Tandem riders question...?

Question

Of all my contacts, I knew you would chime in on this question. As I was posting it, I was wondering if you would...and there you are. Thanks RONATNYU!

And, BTW, it is something couples do....the ride on the bike is great, as well >_<

Answer 1

Just like some of the other things, after a while you stop getting sore and then it is just plain pleasurable.  You should take some steps to minimise soreness otherwise it could impact on other marital activities. (Nobody likes that.)  

The first thing would be to set the tandem up as close to your road bike as possible. (Unlike other activities it is best to stay as close to one position as possible). Grab a plumb bob and hang it over the cranks measure off the height of your normal saddle and handle bars, then the horizontal distances to both. Set your  Tandem as close to these measurements as possible. It may require to changing a stem or a seat post.

Tandems rarely have the ideal frame size front and back, so it is quite hard to get everything set up perfectly, things like crank size and handle bar width are usually lived with rather than changed. So expect to be riding in a different position. (it will take time to get used too.)

Until you (and Hubby) adapt to each others riding style you are likely to be doing more sitting than your normal. This is only going to place greater demands on nether regions. Learning to stand together should be a priority. It is not as hard to do as you might think.

Pick a nice flat (and quiet) section of road.  First step is to just stand and coast. stand up ..coast... sit down.  Once you have that down pat. Try once around. Then twice.

While you are learning, it is best to talk about each change but as you get used to it you will find that it becomes intuitive.

Your going to love the tandem you will both be moving along a lot quicker than you used to alone and there is no waiting for the other to catch up.

Have fun

Answer 2

It will make you tougher, keep on keeping on.

Answer 3

Oh ... I thought &#039;tandem rider&#039; was fancy words for ....er ..... er ... something couples like to do.

Never mind .... carry on.

or in this case ride on.

Answer 4

My personal experience on Tandems has been through a &quot;viewpoint&quot; tandem (recumbent stoker on the front, pilot at the back on a regular road geometry), so it won&#039;t be identical, I&#039;ll help the best I can anyways.

I doubt it is simply the tandem.

First of all, are you using your normal saddle?  That will make all the difference in the world.  Try switching the saddles from your regular bikes onto the tandem and see if that makes a difference.  That may help a lot, and it may help a little.

If it helps a lot, get yourself a second set of those saddles and use them on your bike.

You will also want to check the saddles to make sure they are positioned correctly.  Not simply fore-aft (that typically has effect on your knees) but the pitch of the saddle.  You want them dead flat, other wise you will put pressure on the wrong parts of your anatomy, causing saddle sores.

If neither of these things works, go to a good shop with a wide range of saddles that is willing to let you take saddles that you think will fit you out for a ride.  That way you get a feel for the saddle that will best fit you.