Show me your tandems

[zap]

Originally Posted by icepick_trotsky

Got one? Let’s see it!

Have two. First one was built by CoMotion for us in ‘92. Originally full Mavic groupo. The second we purchased from our good friend Flydest here on Paceline. Much modified since.

Will post pics tomorrow.......pics are on an old now retired Mac.

[DJB]

[huck*this]

I was on a ride this past weekend with a similar bike to this in red. Amazing speed bombing down the hill. Zipp 404 and belt driven. Pretty neat and they worked so well together. They were always yelling instructions back and forth. Tandem life? It was race pace.

[54ny77]

holy smokes that's nice.

Originally Posted by huck*this

I was on a ride this past weekend with a similar bike to this in red. Amazing speed bombing down the hill. Zipp 404 and belt driven. Pretty neat and they worked so well together. They were always yelling instructions back and forth. Tandem life? It was race pace.

[zap]

Our CoMotion Speedster travel tandem. Upgraded early last year. Campy Chorus 12, Paul calipers, FSA carbon crankset. Right picture, part way up a climb near Asheville, NC.

[cgolvin]

I've always been curious to ride a tandem, don't think it would be good for our spousal relationship.

Question for you owners: how do you coordinate shifting? As captain, do you develop a feel for cadence becoming too hard/too easy and decide to shift, is it something that the stoker dictates, or some combination of the two/something else?

[zap]

Good question. My wife and I have been riding tandem for a good long time, shortly after she started serious road riding. I have a slightly broader cadence range than my wife so on the tandem, every so often I will shift a bit sooner to another gear. I just shift when needed.....it’s just second nature. My wife would need to chime in for her perspective.

What we do verbalize most often is when we stand....2 1 up. Potholes is another.

Based on many conversations my wife and I have had with cyclists over many years.......men are most wanting to try tandems than women.

[pdmtong]

Single-track fun for two.
6" Maverick DUC 32 with 24mm king thru-axle // 4" Fox
King hubs bzzzzzzz
Hope 203/185 six-piston braided lines
Middleburn cranks, SRAM XO/grip-shift, 22-34 low

[lzuk]

Keeper Bike!

[icepick_trotsky]

Lot of love here for Co-Motion. That’s good to know, since my LBS is a Co-Motion dealer.

Has anyone built up a 1x tandem? Is that an insane thing to do?

[CNY rider]

Originally Posted by lzuk

Keeper Bike!

That second picture makes the argument for the forum having a "like" button.
Fantastic!

[marciero]

Originally Posted by cgolvin

I've always been curious to ride a tandem, don't think it would be good for our spousal relationship.

Question for you owners: how do you coordinate shifting? As captain, do you develop a feel for cadence becoming too hard/too easy and decide to shift, is it something that the stoker dictates, or some combination of the two/something else?

Communication seems to vary among teams, not surprisingly. I dont call out shifts or when standing. On the other hand I hear about it when shifts are not smooth! To ensure smooth shifts I let up slightly when shifting, and when standing will time the shift so that it occurs during a dead spot in pedal stroke (does not work if you have your cranks out of phase) I do these things on the single bike too so am used to it.
I do call out significant bumps, and again hear about it if I miss one. Challenge is to be vigilant, decide which bumps to announce, which to try to avoid, and which to roll over, as abrupt swerving is another no-no. Stoker will also announce when she is no-hands so that I dont stand, and once in a while will request another gear or that we stand if we've been sitting for a long period.

I will say my experience is very limited as I have only ever ridden with my partner as stoker!

[marciero]

Cannondale T2 road tandem but with 650b/47mm is the one we ride most. 2005 Comotion coupled bike for travel and general use. The CoMo was our first tandem. The C-dale was screamin deal that I could not pass up, with the ability to fit 650b wheels and wide tires a main selling point. Amazing how different these bikes ride. And I am always amazed at how plush the CoMo rides even with narrower tires and higher pressure.

[GregL]

Originally Posted by marciero

Communication seems to vary among teams, not surprisingly. I dont call out shifts or when standing. On the other hand I hear about it when shifts are not smooth! To ensure smooth shifts I let up slightly when shifting, and when standing will time the shift so that it occurs during a dead spot in pedal stroke (does not work if you have your cranks out of phase) I do these things on the single bike too so am used to it.
I do call out significant bumps, and again hear about it if I miss one. Challenge is to be vigilant, decide which bumps to announce, which to try to avoid, and which to roll over, as abrupt swerving is another no-no. Stoker will also announce when she is no-hands so that I dont stand, and once in a while will request another gear or that we stand if we've been sitting for a long period.

I will say my experience is very limited as I have only ever ridden with my partner as stoker!

Marciero and zap have covered the captain/stoker interaction pretty thoroughly. For my wife and I, it's become pretty telepathic after 15 years on the tandem. General shifting up/down happens without need for specific, verbal communication. The only times I will call out a shift will be when standing on steep hill or the rare times dropping to the 30T ring in front.

Other times when we clearly communicate verbally will be for bumps, if my wife wants to stand, or for a potential hazard. Her climbing style is to stand much more often than I like to, so she will tell me ("Standing!") if she plans to do so. If I see a potential danger, I will let her know so that we are both ready if a quick reaction is necessary (e.g., car not slowing for an intersection, loose road surfaces, deer or dog near the road, etc...).

During races, we communicate strategy and plans on the fly. During road races, we'll chat about which tandem teams to mark, when to pull back a move, when to attack, and when to launch a sprint. During time trials, my wife has been known to "encourage" me with language that would make a lumberjack blush. A volunteer marshal at a TT turnaround once asked me if I heard the words being blasted at me from the back of the bike. Oh yeah, I've heard that for years...

Greg