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Crashing on a tandem is no fun.

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Crashing on a tandem is no fun.

Old 03-07-21, 07:31 PM
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fooferdoggie 
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Crashing on a tandem is no fun.

Crashing on a tandem is fun you tend to fall on the bike. me I tend to land on the end of the handle bars this is the second time. I took the hit right in the groin. the first time was more to the middle of leg and hip connection. then my shoulder hurt a lot too. my wife bunged up her leg and or knee she could not walk and she hit her helmeted head a little. her should had a torn spot in her coat and her helmet was scratched a little. but we found out later it was her Bose glasses were pushed into her face that caused the headache. my garmin messaged my daughter so she called she and her hubby came and she took us to urgent care and he grabbed the bike with a friend. well I guess that urgent care does not do imaging so we had to go to the emergency room. they were not busy but we were there from about 6 or so to 10:30 but I have a different lan so she was the only one seen. But I knew there was nothing they could do to help me but ice I cant take pain meds so I am pretty much on my own. they did not really do much for my wife but X-ray her leg and clean her cuts (not deep)
you have not seen anything till you see a blind person on crutches its a bit scary (G) my groin welled up like crazy. I had a ice pack on it all night. but it got worse after I got up so been living with ice on it and it as helped. but not sure if I can walk well enough to go to work tomorrow.
they reinstalled this post and I don't know if I did not see it or as I was checking the surroundings I drifted to the middle of the path I tend to do that when looking around but I think our peddles clipped it as you can see the bent crank arms.
Well I was going to have my son-in-law take it to a local bike franchise but it showed they were temporally closed. they are only 1/2 mile from our house. looks ike they got bought by Trek and wont be open till the 12th. so I planned on using the e bike storeI Bought two of my bikes at. I would have bought the tandem from them but they stopped caring them since no one would buy them till the pandemic hit. but they don't want to work on bikes they have not sold as they are too busy. (the owner was a great guy but I guess he sold it) there is a high end shop by my work farther away I may be able to use. I need to contact them tomorrow.




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Old 03-09-21, 12:59 PM
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You know, foofer, you and I are about the only two Captains regularly posting here, with a blind Stoker. As it is, Stoking requires huge amounts of trust in the Captain, and it isn't that easy to find. How many other tandems do you see out there? A blind Stoker is especially vulnerable. I showed your post to my Stoker. She was not pleased to learn your team had crashed again. We are not reading in your post your extreme regret that this happened, and your resolve to never let it happen again. And you have much more control over that than you seem to understand. Usually when someone posts to say they have gone down (and I've never seen a tandem team have to report this) the thread blows up with all the "get wells' and "good wishes" pouring in. I don't think anyone wants to touch this thread because from your first post here it was clear you didn't have a Captain's heart. Your tandem adventure wasn't going to end well. It is possible to ride for decades without crashing if you are careful enough. And that doesn't need to mean a boring and slow kind of careful. If your Stoker will ride with you again after this (mine wouldn't) you really have to figure out how to keep the both of you safe from harm better than you do.
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Old 03-09-21, 04:16 PM
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Foofer:
I do hope you and your stoker are doing as well as can be hoped for. The injury to yourself that you are describing can be fairly serious. That is a highly vascular area with some major vessels. If it is not better very soon you should seek competent medical care in person. Like someone who can maybe do some kind of scan that can detect soft tissue injuries.

I hate to say it, but I kind of agree with Leisesturm. I am left wondering how in the <expletive deleted> did you hit a bollard in the middle of the path? I used to be a fire fighter / medic out there in Oregon, and we had a saying: "somewhere, someone is going to do something stupid. And I want a front row seat!" Sorry to say but you were that somebody on that day.

In five years and several thousand miles my stoker and I have had one incident where I hit a patch of the famous North Dakota mud on our route and we slid out. We were going maybe 10 MPH at most, since we had just turned a corner and were accelerating up to speed when we hit the deck. Being the captain of a tandem is sort of like being the commanding officer in the navy. Everything that goes wrong is your fault.

We were riding at night because my stoker likes to ride out and watch the sun set well out of town, then we ride home in a great big loop. I was well aware that there had been flood water over that section of the bicycle path the previous week, and I chose to ride on it when I had not seen it by day.

There are 18 "watch out" situations for wildland fires. Number 2 is fighting a fire "In country not seen in daylight." That crash was 100% my fault. I violated a safety rule that I am well aware of. I am very thankful that neither of us was injured badly enough to require medical attention. We broke a mirror on the bike and replaced both our helmets. You should consider doing that if you have not already done so.

My stoker continues to ride with me, thankfully. She was much more PO-ed about my scheduling a couple of 75 mile days on our tour of Burgundy. We both want to do some more tours, but from now on she will sign off on the daily rides by distance. She knew our starting cities and finishing cities, but the miles didn't register. Again, that is totally my fault and I will never do it again.
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Old 03-09-21, 06:23 PM
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I think what happened and I'm not sure is that sometimes carbs can make me a bit less then aware or loopy. not enough to really notice until I make a mistake. I have not had it happen for a couple of months and forgot about it as most of the time no problem. I ate therm before the ride and I think it just made me not be aware enough. I am always careful when I come up to them as most of the paths have them. I was looking around at traffic and I tend to wander to the center when I do it so it most likely was both those things. so no more carbs before I ride. I wish could eliminate them fully as my body hates them but is hard to do it fully. after the dog made us fall over last time I stopped taking any risks and got more careful. So no more carbs before a ride and I think way less carbs when I eat them. I have been cutting back for a long time.
I take full responsibility for it and I am going to try my hardest to not let it happen again.
Yes my wife needs a new helmet. I didn't to hit my head. the closest place we usually take the bike is turning into a trek dealership. they open Saturday. I am debating on waiting or taking to a high end shop with a ride from my daughters friend. they can do a insurance summery and may be able to deal with it all as long as there are not motor problems. but they may have problems finding the crank arm for the bosch. the trek store should haven o problem as their bikes have bosch motors. my local e bike store stopped trying to sell that e tandem a few months before I bought it and they liked to the importer to buy direct. but they are really busy and don't really want to work on bikes they had not sold. I bought two from them so they may give me a break but the owner has moved on so who knows? so it may be best wait for the trek stores to open I finally went out and checked it more the motor housing is cracked from the crank. but the wheels seem fine the rear brake feels a bit mushy so that may need a bleed. here are some better pics. Just spent 200 on a full tuneup too. my garmin texted my wife and daughter after the crash and my Apple Watch asked if I crashed. poor daughter phone right away.



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Old 03-09-21, 11:34 PM
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Thank you for this post and I'm very sorry to hear you suffered this crash. Although I don't have imminent fears of crashing whenever heading out on the tandem, I have a pretty strong sense of overwhelming dread whenever I actually think about the consequences of going down. Like holy crap that's not gonna be good. It's true of all riding, actually. Especially road riding. I've just been DAMN LUCKY to avoid some serious crashes over the years descending like I used to descend.

Kinda ironic because my very first tandem ride, on our beautifully repainted and carefully assembled steed almost ended in complete catastrophe. I made the really, really, REALLY bad decision to utilize used tires. Wow, what an idiot! Front tire blew out on a gentle descent. I thought we were done, especially as we started drifting over the country road's center line. But somehow we stayed upright, I managed to get things back on the right side of the road and come to a stop. I lived to learn a very, very, VERY important lesson. NEVER skimp on tandem parts, especially tires! (And I just heeded this advice as I ordered new Continental tires and tubes to replace the apparently fine, but used, Continental tires on the Co-Motion I just bought.)

I commend you for coming to the forum to report your crash. And it being your second, even more so. Not many of us would willingly want to share such information. And then to learn that your stoker is blind makes it that much harder, I would imagine.

Gee Leisesturm, how many drivers, after causing a collision, give up driving? I'm guessing the number is probably, statistically-speaking, zero. In fact, there are drivers with all sorts of crappy driving records and at fault collisions, yet they continue to get behind the wheel daily, driving their children and loved ones everywhere. And they even drive ON FREEWAYS! Yes, freeways, where speeds are regularly 75 and 80 mph.

Do you hold drivers to this same standard? Of COURSE you don't! In fact, can you say you haven't had two at-fault collisions in your driving history? There's a VERY good chance that you can't. But you still drive, right? But even if you can, that's really irrelevant. My point is this, people make mistakes. Drivers do all day long! And we don't have a large segment of the American population who "readily and responsibly stopped driving because they caused a crash."

But here you are admonishing a tandem captain for having TWO WHOLE crashes? That's lame. I think you should lighten the hell up and give the OP a break. As I said, we all make mistakes. And drivers don't throw in the towel after one crash, so why on earth would you expect that of a tandem captain? Ludicrous. Let's hope we all have the sense to learn something from them to help prevent them in the future.

And one more thing. This post comes at perfect timing for me. As I now have two beautiful road tandems, I'm really hoping to get the whole family out on both of them simultaneously. But this means having my teenage son be the captain of one of them. And given that he'll be new and inexperienced, it makes sense to put the lighter and experienced person on the back with him. In other words, MY STOKER! (Plus, it would be better to put the other inexperienced and heavier stoker on the back with me, as I'm much larger. So it all works out.)

Anyway, as I've been mentally preparing for doing this, I've really been thinking of how best to approach it. Safety is #1. Learning the proper method is obviously crucial. I'll be sure to go over "The Proper Method." I realize that first, he may not really be truly interested in it. So there's that. But once we get over that hurdle, it's safety. Especially when it comes to a teenager. At least with an adult, you usually have a seasoned driver at the helm who already has a good grasp of the rules, being in traffic, not freaking out, dealing with different speeds, vehicles, pitfalls, warning signs, and all manner of eventualities that occur. In other words, I'm pretty freaked out to put my teenager in the captain position! I'm really hoping I can do this successfully and without catastrophe. Luckily we live only a few blocks from an urban municipal park with plenty of bicycle lanes. But there's LOTS of traffic too and much of it kinda loony. So I have my reservations.

But know this, your post will be a valuable tool to be used as an instructional instance in the teaching process. So I must thank you for your candor and excellent timing! Oh and good luck with the healing process....

Which reminds me of something else! Sorry, this is seriously TLDNR, but I have to add this. So I just finished up my Co-Motion overhaul and took it out for its maiden test ride a couple of days ago. I've been anticipating this occasion and have even thought to myself, "Now don't go out and get yourself wiped out by the first truck you encounter!" (or something to that effect) I should also add that I'm nursing an injured left shoulder. Still haven't seen the PT about it yet... Happened Dec. 1 and was improving steadily until about three weeks ago, when I, in my infinite wisdom, decided to, FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, to hit the damn pavement riding the unicycle! You guessed it, slammed my left side and aggravated my shoulder! (After six years of learning and riding unicycle with ZERO falls!)

Anyway, I put on the cycling shoes and helmet and gloves and head out. Ironically, as I head down the driveway and into the street, a car is coming from behind me, but I see it and slow down. Then proceed and off I go. Wow, rides great! I'm riding up and down the street, slowing to a crawl, making slow u-turns, then going through the parking lot a few houses down. Basically, I'm doing all sorts of starting and stopping and just getting to know the bike. Then I come across a neighbor and come to a halt to chat. (He LOVES the paint too, BTW!) Crap! My left foot will NOT release! But somehow this didn't phase me and I luckily unclip with my right foot and avoid complete embarrassment. But wait, WTF is going on with my left cleat??? Turns out it had worn out (I'm a lefty and that's the foot that's always in and out), but hadn't shown any symptoms on my OLD pedals on the other bike. Well, this "new-old" pair of SPDs will have nothing of them!

How lucky that I just avoided a left-side tip over on its maiden voyage! (After fearing something really stupid.) And oh how the irony would have been if I HAD tipped over and right onto my INJURED LEFT SHOULDER!!!!

Man, dodged a bullet there!
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Old 03-10-21, 12:15 AM
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Leisesturm
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Originally Posted by LV2TNDM
Do you hold drivers to this same standard? Of COURSE you don't! In fact, can you say you haven't had two at-fault collisions in your driving history? There's a VERY good chance that you can't. But you still drive, right? But even if you can, that's really irrelevant. My point is this, people make mistakes. Drivers do all day long! And we don't have a large segment of the American population who "readily and responsibly stopped driving because they caused a crash."
Not only have I not had (ever) two 'at fault' collisions in my driving history, I have never had even one 'at fault' collision in my driving history. And? What? Did I ask the o.p. to surrender his operators permit? You are not helping here. A bicycle is not a car. There are no 'minor' bicycle accidents. Simply falling over at zero speed if it is just not your day could result in your death. The tone of the o.p.'s accident report showed clearly that they do not yet understand this fact. And, despite your 'fears', neither do you. I guess you failed to notice that I was not the only poster to notice that the o.p.'s accident was, in fact, preventable. Collisions with fixed objects are simply unacceptable. They just are. I will not be shamed into agreeing otherwise. Going down on black ice (and we have), hitting an object in the road at night ... these things can happen. A Stoker can, and probably will, forgive that kind of accident. Especially if it doesn't put them on crutches. Just save your scorn on this one. It's out of place. The o.p. needed the wake-up call of someone calling attention to their lack of accountability.
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Old 03-10-21, 09:21 AM
  #7  
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I did not run into the post because I was careless. Over the last few years I had some serious problems with my heath and the way food effected me. One of them would make me loopy and I would make mistakes at work I would not even know it was happening till after the fact. The meds that would help some of my problems did it too. Had a couple of crashes on my little e scooter. It forced me to really control my diet. That means protein only and a few veggies a week. I have ridden the last several months after I had some carbs on the weekend with no problems. So there was no way to know I was not quite in the zone there never is till I make some mistake. Plus I have noticed in the last several years when I am close to something that I will bump into instead of jerking out of the way I tend to jerk right into it. So it may have been a combo of that and the loopynes. I don't really know. I ride a lot I put in 9000 miles in a year and since the fall over I have been extremely careful. I don't go ver 25mph down hills for the post part unless it is totally clear with no chance of a car pulling out and even then I don't go much faster. I got really strong brakes for emergency stops as we ride in traffic so much. The fall over when the dog dashed in front of us was just that I braked and was turning left and my wife leaned right (we think) and we were going slow around a corner and fell over. Maybe more experience would have helped than who knows?
Yes my wife is willing to ride with me and we know **** happens in life no matter how careful you are in life. I bet the two judging me have broken a few traffic laws in their lives just like everyone does. We all screw up in life it is the human condition As long as we learn from them thats the thing. I know I screwed up but don't really know what happened but I am going to control what I eat even more to make sure I don't do that again.
I forgot I did a video chat with a doctor and she said as long as. I can go t other bathroom normally and there is no blood in my pee there is not much treatment but ice and exercise. My food problems are very wacky and my doctors have no clue about them and they have changed in the last few years and how they have effected me. I am on my own with this and I am finally getting a bit understanding. But food has been beating my body up and screwing it up for a long time.

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Old 03-10-21, 06:39 PM
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DangerousDanR
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Foofer:
I think that what I see in your original post is a nonchalance: I crashed into a bollard and it must have jumped in my way but it is no big deal. Maybe I am wrong. Maybe you are whistling in the grave yard. I don't know.

I have one traffic conviction in 40 years of driving and one at fault collision. Not too bad a record. But it is not the point. I ride off road and I ride about as hard and fast as a guy on Medicare should. And I have crashed a Mountain Bike more times than I can remember. Because off road single track is the appropriate place to ride like an idiot.

I also stopped riding Motocross because I hit an obstacle with my front wheel at 50 MPH and almost bought the farm. I screwed up royally and I could have been killed and left a widow and young orphans behind. My reflexes were not fast enough for the speed involved, and I knew that I would not go slower. It was not an isolated incident. It was because I couldn't seem to ride slow. I have not ridden an MXer in 20 years.

I also have a medical condition which is almost the opposite of yours. I am a non-diabetic hypoglycemic. In my fire / medic days I have had blood glucose levels measured so low that the rest of the crew couldn't believe that I was still vertical. I also had a bag of M&Ms in my EMT jumpsuit and in my fire turnouts. I always have something with me that will elevate my blood sugar.

And thanks to a Traumatic Brain Injury from hitting a low beam over some stairs I have times when my balance is in the toilet. I have learned to recognize the onset, and I don't ride (or drive a car, or climb ladders, or...) until I am able to do so safely. If I ever have an incident, even a minor one, where I don't recognize the onset I will be a pedestrian who doesn't climb ladders.

I am guessing that you are keeping a diary of what you eat and any incidents of altered level of consciousness. If not, please start right away. I had to do that after my TBI because I now have migraines and we wanted to see if they are related to any foods. Also, if you have a hematoma, and if you can feel a pulse in it without pressing on it, take an Uber or a cab or a bus or an ambulance to a place where they can do a soft tissue image.
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Old 03-10-21, 07:50 PM
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No believe me no it was not no big deal this was so painful for my wife and our wallet and our daily rides. When we fell over after the dog thing I became really careful. Was careful before but now I don't take any chances.
But the food thing is not straight forward. Thats why it's been such a pain and how my body reacts to them have been changing over the last two years and it's not always the same. For 15 or more years I learned carbs and my body did not get along. But it's almost impossible to cut them out it eliminates so many things.
I used to eat them only once or twice a week but it was killing my esophagus and giving me 24/7 heartburn. When my esophagus went nuclear I had to cut them out 100% and call I could eat was my basic diet. Thats meat, hard cheese, eggs, sunflower seeds and unsweetened almond milk. Thats the only foods I can eat every day without some effects on my body.
Well I have sense then tend to eat cabs once a week. But when I am tried they tend to creep a little bit here and there.
But for the last month or so I have been controlling myself and only having them on the weekend and not a lot. Once I really got ahold of that and really controlled my diet to the above basics and some veggies a few times a week I can measure with the watt meter build into my commuter how foods effect my energy levels and it has made me control the carbs much better. I can lose 20 to 50 watts just having a yorks peppermint patty before I ride.
So Now no more carbs before a ride. I told my wife if I eat carbs she will say no to a ride. Bu I have been losing my taste for them and I hate how much they slow me down mentally and physically. I can't lose weight if I eat them and cant eliminate my heartburn if I eat them much at all. The only way I can be as healthy as I possibly can is to strictly control what I eat ants a horrible battle and has taken the fun out of eating and and it costs way too much to eat. My poor wife and my crotch have paid the price for that small bag of Dorito's.
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Old 03-11-21, 12:05 AM
  #10  
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Originally Posted by UCantTouchThis
Wow, can't a bike rider ever do something stupid without another poster dragging drivers into the post? Cyclists need to take responsibility for their actions without being compared to driver or even blaming drivers from what I see across cycling forums.

I value my wife's safety even more than mine. We ride a tandem as well and I make sure I don't do something stupid that will cause her pain or discomfort. When we're on the tandem, I am totally focused. Hitting a marked pole, lines around it, not even realizing if it had been there in the past, that is pretty careless. Being responsible for a blind stoker's safety? Wow, just wow!

I will say that I have never had an accident that was my fault in 42 years of driving. Once I was hit behind for stopping for a child who chased a ball out into the street. Plenty of time to stop but the car behind me wasn't paying attention so she hit me. Better than me than the child.

So yes, there are good drivers out there and there are bad cyclists out there. When the lives of others are in our hands, we need to pay attention. I hope his blind stoker never rides with him again. I wouldn't. Riding a tandem is a big responsibility that involves more than just your own life and if you can't be responsible, go ride alone.

FTR, been riding tandems for 22 years, never hit a freaking pole.
The driver example was used as it's analogous to captaining a tandem. Didn't you get that? The point is that a captain has SOME ONE ELSE'S WELFARE in their hands, just as drivers do when they transport family, friends and children. THAT IS WHY I USE DRIVERS. Got it?

So, given that ANALOGY, I asked Leisesturm if he'd hold drivers to the same standard. And I KNEW he'd reply EXACTLY as he did with the "I've NEVER had an at-fault... blah, blah, blah" reply. How? Because I said his answer would be IRRELEVANT! And it is!

If you'd expect a tandem captain with ONE crash under his belt to hang up his proverbial spurs, then why wouldn't you expect the same of a driver? Same thing - you're operation of the vehicle in question apparently endangers your passengers! So that means, according to Leisesturm, there are MILLIONS of drivers who should be expected to simply stop driving. That's it, you made your mistake; you're done. You simply cannot be trusted to pilot an automobile. Actually, this argument makes EVEN MORE SENSE with automobiles because they weight thousands and thousand of pounds, reach ungodly speeds and have motors with hundreds and hundreds of horsepower.

But we all know that this is not even REMOTELY true. Yet despite cars having WAY MORE POWER AND DEADLY POTENTIAL, we rarely admonish drivers to give it up after they lose control and crash, especially after just ONE incident. So given that's the case, I don't think it was appropriate to expect the OP to give up tandeming. Or basically saying he's unfit to captain a tandem.

THAT is why I "brought drivers into it!"

So I'll just leave it at the fact that I'm astounded at how many people here are so quick to pass judgement on the OP. Bummer for him, I guess. Next time he'll learn to not share anything that will bring a barrage of criticism!

PS I could go on and on about MY experience captaining tandems both on and off road. I could brag about the technical mountain bike trails we've ridden, the Whiskeydrome we rode and all the other crazy stuff we've done in an attempt to one-up you to somehow prove I'm a "better" rider or that I take tandeming more seriously, or that my stoker trusts me a REALLY, REALLY LOT and I've never dropped, crashed or injured her. But I won't because it's irrelevant.
I could also go on and on about my driving experience, my stellar driving record, my past as a commercial driver and my days at the track and how I beat a bunch of guys go-karting my VERY FIRST TIME behind the wheel of a go-kart. But I won't because it's MEANINGLESS in this context.
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Old 03-11-21, 12:16 AM
  #11  
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Originally Posted by Leisesturm
Not only have I not had (ever) two 'at fault' collisions in my driving history, I have never had even one 'at fault' collision in my driving history. And? What? Did I ask the o.p. to surrender his operators permit? You are not helping here. A bicycle is not a car. There are no 'minor' bicycle accidents. Simply falling over at zero speed if it is just not your day could result in your death. The tone of the o.p.'s accident report showed clearly that they do not yet understand this fact. And, despite your 'fears', neither do you. I guess you failed to notice that I was not the only poster to notice that the o.p.'s accident was, in fact, preventable. Collisions with fixed objects are simply unacceptable. They just are. I will not be shamed into agreeing otherwise. Going down on black ice (and we have), hitting an object in the road at night ... these things can happen. A Stoker can, and probably will, forgive that kind of accident. Especially if it doesn't put them on crutches. Just save your scorn on this one. It's out of place. The o.p. needed the wake-up call of someone calling attention to their lack of accountability.

(I KNEW you'd reply with that! See my other reply; I don't really feel like repeating myself.)


And to this I say, "Hogwash!" I'd say that if you feel this is the high standard you will hold for yourself, then fine, live your life to this high, "morally superior" standard. But to demand that another captain do that? Holier than thou is kinda hard to take.


And say he decided to quit, based on your opinion, but found his stoker asking him to continue riding? Should he consult you before giving an answer? Or should he consult a qualified, professional bicycling expert? Or legal advice?


And while he's at it, he should probably give up driving too. Because, as everyone knows, anyone DUMB ENOUGH to ride a child's toy (a bicycle) into a stationary pole in broad daylight is probably too stupid to operate a powerful motor vehicle. Right? For sure!


Or maybe, just MAYBE, he can be trusted to make this decision with his stoker WITHOUT YOUR OFFICIOUS OPINION! I'm pretty sure he'll have a heart to heart and find this event very sobering. He's an adult; his and his stoker's prerogative. His post indicates as much to me.
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Old 03-11-21, 02:44 AM
  #12  
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Originally Posted by LV2TNDM
But I won't because it's irrelevant.
I could also go on and on about my driving experience, my stellar driving record, my past as a commercial driver and my days at the track and how I beat a bunch of guys go-karting my VERY FIRST TIME behind the wheel of a go-kart. But I won't because it's MEANINGLESS in this context.
You are destroying a perfectly good teachable moment. All this IRRELEVANCE is stuff YOU brought up. Only you. No one has suggested the o.p. not ride again. I said MY stoker would not ride again (and she wouldn't) with a Captain that dropped her twice, and was openly amused at her having to manage crutches! Absolutely, we all would have been better off not knowing any of this. But since we do. A response had to be made. I spent three days finding just the right tone, and you still manage to crap all over it. There is just no accounting ... the mind boggles ... unless I way miss my guess (rare) you've been on the receiving end of intervention like this for YOUR past (multiple) lapses of judgement. It's also quite possible given your completely over the top reaction over the justified criticism the o.p. has received ... yeah, you have had to surrender your operators license sometime in your life. Anyone who puts such a low bar on personal responsibility must find it hard to live up to reasonable everyday expectations. To be surprised that there are drivers that have never been responsible for a collision? Dude, seriously, it's not that hard. It is NOT out of line to suggest to someone that has had two serious crashes in the same year that they might want to look at that. Both of you should be glad that I wrote the post and not my wife.

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Old 03-11-21, 09:32 AM
  #13  
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My communication skills are really bad and I have trouble getting my info out in an understandable manner.
No I did not make fun of my wife on crutches we laughed about the dog running in fear. She laughed at it. She has fallen twice on them and it has been a really serious problem that was bad till her walker got delivered. No where do I think it is funny she has to use crutches I wish she was Never hurt at all. The dog incident was not serious and happened at a few mph. Could it have been prevented? Who knows with more experience Most likely or better brakes so I could have stopped faster yes. I turned left and braked and we think my wife put her right foot down and we fell over. I have no clue how I could have prevented that but with more experience But it was the dogs owner who takes the blame and he took responsibility.
I have taken full responsibility for clipping the pole. I have tried to work out how it had happened and I will do everything in my power to make sure nothing like that happens again. We both are going to pay the price for this screwup but my wife does not deserve the pain I caused her. But I have never thought it was no big deal I have spent every night with ice on my crotch all night and with a lot of pain and I cant take any pain meds. My wife has so much trouble walking because of her hurt leg and her hurt shoulder. But with lots of ice packs and heat packs I hope it ill ease up. The walker should help a lot over the crutches. I have to go to work late and leave early to help her in and out of her transportation and getting food in time is hard. I don't drive either and I am running out of time. I think with the walker she can get around better so I have more time to work and get food.
She used to be ok with crutches and using them when her ankle would get too sore to walk on but she just cant manage them well now.
We both have our health issues that cause problems and it makes us less steady sometimes.

And yes this is the first time I have ever hit anything with a bike. I have been hit by a car and fallen a few times but that's it.

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Old 03-11-21, 01:02 PM
  #14  
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Sounds as if riding stoker for OP is like playing Russian roulette. Tandem needs to go on CL, ride a single so you can only injure yourself.
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Old 03-11-21, 03:09 PM
  #15  
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Originally Posted by shelbyfv
Sounds as if riding stoker for OP is like playing Russian roulette. Tandem needs to go on CL, ride a single so you can only injure yourself.
no the problem has gotten better and it has been months since it happened. but its easy to solve no more carbs before riding period. I bet I have ridden with and without carbs since last time a hundred or more rides without a problem. I ate the same carbs the week before without problems. I have eaten far more carbs without a problem.
So no more carbs before a ride. I have been working that way anyway.
but to accuse me of being irresponsible when this is such a seldom random thing is just silly. every single one of you has been distracted while in or on a moving vehicle. I have have pretty much given up every single food I enjoy to eat or drink because how food treats me. but it is extremity taxing to monitor your food intake so much. I have to plan every meal and where I will be when I need to eat so I have food I can eat. I cant stop into a restaurant and grab food I cant make longer trips because it is too hard to find something i can eat. I have become a slave to food. its not like taking a medication where you know what it can do. if you eat something and maybe it lightly effects one time in 100 or less your not going to be able to keep track of it. but the thing is I don't even know if that's what it was or i was checking traffic too much or because I was telling my wife what was around or a little tired or all of the above. So trying to condemn me on something that was so random I should have known and not done it is a little silly. Everyone I have ridden in a car with have made errors. hell even riding public transportation I have had bus drivers make errors and I see drivers make errors all the time. I have admitted I made a bad error and I am trying my best to not let it happen again. in at least 25,000 miles on a bike I have never hit anything.
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Old 03-11-21, 03:32 PM
  #16  
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Bottom line, you caused injury to your wife who had entrusted you with her safety. More than once....
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Old 03-11-21, 06:05 PM
  #17  
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Originally Posted by UCantTouchThis
No it isn't. You yourself have mentioned issues more than once. Meds, loopy, too many carbs. You have a problem and should not ride a tandem till they are solved.

I agree, you're playing Russian Roulette.
I dont take meds at all. and the loopy thing is only once in awhile and pretty random and I have said all I have to do is not eat cabs before I ride and I plan on that. the rest? I am very careful but I don't know what happened. maybe when I looked the post blended into the lines on the ground? I don't know. Most likely I was just looking too far ahead. the post has been gone for several months so I guess i was not looking for it either. Plus I was telling her what was around I try not to talk like that unless it is a clear section. I don't let her chat most of the time unless it is a clear section as it is too distracting. you have accused me of not being able to walk a straight line or something. because I cant take any meds I take my health serious and try not to take any chances anymore.
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Old 03-11-21, 08:20 PM
  #18  
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Originally Posted by UCantTouchThis
"The meds that would help some of my problems did it too."....it's there, typed by you in post#8 if you think I'm making it up, go check for yourself.

That was from your post above. You didn't take meds? Okay!

I didn't accuse you of not walking a straight line. I accused you or not riding responsibly.
I see ya that just my poor communication skills. no meds. and of duhh course I was not riding responsible. but it we all make mistakes and that one caught me. I might be too careful anymore and that can cause issues too.
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Old 03-12-21, 05:12 PM
  #19  
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I wish both of you a speedy recovery. I hope you keep riding and enjoy life. Try to keep a sense of humor and thanks for sharing. You don't owe anyone here an explanation.

Ride on.
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Old 03-12-21, 05:44 PM
  #20  
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Originally Posted by kayakindude
I wish both of you a speedy recovery. I hope you keep riding and enjoy life. Try to keep a sense of humor and thanks for sharing. You don't owe anyone here an explanation.

Ride on.
I am trying. the bruising in my groin is killing me the skin is so sensitive. I think if it was not for that I could ride my regular bike a bit, my poor wife's leg hers her a lot. the walker has helped. of course it was slow for me at my job (I work for myself) but this week it has gone crazy and I am so tried and sore. Plus I have to leave after my wife so I can help her down the stairs. she can get up now so I can stay later. But she cant do a whole lot on her own.
hope to get the bike into the newly opened shop by our house tomorrow. but I know I ****ed up and wish I could turn that day around.
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Old 03-13-21, 07:11 PM
  #21  
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We've gone down three times. The thought of quitting riding hasn't even crossed our mind. The stoker for sure takes the worst of it. Maybe she gets whipped around, or maybe it's because she doesn't have a good sense/view of what's coming.

First one wasn't entirely my fault. Riding a path and we were passing someone. They looked back at us and veered straight into us. My wifes helmet split, and a bit of road rash. She likely suffered a concussion as she was nauseous, couldn't take light and had a real bad headache. We went to the ER that night and imaging showed no significant issues. Helmets definitely do their job.

The next two were definitely my fault as the captain. Our first century ride in San Diego was a bit rainy and cold. At around mile 90 there was a diagonal railroad crossing. There were cars so I couldn't swing out to the middle of the road to try and cross perpendicular. So we slowed way down, but the rear wheel caught and took us down. Managed to go down into the shoulder. Wearing rain gear and in our 20's we didn't really have a problem, little tear in my jacket sleeve and a little grit on my wife's palms.

Last time was big metal plates due to road construction. We were stopping at a light and I tried to move further right over the metal plate that was covering the shoulder and right side of the lane. We went down, kind of like falling when trying to unclip. Being a bit older, some hip bruising and cracked my aero bars.

We feel less and less comfortable riding in city environments with lots of vehicles and obstacles. The consequences of falls are definitely increasing along with our age. I could see us eventually going to a tandem recumbent trike.
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Old 03-13-21, 07:51 PM
  #22  
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I don't have much of a problem in the rain way too issued to it here in portland Oregon. but ya tracks and metal are bad even when careful. we almost slid out even when the tail was dry they can be so slick.
Finally pushed the bike into the shop as they reopened. so far I just see two crank arms for the most part. some cracked plastic on the motor housing.
I am really on my toes on the road. but I have put a lot of commuting miles in and have learned its the only way to stay alive. A trike would be cool but the cost is so high and it would limit where we could ride. there are places we could not fit.
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Old 03-15-21, 01:14 PM
  #23  
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Originally Posted by fooferdoggie
I am trying. the bruising in my groin is killing me the skin is so sensitive. I think if it was not for that I could ride my regular bike a bit, my poor wife's leg hers her a lot. the walker has helped. of course it was slow for me at my job (I work for myself) but this week it has gone crazy and I am so tried and sore. Plus I have to leave after my wife so I can help her down the stairs. she can get up now so I can stay later. But she cant do a whole lot on her own.
hope to get the bike into the newly opened shop by our house tomorrow. but I know I ****ed up and wish I could turn that day around.
I get that you feel bad now. I'm sorry that I can't relate to your difficulty in communicating in writing. Writing has always come easily to me. I also don't understand your medical explanations for things, but I don't need to. Thing is, I'm not sure you really understand either. You clearly have metabolic issues that you should want to have diagnosed and explained to you by people that study that kind of thing for a living. You have been raked over the coals here, and I am not here to do any more of it. A tandem is a handful as you well know. You should want to be at the top of your game when you are on it. You think you feel bad now? You got off light actually! So did your Stoker. You should be very relieved it wasn't much worse. It's ok to do that. What is not ok is not to have learned from this just how easy it is to really **** things up for the rest of your life. So before you fix that tandem. Before you figure out how to approach riding with precious cargo on board again. Decide if that's what you really want. Need. To do. You were without a tandem until just a year ago. There are plenty of ways you and your wife could stay fit together without riding a tandem. Good luck whatever you decide to do.
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Old 03-25-21, 06:34 AM
  #24  
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In late summer 2016, My wife and I were leaning into a banked corner at 26 mph when a cat ran out into the road and we ran over it with our rear wheel, thus lifting the rear wheel off of the ground. We were thrown to the pavement with enough force to send us both to the hospital with multiple fractures:

Captain: Scapula, clavicle, and twelve ribs. Intubation for a pleural effusion for five days in intensive care
Stoker: Clavicle, pelvis x2, and ribs x 3, vertebrae x3.

Neither of us have returned to pre-crash fitness in terms of speed or abilities.
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Old 03-25-21, 07:15 AM
  #25  
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Originally Posted by Leisesturm
You know, foofer, you and I are about the only two Captains regularly posting here, with a blind Stoker.
My wife is legally blind. She has been since birth and LOVES riding a tandem because she gets to do something that I enjoy.

Lolly, our mountain tandem threw us a couple of times on our 2019 Canada trip. Usually because of an unexpected rock or gravel shift on a climb. Luckily nothing at speed though.

There is a section on Canadian Highway 93 just north of Roosville, Mt. where it crosses the Elk River. The locals call it the canyon. Major long descent. We were on Lolly, weighing in at 90# with gear, and rolling along at 50ish. The Vittoria Mezcal tires (hybrid gravel tire) which normally just buzz on pavement were whirring away. I was tucked down and so was my wife. She used to be very uncomfortable doing descents like that. Ah, great times.
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