# We Bikepooled today.



## MB1

Left the house a little early, rode a little farther then I dropped Miss M off on Capital Hill and rode straight down Pennsylvania Avenue to work.

Tandems sure feel weird without a stoker.

Why aren't there bikepool lanes?

Fun!


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## Chain

Nice. If there were bikepool lanes all the tandems would be speeding.


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## Pscyclepath

I can see the DC cops pulling you over for being a single-occupant-vehicle in the HOV lane... 

:aureola: 

Tom


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## kvojr

Where are the pictures??


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## Ridgetop

I've never tried playing around on a tandem without someone either in front or behind. I can imagine missing half you engine is like a Civic pulling a horse trailer. Doable, but takes some effort.


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## JohnnyTooBad

I hope you didn't park your new plastic tandem in a bike rack for the day! He!!, even your old tandem is prolly worth way too much to be doing that. Or did you haul a tandem up to your office? ut:


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## MB1

Ridgetop said:


> I've never tried playing around on a tandem without someone either in front or behind. I can imagine missing half you engine is like a Civic pulling a horse trailer. Doable, but takes some effort.


It is not the missing engine part it is the change in balance that is very odd at first. Plus it is pretty darn easy to skid that rear wheel.


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## MB1

*Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..............*



JohnnyTooBad said:


> I hope you didn't park your new plastic tandem in a bike rack for the day! He!!, even your old tandem is prolly worth way too much to be doing that. Or did you haul a tandem up to your office? ut:


Actually the double is triple locked inside a cage inside a secure building.


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## mohair_chair

If there were bikepool lanes in California, they would open them up to solo riders on electric scooters, because that takes more bikes off the roads. 

Wait...what? That doesn't make any sense! But that's exactly what they did with the carpool lanes! Ah...California.


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## FatTireFred

MB1 said:


> Actually the double is triple locked inside a cage inside a secure building.




is this the secret to leaving a $300 light on the bike at work?


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## KWL

Pscyclepath said:


> I can see the DC cops pulling you over for being a single-occupant-vehicle in the HOV lane...


They FLEW by me this morning. The Park Police should have pulled them over for speeding. Wait, that's not funny.....that's what they're talking about doing on the CCT. Nice bike.


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## MB1

*Flew? It felt like we were just cruising.*



KWL said:


> They FLEW by me this morning. The Park Police should have pulled them over for speeding. Wait, that's not funny.....that's what they're talking about doing on the CCT. Nice bike.


I'm going to need a big ol' airhorn to warn the half-bikes we are coming.


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## mschol17

My co worker and I have talked about doing this once I get a tandem. But then I'd have to ride 5 miles solo to pick him up/after I dropped him off.


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## thinkcooper

When first learning to ride our tandem, I did all my time solo. Didn't get as many funny looks as riding around on our quadracycle, or my adult trike, but a lot more than any other two-wheeler in the stable. 

The solo-on-a-tandem feel is comical. The stoker's pedals seem haunted. And the delay between when the front wheel rolls over a stick, to when the back wheel finally hits it takes some getting used to; but when it happens and you're solo, that bump feels even more pronounced.


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## DrRoebuck

FatTireFred said:


> is this the secret to leaving a $300 light on the bike at work?


Right?


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## Marc

kvojr said:


> Where are the pictures??


+1111 !!!!


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## fasteddy07

I used to do the same thing some years back. My wife and I would commute with our tandem, I would drop her off, then head a mile or two down the road to where I worked. Sure was a strange feeling at first.
Love that rig. Like a rocket sled going down the hills...

And a dump truck going up...


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## MB1

kvojr said:


> Where are the pictures??


I'm waiting until we get the cost of the thing down to $100 per mile.


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## JohnnyTooBad

MB1 said:


> I'm waiting until we get the cost of the thing down to $100 per mile.


I'm sure you accomplished that on your first ride. I can't imagine that bike having less than 200 miles on it. You've had it for a good two weeks already. It should have 500 on it by now.


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## Bocephus Jones II

thinkcooper said:


> When first learning to ride our tandem, I did all my time solo. Didn't get as many funny looks as riding around on our quadracycle, or my adult trike, but a lot more than any other two-wheeler in the stable.
> 
> The solo-on-a-tandem feel is comical. The stoker's pedals seem haunted. And the delay between when the front wheel rolls over a stick, to when the back wheel finally hits it takes some getting used to; but when it happens and you're solo, that bump feels even more pronounced.


On our cruiser tandem I usually haul a Burley with a soundsystem in it. Hard to get used to not having another 3 feet of trailer to think about when it's not attached. Kinda like driving a semi truck.

I sometimes use the tandem to go pick up the kids so I ride solo to go get them--plus they aren't much help pedalling so it's about the same with them on the back.


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## MB1

*Only 4 days so far.*



JohnnyTooBad said:


> I'm sure you accomplished that on your first ride. I can't imagine that bike having less than 200 miles on it. You've had it for a good two weeks already. It should have 500 on it by now.


I spent a day putting it together.

Nasty weather too.

We mostly rode our singles on Sunday.

We are getting close though.


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## Chain

We went tandem shopping over the weekend. We are/were looking for a tandem our 6yo can ride and also my wife will fit. Thought we would have to get a kid stoker kit, but the shop has a couple of these in inventory.








Pretty cool how the telescoping stoker seat works. They said they would put one together for us if we wanted a test ride. We will check our schedules and see what weekend we can do that.

The 6 year old was excited. My wife is scared of the price tag, and I"m thinking we need the one with the S&S couplers......


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## Bocephus Jones II

Chain said:


> We went tandem shopping over the weekend. We are/were looking for a tandem our 6yo can ride and also my wife will fit. Thought we would have to get a kid stoker kit, but the shop has a couple of these in inventory.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Pretty cool how the telescoping stoker seat works. They said they would put one together for us if we wanted a test ride. We will check our schedules and see what weekend we can do that.
> 
> The 6 year old was excited. My wife is scared of the price tag, and I"m thinking we need the one with the S&S couplers......


Where'd you go and how much? I know there is a tandem specialty store in Denver somewhere.


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## Chain

Bocephus Jones II said:


> Where'd you go and how much? I know there is a tandem specialty store in Denver somewhere.


Tandem Cycle Works down on Gaylord. The 700c with the S&S couplers would ride away at 4600. If we didn't wan the couplers we could do it for 2800 with a lower end model. 

I keep asking my wife what color she prefers  . She keeps asking if we are really thinking about getting one.


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## FatTireFred

I'm surprised that place is still there.... tandem biz must be decent. that's (or was) a pretty cool area. there used to be an old tyme shop on the other side of the park. and of course the spoke (RIP Dong) and campus, which seems to have expanded


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## Chain

FatTireFred said:


> I'm surprised that place is still there.... tandem biz must be decent. that's (or was) a pretty cool area. there used to be an old tyme shop on the other side of the park. and of course the spoke (RIP Dong) and campus, which seems to have expanded


The tandem place was quite busy. One couple was in picking up their new ride. They had another one taken apart and in cases waiting to be picked up. Another couple was in there doing some serious browsing. They had a rental tandem all set up and thought we were the family coming in to give it a try. It was a lot busier than I had expected.


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## Fixed

*yup*



MB1 said:


> Tandems sure feel weird without a stoker.


I did that quite a bit with our tandem, a super heavy cheapo KHS. Did it because it was set up to pull the kiddie trailer, so I just used the tandem. Made for quite a workout. I don't know how many people commented as I went by "You lost someone!" Was only funny about the first 200 times.


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## YuriB

*Did you get a new bike?*

What, no photos?


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