Ride Planning

If weather forecasts call for heat the first change in your plans should be on your route. Remove long gradual climbs from your ride or re-route to complete those climbs during the cooler part of the day. Generally tandems climb more slowly and when combined with scorching asphalt, tandems will experience a higher heat gain than a comparable solo bike.

Water and Sweat

This one is a bit weird but does your riding partner sweat a lot or a little? If you do not know it is time to find out. Most people have very different heat tolerances and physiological reactions to heat. Some people sweat buckets, allowing them to stay cool but also requiring them to replenish significantly more liquid. Whereas others sweat very little if at all creating dangerous conditions if too much liquid is ingested and the heat builds. Whatever the situation pick your route to suit the individual who will heat up first.

Join a Group

If you are unsure of an easier route or simply want to take the pressure off join a gentle group ride for the day. The addition of riding partners will slow down your pace and force you to get out early.

Liquids and Electrolytes

Simply drinking a lot of water on hot days will not help. When you sweat you are also releasing salts from your body. It is vital that you replace those chemicals during your ride to allow you to both finish strong and feel better doing so. Mix an energy drink into a secondary water bottle and sip that during your ride.

Breaks and Stretching

Be cognizant of taking regular breaks and coasting to stand and stretch. The heat will stress your muscles a bit more. Stretching allows you and your partner to gauge fatigue and tightness, adjusting your route accordingly.

The keys to successful hot weather riding are pretty basic but of vital importance. Even riders who regularly ride in excessive heat need to be constantly aware of their physical reactions. By taking your time and being aware of the topics above you will ensure a safe and fun ride no matter how hot that sun has become.

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The UCI Finals, while not a tandem event per-se, is marking its first return to the United States in five years. That is five years without World Cup races inside the borders of the country that created the sport! To celebrate the milestone the local communities are pulling out all the stops to entertain and delight fans in attendance.

Beginning Thursday August 26 through Sunday August 29 fans and racers alike will be able to enjoy scenice riding in and around the race location. TandemBicycling.com plans on attending the various events and partaking in every opportunity to ride the various courses for fun.

Race categories are open to beginner and pros alike with cross-country, downhill, and 4x events taking place at the mountain. There will be free concerts and exhibitions taking place in town over the weekend. Access to all the events, again, is free while parking is $10 per day or $25 for all weekend.

Summer may fast be coming to a close but your opportunity to enjoy a bit of cycling history is not over. Find out more at www.racewindham.com.

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The first time captain

There is a first time for everything and being a tandem captain is no different. It is best to ride the tandem solo a bit to familiarize yourself with the controls, shifting characteristics, braking behavior, and turning radius. Realize the bike will feel significantly different once you add a stoker to the bike.

For your first full team ride it is mandatory that you find a neighborhood or bike path free of traffic (cars, bikes, and pedestrians included). Plan on a short trip of 5-10 miles and have fun. Most likely this will be the first trip for your stoker too so do not make any abrupt moves. It is best to act as if you were taking a child for their first bike ride.

Communication

Riding a tandem is all about communication. As a captain it is difficult to fully understand the faith your stoker is placing with you. The stoker can not see the road ahead nor can they anticipate shifts, turns, or braking. At first it is best to communicate EVERYTHING (including bumps in the road and approaching intersections). From there you can slowly remove notifications as comfort levels rise.

Advanced Captaining

For more experienced tandem teams the role of captain transitions from “tour leader” to one of speed and effort management. On longer rides it is important to control pace and power to efficiently travel from point A to point B. The captain has a better view of the upcoming terrain and can better anticipate the needs of the team. The captain should carefully use braking and soft pedaling to maintain momentum and minimize the need for heavy power starts.

Handling Downhills

The captain has the enviable task of steering and braking during the decents. A tandem with the long wheelbase and significant mass is a very stable and fast platform to travel downhill. It is not uncommon to reach and exceed 60 mph on a gentle slope.

The captain must be careful to anticipate obstacles while adjusting speed and approach angles to safely maneuver at speed. The stoker can be coached to aid in turning and direction changes by shifting their weight and leaning on the bike. The dual efforts of the tandem pair creates significant traction and surprisingly nimble handling for the tandem.

The success of a captain is dictated by the happiness of their stoker. By considering the stoker’s feelings at all times and communicating actions the captain takes a big step in making the tandem team successful on the bike.

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Housed out of a large garage, basement, and adjoining storage containers this tandem bike shop is better stocked than most standard bike shops but don’t mention that to the co-owner Mel (he and his wife Barbara have run the family business for the last 22 years). His response to this statement is “don’t call us a bike shop”. Sorry Mel. we agree that you are definitely not the owner of a bike shop.

Instead Tandems East is a Tandem Bike Shop providing parts, service, and new equipment to tandem teams around the world. Specializing in hard to fit tandem teams, road tandems, and custom tandem parts their shop is a treasure trove of tandem bicycling lore. One section of their large garage is dedicated to the storage of available tandem inventory. We counted no less than 70 ready to ride tandems!

Another example of the unique nature of the shop happened when Mel noticed the classic Shimano 737 clipless pedals on the stoker cranks of our editor’s tandem. Mel  politely asked if we were interested in the titanium axles for them? A resounding YES was the response since the titanium axles are next to impossible to find; well Tandems East had a full stock of them.

The tandem bike community may be a niche within the over-arching bicycling community but with shops like Tandems East serving our needs how can we go wrong. Tandems East can be reached via their website at www.tandemseast.com

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As can be viewed in this photo, from the team TandemBicycling.com full suspension mountain bike tandem, even long travel suspension frames are susceptible to serious forces transmitted to the stoker.

To combat the inevitable fatigue and pains the stoker will feel most tandems will be spec’d with a suspension seatpost. The suspension seatpost, once adjusted properly, will help absorb the big hits and small vibrations resulting in a more smooth and comfortable ride for the stoker.

It is also important to work on communication between captain and stoker. In the case of the photo above, the captain failed to warn the stoker of a major bump on a fire road decent. The suspension performed its duty in softening the blow but the torsional force of the stoker rising and sinking was too much for this post to handle. The team would have been better off if the captain provided the warning and the stoker then transitioned her wait to the pedals and handlebar.

On road tandems clear signs of extreme vibrational problems can be found in saddle soreness and early muscle fatigue for the stoker. Simply replacing a standard seatpost with a short travel suspension post will alleviate the vibration induced pains.

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There are a series of multi-use trails that enter/exit and circumvent downtown DC creating endless opportunities for near car free touring. Following 9-11 increased security inside DC has all but eliminated the ease of car travel forcing the majority of tourists to hoof it around town anyways. With a tandem, and there were many spotted throughout the area, families are able to quickly travel between monuments, museums, and parks throughout the metro area without having to walk everywhere.

If any of this sounds appealing then we have your Fourth of July 2011 planned for you. Start out by driving, with your tandem in tow, to Mt Vernon and park in their free lot. Spend the day touring the plantation that was home to George Washington and enjoy the daytime fireworks, birthday cake, live bands, and revolutionary soldiers. Stay until the park closes at 5 pm then walk back to the car and change into your riding clothes.

Mt Vernon Fourth

Leaving from the parking area is Mt Vernon Trail traveling 15 miles north into Washington DC. Zigzagging along the Potomac river the trail is adjacent to the George Washington Parkway allowing you to easily imagine back to a time when this same route was travelled by the founding fathers and international dignitaries.

Alexandria, VA

Along the route the trail passes through downtown Alexandria, VA where you can stop at any one of a number of cafes for an enjoyable meal. After taking in the sights and sounds continue on the trail for the final 5 miles to the 14th Street Bridge. Crossing the bridge along the protected path you will exit at the Jefferson Memorial. Cross the street and find a spot along the water front adjacent to the Memorial and enjoy the evening fireworks over the National Mall.

After the fireworks end it is time to reverse the route and ride back to your car. Bring along a bright headlight and flashing tail-light. The first 2 miles will be packed with people but after passing Reagan Airport the crowds will thin and you will have the opportunity to enjoy a wonderful evening ride along the river. Make sure to stop within the trees to admire the countless flickering fireflies.

Just another great tandem outing brought to you by TandemBicycling.com

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1. Buy Cables and Housing

Stop by your local bike shop and request tandem length derailleur cabling. About 9 feet long the cable will fit most every tandem. Also purchase a length of housing long enough to be snipped into replacement sections for your exiting housing.

2. Get the right tool

The single most important tool for proper cable installation is a good pair of wire snips. Wire snips are different from electrical wire snips in that they apply force in a circular manner thus preventing fraying.

3. Shift into “cable changing” gear

Down shift the appropriate shifter to release tension from the cable. For standard shifters this will move the chain to the smallest ring (front and back).

4. Snip the cable intermittently

Using the wire snips cut the old cable to ease removal.

5. Remove old cable

6. Cut Housing

Independently remove each piece of housing section. Align the old housing with your new housing and cut matching length sections.

7. Install new housing in place

8. Route new cable

Beginning at the shifter route the cable through the new housing and cable guides on the tandem. Take care not to force the cable through so as to avoid fraying. No grease should be applied.

9. Adjust derailleur

Pull the cable tight at the derailleur and adjust for proper shifting. Cables are generally pre-stretched but allow for some additional stretch after use

Properly installed new housing and cables will greatly improve shifting performance.

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Given the high visibility of tandem riding, etiquette is very important. When passing it is best to greet others with a hello, good morning, or friendly nod of the head. When overtaking a slower rider it is wise to allow ample space and to avoid any shouts from behind that will startle them. Given the size of a tandem and relative velocity it is not a simple matter of swerving around a startled cyclist.

During a ride this last weekend our editors had the rare run in with “that guy”. You may ask who or what is “that guy”. Well, that guy is the person who seems to go out of their way to be different. They are generally easy to spot and not easy to ignore.

In our editors case “that guy” came in the form of a gentleman in his late 50’s riding a mid-level mountain bike in jean pants and t-shirt. His bike was equipped with rear view mirror and fenders.

On this day he was riding a popular local road bike loop traveling in the center of the bike lane at a speed of 10-12 mph. Our editors were out on a leisurely ride and approached “that guy” from behind at a speed of 20 mph. As the tandem pair neared, the captain moved far left in the lane and passed with ample room. The pair acknowledged “that guy” with a hello and proceeded on their journey.

This  is where “that guy” took form. Unbeknown to our editors they had offended him by not yelling “ON YER LEFT” as they approached, a methodology reserved for mountain bike races and strictly shunned by road cyclists. At speed “ON YER LEFT” tends to sound like “OARCGHHH”; not exactly conducive to great communication.

Our editors were stopped a short while later at a stop light. As they awaited the signal change “that guy” approached and began a normal dialogue about how cool the tandem was and the benefits of cycling. Once he engaged the pair in conversation he suddenly and immediately switched from polite to hostile.  He berated the tandem pair with insults regarding their ignorance of the “rules of the road” and explained that he could easily have swerved into them to prove a point. Luckily the light switched to green and our editors exited the altercation.

“That guy” was left to fume on his own but nonetheless he left our tandem pair with a bad taste in their mouths. Had they wronged him? Should they have shouted a greeting from behind? The answer, in this case, will never be known. Sometimes “that guy” is simply out to be different.

In the end just remember that the uniqueness of a tandem will make you the lightening rod for both good and bad feedback; be ready and have fun. In the end always remember that on a tandem you are going to be remembered, so make it a good memory

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Well this dog was quicker than the normal and seemed extra confident. At the end of the yard he paused slightly and then lept. At that moment we knew this time would be a bit different. With no effort the dog’s front paws reached the apex of the fence and just as quickly he hurled himself over the top. Without even skipping a beat he was on the pavement a tandem length behind. No words had to be exchanged between captain and stoker the sprint was on!

In this scenario we were riding up an incline with the top 200 meters ahead. It was a battle of wills the tandem versus the canine. First to give up would lose or win depending on the perspective.

Outside of race conditions it is often difficult to reproduce the extreme bursts of energy required to go fast. This dog had more than reproduced the need for speed. As we neared the top a quick glance back proved that the dog had not given up but he was losing ground… thankfully. 10 meters from the top our speed reached 30 mph and the dog had finally given up chase.

Over the top and away from danger we were able to let up the speed and take a breather. The thrill of the escape (and probably left over adrenaline) left us in excited discussion about what may have happened had we lost the sprint. Luckily for us speculation was the only result and on with the ride we went. That crazy dog was no match for our sprint; how about you? Are you ready for the crazy dog sprint?

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1. Foreign Objects – the easiest to identify are foreign objects like thorns and nails. Protruding through the tread or sidewall the object punctures the tube causing loss of tire pressure. Upon removing the old tube use your hand to gently feel the inside of the tire casing for the offending object and remove.
2. Pinch Flats – the easiest to correct pinch flats are caused by a compression of the tire sidewall to the rim edge squeezing the tube causing dual punctures that will rapidly release air. Caused by running low tire pressures over uneven terrain, think rocks, roots, or potholes, the easiest solution is to run higher tire pressures in your tubes.
3. Cut sidewalls – inadvertently riding through broken glass or sharp stones can slice the fiber sidewalls of your tire. The resulting hole allows the tube to balloon out and puncture. Before the tube can be replaced and re-inflated the tire needs to be replaced or, if the puncture repair occurs on the road, a patch can be made using dollar bills or energy bar wrappers to cover the cut. The goal is to stop the tube from poking through the tear.
4. Rim Burs – The inside of a tandem rim is covered with multiple sharp junctions that can easily flatten a tube. The spoke nipple holes, rim weld seal, and tube valve hole are potential sources of edges that can cut a tube. These are the pesky flat causes that can go undiagnosed for months. Usually the result of old rim tape that has shifted to one side tandem teams are generally unaware of the problem and will go through multiple tubes until the culprit is identified. Using a small metal file to clear burs and applying new rim tape normally solves the problem.

Flat tires are the bane of most tandem teams existence but ride enough miles and they are guaranteed to happen. With this checklist as your guide hopefully the 3-peats will be avoided.

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