Yet Another Cycling Forum
General Category => Freewheeling => Tandems => Topic started by: PhilP on 28 August, 2020, 09:07:21 am
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Hi all,
We are receiving our second tandem shortly, and so we are likely to start hearing the ‘she’s not pedalling’ comment made by pedestrians, solo riders etc, who have a delusion about their wittiness. For me, this is the most irritating thing about tandem riding, it really bores me. My lady wife stoker is even less impressed.
Please can you advise how you cope with hearing this comment, and what response, if any, you make, either verbal or sign language?
Thanks & happy riding!
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On a visit to Yorkshire with the Tandem Club when the TdF came to town, one of my tandem riding friends from Linolnshire observed that:
"If I had a pound for every fucking time I was told she's not pedalling I wouldn't have to fucking pedal"
And I though she was a cultured lady.
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Put her in front. After all, conventional wisdom has it that the stronger rider should stoke.
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"Neither are you!"
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Tell them to swivel.
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Anyway, since the lockdown, most of the comments are about doing wheelies. (This is from a recumbent, rather than tandem, perspective, but it's displaced the usual 'lying down on the job' and so on.)
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She did the first half.....
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For me, this is the most irritating thing about tandem riding, it really bores me.
With time, or experience, or call it ageing if you prefer, you will soon realize that there is absolutely no reason to get irritated by a comment from someone who doesn't have even a remote idea of what it's like to ride a tandem. I (captain) never reply, and leave that job to my beloved stoker. S has a range of replies, depending on the context. Most of the time, a cheerful wave is enough to defuse any aggressivity. Sometimes, a "He's not pedalling either" will do the job. Sometimes we just ignore the offender. Only once in ten years of tandem we had to push the retaliations to a firm "f**k off".
Keep in mind that the people who shout "she's not pedalling..." probably imagine that they are the first in the world to make such a "joke".
A
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This isn’t a tandem
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"She's doing the steering."
Keep in mind that the people who shout "she's not pedalling..." probably imagine that they are the first in the world to make such a "joke".
A
I'd say the opposite, they say it because they think it's the funny thing you're supposed to say when you see a tandem.
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Hi all,
We are receiving our second tandem shortly, and so we are likely to start hearing the ‘she’s not pedalling’ comment made by pedestrians, solo riders etc, who have a delusion about their wittiness. For me, this is the most irritating thing about tandem riding, it really bores me. My lady wife stoker is even less impressed.
Please can you advise how you cope with hearing this comment, and what response, if any, you make, either verbal or sign language?
Thanks & happy riding!
Maybe arm her with a catapult and a bag of suitable ammunition? If she's not pedalling, maybe she has the time and aim to return fire?
J
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Maybe arm her with a catapult and a bag of suitable ammunition? If she's not pedalling, maybe she has the time and aim to return fire?
Bit difficult to do all that while you're banging two half coconuts together...
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I suppose you could just reply, "Well I don't know who is then!" Probably more useful though to treat it with disinterested contempt, and very obviously share a private joke with your wife instead.
Not really a useful answer, but a late clubmate of mine used to wear a t-shirt that said on the back, "If you're reading this, then my wife has fallen off."
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“Thank goodness, I don’t want her overtaking me again”
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I came across an e-tandem yesterday where it was possible for the pilot to freewheel whilst the stoker continued pedalling. That would be the ultimate answer!
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“Thank goodness, I don’t want her overtaking me again”
:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: ;D
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We old ones remember the days of the Typhoo tea advertisements featuring chimpanzees and the cries of "can yer ride tandem lass?".
Drossall will probably agree with me when I say we tricyclists haven't heard "can't you ride a two wheeler mister?" for some years, probably decades. It used to be common with witty youths.
Those who ride seemingly odd machines have to grow a thick skin and ignore such comments from the public, but it is down right infuriating when so other riders come out with them.
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Our favourite from LEL 2013: "He's brought the girl..." from some random farmer as we passed by.
Mostly, people love to see tandems, and that "She's not pedalling" never gets old. Never.
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What a wonderful array of responses!
Thank you! Really looking forward to getting the tandem in a few weeks.
I am considering training my lady wife for a 200m sprint, which we will unleash upon hearing the comment - I'll let you know how we get on with that!
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I've only ridden a tandem in France. Quite a few people shouted "Bon Courage!" That was it.
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It's well-known that that is French for "She's not pedalling!"
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When I'm riding on my own, I gets loads of "Merry Christmas" comments, which is incredibly tedious. When we are on the tandem, of course, we get the "She's not pedalling at the back!" or, in a really bad northern accent, "Can yer ride tandem?"
The only thing to do is simply ignore them. Don't descend to their level.
Edit: if you ever buy a Circe Helios with electric assist, then "He's not pedalling at the front!" becomes a real issue.
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It's a shame that Butterfly and NSTN seem to be unaware of this thread. They were on a tandem together some while ago and the cry of "Lesbians!" was heard. It remains, in my view, the most amusing comment ever shouted at cyclists, albeit unwittingly.
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It's a shame that Butterfly and NSTN seem to be unaware of this thread. They were on a tandem together some while ago and the cry of "Lesbians!" was heard. It remains, in my view, the most amusing comment ever shouted at cyclists, albeit unwittingly.
Definitely! I have been riding with my enby relative stoking recently and they have been bemused by all the comments and people coming up to talk to us! Although that is partly culture shock from living in Yorkshire, having grown up mostly in London.
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I have some experience of people shouting "Lesbians!" at me. It almost never happens when I'm cycling, and bizarrely, seems to happen less when I'm in the presence of a same-sex partner. It's not usually[1] funny.
[1] https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=1629.msg2285756#msg2285756
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It's a shame that Butterfly and NSTN seem to be unaware of this thread. They were on a tandem together some while ago and the cry of "Lesbians!" was heard. It remains, in my view, the most amusing comment ever shouted at cyclists, albeit unwittingly.
Definitely! I have been riding with my enby relative stoking recently and they have been bemused by all the comments and people coming up to talk to us! Although that is partly culture shock from living in Yorkshire, having grown up mostly in London.
While we were able to laugh it off on the basis that it was a very stupid thing to shout/plainly ridiculous to assume two people riding a tandem are necessarily in a relationship, I can see how it would be anything but funny under different circs, particularly following a much nastier experience I had while riding alongside Charlotte and her young daughter a couple of months ago (in central London no less).
Handbag was convinced Wowbagger was my father when she first saw us on the tandem on a FNRttC.
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While we were able to laugh it off on the basis that it was a very stupid thing to shout/plainly ridiculous to assume two people riding a tandem are necessarily in a relationship...
That's usually just people who have a well working imagination. We sometimes have comments from people talking to each other along the road, in the spirit of: "Think they are having fun now? Wait until the tandem is back in the garage." There is just no need to worry about people imagining what our life is like!
A
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It's a shame that Butterfly and NSTN seem to be unaware of this thread. They were on a tandem together some while ago and the cry of "Lesbians!" was heard. It remains, in my view, the most amusing comment ever shouted at cyclists, albeit unwittingly.
Definitely! I have been riding with my enby relative stoking recently and they have been bemused by all the comments and people coming up to talk to us! Although that is partly culture shock from living in Yorkshire, having grown up mostly in London.
While we were able to laugh it off on the basis that it was a very stupid thing to shout/plainly ridiculous to assume two people riding a tandem are necessarily in a relationship, I can see how it would be anything but funny under different circs, particularly following a much nastier experience I had while riding alongside Charlotte and her young daughter a couple of months ago (in central London no less).
Handbag was convinced Wowbagger was my father when she first saw us on the tandem on a FNRttC.
Charlotte has offspring?? Is there a thread about this?
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It's a shame that Butterfly and NSTN seem to be unaware of this thread. They were on a tandem together some while ago and the cry of "Lesbians!" was heard. It remains, in my view, the most amusing comment ever shouted at cyclists, albeit unwittingly.
Definitely! I have been riding with my enby relative stoking recently and they have been bemused by all the comments and people coming up to talk to us! Although that is partly culture shock from living in Yorkshire, having grown up mostly in London.
While we were able to laugh it off on the basis that it was a very stupid thing to shout/plainly ridiculous to assume two people riding a tandem are necessarily in a relationship, I can see how it would be anything but funny under different circs, particularly following a much nastier experience I had while riding alongside Charlotte and her young daughter a couple of months ago (in central London no less).
Handbag was convinced Wowbagger was my father when she first saw us on the tandem on a FNRttC.
Charlotte has offspring?? Is there a thread about this?
A few years ago there was.
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Oh dear. Shows how long it is since I bumped into her. I haven't even ridden my bike since 2011, so bumping into my fellow members isn't something I do.
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My stoker learnt some years ago:
“This is a Porsche, the engine’s at the back and the grey-haired one in front is just a poser.”
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My stoker learnt some years ago:
“This is a Porsche, the engine’s at the back and the grey-haired one in front is just a poser.”
I like that one and will pass it on to my stoker :)
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Well, we've been out 6 times now, and never get any comments - maybe one or two good mornings, buts thats it.
In fact it's fair to say, we have seen a right grumpy lot. I'm sure I get more greetings on my solo.
Are tandem riders now shunned by solo riders, in the same way that motorcyclists don't acknowledge scooter riders (or Harley riders, unless you are on one)?
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Are tandem riders now shunned by solo riders, in the same way that motorcyclists don't acknowledge scooter riders (or Harley riders, unless you are on one)?
Yes and no. I think there are many interacting phenomena. In a random order:
1) It's never easy to ride a tandem within a group of solos, even if the solos are your friends. Tandems have a different acceleration/deceleration pattern, you go slower up hills, faster down hills, so in a long ride, tandems never stay in a group of solos for very long.
2) Some male riders (not all of them obviously!) are really put off by the sight of a man and a woman riding the same bike. I can't tell the reason for sure, but there's something on the line of "if a woman is involved, then it's not serious cycling". I would be happy to read the opinion of same sex tandems on this point.
3) We are not in a particularly good shape at the moment, but we live in a region where most cyclists are much older than we are, so we are still faster than a majority of them. Again, the same male riders as above sometimes (not always) react as if they were insulted when they are overtaken by a bicycle with a woman on one of the seats.
4) I don't know what your tandem is made of, ours is made of steel. Most solo riders have a fiber reinforced plastic bicycle. Some salesperson told them that fiber reinforced plastic bikes are light, therefore fast, while steel bikes are heavy, therefore slow. If you have a steel bike, you know this is not true, but it can partially explain our impression of being shunned.
Having said that, I should add, for the sake of honesty, that in most of our rides, none of these negative encounter happens. Enjoy your rides, and forget the rest!
A
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Are tandem riders now shunned by solo riders, in the same way that motorcyclists don't acknowledge scooter riders (or Harley riders, unless you are on one)?
Yes and no. I think there are many interacting phenomena. In a random order:
1) It's never easy to ride a tandem within a group of solos, even if the solos are your friends. Tandems have a different acceleration/deceleration pattern, you go slower up hills, faster down hills, so in a long ride, tandems never stay in a group of solos for very long.
2) Some male riders (not all of them obviously!) are really put off by the sight of a man and a woman riding the same bike. I can't tell the reason for sure, but there's something on the line of "if a woman is involved, then it's not serious cycling". I would be happy to read the opinion of same sex tandems on this point.
3) We are not in a particularly good shape at the moment, but we live in a region where most cyclists are much older than we are, so we are still faster than a majority of them. Again, the same male riders as above sometimes (not always) react as if they were insulted when they are overtaken by a bicycle with a woman on one of the seats.
4) I don't know what your tandem is made of, ours is made of steel. Most solo riders have a fiber reinforced plastic bicycle. Some salesperson told them that fiber reinforced plastic bikes are light, therefore fast, while steel bikes are heavy, therefore slow. If you have a steel bike, you know this is not true, but it can partially explain our impression of being shunned.
Having said that, I should add, for the sake of honesty, that in most of our rides, none of these negative encounter happens. Enjoy your rides, and forget the rest!
A
Once upon a time, I was one of those men. I tried to keep up with the Tiho & Jutta tandem once, long before I was a tandem rider - and it was an education, no mistake.
We hope you are well - we're not that tandem-fit either these days; I lost my Audax mojo somewhere along the way, and fboab is pursuing an indoor racing career until the world outside becomes a little less weird.
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1) It's never easy to ride a tandem within a group of solos, even if the solos are your friends. Tandems have a different acceleration/deceleration pattern, you go slower up hills, faster down hills, so in a long ride, tandems never stay in a group of solos for very long.
Not All Solos :)
I find that tandem riders, recumbent riders, trike riders, handcyclists, cargo bike riders and so on are always glad to see another member of the unusual bike club.
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Interesting responses - we haven't seen any other 'non-solo' bikes during our admittedly short rides whilst getting reacquainted to tandemming, but, yes, I would expect them to be friendlier.
The addition of a female rider on the bike isn't something I had considered, but quite possibly people see it as 'not their type of cycling' - we get a number of racers / tri club people around and they never greet. Maybe it is a steel bike thing, or even a bike with pannier type of thing - I think I've noticed that on the solo with a rack and bag, you get fewer greetings than on the fast solo.
Lack of greetings from other riders certainly hasn't diminished our enthusiasm - we are loving every ride, and our technique is improving. I'm probably over thinking this. Its the middle of a really bad time, people are probably stressed out. We shall carry on smiling and speaking to everyone on two wheels!
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Most of the time, I find people react more favourably to a tandem than they do a solo. Tandems seem to attract more smiles than scowls.
There has always been a core of 'serious' cyclists who only acknowledge other riders if they are riding a 'proper' racing cycle. Years ago, I used to get very few waves when riding my MTB on the road, but almost always when riding my titanium racing bike.
I'm now at an age where I don't care - I never really did to be honest. We just enjoy our tandem riding and waving / speaking to all and sundry :)
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Depends on the environment, surely. Mixed tandem riding is a strong part of social and CTC-type cycling, and the family-oriented club world.
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I will always wave and smile at a tandem, or other weird bike, regardless of what I am riding. They just bring so much more joy to the world than some dour faced MAMIL who rides through life scowling at other riders
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...I tried to keep up with the Tiho & Jutta tandem once, long before I was a tandem rider - and it was an education, no mistake.
Same. It was on some audax in the borders, man they were fast !!
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I have spent a little physically distanced time with Tiho and Jutta this year in Kent. Health issues caused some hassles, so they retired their tandem for a tandem trike recently and are unlikely to return to audaxing. I look forward to chatting with them when circumstances allow. They are good people.
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I've mentioned elsewhere my first experience of tandems, when I joined my first club as a teenager. The club treasure hunt was an early event for me. The tandem pair stormed away from the rest of us, because the stoker just sat up hands-off and wrote the answers down, leaning on her husband's back as a desk ;D
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We hope you are well - we're not that tandem-fit either these days; I lost my Audax mojo somewhere along the way, and fboab is pursuing an indoor racing career until the world outside becomes a little less weird.
We have not entered a calendar event for years, but still enjoy some longer rides, at our own pace! I mean usually less than 200 km a day, followed by a good meal at a good restaurant and a night in a proper hotel. Sleeping in a bus shelter have lost much of its appeal!
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Not All Solos :)
Yes, I was thinking about upright solos, or upwrong if you prefer ;) Please forgive me for forgetting all the others.
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Not All Solos :)
Yes, I was thinking about upright solos, or upwrong if you prefer ;) Please forgive me for forgetting all the others.
I learnt quickly that on rides like the "hilly fifty" my best plan was to ride with a tandem (the Pikes) as this meant I paced myself up the hills so that I didn't blow up before the end.
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Not All Solos :)
Yes, I was thinking about upright solos, or upwrong if you prefer ;) Please forgive me for forgetting all the others.
I learnt quickly that on rides like the "hilly fifty" my best plan was to ride with a tandem (the Pikes) as this meant I paced myself up the hills so that I didn't blow up before the end.
We tried pacing ourselves with The Pikes on the Hilly Fifty. A plan that survived until the first contact with the enemy hill.
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Pacing was not an issue when I attempted the Hilly 50.
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(https://www.dropbox.com/s/xjye58y9y8euybn/IMGP5248.JPG?raw=1)
Kim, getting some aero marginal gains.
(https://www.dropbox.com/s/8l1ns696kow6d7u/IMGP5271.JPG?raw=1)
Some Pikes, earlier.
(https://www.dropbox.com/s/0y1bcqw09gs4dyh/IMGP0262.JPG?raw=1)
A Junior hatler, now approaching 2m tall. On a previous ride team hatler were DNF due to impending frost bite in junior hatler's toes part way round the course.
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I have to admit it was a number of years ago and I suspect I would have the same issue now and would need to find a different (and slower) tandem to ride with. You will note I did not say the Things as on a different ride from south London I distinctly remember them dropping everyone on a climb out towards Biggin Hill.
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I have to admit it was a number of years ago and I suspect I would have the same issue now and would need to find a different (and slower) tandem to ride with. You will note I did not say the Things as on a different ride from south London I distinctly remember them dropping everyone on a climb out towards Biggin Hill.
The things climbing on their tandem is a thing of beauty and wonder.
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My wife and I had a lovely 42miler this Saturday on our Tandem - all we got were nice smiles and waves even from some motorist!
Just the usual Bike Tarts try to ignore that you are on the road.
Happy Tandem Cycling :thumbsup: