes get funny looks when we ride with me as the stoker, but they are nothing compared to the ones I used to get when people would see my four-year-old riding captain with his arms folded across his chest.

Bilenky still makes them actually. He had a builder named Simon who rides one around town with his wife.