BobS
Regular
- Location
- Altrincham
For us it about equalisation, we both get a good ride at the end of the day, it doesn't matter if one is stronger or fitter tahn the other.
bob
Why do people have tandems? what are their advantages etc?
- Thread starter Dave7
- Start date
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For us it about equalisation, we both get a good ride at the end of the day, it doesn't matter if one is stronger or fitter tahn the other.
bob
MrBeanz
Guest
- Location
- Ontario California
My wife is actually pretty good on her single so she rides it more than the tandem. But if the wind forecast says 45 mph wind with 60 MPH gusts, we take the tandem. 
Other times when she has been off the bike for a month or so (ill family stuff) I'll take her on the tandem to spin her legs back up to speed.
Other times when she has been off the bike for a month or so (ill family stuff) I'll take her on the tandem to spin her legs back up to speed.
- Location
- Inside my skull
You ride to the start.
- Location
- Inside my skull
A blind friend gets to enjoy blasts out on his tandem. Sometimes he goes on the front for a laugh, provided it is somewhere quiet. Cruising on the flat above 20mph is easy and we give it some welly uphill. It's a bit like a supertanker though on twisty
MrBeanz
Guest
- Location
- Ontario California
It is faster for my stoker as well (back seat for the newbs).
Our usual ride on the trail is 44 miles. My wife has done well on her single bike averaging 17.5 MPH.
A Strava segment that comes at the end of our ride, she has pushed herself to a 20.9 MPH average speed over the final 7.3 miles of the ride (my favorite segment). On the tandem, she has posted a 22.5 MPH average on Strava. 1.5 MPH faster on the segment. As far as over the entire 44 miles, about the same gain on the tandem as far as overall speed.
On the climbs of 6%-7%, I am slower compared to my single but she is about 1 MPH faster so it evens out and we both get to the top at the same time.
Our usual ride on the trail is 44 miles. My wife has done well on her single bike averaging 17.5 MPH.
A Strava segment that comes at the end of our ride, she has pushed herself to a 20.9 MPH average speed over the final 7.3 miles of the ride (my favorite segment). On the tandem, she has posted a 22.5 MPH average on Strava. 1.5 MPH faster on the segment. As far as over the entire 44 miles, about the same gain on the tandem as far as overall speed.
On the climbs of 6%-7%, I am slower compared to my single but she is about 1 MPH faster so it evens out and we both get to the top at the same time.
rogerzilla
Legendary Member
Taking one anywhere, other than on rides which start and finish at home, is pretty tricky. A few years ago you could put them on trains, but not any more (actually, getting any bike on a train is a challenge now). They're also rather tricky to transport by car; you need to modify roof racks or do some serious dismantling to try to get the frame inside an estate car.
S&S couplings are the answer (granted, not a cheap option) which means that getting a tandem into an estate car is doable. We've got to the point where I can get ours into or out of the car single handed.
A couple of years ago, my brother in law rang on a Saturday morning to ask how long our tandem was: he worked for Scotrail and they were trying to estimate whether they could permit them on some of the local trains west out of Glasgow. We told him, but suggested he should hire one and try getting it on and off at the various stations, with video of the attempt: he didn't take us up on that. Which was a shame, it would have been fun to watch him try...
We have in fact managed to blag our way onto trains, usually by saying 'it comes apart - we can dismantle it once we are on'. Sometimes we even do that. But UK trains are generally unfriendly, unlike one Belgian one where we stashed it in the lobby, and each time the ticket collector came round he happily stepped over it without the slightest complaint.
A couple of years ago, my brother in law rang on a Saturday morning to ask how long our tandem was: he worked for Scotrail and they were trying to estimate whether they could permit them on some of the local trains west out of Glasgow. We told him, but suggested he should hire one and try getting it on and off at the various stations, with video of the attempt: he didn't take us up on that. Which was a shame, it would have been fun to watch him try...
We have in fact managed to blag our way onto trains, usually by saying 'it comes apart - we can dismantle it once we are on'. Sometimes we even do that. But UK trains are generally unfriendly, unlike one Belgian one where we stashed it in the lobby, and each time the ticket collector came round he happily stepped over it without the slightest complaint.
MrBeanz
Guest
- Location
- Ontario California
I never thought it was difficult transporting a tandem to a ride. I have a pick up truck is it fits in the back just fine, front wheel removed onto a bar rack across the bed.
Also I have transported it several times on a small car as small as a Plymouth Neon. Rear rack, remove front wheel (fairly usual) then removed the rear wheel. Bike was perfectly balanced on the rack, didn't protrude the sides of the car by an inch, and used an old skewer in place of the rear wheel to hold the chain up in place.
So more than the usual, only thing I did more was remove the rear wheel which is really easy though some may consider it a major chore. Never had a problem so it was really easy IMO.
Also I have transported it several times on a small car as small as a Plymouth Neon. Rear rack, remove front wheel (fairly usual) then removed the rear wheel. Bike was perfectly balanced on the rack, didn't protrude the sides of the car by an inch, and used an old skewer in place of the rear wheel to hold the chain up in place.
So more than the usual, only thing I did more was remove the rear wheel which is really easy though some may consider it a major chore. Never had a problem so it was really easy IMO.
rogerzilla
Legendary Member
MrBeanz, you can fit Britain in an average American car!
MrBeanz
Guest
- Location
- Ontario California
- Location
- Inside my skull
Ah Ok! Some of us Americans are unfamiliar with the terms.
You would spend a lot of time reversing in your pick up truck as you met traffic coming the other way. Not an appropriately sized vehicle for vast majority of our roads. Besides we don't have cheap fuel compared to you guys. Hence transporting tandems is harder work.
MrBeanz
Guest
- Location
- Ontario California
Just how small are your cars? The Plymouth Neon I mentioned is a pretty small car. ;-)
MontyVeda
a short-tempered ill-controlled small-minded troll
- Location
- Lancaster... the little city.
- Location
- Inside my skull
Have you seen down sizing?
Bonefish Blues
Banging donk
- Location
- 52 Festive Road
Ours goes into our Volvo estate or on the Pendle rack on the roof.