Tandem Page
We bought our first Tandem twelve years ago, after hiring one at Rutland Water. Diana cannot ride a bike, (not strictly true), and was getting a little bit fed up with me disappearing on my bike for an hour or two when we were on holiday in our caravan.
We inquired at both the bike shops in Banbury, but met with blank stares and vague murmurings about "Dawes" and "twelve hundred pounds". This was more than we were prepared to pay, so more enquiries gave us the name of Pashley and an address in Stratford on Avon, where they had both a factory and a cycle shop. We opted for the better specced 'E Type' at £625.00 and were given a two week delivery. This suited us, as we were due to go caravanning in France in three weeks.
We arrived at the factory the Wednesday before our holiday to find our machine nicely wrapped in cardboard. Our son, Sean, was with us and it was my intention that he and I would ride the twenty miles home, while my Diana drove the car. They quickly unpacked and assembled the machine while we strolled round the factory. We noticed a great number of 'errand boy' bikes as seen on 'Open All Hours' and assumed that these were for the third world. We were told however that they were very popular in the big factory plants and refineries, where the maintenance men could put their toolboxes etc in the front.
When the bike was ready, Diana and I tried a test run. It was dreadful, I could hardly control it. On dismounting, we found that the tyres were nearly flat, with air in them the improvement was dramatic. With Sean as captain, we set off for Banbury through the rush hour traffic of the Bards birthplace. Anyone who has travelled the Stratford to Banbury will know Sunrise Hill, and on the lower slope of this we ground to a halt. However the strange thing was, that when I took over as captain, we did manage to climb it, something Diana and I have never managed since, although at the top we felt as if we needed d major heart surgery.
Incidentally, at this point I would like to say that of the four Tandems I have owned, Pashley were the only one to supply an instruction manual that contained information specific to the machine, including useful advice for first time tandemists. e.g. that the novice stoker should ignore the handlebars and put their hands on either the waist or the shoulders of the captain. My Orbit had no manual, neither did my GT. The Cannondale came complete with a Video tape which proved to be nothing more than an advertising blurb and was about as much use as a chocolate chain.
At the weekend we took the Tandem, on the back of the car, off to the Haute Savoy, in the mountains above Aix le Bains, and on our first real ride we rode down from Le Chatelarde to Aix, 20 kms of glorious downhill. In my naivete, I had no idea how much harder it is to climb on a tandem than on a solo, and the ride back in the heat of the afternoon, was agony. Most of the time we had no shade and to make matters worse we drank beer to refresh ourselves. It was one of those times, (and we've had a few more, notably in the wind, rain, and dead straight roads on some of the Borger Rally rides) when you can see no end to the suffering. However, the end does come, and when the heart rate drops by a hundred or so, you laugh and joke about how tough it was. It reminds me of the masochist who liked nothing better than an ice cold shower every morning, so he had a hot one.
One thing is certain, this
early experience did not put us off. We enjoy the tandem.
The advantages of being able to talk to each other without blocking
the road, and the levelling of ability so that one partner is
not lagging behind are of great benefit. I also find that
car drivers give us more room than is usual when I am on a solo.
The downside? Hill climbing. I was a subscriber to
Tandem@hobbes, a tandem discussion group on the Internet, and
there were long rambling e-mails about the reasons for the loss
of efficiency with formulae far more complex than that of relativity.
Einstein was an amateur compared to some those people. I
can't tell you why it's more difficult to climb on a Tandem than
a solo. IT JUST IS.
We've progressed from the Pashley (which we sold to a couple who wanted it for for the reasons above), via the Orbit (a nice machine but a trifle flexible), a GT Quadrafoil (a really good rigid frame, but heavy, and which we still have), and our pride and joy, the Cannondale T1000 which replaced the Orbit. As captain I prefer flat bars with bar ends. I do not want to be in a crouched unnatural position and finishing the ride with a crick in my neck, just for aerodynamics sake. I ride for the view. If I want speed on two wheels, I'll get a motorcycle. Also cantilever and especially 'V' brakes need long pull levers. All this gubbins you can get for drop bar levers still does not match the efficiency of the correct levers. Flat bars, on their own, are not as comfortable as drops, but the bar end make the difference.
We are happy to be members
of the Tandem Club, but as we live on the edge of three areas
we rarely participate in weekend rides, however, we have attended
all the International Rallies since our first at Carnac in Brittany,
and thoroughly enjoyed every one.
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