motochick 

As the stoker who NEVER wanted to ride on a tandem bike, I will say that riding a tandem has improved our relationship. To start from the beginning, we have been riding road bikes together since we were 12. (I married the boy next door) I have always struggled to keep up with Adam on our bike rides and was never interested in doing longer miles because I couldn't ride comfortably much over 35ish miles. In 2008 Adam came home from a group ride and told me one of the old guys had a tandem bike we could borrow if we wanted to try it. Oh hell no! Not a chance I was getting on the back of that thing! I rode one in a church play when I was a teenager and thought I was gonna die. Plus, let's be honest, I am a control freak. Not being able to control the bike would send me into a panic. Adam couldn't take no for an answer, he then came home with a book called Rules for Tandem Riding. I threw it at him....It sat on his nightstand for a few days until I decided to give it a look see. The first thing this book said was, Rule #1: The Stoker is ALWAYS right. Rule #2: See Rule #1. OK, so far I like this idea. It gave instruction and guidance on how to ride the bike in a funny kind of way. Now I HAD to try it! (This is where the relationship starts to get a little better)

We took the old guys big, heavy, yellow tandem bike out for a spin, just to see if we liked it. We loved it, I loved it! We were hooked. We built up a Tsunami tandem frame and rode it around for 2500k miles but it never fit us correctly and I could never do more than 30 miles with out being in pain. We really didn't do much consistent road riding after that together, mostly just MTB rides. Fast forward to October when I saw an ad on FB for a free road bike. I snagged it and it turns out it was a 1970 Gitane Tour de France in Reynolds 531, all original, and it was Adams size! Adam got really excited about restoring this bike and the restoration work really sparked our desire to ride road bikes together again. I mentioned getting another tandem and this time finding the right one that fit us properly. (and our budget) I found one in November just 2 hours away and we used the frame/fork as a starting point to build exactly what we wanted. This thing fits us so well, we were doing 50 mile rides on it within a week! We just did a 75 miler and we couldn't be happier. The end result is, we are happier as a couple when Adam is riding road bikes with me, and riding the tandem is the best it gets. Our relationship has got stronger through all of the time we spend making circles together.

jethro00

I went through college and part of graduate school without a car. So, my old childhood bike was my means of transportation other than public transportation. I used to carry my cocker spaniel in a basket on front and my girlfriend on the saddle. When I met my better half, she was not comfortable riding a bike in the big city. So, we got a cruiser tandem (Trailmate). She was petrified at first. But, we hit our stride on the tandem and would ride around the park path or on occasion downtown to the French Quarter (eat beignets and listen to live Jazz). We upgraded to a Trek T900 and started riding more often, particularly after Hurricane Katrina came to visit and the only place to get fresh air was on top of the Mississippi River levee where there is an asphalt path. We started riding every day just to get fresh smelling air. We upgraded to a daVinci Grand Junction and ride every morning. Sometimes we ride to the French Quarter. Sometimes we ride to City Park or Lake Pontchartrain. We load paneers with portable chairs and a table to attend outdoor music festivals. Our tandem bike rides are frequently the best part of our day. We see eagles, swan, heron, hawks, and other birds, moss draped oak trees, the mighty Mississippi River, ships, barges, sunrises, etc. This morning, my stoker was happy as can be seeing 4 pelicans (3 in the Miss. River and 1 in the park lagoon) plus a swan. We love our daily bike rides. My better half would not ride a solo bike around where we live. So, we wouldn't be able to ride together otherwise. Each year on her birthday, she wants to take a tandem bike ride to Lake Pontchartrain and eat seafood by the Lake. After 30+ years of riding tandems, she is no longer petrified, only a bit scared at times Tandem bike rides have added quality of life for both of us and hopefully will continue to do so indefinitely.