'Le nouveau Tandem est arrivé!'

[meddyg]

Il est arrivé déjà au mois de janvier.....



This is a wintry picture having pedalled the modest 10mile to Pwll Deri - it's the YHA just down the coast from Strumble Head lighthouse and not far from home in Fishguard.

This picture should precede, really; on 'testbed' being fitted at Peter Bird's Bicycle Hub workshop in Ironbridge.
We fell off ignominiously in the middle of Ironbridge, just by the Bridge (and opposite the Tontine Pub).* There's a rail made of cast iron (I s'pose it had to be)  to demarcate the layby/ bus stop. It worked as a tram line to try and keep us on the road and being slightly slippery we slewed in horizontally, but gracefully.

*The Tontine Curse

We've not fallen off again after ~250miles.
Liz is really impressed. We keep up with 25 mile CTC rides - why we even lost 12 of them on SUnday near Cilgerran (we were leading the ride).


See ! We don't even look tyred...
'Tread carefully!' someone quipped...

[clarion]

Nice.  Glad you're enjoying it.

What mudguards have you got fitted?  The front one takes an odd line, and I notice we can see right under the rear one.

[Butterfly]

Hurrah! That looks like a lot of fun .

[meddyg]

Clarion - I agree about the mudguards -Liz is 'not right bothered.' But it's back for first service
next week. Maybe a tweak or a change.

Retroviseurs / rear view mirrors - who uses them and where?
Audible means of approach (®)- cap'n or stoker?

[Thing2]

 Hope the bike gives you much enjoyment.
Tandems are best!

[snip]
Retroviseurs / rear view mirrors - who uses them and where?
Audible means of approach (®)- cap'n or stoker?

I've recently been using a rearview mirror in the stoker seat whilst touring in South America and found it very useful. Normally we work such that the Joth (Captain), does all the shoulder checks for critical manoeuvres. I just check behind to give provide additional info to let him know what is approaching. On busy roads in heavy winds (when you can't necessarily hear approaching vehicles), it meant I could provide the necessary info without turning and causing wobbles. It's a nice to have for us, but not necessary as vehicle noise normally provides enough clues.
We decided not to try a mirror for the captain, as there's a lot of bike (and stoker), to look past. For critical manoeuvres, Joth would always do a shoulder check anyway and I provide the info to say when I think it's clear/busy. If you divide the work differently you might want one on the front too. It might be worth trying a couple of mirrors, and experimenting with them on the front and back to see what works best for you. I find having an adjustable mirror very useful, such that you can move the mirror to get the best view for the hand position you are in at that time. Also, on slightly faster roads when we were only really interested in large vehicles, I could adjust it to give a longer view back down the road.
As with everything tandems, everyone has their own way of doing things. Some people do insist that their way is the best though. I'd advise playing around until you work out what works for you.

Emma

[Clare]

Nice bike, I hope you have a lot of fun together on it.

Retroviseurs / rear view mirrors - who uses them and where?
Audible means of approach (®)- cap'n or stoker?

I (stoker) have a bar end rear view mirror which can be moved from left to right depending on what country we are in. I do all the calls for traffic behind us and Vernon trusts me to say if it's safe to set off/turn across lanes etc. At least, he says he trusts my judgement but he still does lifesavers (well he would, it's his life after all). The mirror has been very useful, as Thing2 says no need to be constantly turning around and destabilising the bike, also it helps me stay calm. We have developed a shorthand for the regular traffic we meet, in China (atm) it is:

Blue: smallish blue aggregate lorry.
Red: medium sized red aggregate lorry.
Yellow: big yellow aggregate lorry.
Chuggaboom: Small green cab and trailer affairs usually with the engine exposed, engine possibly 2-stroke.
Boggler: bigger than a chuggaboom and blue but otherwise the same.
Twat: this one's an internationally recognised call and refers to 4X4s which behave as badly over here as they do in Londres.

So if we are approached by a noise from behind I can quickly let V know what to expect and if he thinks we are approaching an obstacle which could cause a coming together he can decide what action to take.

Sounds? The bell is MINE! I don't get to steer, select gears or choose the appropriate speed for the conditions, the only way you'll get my bell is out of my cold dead hands.
Seriously though, I'm usually on the ball with when we need to use audible warning and V will let me know if he thinks I'm being slow in bringing noise to the arena. We haven't yet reached agreement on an Airzound!


That's what we do but your mileage will vary, experiment until you find the correct set up for you.

[Polar Bear]

Airzound would be ideal for a stoker.   Use it as much as you like because you can recharge it whilst on the move with the pump      

[dasmoth]

Airzound would be ideal for a stoker.   Use it as much as you like because you can recharge it whilst on the move with the pump      

But be careful not to make your pilot jump out of his skin!

[clarion]

Butterfly has control of the drag brake (for complex technical reasons - bah!), bell (I'm not bothered), and has a bar end mirror, to call the hazards and check as appropriate.  I trust her.  I have to, as, since my wrist injury, I find it harder to look round.  It actually works well as a system.  When we got the tandem, there was also a pilot's mirror, but, since most of what I could see in it was the stoker's mirror, I binned it at refurb.

Curiously, when we got the tandem out a couple of weeks ago, the mirror had disappeared.  No idea where it went, and we don't recall removing it.  But this morning, it has a shiny new one attached

[Jasmine]

Curiously, when we got the tandem out a couple of weeks ago, the mirror had disappeared.  No idea where it went, and we don't recall removing it.  But this morning, it has a shiny new one attached

Tandem fairy?

[clarion]

I can be a fairy if you want me to