Tandeming

Ekul Namsob said:

We are now looking to set up a savings account to buy a new tandem once
Small is old enough to be able to amuse herself for a couple of hours at
a time.

Get a seat for Small either on the back or as a top tube seat with the
stoker.

Tony

Tony Raven said:

Ekul Namsob said:

We are now looking to set up a savings account to buy a new tandem once
Small is old enough to be able to amuse herself for a couple of hours at
a time.

Get a seat for Small either on the back or as a top tube seat with the
stoker.

I wonder: would a tag-along type thing be safe attached to a tandem?
Hannah is now four and has been too big for a child seat for some time.

Cheers,
Luke
--
Red Rose Ramblings, the diary of an Essex boy in
exile in Lancashire <http://www.shrimper.org.uk>

Ekul Namsob said:

I wonder: would a tag-along type thing be safe attached to a tandem?
Hannah is now four and has been too big for a child seat for some time.

Absolutely. I have seen road trains at tandem rallys of a triplet
towing a tandem tag-along pulling a child trailer! A tag-along works
well with a standard tandem - much better in fact than with a single
because of the wheelbase and loaded weight of the tandem not getting
pushed around so much by the tag-along.

Tony

In article <1i1xnc9.11bapq8wqv8nvN%
[email hidden]>, Ekul Namsob
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

It was more of a challenge than I had thought it would be but well
worthwhile and with Clive as tandem trainer we made rapid progress. I,
of course, made the initial obvious mistake of assaulting the stoker as
I mounted the tandem

You got on after she did, and kicked her? The captain is always first
on and last off, but I guess you've learned that now. :-)

Quoted message said:

and then wobbling the machine disturbingly.

When pulling away? This is hardly perceptible to the stoker, so pretend
you're good at it and she won't know. Shouting 'whoah' and flailing
around might encourage her to try to put a foot down, which will only
exacerbate matters.

Quoted message said:

Kate and I never cycle together as I go far too quickly for her. It was
apparent that we each prefer to pedal at different cadences but, after a
few miles, we were in a good rhythm.

If this is still a problem when you get your own tandem it's worth
remembering that longer cranks tend to encourage lower cadence
(conversely shorter cranks and higher cadence).

Quoted message said:

We are now looking to set up a savings account to buy a new tandem once
Small is old enough to be able to amuse herself for a couple of hours at
a time.

How about a childback triplet?

"Rob Morley" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Kate and I never cycle together as I go far too quickly for her. It was
apparent that we each prefer to pedal at different cadences but, after a
few miles, we were in a good rhythm.

If this is still a problem when you get your own tandem it's worth
remembering that longer cranks tend to encourage lower cadence
(conversely shorter cranks and higher cadence).

FWIW the bike Luke was riding has 180mm cranks on the front and 160mm on the
back, so pretty much already as different as possible without going very
specialist. (Ok, you can get smaller on the back, but I wouldn't because you
start limiting the power the stoker can put in, which is not good for hills)

cheers,
clive

Rob Morley said:

In article <1i1xnc9.11bapq8wqv8nvN%
[email hidden]>, Ekul Namsob
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

It was more of a challenge than I had thought it would be but well
worthwhile and with Clive as tandem trainer we made rapid progress. I,
of course, made the initial obvious mistake of assaulting the stoker as
I mounted the tandem

You got on after she did, and kicked her? The captain is always first
on and last off, but I guess you've learned that now. :-)

I got on after Kate as Clive was holding the tandem in order to adjust
the saddle and handlebars.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

and then wobbling the machine disturbingly.

When pulling away? This is hardly perceptible to the stoker, so pretend
you're good at it and she won't know. Shouting 'whoah' and flailing
around might encourage her to try to put a foot down, which will only
exacerbate matters.

Again, Clive did a good job of helping to demonstrate quite how far the
tandem could lean without Kate falling off.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Kate and I never cycle together as I go far too quickly for her. It was
apparent that we each prefer to pedal at different cadences but, after a
few miles, we were in a good rhythm.

If this is still a problem when you get your own tandem it's worth
remembering that longer cranks tend to encourage lower cadence
(conversely shorter cranks and higher cadence).

That's handy advice. Thanks.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

We are now looking to set up a savings account to buy a new tandem once
Small is old enough to be able to amuse herself for a couple of hours at
a time.

How about a childback triplet?

I suspect the tandem and tagalong idea might be of greater long-term
benefit.

Cheers,
Luke

--
Red Rose Ramblings, the diary of an Essex boy in
exile in Lancashire <http://www.shrimper.org.uk>

On Sun, 29 Jul 2007 05:57:16 GMT,

(Ekul Namsob) said:

Quoted message said:

How about a childback triplet?

I suspect the tandem and tagalong idea might be of greater long-term
benefit.

www.johnballcycling.org.uk/photos/triplet

This triplet has now been set up to allow stoker#2 into the stoker#1
position and child in the child seat into stoker#2 position. The
child seat has been removed.

NB The child in stoker#1 position couldn't reach the pedals as it was
set up for the captain's wife, who was riding stoker#1's bike.