Omg - I can't stop laughing.....

[badkitty]

I've just come back from a test run on a tandem someone gave me last week.
It's a parent and child one - an Orbit (?), with itty bitty little 24 inch wheels! The turning circle is tiny.. It's hilarious! It feels like riding a clown bike! You know how some bikes are just plain fun to ride? Well, this is one of those.

I'm going to go pick up my sprog on it...she's been desperate to do the school run on it, so today's the day.
I hope it's not gonna be too different with her one the back...

Wish me luck...

 

[jonny jeez]

I've just come back from a test run on a tandem someone gave me last week.
It's a parent and child one - an Orbit (?), with itty bitty little 24 inch wheels! The turning circle is tiny.. It's hilarious! It feels like riding a clown bike! You know how some bikes are just plain fun to ride? Well, this is one of those.

I'm going to go pick up my sprog on it...she's been desperate to go to school on it, so I'm going to do it today.
I hope it's not gonna be too different with her one the back...

Wish me luck...

Good luck

 

[garrilla]

I've just come back from a test run on a tandem someone gave me last week.
It's a parent and child one - an Orbit (?), with itty bitty little 24 inch wheels! The turning circle is tiny.. It's hilarious! It feels like riding a clown bike! You know how some bikes are just plain fun to ride? Well, this is one of those.

I'm going to go pick up my sprog on it...she's been desperate to do the school run on it, so today's the day.
I hope it's not gonna be too different with her one the back...

Wish me luck...

Just remind her that she's the stoker and your the pilot and there is a clear division of labour

Have fun.

 

[Arch]

I've just come back from a test run on a tandem someone gave me last week.
It's a parent and child one - an Orbit (?), with itty bitty little 24 inch wheels! The turning circle is tiny.. It's hilarious! It feels like riding a clown bike! You know how some bikes are just plain fun to ride? Well, this is one of those.

I'm going to go pick up my sprog on it...she's been desperate to do the school run on it, so today's the day.
I hope it's not gonna be too different with her one the back...

Wish me luck...

Tell her to just sit there like a sack of potatoes, pedal and not try to steer. Also, try and remember to keep communicating - when you are going to change gear, when you are going to brake (and therefore to stop pedalling), when you need to avoid a pothole - she won't be able to see stuff in front like you can.

I bet she'll love it!

 

[2Loose]

That sounds great like great fun!
I can't wait until my daughter hits an age suitable for simiar joint experiences

 

[ttcycle]

Hope you had a good joint cycle!

 

[Tharg2007]

i could do with something like this soon, can we have some pics of this tandem? is it quite old or do they still sell them new?

 

[badkitty]

Tell her to just sit there like a sack of potatoes, pedal and not try to steer. Also, try and remember to keep communicating - when you are going to change gear, when you are going to brake (and therefore to stop pedalling), when you need to avoid a pothole - she won't be able to see stuff in front like you can.

I bet she'll love it!

Ok Arch. I am now officially quite a little bit very nervous...

Potholes are going to be fun...it's 4 miles off road each way...

But the mud in the woods isnt too bad at the mo, otherwise I'd just take my mtb as usual.. but the tree roots, big flints and fallen branches should keep me busy though..

Ah what the hell - how hard can it be...

Anyway - it's too late to back out. I've committed myself.

I'm off!

Bye folks...thanks for all the good wishes and info..xx

 

[bonj2]

what i don't get about tandomsiswhatif the back person decides to steer the oppostie way to thefrontperson?

 

[byegad]

Holding my breath to know if all was OK.

 

[BigonaBianchi]

I think that being picked up at skool on a 2x2 is far cooler than being thrown into a 4x4

 

[D4VOW]

That sounds like great fun, enjoy the ride and good luck

 

[Arch]

what i don't get about tandomsiswhatif the back person decides to steer the oppostie way to thefrontperson?

Um, you do know the bars for the back seat don't turn*, don't you?

It can make handling difficult if the person on the back tries to anticipate leaning, or leans the wrong way. Or if it's me, is screaming the whole time. I like to be in charge too much to make a good stoker.

*There tandems where the stoker bars turn, they tend to be kid-in-front types, where the bars turn a little to give the feeling of steering, but the adult captain behind has wider bars and therefore greater leverage to over ride the stoker.

 

[bonj2]

Um, you do know the bars for the back seat don't turn*, don't you?

It can make handling difficult if the person on the back tries to anticipate leaning, or leans the wrong way. Or if it's me, is screaming the whole time. I like to be in charge too much to make a good stoker.

*There tandems where the stoker bars turn, they tend to be kid-in-front types, where the bars turn a little to give the feeling of steering, but the adult captain behind has wider bars and therefore greater leverage to over ride the stoker.

hmm,seems a bit wrong to me. What about if they lean?
I once saw a tandem going up the last climb at coed y brenin, they were hooning it up hill, i could hardly keep up with them. But when they got to the beginning of the end,i thought 'they're never going to go down there, are they', but yep, sure enough - they did. I was no way going down straight after them without giving them enough headstart to get all the way to the bottom - even from the top i could see they'd got stuck.
Bit like riding a horse - two brains both vying for control - recipe for disaster!

 

[bonj2]

One of thethings i've always wondered is does the person at the back have their own chain, or are their cranks connected to a single chain? And if so how does it loop round?