Viewing 32 posts - 1 through 32 (of 32 total)
  • Are tandems faster or slower than solos ?
  • Anecdotal evidence is that tandems are a lot faster down hill, a bit faster or the same on the flat and slower up hill.
    Our experience seems to back that up, but it’s hard to tell as I’m faster than Mrs MTG on a solo, so I need to estimate if we are going faster or slower than our combined average speed.

    Logic would say a tandem should be faster. Twice the power, yet only the same wind & rolling resistance and 1.5 times the weight of a solo.

    It doesn’t seem to work like that though.
    Is there a scientific explanation ?
    Is there any evidence of speed difference ? Time Trial, Track or Hill Climb records for example.

    I’ll have to introduce Mrs MTG to Strava and both ride solo and tandem over the same segments to create our own data

    aP
    Free Member

    Road tandems are faster except up steep hills.
    MTB tandems are overall slower on technical trails but for bridleways there’s not much difference.

    waveydave
    Free Member

    I was always under the impression that tandem is faster. My pal Dave used to race tandems back in the 60’s & 70’s. He said without doubt it is much faster, he said that descending at 50 – 60mph on tandem is quite possible. It helps if each rider is sort of equal then each rider can carry his own weight.

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    mrmo
    Free Member

    Tandems are faster, far faster! Just need a good crew to realise how fast.

    vets records

    bigjim
    Full Member

    TJ’s done 60mph up and down everything on his tandem

    aP
    Free Member

    We’ve had a train of 40 or 50 riders sitting in behind us on Audaxes we’ve done in the past. We’ve also had people sitting behind us on mtb events – D2D in particular…

    mokl
    Free Member

    I’ve been stuck in behind a tandem ridden by 2 physically fit and capable cyclists. The power and speed that they could put out on the flats was awesome! I was expecting them to sit at the back… I was wrong!

    legend
    Free Member

    Twice the power, half the drag innit

    souldrummer
    Free Member

    Having done loads of cycle touring with me on a solo and friends on a tandem, I can vouch for them being much faster except, as someone else had said, up steep or long draggy climbs. The speed they managed down alpine descents was properly scary; for me watching, not them!!!

    shermer75
    Free Member

    Speaking of tandems, this looks nice….

    Vintage, £275

    nbt
    Full Member

    For us it seems a bit slower up hill, but a lot faster down. Depends on the crew – with a stronger stoker we might be faster uphill, with a better captain we would be faster downhill – certainly SingleSpeedStu left us for dead on the Buxton Old Road descent on his tandem

    vickypea
    Free Member

    We have a tandem but it’s certainly not 1.5x the weight of a solo! It is 3.5 x the weight of my road bike and more than 2x the weight of my moutain bike!

    TheBrick
    Free Member

    Not a scientific explanation but I would imagination even with two evenly matched riders there will still be significant loss from how well co-ordinated you can be as a team. You may be equal in power but what about cadence preference? What about the fact that you can’t move about on the bike as much. I say this as someone who has not ridden a tandem more than 100m so really just geussing.

    TheBrick
    Free Member

    Wow just looked at the time trails link
    48:52 for a 25 mile.

    aracer
    Free Member

    Which is slower than the solo record

    TiRed
    Full Member

    Faster on the flat
    Faster downhill
    Slower uphill

    D0NK
    Full Member

    aracer – Member
    Which is slower than the solo record

    hmmm, was the tandem ridden by first and second place solo TTers? What were the tandem riders solo tt times? Presumably world class TTers don’t “fanny around” on tandems much so the tandem riders fitness is a big step down, enough to negate any advantage….?

    The power/drag thing would suggest tandems would be quicker like for like, assuming you can get the pair to work together effectively, I guess steep climbs where solo would be standing to get the power down tandemers struggle?

    epicyclo
    Full Member

    Croc Trophy in North Queensland.

    Top of a steep hill, but they were still moving fast.

    onereallynicespeed
    Free Member

    Also the tandem is a great way to get your other half interested in cycling
    🙂

    epicyclo
    Full Member

    onereallynicespeed – Member
    Also the tandem is a great way to get your other half interested in cycling

    My wife gets a look of terror every time I suggest a tandem…

    boblo
    Free Member

    You can’t honk on a tandem, more up and down sewing machine style.

    We’re faster on the downs, similar on the flat and slower on hills. Ours are fairly heavy touring tandems and we ride well with touring solos. We’re a bit if a miss match riding with l/w road bikes so we try not to as it’s a bit frustrating for all.

    singlespeedstu
    Full Member

    We’re about the same speed on the flat, slower on climbs and a lot faster on descents on ours.
    That’s one of the great things about MTB tandems. When you let them run on a wide open descent they feel like someone is pushing you along from behind.If you’re feeling brave a solo has trouble keeping up.
    A few people we’ve ridden with have bee quite suprised at the speed we can get on a good long descent. 😀

    tonyg2003
    Full Member

    Tandems are definitely faster on the road except for the steep hills. I know that the UK Tandem TT records are slower than the solos but the riders setting the Tandem records aren’t the very best riders.

    Years ago I was doing a hilly 73mile TT (not the best decision!) and I started going down a not very steep hill on my TT bike, tucked in at about 40mph, when a TT tandem came past me at what must have been 60mph. I couldn’t believe how fast they were going.

    The fastest road tandems are where the stoker steers and the rider in front faces backwards. The are banned from competition but are very fast (a lot more aero).

    JohnClimber
    Free Member

    Just got our first mtb tandem mainly because the missus isn’t to confident on her bike as she didn’t a bike in her youth, so as for speed I can’t say it’s any faster.
    It’s defiantly slower on my normal local rides, but we’ve only done 80 miles in 2 weeks.

    aracer
    Free Member

    I know that the UK Tandem TT records are slower than the solos but the riders setting the Tandem records aren’t the very best riders.

    Well the LEJoG mixed tandem record is held by the women’s record holder and the former men’s record holder. In a time of 51 hours 19 minutes. Which is just under an hour and a half faster than the women’s record (held by the same person), but over 6 hours slower than he did it on his own (on a conventional bike).

    D0NK
    Full Member

    The fastest road tandems are where the stoker steers and the rider in front faces backwards.

    woah! Not heard of them before, that would be proper trippy to ride as the front rider.
    This was the best I could find no proper aero ones on google images.
    This looked pretty freaky too
    [video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5unMlXg6WL4[/video]

    And this, bet the trail really comes alive!

    Mmm lick my backsweat ewwwwww.

    D0NK
    Full Member

    but over 6 hours slower than he did it on his own (on a conventional bike)

    oh. fair enough.

    <edit>mind you he helped her go faster and beat her time by an hour, presumably she conversely slowed him down, but 6 hours does seem a lot. Any pairs with similar solo times tried a tandem lejog?

    bugpowderdust
    Free Member

    MTB tandem average slower than me on solo average by about 10-15% where we ride, definitely quicker on wide open descents, slower climbing and on singletrack though.

    Recent purchase of a touring road tandem in the last month for the winter instead of trashing the mtb one, works out a bit slower than me on solo so far but getting quicker each time out.

    Thanks mrmo for an island of evidence in a sea of anecdotes.
    Looks like 10km male veterans is the only case where the tandem was quicker.
    Everyone else seems to backing up what I have heard elsewhere and found ourselves.

    Good point about the top riders not riding tandems. I guess it’s a bit like singlespeeding. If you’re good enough to be in with a chance of an overall win, then you go in the open class, not some sub-niche.

    Finding two riders with compatible styles could be another factor too. I tend to lunge up and down on the pedals, while Mrs MTG spins in circles.
    I feel I’m being carried through at the top & bottom, while she feels the pedals are pulling her feet away on the down stroke.

    We’re still experimenting with hill climbing. Mrs MTG is getting more confident and trusting and will stand on some climbs while I sit.
    I don’t know if I’d want to try that with someone nearer my size on the back though.

    boblo
    Free Member

    You need to equalise…AKA nicking together. No point in you being brutal and pulling her round. You’ll get the best out if it if you are in synch (power and stroke).

    If we’ve had a layoff, it takes a few miles to get back fully in synch.

    singlespeedstu
    Full Member

    If we’ve had a layoff, it takes a few miles to get back fully in synch.

    Yep.
    If we’ve not been on ours for a while it feels terrible for the first hour or so.
    We just seem to be fighting against each other with both pedaling and steering.

    slowoldgit
    Free Member

    I definitely go faster on a tandem, but that’s with fast young git doing the driving and braking.

    ISTR reading about tandem-paced track events, which would prove something.

Viewing 32 posts - 1 through 32 (of 32 total)

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