A bicycle built for two….

I do, Simontuck! Tandems are

I do, Simontuck! Tandems are a great deal of fun.  My wife bought me a second hand one three Christmases ago, but we never got much further than around the block together. 

However, I veeerrrrrryyyy cleverly enlisted a friend of ours who was getting in to cycling as my stoker.  That meant I could ride to her house (cue: “You’ve lost someone, mate!”) then go to a favourite cafe where we’d meet up with my OH and children. So, a family day out, a decent ride out, coffee and cake and everyone’s happy.  Sadly, our friend enjoyed cycling so much she bought another bike and goes out on it with her new man and, separately, another cycling club.  Er, exactly how tall are you Simon…?

Maybe have a go at Googling ‘Charlotte’s Tandems’ to see if they are looking for pilots to look after their tandems and take people out from time to time?

I bought one last year having
I bought one last year having hired several tandems with my wife on holidays and days out. It’s second hand and quite old (mid ’80s) but robust and in immaculate condition. It’s stunning. I felt like I got a total bargain. I still do.

You will already have come across some of the big differences from a handling point of view: handles like an oil tanker, braking takes some planning, goes like a rocket in a straight line, mounting and dismounting take a little team work and timing, the reach is generally shorter from both saddles. I haven’t found hill climbing to be a major challenge. Mine has a triple chainring with a low bottom end gear, perhaps 30×30 but I haven’t counted. If you both remain seated it’s not difficult. I think climbing while standing on the pedals takes a well practised team and is probably not worth your while as it’s less efficient anyway. The frame and wheelbase are very long, so there’s more flex and vibration in corners and climbs. I’m guessing your hills are a bit different mine in South East Scotland. We managed to ascend a hill in North Queensferry called “The Brae” on our first ride on our own tandem. Communication is more important than you might imagine. I usually ride pilot. If you don’t warn your (largely unsighted) stoker of gear changes, corners, hazards or road surface imperfections, you may find yourself without a stoker very shortly. That moment when you see a pot hole late, take your weight off the saddle and chuck your bike and body round the absent tarmac – that doesn’t happen on a tandem. You’ll stand, lean to the right, feel chuffed that you dodged it, then your stoker will feel the brunt of it as the rear wheel doesn’t follow you, holds its line and transfers all the forces of the impact direct to their pelvis.

From a maintenance perspective there are a few big differences too. Long cables. Innovative braking solutions – mine has two cantilevers and a drum brake. Amazing 40 spoke wheels. 2 sets of contact points. The only tandem unique thing I can think of, off the top of my head, is the eccentric bottom bracket. The timing chain (between the two riders, doesn’t engage directly with the drive chain) is tensioned by the off centre spindle in the pilots bottom bracket. I have not needed to adjust mine yet, but there will come a time when I might need to learn a bit about that. There are a few specialist retailers online that stock these weird parts. My wheel builder salivated at the thought of building a 40/48 spoke wheel.

Transporting it is really easiest done by riding the thing. Stoker not required! My already bargainous double steed came with an amazing car roof rack that incorporates a lift. I probably could manhandle it on to the roof, but fine motor control with 25-30kg of moving parts would present a major challenge. It is possible to move them by car but requires a bit of thought and planning. There’s an obvious storage issue too. It’s massive. I have a garage with space for it, but if I didn’t and had to move it through a flat or house, I’d probably have to reconsider my tandem bicycle ownership.

Happy shopping! Give me a bell with any specific questions @harrisupersonic . There is a tandem club who might be able to help too. Membership is £10 per family per annum. Mine has lapsed because I didn’t get much out of it.