Tandem trike coasting question
05-24-20, 08:26 PM
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Tandem trike coasting question
I’m casually looking into possibly getting a tandem trike for my wife and I. I’m looking at trikes because she took a bad fall down some steps ( not on a bike) many years ago and broke her foot. 2 surgeries later and it’s not much better. She’s afraid if we rode a 2 wheel tandem if we had to stop suddenly she would have to put her foot down, and that would be ugly. So my question is, on a tandem trike ( maybe this applies to any tandem), must both sets of pedals always work in unison? For instance, if the wife wants to rest, can I still pedal while her pedals coast, basically acting as foot rests? Or does it vary depending on the particular trike? Thanks.
Mike
Mike
05-24-20, 09:40 PM
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I’m casually looking into possibly getting a tandem trike for my wife and I. I’m looking at trikes because she took a bad fall down some steps ( not on a bike) many years ago and broke her foot. 2 surgeries later and it’s not much better. She’s afraid if we rode a 2 wheel tandem if we had to stop suddenly she would have to put her foot down, and that would be ugly. So my question is, on a tandem trike ( maybe this applies to any tandem), must both sets of pedals always work in unison? For instance, if the wife wants to rest, can I still pedal while her pedals coast, basically acting as foot rests? Or does it vary depending on the particular trike? Thanks.
Mike
Mike
05-25-20, 05:32 PM
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So here's the thing. On a tandem bike ... I'd say 90% of teams use what is called euphemistically "the correct method". You can actually Google for that terminology. I suggest you, in fact, do that. Essentially though, on a tandem the Stoker behaves much like a passenger on a motorcycle. Once mounted, they do not dismount, or put their feet down, at every stop like the Captain does. It should be possible for the Captain to hold the Stoker up at stops so they (Stoker) do not have to dismount. Tandem trikes are wonderful to behold and to contemplate but I'd really hate for a team to think they HAVE to buy one for such a reason as set forth in the o.p.
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05-25-20, 10:11 PM
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As above, no she certainly does not have to put her foot down, ever. If I want her to put her feet down to rest her butt or whatever, after stopping I put both my feet down and then say, "Down."
Perhaps the more pertinent issue is that it is possible for the captain to royally screw up and have the bike fall over, usually while stopping or going very slowly. When that happens, and I say "when," Stoker will inevitably put her foot out and try not to fall on her hip, letting the bike fall from underneath her. That's if the bike is essentially stopped. If the bike is moving, stoker stays clipped in, holds the bars, and lets the bars take the hit rather than her hip. The stoker is always safer in a crash than the captain because of the stoker bars.
Thus I recommend that you practice stopping, always putting your foot down on the same side as the stoker's bad foot. If the bike should go over due to captain error, it'll always go the opposite way from the down foot.
All that said, there is a very good compromise bike, which has the stoker in front and recumbent, the captain seated upright behind her. This looks a bit scary because the stoker's feet lead, but in practice this in not an issue. And stoker can't hurt her foot or hip. They look like this:
Google semi recumbent tandem.
Perhaps the more pertinent issue is that it is possible for the captain to royally screw up and have the bike fall over, usually while stopping or going very slowly. When that happens, and I say "when," Stoker will inevitably put her foot out and try not to fall on her hip, letting the bike fall from underneath her. That's if the bike is essentially stopped. If the bike is moving, stoker stays clipped in, holds the bars, and lets the bars take the hit rather than her hip. The stoker is always safer in a crash than the captain because of the stoker bars.
Thus I recommend that you practice stopping, always putting your foot down on the same side as the stoker's bad foot. If the bike should go over due to captain error, it'll always go the opposite way from the down foot.
All that said, there is a very good compromise bike, which has the stoker in front and recumbent, the captain seated upright behind her. This looks a bit scary because the stoker's feet lead, but in practice this in not an issue. And stoker can't hurt her foot or hip. They look like this:
Google semi recumbent tandem.
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