# Am curious, can tandems be driven safely in wintery conditions?



## RandB (Mar 12, 2007)

As I was cycling through today's snow I tried to imagine if a tandem would have an easier go of it because of the weight, or a worse go because of two bodies attempting to coordinate their movements on the slippery roads. Does anyone use tandems in the winter or is it more practical and safe to split up and use two bicycles to get to the same destination together?


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

It depends on a lot of things but generally a tandem isn't bad in the snow because of the great traction but killer on ice.


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## RandB (Mar 12, 2007)

We have five to six months with snow and ice up here, hence my curiousity as to how tandems handle winter conditions.

By "killer on ice" I am assuming that you mean quite unsafe even with studs?
And that it is safer to take two winterized bikes instead if there is a chance of hitting ice?

Sounds like three wheels are needed for safety unless one can guarantee not hitting ice on the ride.


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## dosequis driver (Oct 21, 2008)

Having ridden off-road tandems in the snow a couple times and our road tandem on a snow with patches of ice my assessment is that there are some appreciable differences in terms of traction and control on a tandem vs. a single bike that can cause you to skid or otherwise lose your balance and control. At that point, and unlike your single bike where you can usually "save it" by sticking your feet out or bail to avoid being tangled up with the bike... having a stoker usually means the bike's going down and with them on it. Even if you're able to bail, the stoker's probably stuck with the bike. 

Also of concern is starting and stopping since having secure footing -- regardless of what technique you use to start and stop -- is essential to keeping a tandem upright and stable during the stop and start events. 

Therefore, "just riding along" on a tandem that has proper winter tires -- studded for icy conditions or simply lugged for packed snow on or off-road -- requires a lot more attention than a single bike and carries with it more risk.

Moreover, given that the front tire on a tandem is carrying more than twice as much weight as the front wheel on a single bike, cornering on snow requires a lot of care and an appreciation of just how "packed" any snow might be. 

The reason for this, at least IMHO, is that while you might intuitively think that extra front wheel weight would be a good thing relative to traction, the problem usually becomes side-slip or front wheel washout. This even happens riding an off road tandem on regular trails with soft shoulders or berms where the shoulder or berm simply gives way to the cornering forces generated by the front tire. In fact, I'd bet that at least 1/2 of the crashes we've had on our off-road tandems have been during cornering maneuvers where the front wheel/tire simply washed out as the dirt gave way under the tire. Snow would likely act very similar.

Clearly, not a definitive answer as that would need to come from someone who has spent a lot more time riding tandems in the snow and ice than I have. However, these would be the things I'd be mindful of just based on my limited tandems-on-ice rides and a lot of off-road tandem riding.


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