[Sportsandrec] The Proper Method, by Bill McCready of Santana Tandems

[Fred's ol' XP]

Yes,
He's one of the most experienced tandemists on the planet.
Funny, too!
Fred

At 10:49 AM 4/23/2012, you wrote:
>Hi Fred,
>Thanks for this post!
>I'll be running a tandem biking event this summer for the first time 
>and Bill's descriptions and info are wonderful.
>Cheers, Erin
>
>Erin L.W.K.D. Kavanagh
>Certified Orientation & Mobility Specialist
>Association for Vision Rehabilitation and Employment, Inc.
>174 Court Street, Binghamton NY 13901
>607-724-2428 extension 133
>ekavanagh at avreus.org<mailto:ekavanagh at avreus.org>
>
>
>
>
>Message: 3
>
>Date: Sun, 22 Apr 2012 16:52:46 -0700
>
>From: Fred's ol' XP 
><regenerative at earthlink.net<mailto:regenerative at earthlink.net>>
>
>To: Sports and Recreation for the Blind Discussion List
>
>       <sportsandrec at nfbnet.org<mailto:sportsandrec at nfbnet.org>>
>
>Subject: [Sportsandrec] The Proper Method,      by Bill McCready of Santana
>
>       Tandems
>
>Message-ID: 
><E1SM6bZ-0006dX-F0 at elasmtp-scoter.atl.sa.earthlink.net<mailto:E1SM6bZ-0006dX-F0 at elasmtp-scoter.atl.sa.earthlink.net>>
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>Hi all,
>
>Annamarie's note reminded me of the essay below.  Captains need not 
>be heavier or have strong upper bodies.  Some of my favorite 
>captains were/are thin gals.  The stoker gets more air behind a 
>skinny captains, and I find that women smell better. Three of my 
>women captains weigh in the 105-lb range.  (My wife was 105-lbs, and 
>I was  in the low 140's:  we were smoking fast!)  The key to holding 
>a tandem is to use the thigh.  Read below!
>
>
>
>Below is a link to (and the text follows) the rules of tandeming.
>
>Bill McCready is one of the minds behind Santana Tandems.
>
>As a stoker, I've been dropped countless times by novice captains on 
>dirt, gravel, in streams, and on most types of pavement.  I've never 
>been seriously injured on a tandem, but broke at-least one cell 
>phone when I hit the pavement.  I no-longer carry a phone in my 
>jersey, but hide it under the seat or in a pannier.  I usually give 
>this little guide to my captains.  I think they usually read it 
>after the first ride.
>
>Hahahaheeheehaw!
>
>Fred
>
>
>
>www.gtgtandems.com/tech/propmethod.html<http://www.gtgtandems.com/tech/propmethod.html>
>
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>The Proper Method
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>by Bill McCready
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>
>Should my stoker continue to put a foot down at signals and/or help 
>to launch my tandem from a stop?
>
>
>
>Bill's Primary Rule of Tandeming settles this and most related 
>questions. It's very simple. Only five words to remember. After 
>discovering The Method nearly thirty years ago, I perfected the 
>present wording of Bill's Primary Rule of Tandeming a few years 
>later. Use it to settle all tandem disputes. Are you ready? The next 
>line you read is Bill's Primary Rule of Tandeming:
>
>
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>The Stoker makes no mistakes.
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> From this primary rule virtually all other points of tandem 
> etiquette can be derived.
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>
>Actually Bill's Primary Rule of Tandeming sounds better when you put 
>a dramatic pause between the third and fourth words:
>
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>The Stoker makes... ... no mistakes.
>
>
>
>I was never in the Navy, but I've been told if a steersman runs the 
>ship aground while the Captain is asleep in his bunk, it's the 
>captain's fault. My rule of tandeming is one step better. Instead of 
>fixing the blame on a tandem's captain, my rule simply absolves the 
>stoker. When a problem does occur, a tandem captain is invited to 
>attempt to shift the blame to such things as traffic, terrain, 
>equipment, atmospheric conditions or even planetary alignment. But 
>pox on any captain who would ever be so wrong-headed as to malign a stoker!
>
>
>
>(This from someone who has ridden as captain and stoker with 
>thousands of partners.)
>
>
>
>What does this have to do with starting and stopping? Plenty. 
>Stokers aren't responsible for balancing the bike (why should they be?).
>
>Asking a stoker to put a foot down when they can't control the 
>brakes is expecting too much. Having them help with the re-launch 
>when they can't steer is even w orse. Besides, once you eventually 
>come to truly believe "the stoker makes no mistakes" it becomes 
>clear that stopping and starting the tandem is not their problem.
>
>
>
>And while I hope this posting causes readers to smile... I am NOT 
>joking. If you want me as a stoker (and I'm a good one) don't expect 
>me to uncleat at signals and don't give me any brake levers. As a 
>stoker I pedal, contribute to worthwhile conversations and (when
>
>advised) provide hand signals . If you're not abusive and ask 
>nicely, I'll advise you of traffic or tell you what gear you're in. 
>And if you overlook the occasional misdirection, I'll even agree to 
>help navigate. But please don't presume that I can somehow choose a 
>line through a corner, assertively weave though traffic, se lect the 
>proper gear or stop the bike at a signal. Face facts--I can't steer 
>or see the road in front of the front tire. In short, it isn't my 
>job to "drive the bike" and I therefore refuse to take responsibility.
>
>
>
>Some people might think The Method demeans stokers. Bull. The best 
>tandem teams are not composed of riders who somehow crimp their 
>individual styles enough to coexist on a two-seated bike with only 
>one set of controls. The best tandem teams are TEAMS where each 
>rider appreciates their individua l role and responsibility.
>
>
>
>And this is especially true if you ride with a spouse. When the 
>average married man strikes his thumb with a hammer, he immediately 
>blames his wife. Wives, because of superior intelligence, soon learn 
>to leave a room when husbands open a toolbox.
>
>
>
>So two decades ago, when I bought a bike shop and started 
>introducing married couples to tandems, I soon realized that the 
>method I had developed long before marriage (I bought my Parsons 
>racing tandem before my sixteenth birthday) was truly The Method for 
>married couples. If you want your stoker to continue to ride tandem 
>with you, don't EVER point the finger of blame. And the best way to 
>avoid blaming your stoker is to start by understanding that it 
>really isn't ever their fault: The Stoker makes no mistakes.
>
>
>
>Because of dozens of lectures I've presented at tradeshows, rallies 
>and dealer meetings over the past fifteen years, The Method is now 
>taught to most beginning couples when they visit an American 
>specialty shop (Malcolm is from the UK). The very first sentence of 
>my riding instructions to beginni ng couples may help illustrate my 
>central theme of this posting: "The captain straddles the bike with 
>legs spread wide and locks the brakes." I then explain that a 
>captain needs to remember to do this so a stoker won't knock them 
>over or roll the bike forward as they climb aboard. I then tell the 
>captain that if he forgets these instructions and, as a result, is 
>goosed by his saddle and falls onto his top tube, it's not the stoker's fault.
>
>
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>After I'm sure the captain understands that his backside and family 
>jewels are at risk, I continue with: "And the captain must keep 
>their legs spread until the stoker has both feet in the clips." At 
>this point I turn to the prospective captain and say, "Let's see if 
>you're still with me on this. Whose fault do you suppose it is if 
>the pedals somehow spin around and bloody your shins?"
>
>
>
>So I'm sorry if John Schubert bowdlerized my instructions when he 
>wrote "The Tandem Scoop." Do I believe John was restating my 
>instructions? Absolutely. I remember when John visited Bud's Bike 
>Shop in 1981 and learned The Method. My memory is especially vivid 
>because I was Schubert's first stoke r. A year later John purchased 
>his first tandem (a classic marathon-style Santana) which he still 
>rides with his lovely wife, Anne. John and I have argued tandems 
>often through the years and I sincerely was honored when he mailed 
>me an inscribed copy of his excellent book. I recommend it highly .
>
>
>
>Exceptions (?) to The Proper Method
>
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>
>I've received nearly 50 responses to "The Proper Method." I'm glad 
>most of you enjoyed it. A very few respondents wanted to insist upon 
>or ask about exceptions to Bill's Primary Rule of Tandeming: "The 
>Stoker makes no mistakes." Here are some additional thoughts:
>
>
>
>John Dante correctly remembered a further portion of The Proper 
>Method from when I taught him to ride a tandem at a rally some years 
>ago. This has to do with using your hip to hold the bike in a more 
>vertical position. I omitted this from my earlier brief (by my
>
>standards) posting--since a lot o f you seem to be enjoying this 
>thread, here's a further portion of my instructions to new tandem riders.
>
>
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>My test-ride sequence includes a short ride with the each customer. 
>I always ride with the prospective stoker first and 98% of the time 
>this is the wife/girlfriend. During a pleasant ten-minute ride I 
>make it a point to warn women "guys develop bad habits while riding 
>single bikes."
>
>
>
>After we've finished her test ride, it's his turn to be my stoker. I 
>ask her to stand-by and watch while we get started. After repeating 
>the basic "here's how the captain gets on the bike" demonstration I 
>gave ten minutes earlier, I tell him he must get on the same way his 
>wife did earlier--by p utting a foot on one pedal and swinging the 
>other foot directly onto the opposite pedal--like getting on a horse.
>
>
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>When the husband is totally clipped-in (if he's wearing cleated 
>shoes, I'll insist he lock-in), I ask him to raise the left pedal 
>halfway for me. As soon as the pedal is cocked I turn to his wife 
>standing next to us on the curb and say, "Remember how I warned you 
>that guys develop bad habits from riding a single bike?" As she nods 
>I raise my left foot to the pedal and slowly start to lean the bike 
>to the right.
>
>
>
>"I don't know why," I state (as the bike leans further) "but for 
>some strange reason guys always want to..."
>
>
>
>At this point I'm usually interrupted by frantic movement from a 
>panicked stoker, who more often than not, has managed to free his 
>right foot and plant it on the ground. I calmly turn to him and say, 
>"Stokers are supposed to leave their feet in the pedals--go ahead 
>and clip back in, I won't drop you."
>
>
>
>After he hesitantly reholsters his foot, I turn back to the wife and 
>continue from the beginning... "Remember how I warned you that guys 
>develop bad habits from riding a single bike?" She smiles as I again 
>start to tilt the tandem towards my right foot. By now she 
>understands my joke and struggl ing to control her composure while 
>her husband fights panic on a bike that's leaning ever-further 
>earthward. "I don't know why," I continue "but for some strange 
>reason guys always want to lean a bike waaaayyyyyy over before they 
>start to ride. And if you're the stoker, it feels like the captain 
>is going to drop you. But you shouldn't worry when he does this to 
>you--and he will do this to you--it only FEELS like he's going to 
>drop you. Of course I didn't do this to you when you were on the 
>tandem because there's a technique a captain can use to get started 
>without leaning the bike. An d once I'm sure I've gotten your 
>husband's attention--have I got your attention back there? --I'll 
>demonstrate the proper technique."
>
>
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>Because the tandem is now leaned at a precarious angle, husbands are 
>invariably eager to learn my no-lean starting technique.
>
>
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>What is this technique? Simply use your hip to anchor the top tube.
>
>
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>Captains should NEVER EVER rely on arm and shoulder strength to hold 
>up their stoker: doing so causes you to need to lean the tandem, 
>which in turn causes the stoker to want to put their foot down. Fear 
>or mistrust--NOT a sense of teamwork--is the real inspirations for 
>those stokers who unclip at stops.
>
>
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>(In the following lesson I'll continue to follow the customary 
>practice of left-footed starts--If you lead with your right foot, 
>simply exchange my rights and lefts).
>
>
>
>After a stoker signals their readiness by proffering the captain's 
>left pedal (my techniques for tandeming don't require verbal 
>commands, questions or answers), the captain changes from the 
>"spread-em" position (to keep his shins from being bloodied) to the 
>one-foot-in-pedal position. The correct way to do this is for the 
>captain to bring his right foot closer to the centerline of the 
>bike, then, after shifting all his weight to his right foot, he 
>lifts his left foot up onto the pedal while simultaneously dropping 
>his left hip onto the top tube. The captain now shifts 90% of his 
>weight t o the left hip. The bike is leaned only very slightly (maybe 5
>
>degrees?) and the right foot remains flat on the ground. If you're 
>going to remain in this position for more than a couple of seconds, 
>slide your hip back along the top tube until the nose of your saddle 
>is wedged to the outboard edg e of your left jersey pocket. If 
>you've done this correctly (and it may take a little bit of 
>practice), you should now be able to take your hands completely off 
>the bars. The tandem can't fall to your left because the top tube 
>can't pass through your leg, and the wedged saddle keeps the bike 
>fro m falling to your right. The trick is to use the weight of your 
>body (through your hip), and not your strength (through your arms) 
>to secure the bike. Because the bike is anchored mid-frame instead 
>of being held by pivoting bars at the forward end, the stoker can 
>now do handstands on the rear sa ddle without knocking you over. 
>While relative weight is a consideration, as long as your stoker 
>doesn't exceed twice your weight, holding them up should not be a problem.
>
>
>
>In fact, when I captained my Santana Quint with fellow members of 
>the Claremont City Council (three of the four didn't even own a 
>bike), combined stoker weight topped 750 pounds. We started with 
>nine feet in the pedals and only my right foot on the ground. 
>Because we rode in parades, there were lots of starts and stops. My 
>four stokers not only left their eight feet in the toe straps, they 
>were free to turn and wave to the crowds with both hands. If we had 
>fallen in front of hundreds of constituents, whose fault would it have been?
>
>
>
>Answer: The Stoker(s) make no mistakes.
>
>
>
>Teams who "prefer" putting two feet on the ground at stops 
>invariably do so because the captain has never mastered The Proper 
>Technique. A captain who anticipates the stoker's assistance will 
>retain bad habits learned from riding a single-bike. When a captain 
>leans the tandem at every stop, the stoker reflexively puts a foot 
>on the ground. Does a stoker do this through a sense of teamwork? 
>Nope, it's self-preservation.
>
>
>
>A couple of respondents believe The Proper Technique was developed 
>to overcome stoker ineptitude. Others may think it's a plot to feed 
>a captain's insatiable hunger for control. Nothing could be further 
>from the truth. The Proper Technique was developed by all-male 
>go-fast tandem teams as a com petitive strategy to beat racers on 
>single bikes. When I first started riding tandems, the guys I rode 
>with all wore slippery-soled racing shoes with nailed-on cleats. 
>With toe clips and old-fashioned cleated shoes it was necessary to 
>reach down and loosen two toe straps before removing our feet . 
>After starting we not only had to coast to get our feet in the 
>clips, we had to then reach down and tighten both straps before 
>sprinting. Here near LA, where long portions of our training routes 
>had a traffic signal on every corner, a tandem with two cleated 
>riders simply couldn't keep up with singles in stop-and-sprint 
>traffic. Initially, leaving the stoker strapped-in was a daring 
>riding technique reserved for coordinated teams. Once we mastered 
>The Proper Technique, we realized it's easier and safer than the 
>obvious method used previously.
>
>
>
>Safer? Absolutely. Because stokers can't see the ground or 
>accurately gauge the exact instant the tandem will come to a 
>complete stop, stokers will (sooner or later) misjudge a landing and 
>make a misstep.
>
>And if the captain was depending on the coordinated effort of the 
>stoker, the team will tumble to the pavement. While most teams will 
>someday fall over at a stoplight no matter which method they use, 
>this incident is far less common with teams who don't rely on 
>coordinated efforts.
>
>
>
>But the best reason to use The Proper Method is not to win stoplight 
>sprints or to avoid superficial scrapes and bruises. The best reason 
>for the stoker to stay clipped-in is so both riders understand 
>exactly whose responsibility it is to control the bike. Without this 
>demarcation, in a moment of pain and embarrassment the average 
>captain (like the average husband who hits his thumb with a hammer) 
>might lash out at his stoker. There are hundreds of husbands with 
>wives who no longer ride their tandem--avoidable mishaps and 
>misplaced blame are problems all tandem riding couples should work to avoid.
>
>
>
>This is why an inseperable relationship exists between The Proper 
>Technique and "The Stoker makes no mistakes." It's impossible to 
>absolve the stoker of all blame when the stoker's efforts are 
>required at every stop.
>
>
>
>Are there any exceptions to Bill's Primary Rule of Tandeming?
>
>
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>Nope. Not one.
>
>
>
>If you think you've discovered an exception to "The Stoker makes no 
>mistakes," I'm certain a closer examination will reveal a captain 
>who should've known better.
>
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