Rob.

We'll be up round GT for a week a bit later on in the year.
We'll have the twingleseater with us as well as some solos.

Looking forwards to our first tandem run round GT.

Not sure what the correct term is for a collective of tandems, but if you let us know when you'll be up it'd be great to get a few tandems out together.

Rob

Will do.

Think I seen you two today I was at the freeride area I was at the top and you passed on a blue tandem.

tandemwarriors – Member

Not sure what the correct term is for a collective of tandems,

A tangle of tandems?

but if you let us know when you'll be up it'd be great to get a few tandems out together.

I'd be up for that. I promise not to start any arguments

I promise not to start any arguments

Is that possible for you? 😆 😉

Tandemonium?

Well you started this one – I just continued it 😉

See you just can't stop yourself can you. 😆

I actually thought it was tj I saw then i noticed the helmet on

You started it!

It would be good to get a tandemania organised tho.

falkirk-mark , yep that was us on Nancy.

TJ & SSS, yep a tandemonius tangle of tandemania sounds long overdue.

Rob

tandem warriors – the trip to Glentress sounds amazing.

We did our second off road ride Saturday morning. O.k going up but the downs were scary. I need some advice. Now I didn't have my own flat pedal on and the ones I've been using ( borrowed tandem) have very little grip, so when we descended the first slightly rocky section, my feet just bounced right off the pedals, my inner thigh banged against the saddle and somehow I stayed on ( i'm the stoker by the way) . The question is will I be better with my own pedals, or is this what happens anyway when the stoker rides with flats? The rest of the descent was spent with my thighs clenched against the saddle and hands white with gripping the handlebars, as my feet continually bounced up and down the pedals.
It was more or less o.k when we could freewheel with pedals central, but the moment any corners appeared and one leg was down it was hard to keep the feet on.

Spds is a must IMO. Otherwise when one of you stops pedalling the other gets their feet knocked of the pedals

We'd never consider trying to ride ours without being clipped in.

NOOOOO, don't say that, I've only just got her to stop using SPDs on the normal bike!

Sorry but dems de rulz! SPDs on a tandem offroad otherwise whacked shins are the order of the day. For both of you as well

I use SPDs, but I finally got her onto flats last year and her riding improved no end!

My wife rides flats at all times on solos. But on the tandem she would not ride anything else other than SPDs, she says she'd have been shot over my head a few times if she was riding flats.

We love the tandem off road as much as solos, very different, but just as much fun in the right places.

As an aside we need a new back tyre, what would people suggest?

Dual ply High Roller run tubeless. 😉

nbt – Member
NOOOOO, don't say that, I've only just got her to stop using SPDs on the normal bike!

but a tandem is no normal bike!!!!
We must agree with the esteemed tandemers above, its gotta be spuds, even if you run them with a light release tension so you can bail out. The stoker has so much less warning of impending bumps (even with shouted pace notes from the captain) that they've no chance of riding like on a solo, so they gotta be attached or you'll loose them! Or you'll smack them in the shin when dropping the outside pedal on a corner.

Rear tyre? We're running a WTB Motoraptor. Seems plenty grippy but not too draggy. Combined with a High Roller on the front.

Rob (who's still buzzin from yesterday 😀 )

Back to spds it is then. Thanks for the advice.

Rob out of interest how is Sandy doing? I ask because I suffer from fatigue syndrome (mild M.E) and can't ride solo or even walk far at the moment, that's why we're trying out the tandem. It's been the only way I can get out and about, which at the moment is saving my sanity.

She's a bit tired today, slept till 10 but has been ok.
Sounds like you're in exactly the same situation as we are, and the tandem is indeed a life saver. A few years ago Sandy needed sticks to walk more than a few meters, she's much better now but just plans when to use her energy.
If you ever want to chat our email is in profile, or she's always on facebook. She takes no encouragement to chat to anybody, and would be delighted to help.

Best wishes,

Rob

PS – if you have a garage full of spare bike bits, our old cannondale tandem frame is sitting in the garage gathering dust. Will leave that thought with you!

Thanks, will have a chat with nbt, he's considering buying a frame from a guy from STW.

Still hoping (as I'm improving every day) to be back solo before long.

Keep going Sandy it's all you can do. May get in touch later in the week.

Were running specialized eskar tubeless 2.3s they seem to work very well in pretty much all conditions pump em up real hard and there good for a bit of road blasting too

🙂

Oh just thought of a collective term for us tandemists

Tandem
Users
Regional
Development
Squad

!

Oh just thought of a collective term for us tandemists

Tandem
Users
Regional
Development
Squad

If only there was some way we could shorten that…

Purchase of tandem is underway. 😯 😯

Rigid, v-brakes. Oh dear….

i've got some disc brakes if you want to start upgrading?

Extra long hose on the rear so they'll bolt straight on 😉

Thanks Stu, I have some hope minis in the garage myself – standard length hose it must be said, but I can pick up a new hose.
The frame and forks are disc ready, as are the 48h hubs. I have some forks too. I sense some fettling may be in order.

Yay, more tandem owners, welcome to the family!

Please get some discs on before you try any 'proper' downhills! Our 'dale had V's to start with. We launched her down Eyam Quarry on her first outing in the peaks. Even with the brakes on from the top we were hitting terminal velocity, thankfully the barrier at the bottom was open, otherwise we'd have been toast. We actually caught a motocross bike on one downhill, and that was with the brakes on!!!

The favourites seem to be Hope M4 / Ti6 / V2's or Magura Louise or Gustav.

Happy fettling!!

Rob & Sandy

When nbt has the tandem up and running, we'll have to come Ooop North to the T.U.R.D.S meet.
This could become an annual event.

Lol @ Rob.

I like the idea of an annual TURD, but would prefer to be more regular…….

EDIT – just seen
these

Same as ours. Have got a spare tandem length rear hose in the garage.

😆

If you stick the mini's on I'd leave the v's on aswell to give the Hopes a chance. 😆 😉

KoS.
Shall we get some TURDS stickers made up for our twinseated chariots. 😀

Yes Stu can do motion carried I shall speak to sticker man.anyone else want one ? sticker that is

Not sure about the mini's tho nice to have a thread with hard won advice and comment :-))

T.U.R.D.S it is then

First turds, now we're 'carrying a motion'. This toilet humour is getting too much!

Hey hey, I recognise that Dawes tandem! 😀 Nice to see it's still looking good 🙂 I bought it off the classifieds a few years back from a bloke called Martin, and sold it to Jon maybe a year ago. Me and Ms Hooter used it in fully rigid v brake format round some pretty hairy stuff in the Lakes and Yorks Dales, awesome fun. Ms Hooter has since got pretty nifty on the downhills on her solo bike, so now we have a darkside cannondale road tandem instead which goes like a very fast thing on tarmac, and is also very useful for wobbling back home on after a few drinks on a night out 🙂

STOP IT! You're making me want another bike now! I rode tandem a few years ago (not off-road unfortunately! 🙁 ) and it was fantastic! I was the stoker and it was nice to concentrate on power alone… But it does take a LITTLE faith in the pilot (is that right?!?!?)… Anyhoo, I can't justify another bike; 1. I don't ride the 2 I've got enough 2. I don't have any friends. 😛

Hooter, I was thinking of buying it off you last year as well, in the end we didn't (obviously) as Mrs NBT wasn't sure about the wisdom of buying something that wouldn't be used very much.

Hmmm, riding home after a couple of beers, nice one. Will have to train up Mrs NBT properly as a captain rather than stoker 🙂

When the tandem arrives, I will have enough bikes for ten people to ride. There are just 2 of us.

Any excuse to post a pic…