Fun tandem ride for daughter number one

[Karen Sutton]

Daughter 1 (aged 20- almost a non cyclist) had to collect daughter 2 (aged 11- a cyclist) from Girl Guides this evening.  She took the usual taxi...our tandem trike.

Daughter 2 refused to allow big sister to captain the beast on the return journey.  So daughter 1 was stoker...with eyes closed all the way home.   He he.

[scott]

  I'd love to see pictures of that!

[clarion]

Cool!

[fruitcake]

Great stuff.
How's the tandem with the diddy wheels?

[agagisgroovy]

Will daughter no. 2 ever be stoker again? None of the squablings will let me pilot the tandem after several scary incidents at the tandem games. 

[Karen Sutton]

Great stuff.
How's the tandem with the diddy wheels?

It's in the shed.  It didn't go with us to the Birthday Rides.  I didn't get much time to familiarise myself with it before we went as it arrived so much later than we hoped.

 I'd practised folding it and on the morning of departure I loaded it with panniers and decided to ride it round the block without my stoker to see how it handled when loaded.  There was a problem with the SRAM hub gear...it was slipping.  We had only an hour before train departure.  I had to weigh up whether I could try to fix it (getting the user manual out and trouble shooting) then still have time to get to the station and fold it up before boarding the train.  I decided going for a week's holiday on a new bike with problems from the outset was a bad idea.  So the front panniers went on Liz's bike, the rear ones on mine, I found some 26" and 700c inner tubes and we went to the station in plenty of time to catch the train.  We got back at 4.15pm today.  It was a great week.

Tomorrow I'll get the tandem out and try and sort it out.

[Karen Sutton]

Will daughter no. 2 ever be stoker again? None of the squablings will let me pilot the tandem after several scary incidents at the tandem games. 

She'll be stoker with me, but not with big sister...not ever

[Valiant]

Photos! Is it a recumbent tandem trike? I is after one.

[Elleigh]

That's a lovely story

[Karen Sutton]

Photos! Is it a recumbent tandem trike? I is after one.

No, it's a Longstaff upright tandem trike, in racing green.  The new tandem is a Bike Friday Twosday, also green.

I will try to take some photos of them both this week.   I have a lovely quiet week off.....except for going to London Thur/Fri to see Avenue Q (celebrating Katie's 21st)!

[Wendy]

Excellent - had us in stitches!

[tonycollinet]

Brilliant.

[ABlipInContinuity]

That Longstaff Tandem Trike is a thing of beauty.

Pictures needed! 

[Karen Sutton]

That Longstaff Tandem Trike is a thing of beauty.

Pictures needed! 

I don't have a photo of the both on it (yet), but Katie and I were looking at the photographs taken at the funeral in March.  ( Elizabeth and I went on the Trike).  Here are some.  I was struck by the difference between the cyclists and the other people/relatives in attendance.  Mike wanted it to be a happy occasion.  I don't think that was appreciated by everyone else, although the cyclists did their best.

[Charlotte]

What a beautiful machine!

[Katie]

Haha.  Oh dear, I'd almost completely forgotten this one.  I'm not sure how, since it was utterly terrifying.  I remember sitting at the kitchen table afterwards nursing a mug of hot tea and swearing I'd never get on a tandem again.

The ride to pick her up, solo, in the pouring rain, was even more interesting, of course.  Having never ridden a trike before, let alone a tandem-trike... it was a steep learning curve!  I only nearly fell off once, though I did have to dismount every time I wanted to turn a corner.

In the end, I did get on a tandem again - damerell's, a couple of months ago.  I've done nearly 200k with him since then (over two rides, and without closing my eyes once, I hasten to add!)

Might offer to take Elizabeth out for a ride when I go back up to Stockport in a couple of weeks; see how long it takes for her to run away screaming

[Martin109]

The ride to pick her up, solo, in the pouring rain, was even more interesting, of course.  Having never ridden a trike before, let alone a tandem-trike... it was a steep learning curve!  I only nearly fell off once, though I did have to dismount every time I wanted to turn a corner.

Now, I'm not a trike rider myself, but that is seriously impressive and gutsy.  I'm sure those on here with trikes will corroborate what I'm saying.

Whay not join the Random Tandem Ride on 24 October?

[ed_o_brain]

I remember I couldn't even captain that tandem trike. In the end one lap around the block was achieved with Elizabeth running along side holding the handle bars.

Getting tandem lust. It's much fun.

[...riding the tandem is really the only way I miss my ex-stoker]

[Katie]

Whay not join the Random Tandem Ride on 24 October?

Alas, I'm otherwise engaged with St John Ambulance stuff on October 24th