As a long-time mountain bike tandem fan, I’ve decided to try to get the few mountain bike tandem owners together for a weekend of tandem riding and fun in the Dales. To this end, I’ve got Stu at the fine Dales Mountain Bike Centre to reserve the bunkhouse for the weekend of November 9th/10th/11th.

The plan is to gather on Friday night, ride tandems for fun on the Saturday around the Yorkshire Dales, maybe throw in a few old Tandemania style games, like the trackstand… drink beer in the pub on Saturday night and then repeat on the Sunday. If the weather’s any good, then I might try to get a tandem feature out of it for the magazine, but if not, then it’s going ahead anyway as mountain bike tandems are great.

Please deal directly with Stu if you want to book space in the bunkhouse, he’s expecting tandems to call, so although it might say that it’s full for the weekend, it isn’t if you’re on a bicycle made for two.

Stu and the Dales MTB Centre can be found at: http://www.dalesbikecentre.co.uk/

The Dales riding is pretty good for tandems. Not too super-tech, not too steep, but steep and ruggedy enough for sure.

All mountain bike tandem owners are welcome. There’s no entry fee or anything, and you don’t have to stay at the bunkhouse; you can just turn up on the day if you fancy.

Email me if you’d like more details, but that’s probably about as detailed as the plan is going to get. Please pass the word on to any other mountain bike tandem owners you know. Hopefully we can get a dozen or so, which would be quite an imposing spectacle. Non-tandem friends are welcome to turn up too, but I’d like to give the tandemists the chance to book a room first.

Good idea we will see you there.

And yes, of course TJ is welcome. 🙂

runs off to check diary and hopes the other half isn’t scheduled to work that weekend.

Can we come?

P3110391 by Richard Munro, on Flickr

10450_10151223959466474_1611561866_n by Richard Munro, on Flickr

We will try not to hold you up 😀

As long as you wait for the rest of us at the top of the hill Rich…

And, indeed, if there are any stoker-less tandems out there, we can see about getting you stitched up er, set up with a suitable stoker.

Gutted 🙁 We’re away on holiday that weekend or we’d be there.
Promise you’ll do another in the spring!

Rob & Sandy

Bunnyhop and I are booked in already, we’ll definitely be there. not too sure about trackstands and the like though, I might do the drinking beer and taking pictures as usual 🙂

Can tha ride tandem by Mrs NBT, on Flickr

Chipps and I have been trying to organise this ror ages, so come on folks, the more the merrier.

T.J. – if you’re reading this, get yourself and the mrs. booked in?

nbt – had I fallen off at that point and been left me at the bottom of the hill?

bit of a bump

No, you were taking pics as there was only us riding that day 🙂

(did you spot the subtle bump there?)

There were two guys on a/the Rock Lobster tandem at Up The Buttress at the weekend, I’m trying to get the word out to them now.

And we should try to track down the tandemists from the Weekender. They’re all out there somewhere.

I’ve passed this onto one of the people who was in the MBUK (?) article way back when.
There are at least 5 of them who still go away annually.

Chipps, I’ll send Stu (owner of the Rock Lobster) a link to this thread.

I am still recovring from the full run on the front of the tandem on Saturday.

If we still had the Colella We’d be there…..

jeznewsome – Member

If we still had the Colella We’d be there

Was that a yellow tandem by any chance?

Aye, Yellow One with Hope Big Uns/Brakes and Marzocchi Shivers up front

So was the verdict that tag-alongs are allowed?

We’re away that week riding in Portugal, sadly (not with the tandem). In any case I think we’d be way too crap.

Hi Stu!

More tagalongs(more screaming) the better, we can keep out of the photoshoot! Immy likes tagalong company 😀

They are after all the future tandemeers!

jeznewsome – Member

Reckon we had a look at that tandem with a view to buying.

I remember looking at pics of a yellow colella – formerly owned by MoreEarsThanGears I think? – and showing them to Mrs NBT saying, “We should buy this”. That idea was pooh-poohed, but a couple of years later we bought a hardtail tandem

beach-riding on the tagalong:

DSC_0970 by ir_bandito, on Flickr

I’ll try and get some more practice in on longer rides…

Aw that’s lovely ^^

In any case I think we’d be way too crap.

We don’t think we know 🙂

ir_bandito – Member

now I aint saying you are not welcome but don’t go telling us that your articulated child transport is a tandem. 🙂
That stoker looks fitter than me.

This was ours

at Rivi

Are the guys from the Lakes with the Orange/Strange one coming along

Hopefully I will see them outandabout in Kendal will tell them!

Ooh, we’ve got an old ‘dale tandem that could be made working by then . . .

ir_bandito – Member
So was the verdict that tag-alongs are allowed?

Ask chipps, does not seem a problem to me, more the better.

I’d reckon that we should try to track down all the tandems we can first, it being a tandem weekend and all. And then, if there’s room, then I don’t see why tagalongs can’t come too. I’ve not ridden one, so I don’t know if they’re going to be quicker, or slower than tandems on a ride – or would they go on their own jaunt?

Story is on the front page now. I reckon there must be ten tandem pairs we can track down to come on up to this… I bumped into one couple thinking of coming up from Essex, so if they can, you can…

I rode a tandem last summer for the first time.

Probably the most griningest ride ever. The bomb-hole was frightening though-the sort of thing you do once, survive and DON’T repeat!

Just saw this!! Might be the motivation I need to build up our Tandem! Not used since our tour of SE Asia.

Ooh, dare I nail the Tandem of Doom together again…?*

*Fortunately for everybody the answer is probably not.

Chipps – that was me & ap. No london league cx races to ride or commissaire that weekend so the adult discussion tandem may come out.

God dam MTB tandems are **** amazing. IF you are doign this next year I am definitely in. Unfortunately I just can’t make this year 🙁

Adult discussion tandem? Look forward to hearing about that.

I don’t think I have had an adult discussion on an tandem. I could provide a list of non-adult words used though, many completely lacking in consonants…

Hope to see you next month!

Yes, the adult discussion tandem – just think about a map, 4 water bottles and a very large patch of nettles which stung a lot when I had to go in and pick up all of the items above. Oops.
Will have to check as I have a Gate 2 the following Wednesday which may involve working that weekend.

Mmmm, will see if I can talk Mrs Bpd in to this, long long way from deepest Hampshire though. Not ridden with another tandem offroad since a ride with aP many moons ago or the old D2D tandem class that used to be such good laugh.

It looks like me and the missus will be able to pick up our Ventana ECDM by then, so hopefully see you there!