# Tandem Speed



## Terrapin

Are Tandem bikes faster than two regular bikes drafting? For instance, can a tandem move faster per output than two riders working the same output on two light bikes?

Because I saw one of the only tandems I've ever seen the other day, so I thought I'd race up to it and take a better look. It was on a flat, and I was maxing out gears and lungs, and this thing just accelerated away from me like a car down the flat. I'm not THAT slow. I think. ;-)


----------



## xxl

Terrapin said:


> Are Tandem bikes faster than two regular bikes drafting? For instance, can a tandem move faster per output than two riders working the same output on two light bikes?
> 
> Because I saw one of the only tandems I've ever seen the other day, so I thought I'd race up to it and take a better look. It was on a flat, and I was maxing out gears and lungs, and this thing just accelerated away from me like a car down the flat. I'm not THAT slow. I think. ;-)


Yeah, tandems are usually faster than two regular bikes; less mass, double the engines, and the stoker is "drafting" better than even the most experienced paceliner. 

Until they hit the hills. Then, the slower speeds of climbing mean aerodynamic advantages go away, and the tandem team finds out that it takes a bit of coordination to work a tandem up a climb. This is where you'll find out if the tandem team has hitched a thoroughbred to a mule (i.e., a very fit, enthusiastic rider, coupled with a long-suffering spouse/partner who's just along for the ride.)

A tandem team that really knows what they're doing, that's something else....


----------



## ericm979

Yes. Tandems can haul @*&^ on the flat. On the flat centuries and doubles its common for tandems to pull big pacelines. They can't climb as well as solo riders, but a fit and well-matched tandem team can go pretty well on climbs.


----------



## Mr. Versatile

Tandems can be a lot like driving a semi. They don't accelerate well, and they're lousy climbers. But once they get rolling on the flat, or into the wind, or downhill, you'll play hell trying to catch them.


----------



## SantaCruz

Think of 2 engines pushing that 54X11 gear. 

I got passed one time on Hwy 1 north of Santa Cruz, CA by a recumbent tandem with front fairing and body sock, they must have been going 50 mph on a flat. I was riding at 22 mph and they went by in a blur. Found out later it was probably Fast Freddie Markham and a buddy, trying out a new carbon fiber Calfee.


----------



## Run1stBike2nd

Terrapin said:


> Are Tandem bikes faster than two regular bikes drafting? For instance, can a tandem move faster per output than two riders working the same output on two light bikes?
> 
> Because I saw one of the only tandems I've ever seen the other day, so I thought I'd race up to it and take a better look. It was on a flat, and I was maxing out gears and lungs, and this thing just accelerated away from me like a car down the flat. I'm not THAT slow. I think. ;-)


Yes, as long as both people on the tandem are willing to do some work. That's why the #1 rule of tandeming is to keep your stoker happy. An unhappy stoker can make for a long day. I've seen both sides of the tandem coin. Side A is a captain who knows when to shift on a hill paired with a stoker who's willing to work, and side B is a captain who shifts way too late on a hill paired with a stoker who's just along for the ride.


----------



## Mark McM

*Tandem dynamics*



Terrapin said:


> Are Tandem bikes faster than two regular bikes drafting? For instance, can a tandem move faster per output than two riders working the same output on two light bikes?


Yes, tandems can be quite a bit faster than singles (at least on flat roads). As you probably know, drafting another rider decreases aerodynamic drag, and the closer you are to the other ride the greater the drag reduction. On a tandem, the stoker (the rear rider) is riding about as close as physically possible behind the captain (on the front), for the maximum aerodynamic savings. But when two riders draft each other, you can only go as fast as the front rider's power allows, and the following rider can't really help the front rider go any faster. On a tandem, the power from the rider actually helps push the front rider, thus allowing the tandem to go faster than two riders drafting each other.

On downhills, both affects still apply - not only is the rear rider drafting the front rider very closely, but the rear rider's gravitational force is helping to push the front rider forward, so tandems can also descend much faster than single bikes (even without pedaling).


----------



## MB1

Don't forget the aerodynamic savings of 2 wheels (tandem) vrs 4 wheels (2 singles). Yes, tandem wheels will generally have a few more spokes each but there is a whole lot of wind resistance in spoked wheels spinning. Eliminating a couple of wheels and you have a lot less wind resistance.


----------

