Shadow Catcher wrote:We are very much in sync and communications is key to begin with, now it is second nature. Tuneups are twice as fast when you have one bike as oposed to two separate. I went with SS and Teflon lined cables and full synthetic grease. Wheels are Rino 48 spoke four cross rims assembled with a tensometer and have not needed truing in 11 years
I am a pro wrench.. and if they are both in the same condition.. I myself can not tune up a tandem as fast as I can a single bike.... my co-workers at the shop can and will work on them, but if they have the opportunity to pass it off on me, they will. It can be rather interesting to shift the bike in the stand.. and look closely at a rear deraileur as it shifts.. as the same time. I know my arms are not long enough to do that..
My sync comment was to afreegeek.. while "on paper" a tandem should be faster.. it is not always the case. syncing can be work, and it many cases it is not the lack of communication.
I agree lots of communication is very important when starting out. I just took a couple out today for the first tandem ride... giving them some pointers.
My wife and I was quite comfortable on our tandems.. and have 10's of thousands of miles on them. We are synced quite well, and we are fairly fast.
But not all couples are that way.
If couples have very different fitness levels.. and very different pedaling styles.. and one does not even care about going fast.. no amount of communication will over come that. Off the top of my head.. I know 6 couples that are slower on the tandem.. then one of the riders is alone.