Yet Another Cycling Forum
General Category => Freewheeling => Tandems => Topic started by: Wowbagger on 12 March, 2012, 11:15:08 pm
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It occurred to me today, as I added another name to the growing number of stokers who have helped me move the tandem about, that I ought to keep a list, so here goes. If I've forgotten someone please nudge me! Other tandemistas please follow suit!
In no particular order:
Mrs. Wow
Pixieannie
Dez
Teethgrinder
Nutkin
Graham (younger son)
Heather (younger daughter)
Peliroja
Crinklylion
TGL
Butterfly
Thing1
My cousin
Her daughter
My niece
A fellow chess teacher
Notsototalnewbie
My pal Terry, who art in Sibton
Speshact
My pal Michael
Delthebike
Sara Hadden, SBC Road Safety & Bikeability Team
Julian (I had forgotten this, but she remembers!)
My pal Jon (18/7/2012)
Edit 26/8/12: Arabella, on someone else's tandem trike. She was stoker and instructor rolled into one an under her tutelage I managed to steer the beast around a convoluted course. Wonderful!
My grand daughter Martha, on our new Helios electric assist tandem.
Wendy, a neighbour, who also walks dogs and rides bikes.
Clarion
Rob, a blind chap who likes cycling. He has his own tandem, a Thorn Voyager, but the pilot's set-up suits Stefan (Badger OTP) but is far too hands-down-bum-up for my liking. He's a big chap, and it's quite an upper body workout to keep the bike upright. The the mass of the two of us combined is not that far short of a quarter of a tonne. (January 2020).
Pal Sherry Fuller, one of the Good Sorts of Saaarfend. (8/2/2020)
That brings my total to 30.
I've got a feeling I've forgotten someone.
Phil has piloted Charlotte, albeit briefly and very amusingly, on our tandem, and some friends of Woolly's tried it out at his birthday bash a year or two ago.
Last year (2019) I stoked someone else's tandem when we were on some sort of XR demo in Southend.
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On my own machine: barakta and Meegat of this parish, and my-friend-Nat-who-isn't-a-cyclist-but-thinks-tandems-are-the-most-awesome-thing-ever. Gerwinium and Mr gerwinium have had a go on it, too.
I've also briefly gone both ways with wheeledweenie around the Wellington Arch, taken Charlotte roughly from behind on a FNRttS and suppressed the trauma of 2010's Cheam & Morden Hilly 50, in which rower40 and I came perilously close to setting a record for slowest time.
Must try harder.
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At the top of Ditchling Beacon, I can't remember when, but it was on a FNRttC, I briefly piloted Pixieannie for a quick spin down the road and back. I think she must have been your stoker for the night.
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Feline.
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TGL
Pagan
Our Kid
BikePornStar
Butterfly
Our Friend Terrie
Rachel (niece)
James (nephew)
Julian's friend on the Windsor ride
Thing2, I think.
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*Discreet cough*
Must try harder.
Especially on Hilly Fifties.
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No1Daughter
No1Son
No2Son
No2Daughter
My Mum
There appears to be a pattern. Should I warn my antipodean relatives when they come over in the summer???
Ah no, I nearly forgot:
Eldest cub
No2Daughter's Mate G
I've only ever stoked Mr Smith. O and my dad, but that was when I was a drunken yoof.
On tandem trikes behind Jem & Assassin (separately)
Updated Jan 2020: I have done more km behind LW&B in the last 18 months than Mr Smith :o
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Clarion (briefly)
TGL
Old Charge H
Old Charge CC
My Sister
Niece 1
Niece 2
Nephew 1
My Mum (my ears are still ringing from the screams)
My Friend Sharon, round a campsite
Edited to add my cousin - round Skegness when I was 16 or so!
Stoked for:
Clarion
My sister
My Brother in law (briefly, never again)
Wowbagger
Thing 1
Charlotte
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TFExMS
#1 Son
#2 Son
fboab
boablet
I've never stoked.
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TFExMS
#1 Son
#2 Son
fboab
I've never stoked.
You missed boab minor. She'd be gutted you can forget her so easily.
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Clarion (briefly)...
Ah, but I have stoked three different tandems for you. :-*
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TFExMS
#1 Son
#2 Son
fboab
I've never stoked.
You missed boab minor. She'd be gutted you can forget her so easily.
Technically never on "my" tandem - but you're right, she has stoked when I was piloting. Corrected.
ETA: I suppose if I'm going to try and claim this technicality, I should withdraw from this thread as I don't actually have own a tandem ;)
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Mrs Mekon
Mini-mekon1
Mini-mekon2 (on child seat behind mini-mekon1)
Neighbour
Neighbour's daughter1
Neighbour's daughter2
Colleague
Blind friend
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I have a very short list of stokers.However the lack of quantity is more than compensated for by quality :)
marj
Emily
Kira (notp)
Si_Co
CrinlklyLion
apologies to any I may have overlooked.It's my age dontyaknow.
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*Discreet cough*
Must try harder.
Especially on Hilly Fifties.
Gosh, yes. Talk about repressed memories. How could I have forgotten that? :o
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Wowbagger remains the only one I have ever stoked for. I very much enjoyed it. Handbag was convinced we were a father-daughter team!
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Not sure about the resemblance. Did you have a large white beard at the time? ;D
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If you have been a victim of any tandemista or have been affected by a tandem pilot against someone you know, we can help you find the strength to deal with the experience.
Our services are free and available to everyone, whether or not the tandemista has been reported and regardless of when or where it happened. We are not part of the police, the courts or any other criminal justice agency.
Our trained volunteers offer:
someone to talk to in confidence
information on solo bicycle and unicycle procedures
help in dealing with other forms of bicycle use, e.g. trikes
We are www.stoker-support.org and are here to help you feel clean and unsoiled again.
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That reminds me: I forgot about Del!
Edit: he's now been added to my list in the OP.
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jogler - are you sure? Or was I ver' ver' ver' dwunk at the time? (This has been known to happen on occasion, y'know, and has once or twice lead to not being absolutely certain about events...) Because I know we've talked about me stoking for you but I can't remember actually having a go!
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Feline.
Now I feel guilty that you've been tandem-faithful to me but I've stoked my mate Mike's tandem as well :-[
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Mrs R
Mini
Micro (principal stoker)
The woman who bought the ride at action of promises
Her husband she bought it for
My mum
My two nephews
My brother
His wife
One of Mrs R's sisters
Her sister in law
5 of her nieces
Her best friend
Several people who have come for Sunday lunch
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Feline.
Now I feel guilty that you've been tandem-faithful to me but I've stoked my mate Mike's tandem as well :-[
tandem-faithful! ;D
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jogler - are you sure?
yes
you were sober
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I've only had:
Little miss Wobbly (it was bought when she was 9 so that she could ride more with me)
Ms Earl (not of this parish) who volunteered to stoke on this ride:
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/wobblyjohn/tandemride.jpg)
The tandem has been riden by others - it was used for a Stella Artois advert.
Oddly, I have only stoked recumbents - two trikes and a 'back-to-back' Micwic bike - probably this one:
(http://www.foldsoc.co.uk/cf2000/micwic.jpg)
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Your tandem appears to come with a built-in 30mph limit sign - excellent ploy to slow down the motons, John. And I must applaud the excellent standard of dress. Bertie and Jeeves would approve!
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Feline.
Now I feel guilty that you've been tandem-faithful to me but I've stoked my mate Mike's tandem as well :-[
tandem-faithful! ;D
That's a splendid expression.
A few weeks ago, when I had been riding out on consecutive days with two different ladies, neither of them my wife, my younger daughter described me as "a massive floozie."
I think I am a colossal tandem-floozie. :thumbsup:
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Feline.
Now I feel guilty that you've been tandem-faithful to me but I've stoked my mate Mike's tandem as well :-[
tandem-faithful! ;D
That's a splendid expression.
A few weeks ago, when I had been riding out on consecutive days with two different ladies, neither of them my wife, my younger daughter described me as "a massive floozie."
I think I am a colossal tandem-floozie. :thumbsup:
Tandem-tart!! ;D
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Tandem-tart!! ;D
With custard!
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Tandem-tart!! ;D
Ha! Brilliant.
I've been pretty faithful to Cass on the whole.
We have ridden the tandem over to a couple of friends houses, which has resulted in me piloting said friends around the block.
But overall, I have been a one-stoker man.
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I suspect that, if you add up all the stoking and piloting, Butterfly is the biggest tart of the lot! :o
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She's not a tart! She's just generous and gregarious :D
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I think so :)
Incidentally, it's very helpful to have a gregarious stoker with a taciturn pilot. She can chat to folk and I don't have to ;D :thumbsup:
On the East Sussex CTC ride on Sunday, however, there was a solo to the left of a tandem pilot, and a solo to the right of the stoker, having a completely different conversation. It was the perfect picture of the sociability of the ride.
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I think so :)
Incidentally, it's very helpful to have a gregarious stoker with a taciturn pilot. She can chat to folk and I don't have to ;D :thumbsup:
On the East Sussex CTC ride on Sunday, however, there was a solo to the left of a tandem pilot, and a solo to the right of the stoker, having a completely different conversation. It was the perfect picture of the sociability of the ride.
I'm having horrible visions of what happens when that lot meets a pothole!
I think I'm still at the stage where other bikes near the tandem worry me slightly. Ride number 5 is coming up this weekend though :)
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I was riding solo alongside a tandem recently, and mused: "I feel like a lone Spitfire, escorting a mighty Lancaster on its way back from an overnight bombing run."
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Can't remember how many I've had on the back of my tandems. In riding duration order:
The former Mrs LWaB on both a Gitane and a very early Cannondale road tandem (most of the time)
Several blind folk, including racing road and track in Oz, Belgium and Switzerland (road only) with Colin
Stoker Geoff and I humiliating playing with fast solos for a day of the Great Tasmanian Bike Ride
HK for a while in Oz, climbing the Great Dividing Range
Various folk thinking of buying tandems when I did the bike shop thing in Oz
I've stoked several tandems Audaxing, touring and racing (mostly on the road), most interestingly as the first stoker of a quad (four-up tandem) many times. It is a real bugger getting one of those up a 20% grade.
The sociability of a tandem is just the best, with their flatland and downhill speed potential a close second.
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...On the East Sussex CTC ride on Sunday, however, there was a solo to the left of a tandem pilot, and a solo to the right of the stoker, having a completely different conversation. It was the perfect picture of the sociability of the ride.
I'm having horrible visions of what happens when that lot meets a pothole!
I think I'm still at the stage where other bikes near the tandem worry me slightly. Ride number 5 is coming up this weekend though :)
Don't worry. The Seaford & Newhaven know each pothole of the Pevensey Levels on first name terms! ;D
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Not a massive list but (i) I no longer have a tandem and (ii) it was a child back
Taller guy
Random french child who was visiting
Younger guy
Sister
Friend
And on the assassin/jes longbarrow
Marcus,
TGL
And I've stoked
Sister (but she preferred being on the back)
Assassin (on a trike)
Jes (on a different trike), also TGL, Butterfly, Wow, Marcus at Mildenhall (I think that was all)
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Piloted:
Mrs 109
Step-granddaughter (briefly)
Crinkly Lion
Nutkin (hasn't communicated with me since!)
Pixieannie
Doctor colleague from work (briefly - seemed enthusiastic)
Almost:
Kim (we had it all prepared, but illness got in the way)
Stoked:
Not yet, but would like to
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Clarion (briefly)
TGL
Old Charge H
Old Charge CC
My Sister
Niece 1
Niece 2
Nephew 1
My Mum (my ears are still ringing from the screams)
My Friend Sharon, round a campsite
Edited to add my cousin - round Skegness when I was 16 or so!
Charge P
Charge A
TLD
Crinklycub 1
Crinklycub 2
Torslanda Junior 1
Torslanda Junior 2
TLD friend 1
TLD friend 2
TLD friend 3
Crusty
Stoked for:
Clarion
My sister
My Brother in law (briefly, never again)
Wowbagger
Thing 1
Charlotte
TGL (briefly)
Edited to add some more. :)
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Total Tandem Tart :-* :-* :-*
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Wow, I've stoked for you! (Back to yours from Southend station so not exactly epic, but still.)
In fact I have stoked for
Charlotte
Wowbagger
Phil
My dad (to the end of the road and back)
Thing1
Clarion
Mr Pike
(those last three at the stoker swapping which happened in Windsor Park, and I couldn't stoke properly for Thing1 because my legs appear to be shorter than Thing2's, but Joth was very good about having a stokeless stoker.)
I don't think I've stoked for WW yet and I've captained nobody because that way lies madness and the bottom of a canal ;D
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Clarion
TGL
Old Charge H
Old Charge CC
My Sister
Niece 1
Niece 2
Nephew 1
My Mum (my ears are still ringing from the screams)
My Friend Sharon, round a campsite
Edited to add my cousin - round Skegness when I was 16 or so!
Charge P
Charge A
TLD
Crinklycub 1
Crinklycub 2
Torslanda Junior 1
Torslanda Junior 2
TLD friend 1
TLD friend 2
TLD friend 3
Crusty
NSTN That was fun!
Stoked for:
Clarion
My sister
My Brother in law (briefly, never again)
Wowbagger
Thing 1
Charlotte
TGL (briefly)
Edited to add the latest! :)
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That was ever so fun. Would happily do it again but perhaps with my trusty cut-out Selle An-atomica as a saddle instead, seeing as my positioning was not dissimilar to the LHT on which it usually lives.
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I have added another name to my list. Up to 24 now.
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I think so :)
Incidentally, it's very helpful to have a gregarious stoker with a taciturn pilot. She can chat to folk and I don't have to ;D :thumbsup:
On the East Sussex CTC ride on Sunday, however, there was a solo to the left of a tandem pilot, and a solo to the right of the stoker, having a completely different conversation. It was the perfect picture of the sociability of the ride.
I'm having horrible visions of what happens when that lot meets a pothole!
I think I'm still at the stage where other bikes near the tandem worry me slightly. Ride number 5 is coming up this weekend though :)
Well, this weekend’s ride will have about 4,000 riders on it.
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I think so :)
Incidentally, it's very helpful to have a gregarious stoker with a taciturn pilot. She can chat to folk and I don't have to ;D :thumbsup:
On the East Sussex CTC ride on Sunday, however, there was a solo to the left of a tandem pilot, and a solo to the right of the stoker, having a completely different conversation. It was the perfect picture of the sociability of the ride.
I'm having horrible visions of what happens when that lot meets a pothole!
I think I'm still at the stage where other bikes near the tandem worry me slightly. Ride number 5 is coming up this weekend though :)
Well, this weekend’s ride will have about 4,000 riders on it.
Compared to badgers, the London to Cambridge riders worry me a lot less! Fear not, I can just blame you if we crash ;D
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FWIW, we find it much harder riding the tandem in a group than riding solos.
I'm forever on and off the brakes, and end up "chain braking" to temper fboab's input from the stoker seat, in a fixed-gear stylee; in a bid to maintain a constant distance from the wheels we are following.
The upshot is - we try not to ride in groups. If the terrain is flat, it's not an issue because we are nearly always faster than most :smug:. Equally, on hilly terrain nearly everyone is faster than us, and we fall out of the back of the group.
The worst part about riding in a bunch is getting boxed in on a descent. The tandem wants to fly, but the solos crowd round you and WON'T GET OUT OF THE WAY ;D.
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Darksiders have the same issues (other than having to temper the stoker) when trying to stay in a group. I reckon I must have been working twice as hard as everyone else on the Welsh FNRttC: I was TECing, and we had a couple of fairly slow riders, which meant I was twiddling knee-knackeringly slowly up the hills and riding the brakes most of the rest of the time to stay at the back. It was only ~100k, with a tailwind, and I was utterly knackered by the end of it.
I don't mind doing that on a social ride, but actually making progress requires a certain amount of leapfrog (unless of course there are tandems or other recumbentists (of appropriate height) to form a group with, in which case it becomes awesome fun).
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What Chris says is definitely very true. The stoker can't see how close the wheel in front is so can't pedal accordingly. It doesn't do my knees much good when Simon leg brakes on me. That said, I have been known to do it to him too if I see a hazard ahead and my reflex is to stop pedalling ;D
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I updated my OP yesterday on account of piloting a very brave & patient Arabella on someone else's tandem trike. Arabella guided me on the way to steer such beasts (and beasts they certainly are) and I had a lot more success with this than I have with my solo trike. I must have another go on the solo machine and try to put Arabella's words of wisdom into practice,
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700km of stoking this year and no mention
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700km of stoking this year and no mention
? Was sure I'd outed you in previous content ?
"Big Man" Tynan
Better? ;)
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I've only ever stoked Mr Smith. O and my dad, but that was when I was a drunken yoof.
I had a spot of unfidelity today.
Doing it with a girl was a new experience.
Thanks Jes!
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When we had a tandem....Mrs Tomsk
Teen Tomsk
Tiny Tomsk, who also once stoked the Clarion/Butterfly machine, when exhaustion and despair struck on a Mildenhall WARTY and the pub stop couldn't come soon enough - [Butterfly rode his bike]
Both boys were 'naturals' having progressed from trailer to seat, trailerbike through to tandem stoker; legs always well synched, turbo-boost for short hills etc. Both prone to the cold though, so probably not working that hard ::-) We did several short tours with the tandem, CTC Sunday runs and <100km Audaxes - happy days...
The less said about Mrs Tomsk's stoking efforts the better....
I stoked a tandem trike once - that was fun, just hare-ing around on the grass!
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I stoked a tandem trike once - that was fun, just hare-ing around on the grass!
Somewhere in TT land there is a photo of Jes and I getting the lean on yesterday. Race faces and everything. Ace.
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It occurred to me today, as I added another name to the growing number of stokers who have helped me move the tandem about, that I ought to keep a list, so here goes. If I've forgotten someone please nudge me! Other tandemistas please follow suit!
In no particular order:
Mrs. Wow
Pixieannie
Dez
Teethgrinder
Nutkin
Graham (younger son)
Heather (younger daughter)
Peliroja
Crinklylion
TGL
Butterfly
Thing1
My cousin
Her daughter
My niece
A fellow chess teacher
Notsototalnewbie
My pal Terry, who art in Sibton
Speshact
My pal Michael
Delthebike
Sara Hadden, SBC Road Safety & Bikeability Team
Julian (I had forgotten this, but she remembers!)
My pal Jon (18/7/2012)
Edit 26/8/12: Arabella, on someone else's tandem trike. She was stoker and instructor rolled into one an under her tutelage I managed to steer the beast around a convoluted course. Wonderful!
My grand daughter Martha, on our new Helios electric assist tandem.
Phil has piloted Charlotte, albeit briefly and very amusingly, on our tandem, and some friends of Woolly's tried it out at his birthday bash a year or two ago.
Updated!
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Yay for Martha-the-stoker! :D
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The SmallestCub (aged 6-9 so far)
The EldestCub (aged 12-15 so far)
The Smallest-Superhero-Next-Door (aged 6-8 so far)
The EldestCub's mate J.
The then-Headteacher at my smallest school. Who was wearing a smart trouser suit and heels.
CrinklyAuntie (right-foot-down spinny-low-gear weirdo - without bickering!)
Smilo
The twins from Nottingham (aged about 8)
The Girl and The Boy from Preston (11 & 5)
David-the-animator's Stepdaughter (about 8 I think)
DP from round the corner (11)
I think that's it. There's been a lot of other volunteers but The Roolz are that I can only give you a turn on the back if your Grown Up says it is OK.
It has also been piloted on various occasions my CrinklyUncle, CrinklyAuntie, the SSND's mum, the EldestCub, Kim, Nikki, David-the-animator and That Deano. The only person I stoked it for is the latter though.
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A selection which might not be complete starting in 1980 something.
Tandems used are a Swallow, The Pig (Rogers/Longstaff), Jach Taylor & Longstaff.
The last three benefit from Stabilisers - Wowbaggers instructor (Arabella) has been on the last two with great success.
Am I the tartiest of them all ?
Who knows.
Barry Parslow
Jon Jennings
Jane Ramsdale
Simon Doughty
Linda Doughty
Alison Brooking
Janice Newman
Raymond Kelly
Richard Hull
Imogen Ramm
Cynthia Kirby
Audrey Brooking
Simon Jones
Sue Grant
Karen Bradbury
Trottie (Dorothy Chase)
Dave Gatwood
Cathy Bricks mate Sue
Jill Stimpson
Nick Stead
Mike Smith
Lynn Francoli
Wendy Brooking
HK
Arabella
Jes
Fboab
Marcus
Pete Holley
Stuart Birnie
Have also stoked:-
Jon Jennings
Simon Doughty
Nick Stead
Jes
Form an orderly queue.
I haven't lost a stoker in my charge to date........
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TGL
Pagan
Our Kid
BikePornStar
Butterfly
Our Friend Terrie
Rachel (niece)
James (nephew)
Julian's friend on the Windsor ride
Thing2, I think.
I've been on the front ;)
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Updated the OP again. Up to 27 now.
Also, today I did two tandem rides on different tandems in different counties with different stokers.
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Clarion
TGL
Old Charge H
Old Charge CC
My Sister
Niece 1
Niece 2
Nephew 1
My Mum (my ears are still ringing from the screams)
My Friend Sharon, round a campsite
Edited to add my cousin - round Skegness when I was 16 or so!
Charge P
Charge A
TLD
Crinklycub 1
Crinklycub 2
Torslanda Junior 1
Torslanda Junior 2
TLD friend 1
TLD friend 2
TLD friend 3
Crusty
Charge S
Charge T
Friend's Daughter F
Friend's Daughter E
The Little Duck!
Stoked for:
Clarion
My sister
My Brother in law (briefly, never again)
Wowbagger
Thing 1
Charlotte
TGL (briefly)
Edited to add some more. :)
Edited to add some more and The Duck!
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Number 28: Clarion
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OP updated.
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TGL
Pagan
Our Kid
BikePornStar
Butterfly
Our Friend Terrie
Rachel (niece)
James (nephew)
Julian's friend on the Windsor ride
Thing2, I think.
I've piloted your tandem for Pagan.
My only other tandem exploits:
I've stoked for Paul Sydenham - just a few laps of Nottingham track 'to have a go' (him on the BBC video on Youtube in the '82 Worlds at Leicester with Terry Tinsley when the tub rolls off).
I've piloted at the Ullapool Sportive with Evelyn Dunstan stoking (previous world Masters Pursuit Champion)
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My list is currently closed, having no tandem at the moment. Co-pilots limited therefore (in number, not quality) to: Suzy, Peli and sam (on Monty, the Dawes Super Galaxy), and Louis, Dylan, Ollie, Amber, Isla, Keon, most of the kids in the neighbourhood, my Mum and - I’m delighted to say - a real life Daisy on Bob, the Thorn Me ‘n’ You Too.
This post has made me really miss tandemming.
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It occurred to me today that when I'm on my tandem with Rob the Stoker, the three of us weigh in at over a quarter of a tonne.
Should I tell Robin Thorn? :P
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Well, maybe don’t tell the makers of the hubs that you seem to get through with disproportionate frequency.
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Well, maybe don’t tell the makers of the hubs that you seem to get through with disproportionate frequency.
The hub problem seems to have been cured. It was all about them being laced correctly. I made a recommendation to Robin Thorn, which, of course, he pooh-poohed, and the next thing I knew, they were lacing them that way!