This thread will possibly get moved over to the Tandem discussion board, but I was hoping to get the point of view of not only the Tandem enthusiasts one would normally find there, but also those who have tried it and don't like it, or have a point of view against tandem cycling who don't frequent that board.
My wife and I often do 1 hour rides on weekend days on our single MTB's on local gravel or multi-use trails, which is great fun, and we'll even drive to far away and interesting locations to mix it up. But even though she is a very strong rider for her small size, I find the ride intensity or duration doesn't cut it for me, so if I have time I will often end up taking a 2nd ride on my road bike later in the day. Unfortunately, this is not the best use of time and energy. Performance on the 2nd ride is compromised by a bit of fatigue from the fist ride, and lack of time for the 2nd ride in a day.
So she suggested why don't we consider getting a tandem. I think it is a great idea for a number of reasons that are well known to the Tandem Cycling community. First, it will allow us to work as hard as each of us wants to, yet remain together. We could also increase the ride distance and duration, because if she gets tired she could ease up as she pleases, and let me do the bulk of the work, which would allow each of us to get the right work-out level. Most of all, I think it is a fun adventure we can enjoy together as a couple.
Downsides? First, although she realizes that we will need to start riding on some roads (to keep it interesting), she is not all that comfortable riding on road, even in light traffic areas. Second is that good tandem bikes (Santana, Co-Motion, Canondale) are expensive ($3,000-$5,000 new). Not that we can't afford one, but we would hate to invest that kind of money, only to find out it's not really for us. Sure we could go for one of the cheaper steel tandems, but based on my research, these might not offer the most stable or pleasant ride. Finally, as I understand it, there is a steep learning curve getting Captain and Stoker in sync, working together as a team. Could take a few hundred miles of riding to get there. Finally, I can't even find a local tandem bike dealer where we could go look at and test ride in my area (Toronto).
So we're looking around at good quality used tandems, and continuing to debate should we or shouldn't we buy one.
While were doing that, I'm curious to hear from other riders here that have been in this quandary on whether to jump into Tandem cycling with their partners, and what you decided and why?
My wife and I often do 1 hour rides on weekend days on our single MTB's on local gravel or multi-use trails, which is great fun, and we'll even drive to far away and interesting locations to mix it up. But even though she is a very strong rider for her small size, I find the ride intensity or duration doesn't cut it for me, so if I have time I will often end up taking a 2nd ride on my road bike later in the day. Unfortunately, this is not the best use of time and energy. Performance on the 2nd ride is compromised by a bit of fatigue from the fist ride, and lack of time for the 2nd ride in a day.
So she suggested why don't we consider getting a tandem. I think it is a great idea for a number of reasons that are well known to the Tandem Cycling community. First, it will allow us to work as hard as each of us wants to, yet remain together. We could also increase the ride distance and duration, because if she gets tired she could ease up as she pleases, and let me do the bulk of the work, which would allow each of us to get the right work-out level. Most of all, I think it is a fun adventure we can enjoy together as a couple.
Downsides? First, although she realizes that we will need to start riding on some roads (to keep it interesting), she is not all that comfortable riding on road, even in light traffic areas. Second is that good tandem bikes (Santana, Co-Motion, Canondale) are expensive ($3,000-$5,000 new). Not that we can't afford one, but we would hate to invest that kind of money, only to find out it's not really for us. Sure we could go for one of the cheaper steel tandems, but based on my research, these might not offer the most stable or pleasant ride. Finally, as I understand it, there is a steep learning curve getting Captain and Stoker in sync, working together as a team. Could take a few hundred miles of riding to get there. Finally, I can't even find a local tandem bike dealer where we could go look at and test ride in my area (Toronto).
So we're looking around at good quality used tandems, and continuing to debate should we or shouldn't we buy one.
While were doing that, I'm curious to hear from other riders here that have been in this quandary on whether to jump into Tandem cycling with their partners, and what you decided and why?
