-
Not really being able to stand up on the climbs takes its toll on your arse
It does! It's worth getting the hand of standing up. It took me a little while to get used to it but we got the hang of it last year, with practice. Before we did, my stoker would sneak little stands in on fast descents, and I would suddenly lose ability to steer the bike.
The easiest way to start is when you are freewheeling on the flat or a very gentle downhill. But once you have got the hang of that, standing for a short climb is not much harder, and is a great way to keep momentum on undulating roads.
What I'm still not comfortable with is standing for very steep climbs, basically in case my stoker collapses from exhaustion and stops pedalling! Also we don't stand on long climbs. This might work for some but when my stoker stands, he ups his effort a lot, then gets knackered after 30 seconds. If I let him sit down, we'd grind to a halt, but he can't sustain the effort, so I just don't go there.
The other thing is that the pilot has to call it, what you can't have is the pilot sitting and the stoker standing (other way round is fine).
You are reading a single comment by @frank9755 and its replies.
Click here to read the full conversation.
frank9755
hollow__legs
Did my first 200 on a tandem today (also my second ride ever on one).
Possibly made a poor route choice as, while not especially hilly, it was very undulating. Not really being able to stand up on the climbs takes its toll on your arse. But there’s nothing better than throwing yourself in at the deep end and we learnt a lot.
Weather was great and the riding was excellent. Bombing down the hills had me feeling like a kid riding a bike for the first time again. May try a 300 later in the year.