A bicycle made for two.

After seeing a tandem at the start line of North Cape, we’ve both been curious about them. The reading I’ve seen says that they are faster on the flats and downhills due to the increased power and reduced wind resistance but shower on the uphills due to the extra weight.

For us a tandem could work when on long adventures, we always ride together and when one of us stop, the other generally does too. It may help balance out or fitness, and there would also be 2 fewer tyres to get punctures.

So when we saw that Watchtree Nature Reserve has a tandem available to hire we could resist the opportunity to try it out.

The bike was a blue Ridgeback with dropped bars, and that’s the extent of my tandem knowledge.

I took first turn as the captain, on the front, getting on was no different from a normal bike. Then we pushed off. Having someone on the back, who is also trying to balance, make it a very odd experience. When Clara over balanced to the left I would then need to steer to the left to correct for it, effectively allowing Clara to steer a little from the back seat. In hindsight I may have been able to balance myself to the right to compensate instead of steering but it didn’t occur to me the time to try.

We weaved ourselves around the nature reserve twice before swapping places. I was now the stoker, back seat. Not being to steer is an odd experience, and caused Clara just as many issues as she had caused me.

Communication is also key, simple things which I wouldn’t think about of a solo bike, became a collaborative effort on the tandem. Changing gear, coasting, when stopping which foot to put down, etc.

We went around a few times, grinning ear to ear, such a fun experience, but I doubt we’ll be doing any events on a tandem. We would be dangerous and a liability on the road, and whilst I’m sure that with practice we would be comfortable, safe, and proficient on the tandem, we just don’t have time to put that practice in.