Originally Posted by
jimmuller
(Even further, some riders seem unaware that on the tandem we outweigh a solo rider by nearly 2 to 1, so in a collision the other guy is gonna' take a big hit.)
Brief aside to discuss the physics of tandem v solo head on collision.
The first collision is captain v solo. You can approximate this as an inelastic collision. If the solo and tandem were at the same speed and captain and solo weigh approximately the same, their speed after collision is close to zero.
The second collision is stoker into captain’s back. Again, approximate this as an inelastic collision. If stoker weighs approximately the same as the captain, the final velocity of the three of you will be 1/3 initial speed.
Captain and solo are worse off than a solo v solo crash, with the captain taking the worst hits.
-mr. bill