Discussion Topic |
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Dapper Dan
Trad climber
Menlo Park
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Topic Author's Original Post - Aug 27, 2012 - 11:11pm PT
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I'm serious , I live in Menlo Park , the 3rd yuppiest suburb in the Bay Area . People ride around on carbon fiber bikes that cost more than all the vehicles I've ever owned combined. They take road biking really serious around here... And then there is the tandem bike ...
What is the appeal ? Are they faster , more efficient ? I mean how close do you need your head to be to your partner's ass crack ? It just looks so goofy and precious that there has to be some advantage or benefit that I can't see. Even unicycler's scoff at tandem bikers right ?
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Kenygl
Trad climber
Salt Lake City
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Aug 27, 2012 - 11:16pm PT
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A) you live in Menlo Park for christ sakes, who are you to judge?
There is no B)
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Aug 27, 2012 - 11:22pm PT
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A shy less nerdy than Nordic Walking but in the same ballpark.
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briham89
Big Wall climber
los gatos. ca
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Aug 27, 2012 - 11:25pm PT
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It's about one thing, and one thing only
and that is having your lady along for the ride
Yep
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can't say
Social climber
Pasadena CA
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Aug 27, 2012 - 11:39pm PT
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These aren't bad
but otherwise I call them divorce cycles
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Jon Beck
Trad climber
Oceanside
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Aug 27, 2012 - 11:45pm PT
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Definitely a chick thing. My limited experiece involved a short trip with a drunk lady. I did most of the work
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crasic
climber
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Aug 27, 2012 - 11:46pm PT
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unless you get a tandem with one of them fancy independent transmission drives expect to be the one doing 100% of the pushing.
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ß Î Ø T Ç H
Boulder climber
bouldering
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Aug 28, 2012 - 01:14am PT
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To answer your question yes.
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Aug 28, 2012 - 01:36am PT
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Y'all need a little more romance in your lives.
[Click to View YouTube Video]
Some friends even got married on a bicycle built for two.
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matisse
climber
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Aug 28, 2012 - 01:37am PT
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I dunno. They can go really really fast -on the flats and downhill.. Years ago I maxed out my cyclocomputer at 99 kph drafting a bunch of Paralympics dudes downhill and I still got shelled off the back
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Vegasclimber
Trad climber
Las Vegas, NV.
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Aug 28, 2012 - 02:06am PT
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When I was a tech we called them the divorce horse.
Quite happy on my own ride while the better half trucks along on her own wheels.
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Some Random Guy
Trad climber
San Franpsycho (a.k.a. a token of my extreme)
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Aug 28, 2012 - 02:39am PT
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well at least the second can get off and push....maybe the only advantage
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mynameismud
climber
backseat
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Aug 28, 2012 - 03:16am PT
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I know a couple that has a tandem and they crush.
I rode a tandem once and the one thing I can say is if there are two people that work together on one of those things you can really haul ass.
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Delhi Dog
climber
Good Question...
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Aug 28, 2012 - 03:42am PT
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Question is do the ones in the back like it in the rear?
And if it's your wife...well never mind.
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scuffy b
climber
heading slowly NNW
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Aug 28, 2012 - 11:29am PT
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I've been on some great rides on a tandem, as the stoker and as captain,
with a variety of partners.
Unless your are riding with someone who is really minimal as a rider, the
overwhelmingly common impression is something like this:
"Hey, does is feel like you're doing all the work?" "No, it feels like
you are."
And they are really fast on the flats.
EDIT:
in response to the OP question, nothing is as dopey as it looks.
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karodrinker
Trad climber
San Jose, CA
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Aug 28, 2012 - 11:33am PT
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My girlfriend and I just got one for burning man, fun as hell riding around together, but we're not serious cyclists, just a couple who likes cruisin around together.
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TwistedCrank
climber
Dingleberry Gulch, Ideeho
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Aug 28, 2012 - 11:41am PT
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Depends on how much you like the smell of "gas".
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
merced, california
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Aug 28, 2012 - 11:51am PT
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Delhi Dog, you have convinced me I never need to try this! Thanks for the vids, highly entertaining!
Tis bettah to vatch dis strench goings on, yah?
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martygarrison
Trad climber
Washington DC
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Aug 28, 2012 - 11:58am PT
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I had a couple. here are my thoughts
great if you and your wife or partner ride at two very different speeds.
they go really fast on flats and downhills
very slow going uphill
sitting in the back sucks, feeling of no control.
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stevep
Boulder climber
Salt Lake, UT
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Aug 28, 2012 - 01:15pm PT
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^^^^^^^^
Exactly what Marty said. Being on the back sucks. Especially if the front guy hits a bump or pothole without warning you.
But I did Seattle-to-Portland one year, and the fastest, easiest part of it was when a couple of tandems let us draft them. They were going so fast, they didn't even want us guys on regular road bikes taking pulls. Just sat on for about 30 miles at about 30 mph. Was great.
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Karen
Trad climber
So Cal urban sprawl Hell
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Aug 28, 2012 - 03:38pm PT
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A couple of points, my ex and I had this really nice Santana, however, he and I had two very different riding styles, I liked to spin and he would just randomly coast, SOOOOO annoying! Also, every time we'd go over some bump in the road it was unpleasant for me being the stoker.
The coolest thing I've ever seen on a tandom was this couple on a mtn bike tandom who were topping out on Mammoth mtn, they had ridden from the bottom up, amazing.
Personally, I like tandoms but would only consider riding one with the right sort of cyclist. Nice shaved legs and hot in his lycra:-) No Freds allowed
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dee ee
Mountain climber
citizen of planet Earth
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Aug 31, 2012 - 12:33pm PT
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Tandems are cool.
We've had one for years and had many fun rides. When Margy was pregnant she could still enjoy a low impact ride. Now that my boy Jake fits on the back it helps to get him psyched for riding and off the video games for awhile.
Yeah, yeah, slow on the ups but way fast on the downs.
One (couple)of our posse at the Solvang Century had one and drafting them was the bomb.
Love the tandem!
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matty
Trad climber
under the sea
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Sep 25, 2012 - 01:16pm PT
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Used to ride one with my dad for a few years in michigan. It was 50/50 work for us. Fun to keep up speed on the flats and the downhills....in michigan they aint very big, but we could still get up to 65+...what a thrill.
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Feb 25, 2013 - 06:46pm PT
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Maybe. Maybe not. This needs further discussion.
I'll be glad to admit I am a dotl. I might be convinced to try this bike instead. They get to share the view and nobody gets to catch farts.
More vintage bikes on today's Flames thread.
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Willoughby
Social climber
Truckee, CA
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Feb 25, 2013 - 07:12pm PT
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Always had a blast on them as drunken teenagers. Lots of good crashes.
For roadbiking, they definitely cook. Two engines for basically the same aerodynamic profile.
Fun for plain cruising around on with your lady, and also fun, I imagine, if you have kids. I've seen some pretty interesting custom rigs out there that look like they're fun for the whole family (or all the Whos in Whoville).
A few years back I ran across these guys while doing the Indian Valley Century. They had their labrador riding along in the trailer. I doubt they did the full 100 miles, but you never know.
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labrat
Trad climber
Auburn, CA
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Feb 25, 2013 - 07:22pm PT
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Thanks Jay. The back to back video is crazy!
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Daphne
Trad climber
Black Rock City
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Feb 25, 2013 - 08:25pm PT
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I just broke up with a guy who introduced me to tandem biking. We did NOT break up because of the biking.
I LOVED riding tandem and I totally pulled my weight in the hills of Marin County. My view was great all around ;)
It's true that the bumps kinda suck from the back end, but that was the only downer.
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MisterE
Social climber
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Feb 25, 2013 - 11:12pm PT
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I have cycling friends who call tandem bikes "The Divorce Horse".
Just sayin'.
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zBrown
Ice climber
chingadero de chula vista
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Feb 25, 2013 - 11:12pm PT
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tandem hell, take a whole platoon
or at least ride something cool
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Apr 30, 2013 - 10:45am PT
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S. African tandemizers at the Argus Peninsula event of events.
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Rhodo-Router
Gym climber
sawatch choss
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Apr 30, 2013 - 01:08pm PT
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This wacky family stayed at our house for a couple of nights last summer.
Not really my idea of fun but they do go on some cheap and scenic trips as a family.
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gonzo chemist
climber
Fort Collins, CO
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Apr 30, 2013 - 04:12pm PT
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come visit Fort Collins in the summertime. Its like bike central here. You'll see all kinds of weird sh#t. And I think that's awesome!
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michaeld
Sport climber
Sacramento
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Apr 30, 2013 - 04:26pm PT
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I pass people all the time on my single speed along the American River Parkway Trail. If I'm trying to beat a time and hauling ass, not a lot pass me. I'd say I was averaging 20 mph through this one gnarly section right after Watt Ave. This tandem flew past me. It was a carbon fiber racing bike. Both "Lance and Nance Armstrong" (Generally everyone with a road bike wearing matching biking suits and helmets, I call Lance) looked like they were putting in little to no effort, and they left me in the dust.
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thebravecowboy
Social climber
Colorado Plateau
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Apr 30, 2013 - 04:34pm PT
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i started touring on the back of a tandem. don't know that i would ever do it again unless i had a kiddo that i was trying to get hooked.
downhills, man, hooowee! great on a tandem. less so the ups.
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ß Î Ø T Ç H
Boulder climber
bouldering
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Apr 30, 2013 - 07:46pm PT
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Alpamayo
Trad climber
Chapel Hill, NC
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Apr 30, 2013 - 08:24pm PT
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Lots of pros and cons......for us, mostly pros.
Hills are a drag on a tandem....you really can't stand to pedal effectively. You just gotta grind 'em out.
However, on the flats, we cruise along without hardly trying at 28 mph. Very easy to stay up around 35 without lots of effort.
As an avid cyclist and long time (ex?)racer, including some tandem races, I agree! My wife and I love riding ours and it is something we can do together. We cannot ride together on separate bikes, it just doesn't work. We've even got the hang of having me stand while we ride, which took some doing. But I gotta say, if you can ride at 28mph "without hardly trying" and 35 mph "without lots of effort", you must be pretty strong. Last time I saw, the national TT tandem 40k record for men is ~34 mph on a pancake flat, well paved road at altitude (record challenge course in NM) and the mixed record is just under 32 mph. So if you can do that for ~45 minutes, you've got a national record to set.
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Dr.Sprock
Boulder climber
I'm James Brown, Bi-atch!
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Apr 30, 2013 - 09:35pm PT
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shady
Trad climber
hasbeen
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Tandems are not for me but..........
Tandem road, not dopey.
Tandem mountain on fire roads, not dopey.
Tandem mountain on singletrack, have your head examined.
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Aug 16, 2014 - 02:59pm PT
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Not a true tandem, but a "haul my weight now, mommie, I'm tired" version.
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