Two-Timing It In Style Tandems Offer An Opportunity For A Friendlier Road Experience

If two heads are better than one, then, naturally, four feet would be better than two. Or so that would appear to be the logic of a tandem bike rider.

Tandems are bicycles that were designed to cure the lonely heart’s ills. A bicycle built for two.

Ian and Betty Ledlin bought their first tandem in 1986 after hearing other tandem owners talk about how much fun it was.

“There are things that are different about it than on a single bike,” said Ian Ledlin, a Spokane attorney, “but my wife and I tried one out and they were right, it was a lot of fun.”

Riding two on a bicycle may be fun, but the requirements of a tandem are slightly different from those of a regular bike.

For instance, both riders on a tandem must pedal at the same rate because of a longer-than-normal chain that goes around both sets of pedals, rotating them at the same time. However, the amount of effort put into the pedaling process is totally up to the riders. One may take it easy for a stretch while the other picks up the slack.

Also, the inability to steer and the obstructed view the back rider has, who is called the stoker, gives the front driver, or the captain, the responsibility to keep the stoker aware of any obstacles that lie ahead.

Ledlin, who rides his single bike to work any chance he gets, prefers to ride captain when he and his wife team up on their tandem.

“I’m quite a bit bigger than my wife and it takes more upper-body strength to control (a tandem) than it does for a single bike,” said Ledlin. “The bigger person has more weight up front to lean on the bike.”

When one is riding a bicycle 20 mph on a flat surface, 80 percent of the energy is expended in breaking through the wind. And the percentage increases the faster one rides. This is where the tandem has the advantage over the single bike.

“On a tandem, you can go faster on the flats because the person behind you doesn’t have to push through the wind,” Ledlin explained. “It’s like having two-horse power.”

Going downhill is another advantage. Tandems travel at higher speeds downhill because the pull of gravity is greater on it than a normal bike. However, the pendulum swings both ways, as pedaling uphill can be an exhausting battle against gravity.

Ledlin, who participates with his wife in numerous tandem rides every year, has even ridden the tandem 2,400 miles down the coast from Washington to Tiajuana, Mexico. A member of the Spokane Bicycle Club, he is helping with the organization of this year’s annual Labor Day Tandem Bicycle Rally (see related item in inset).

The rally didn’t become a “tandem ride” until 1987, after the Ledlins attended a springtime tandem rally in Tacoma. After that, they decided to ride their tandem in the Labor Day rally to Rathdrum, which for years had been a regular bike rally.

“As just kind of a joke, in the Bicycle Club’s newsletter, we announced this ride as the tandem rally,” said Ledlin. “I think we were the only tandem in the ride.”

However, the joke created interest and the following year there were three other tandem teams.

“Every year since, it’s kind of picked up,” said Ledlin. “Until about three years ago, the number of single bikes was always greater than tandems. Last year, there were 30 tandems and maybe only a dozen single bikes, so it’s grown quite a bit.”

The rally will start at East Valley High School and extend to Rathdrum, Idaho, which is about 15 miles. There, the Rathdrum Lion’s Club will be holding its annual pancake feed. It has become tradition for the bikers to stop for a rest and get a bite to eat.

According to Walt Singer, a 35-year member of the Lion’s Club, proceeds from the feed will go toward purchasing eyeglasses and hearing aids for needy people in the Rathdrum area.

After eating, bikers have the option of returning to East Valley High or taking an additional 15-mile loop around Post Falls (to work off the hotcakes) before heading back. The extra loop makes the entire trek a 45-mile ride.

“One thing that will have an impact on (this rally) will be the weather,” said Ledlin. “If it’s a bright sunny day, people feel like riding their bikes more than if it’s overcast. If it’s raining, we usually only have the hard-core riders out there.”

Tandems, these days, come in three different types: hybrid tandems, road tandems and off-road tandems.

Jon Amend of Wheel Sport, a bicycle dealership located on Sullivan in the Valley, said the hybrids are “really, really nice to ride and super comfortable,” while the road tandems have less wind resistance and go faster. Newer models of both have a 1-inch suspension for the stoker’s seat.

Hybrids can be bought starting at $1200 and up and road tandems cost from $2300 to $2500.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: Two for the road The 92nd Labor Day Tandem Bicycle Rally - destination the Rathdrum Lion’s Club pancake feed - is Monday. The ride starts at East Valley High School at 9 a.m. Check-in is from 8-8:45. Tandem and single bikes are welcome. The ride is free, but the breakfast (7 a.m.-noon) will cost about $3. Info: Ian Ledlin, (509) 747-4352 or Michael Conley, (509) 467-2453.