[Sportsandrec] Multiple shifters on tandems

Thu Jul 23 05:37:12 UTC 2009

The more I read about shifting, the more I like the idea of the gears being 
in the hands of the stoker. There is so much for a pilot to do, why not 
balance the chores? Also, I often find myself asking my hubby/pilot to shift 
the gears. Now that he is more comfortable riding, he isn't shifting like a 
wild man. So, since I am the one already asking for the shifting, why not 
have the gears in the back?

LM

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ron & the bears" <rockthebike at usfamily.net>
To: "Sports and Recreation for the Blind Discussion List" 
<sportsandrec at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, July 20, 2009 11:11 AM
Subject: Re: [Sportsandrec] Multiple shifters on tandems

> Hi Kelly,
>
> Dude, please do not think that I am picking on you, or trying to upstage 
> you
> like the Contidor/Armstrong battle in this year's Tour de France. However,
> once again, I have a different opinion.
>
> First of all, let me remind you that all my multi-geared tandems currently
> have the shifters up front. I did this soon after I began racing, for 
> those
> split second moments that required a communication from the pilot for me 
> to
> jump to respond to an attack, rather than me, downshifting for a hill.
>
> For three years, I rode two road tandems with rear shifting. Campy Ergo on
> both bikes, because the cables did not interfere with the pilot's legs. It
> worked great 99 percent of the time. In fact, I think it worked better,
> except for that fraction of 1 percent I eluded to above.
>
> Here are some points that I concluded before I put them back there. In 
> fact,
> some points may have been further actualized once I did it.
>
> 1. I do not get distracted by scenery, other bikes, etc. Often, I find 
> that
> pilots shift with their eyes. I, shift with my feet. In other words, I 
> have
> ridden with pilots who see an uphill approaching and will downshift too
> much. We over spin, lose contact with the momentum of the bike and it 
> slows
> down. With the stoker shifting, he/she would gradually feel the pedals
> resisting and gear in one step increments to match whatever load is taking
> place, better preserving efficiency and momentum.
>
> 2. Any two riders on a tandem will have different suggestions about gears 
> on
> any given day, based on how strong one feels at the moment. I actually 
> think
> there was less discussion about gears required when I had the shifters. 
> The
> only verbal information I needed was when to change chainrings, like for a
> long, or steep hill. Using the left hand, right LM & Joe? Other than that, 
> I
> could put us in whatever gear we needed. I did not have to ask the pilot 
> to
> trim the front derailler, either. This is a noise that will occur when you
> shift several gears in the rear. Sometimes, you have to make slight
> adjustments of the front derailler via the left shifter to make it go 
> away.
> The pilot cannot hear it as much as the stoker, because the crankset is
> behind the pilot. The pilot also has more wind noise and cannot hear the
> bike as well as the stoker.
>
> 3. I actually had more pilots ride with me, because they did not have to
> worry about shifting. Again, the Shimano vs. Campagnolo issue often arises
> when I have a new pilot. For that first, crucial ride, it was one less 
> thing
> for the pilot to worry about.
>
> 4. It is a fair division of labor between the two riders. They get the
> steering and brakes. I get the steering and shifters. I think the stoker 
> has
> a chance to demonstrate competence in a legitimate, NFB fashion. I believe
> that I surprised a lot of people in my club, as well as at the 2003 IBSA
> World Championships, when I had the shifters.
>
> 4. Should the tandem be put on a trainer, the gears are already there for
> the stoker. Though, since I prefer to ride it indoors, where the climate 
> is
> better controlled, I prefer a single on the trainer for space savings. My
> trainer is up all year, right in front of the entertainment center.
>
> I do wave to cars, especially those who are friendly to cyclists, but I do
> not ever want to be considered passive, or less a rider than the pilot. At
> the Dallas convention, I went riding with a lady friend of mine that I met
> on an earlier bike ride, in fact. She is a newer rider, but had a lot of
> confidence to ride with me. After our 40 mile ride, she concluded that
> though I was the stoker, my experience and coaching her convinced her that 
> I
> was really the pilot. Submission does not automatically mean inferiority.
> Without an order of things, you will end up with a two-headed monster,
> instead of a strong team. In fact, tandems are often referred to as
> relationship accelerators. Whatever is already there, riding tandem will
> bring it to the surface.
>
> So, rear shifting is indeed a legitimate alternative. Now, that said, I 
> also
> enjoy having my pilots learn to shift well on the tandem. I also like to
> have riders, who have never ridden Campy shifters to try them. I may have
> made some converts over the years. Did you know that Shimano never won a
> Tour de France until the 7 Lance years?
>
> I do have pilots, even yesterday miss a shift. But it makes me a better
> spinner, or builds my strength. One lady I have ridden with is a casual
> cyclist. She is always in the wrong gear. If I kept suggesting every time, 
> I
> would sound like a parrot, so I either endure it, or avoid riding with 
> her.
> If I had the shifters, she would have a better opportunity to become
> accustomed to a faster cadence, which is much more efficient for most
> riders.
>
> Best,
>
> Ron & the really not a power trip, or control issue bears
> Austin, TX
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Thornbury, Kelly" <kthornbury at bresnan.net>
> To: <sportsandrec at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Thursday, July 16, 2009 6:44 PM
> Subject: [Sportsandrec] Multiple shifters on tandems
>
>
> : While I would probably like the idea of putting the shifters in the
> stokers hands, the rear rider is at the disadvantage of not being able to
> see (whether sighted or not) upcoming terrain changes as well as the
> captain. Also, so many bikes today use the integrated brake/shift levers,
> which just leads to more work to move them back and forth. If I end up 
> with
> a captain who isn't real familiar with shifting, I avoid going for the 
> hard
> hills and high traffic areas until we become more comfortable together.
> : As for giving both riders control over shifting, I don't expect this 
> will
> ever happen. With cable shifters, this would be an engineering nightmare,
> and each rider would only be able to move the chain to the next larger
> cog...front or rear, and both riders would have to shift to smaller cogs. 
> It
> would simply be much easier to talk to each other...it is allowed when you
> are attached at the seatpost you know.
> : I have ridden touring tandems where the stoker had control over a rear
> drum brake. The best set-up I've seen is to cable the brake into an 
> indexed
> bar-end shifter. Then on a long descent the stoker can "shift" the brake 
> to
> a tension that allows the captain to use less brake pressure to control
> speed. Besides, its traditionally the stoker's responsibility to wave and
> say "hi" to passing cyclists and pedestrians...
>
>
>
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