In May I blogged about raising your handlebars to go faster.  Here is another tip from Steve at In The Know Cycling.
Get Mentally Fit
Cycling is a tough sport for the average adult enthusiast.  Riding long distances at speed on varying terrain and road conditions, 4-6 days a week, month in and out, in the midst of work, family and other commitments is a mental, physical and scheduling challenge, to say the least. I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know.

What I am telling you is that if you aren’t committed to a few specific riding goals, however ambitious or modest, and you aren’t mentally positive about riding as you push toward those goals, you aren’t going to get faster.  More simply, you have to get mentally fit to go faster.

Let me break mental fitness into two pieces – goal focus and positive mindset.  I will lean heavily on authors who have written for the blog published by Training Peaks, a meeting point for endurance training athletes, coaches and authors.  I have used Training Peaks for years to guide and capture my cycling training but have no commercial relationship with them that is motivating me to refer to them.  They just provide what I’ve found to great, and in this case relevant content.

Regarding goals, you are best off if you set a few specific ones for the season and some intermediate and short term ones to help you get there.  For example, my goals this season are to ride 5 centuries, get my solo training speed up to 20 mph for my benchmark 40 mile route, and crack the 3.5 watt per kilo normalized power level.

To set up your own goals, check out the piece Adam Hodges wrote on guidelines for effective goal setting and Jim Rutberg wrote on goal setting mistakes to avoid.

Second, you need to lock in a positive mindset surrounding everything you’ll do to get faster.  All the effort and time has to be something that makes you happy or that you can train to not make you unhappy.  Doing the work to get faster can’t be something that’s a chore, that’s keeping you uncomfortably away from your work or family, or that you’d rather not be doing on certain hard training days.

You have to appreciate the benefit and be positive about suffering if you want to go faster.
Dr. Justin Colson has written extensively on the subject of cycling psychology including a great piece describing 15 reasons why cycling makes us happy.  Just the act of riding, getting physically fit, riding with friends, and getting good at something else makes us happy.  The research also shows that physical health also reduces stress, anxiety and depression.  So just by cycling you will improve your mental health.

The question becomes, can you go beyond being happy cycling to being happy working your tail off to get faster?  Here again, the research suggests you can if you have the right mindset.  You need to focus on getting faster as part of your motivation to master cycling rather than to feed your ego to perform better.  This focus will also help you enjoy cycling more.

Mental skills coach Carrie Cheadle talks about getting the balance right between days you train for pain and those when you ride for fun.  For the breakthrough training or competitive days when pain and suffering are part of the deal, you need to have some mental tools to help push through.  Cheadle has a good webinar where she gives you a context on pain and why you naturally hold back and some tools (starting at around 13:30) to push through the suffering.

There are more mental training techniques from world class racers, coaches and psychologists presented in other webinars here.

Of course, you can take your commitment to going faster, your ability to train with pain, your passion for cycling beyond a healthy level.  If it becomes obsessive, you can feel badly if you don’t keep to your training plan, if you don’t achieve your goals, or if you feel conflict around the trade-offs between cycling and other things in your life.  If or when this happens, you are getting to a negative mental state, a situation that Coulson writes about here and that you should definitely check out if you think your passion is turning into or being replaced by an obsession.

I can’t quantify the speed increase you’ll get by being mentally fit the way I will from other ways further down this list.  Some say that mental fitness – being positive and goal oriented – is the most important way to improve your performance.

I can say with confidence that until you are mentally fit you will not realize the potential from the other ways that follow on this list to ride faster.

Yours in Cycling and Fitness,
Greg Combs
President of Fun
​May Street Bicycles is not your typical bike shop. Sure we sell awesome bicycles, provide bicycle repairs, and rental bikes all at great prices. But we do a great deal more such as dynamic bike fitting, metabolic testing, altitude training, and personal training.  
​

I know it has been sometime blogging. But, it's not because I am lazy.  We have been very busy with our daily summer-time operations. As well, we recently moved to 1110 N. May St. Southern Pines, NC, 28387. Luckily we are still on May St., right?

Our new location is only one block north from our original location.  So why move? Well, firstly, I was renting now I am owning this location.  Not a bad investment and business strategy.  Secondly, I have more floor space so the shop looks more organized with a clean look.  Another reason for the move is we now have land to develop trails to ride and demo mtb, cyclocross, gravel and fat bikes.  In the coming weeks I will reporting on our trail building activities. In the meantime we are continuing to improve our "fox hole" inside the shop.

We will be celebrating our move on Monday August 21st from 5 to 8pm.  We will provide the burgers, brauts, and dogs. As well have our favorite beverages available which include beer from Southern Pines Brewery and some vino.  I will be posting the event on Facebook

Also, stop in and check out our End of Summer Sale on Triathlon, Mountain, and Gravel Bikes!

​Yours in Cycling and Fitness,
Greg Combs
President of Fun
​May Street Bicycles is not your typical bike shop. Sure we sell awesome bicycles, provide bicycle repairs, and rental bikes all at great prices. But we do a great deal more such as dynamic bike fitting, metabolic testing, altitude training, and personal training. 
​

Often when cyclists come to see me for a bike fit they look at me with disbelief when I raise their handle bars.  Too often my clients are set up in a very aggressive position with the bars slammed low. This position looks fast but often leads to discomfort. Their justification for the bars low is for aerodynamic benefits. So they think:)

​How does raising your handle bars make you ride faster?  Well it enables the rider to get even lower in a very stable position by resting their wrists and fore arms on the handle bars while holding onto the hoods.  By using skeletal support, the rider can relax the torso even with bent elbows (this is another benefit, ease of breathing under athletic duress).  This position offers a lower profile than having their hands on the drops.  Sure this position sounds faster, but where is the proof you ask?

A study by Professor Nathan Barry, et al (2015), provides a detailed analysis of  how much drag you can reduce if you bend your arms and torso in addition to where you put your hands.

Barry began his study by reviewing previous studies that report “the drops posture reduces drag by up to 12% compared with the hoods posture.”

Then Dr. Barry conducted wind tunnel tests of common road cycling postures with the cyclist's hands on the hoods and drops position.  He reports significant power and drag data to sustain an established speed in these varied positions.  Reference the photos and table shown from his study.

The term MAMIL is now in the Oxford English Dictionary (so I guess it is becoming a rage).  Jennie Price from Surrey, England  is a proclaimed cycling widow as see shares her story in the Daily Mail.  "MAMIL is defined as “a middle-aged man who is a very keen road cyclist, typically one who rides an expensive bike and wears the type of clothing associated with professional cyclists.”

Bonnie Friend writes in Road Cycling Magazine, "It probably goes without saying that most people, professional or otherwise, look faintly ridiculous in head-to-toe cycling kit, but when it comes to performance it serves its purpose. Tight Lycra and accompanying sports materials allow for better performance, keeping the body streamlined. It doesn’t get damaged by sweat or sunlight in the same way other materials do, and it absorbs little water so you don’t get as cold if it rains. Some materials are also made for temperature control, so there’s a reason for looking ever so silly. As for the colors, reflectors can be explained by safety reasons, but when it comes to lurid pink… well, that’s for fun.
The thing is, MAMILism is not just about the outfit, it’s about the mentality, conversation and lifestyle that comes with it. We’re not really talking about people who have been into cycling all their lives.  We’re talking about the people who have discovered the joy of two wheels later in their amateur careers, and revel in their increased fitness and the technicalities of their newfound love."

Along with the outfit and the general interest comes the dinner table conversation about quicker helmets and padded shorts, the pros and cons of cycling shoes, and the need for a personal trainer to improve their ‘power to weight ratio’.
Wonderful and enthusiastic as it all sounds to fellow cycling enthusiasts, writer Jennie Price, understandably, feels that this takes her ‘cycling widow’ status to a whole new level. There’s a twinge of embarrassment and a touch of boredom thrown in for good measure when conversation is dominated by performance enhancing, neon clothing, gadgets, and a hint of obsessive behavior leading to a rather high level of spending on the MAMIL’s new mistress.
Could the MAMIL be falling into the other health and fitness dilemma du jour – the wellness debt cycle where a commitment to wellbeing leads to bank breaking spending on protein powders, health food products and yoga classes? Time will tell."

So in closing we at May Street Bicycles is embracing this phenomenon.  Expect to see weekly posts and even a survey to gain more knowledge about the MAMIL. 

Yours in Cycling and Fitness,
Greg Combs
President of Fun
​May Street Bicycles is not your typical bike shop. Sure we sell awesome bicycles, provide bicycle repairs, and rental bikes all at great prices. But we do a great deal more such as dynamic bike fitting, metabolic testing, altitude training, and personal training. MAMILS are welcome:)

A study released 2015 reveals a shocking trend: between 1989 and 2012 bicycle ownership declined by half, “from an average PBO [percentage bicycle ownership] of 60% in 1989 to 32% in 2012.” Conducted by researchers at Johns Hopkins University and published in the Journal of Transport & Health, the study analyzed data from 1.25 billion households around the world in what is considered to be the first global study of bicycle ownership over time.

“It’s a tragedy that more than two-thirds of Generation Z are growing up in a household without a bicycle,” said Gabe Wallace, co-director of public health campaign My City Bikes. This is an especially stark fact when mirrored against the simultaneous rise of one of the greatest public health crises of our time: obesity.”
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While bicycle ownership has been on the decline, locally obesity rates in North Carolina have more than doubled, from 12.3% in 1990 to 29.6% in 2012 (see Fig. 1 below).

From a public health perspective, cycling promotes wellness, and the benefits of cycling outweigh the risks, the study reports. Considering that each hour per day spent driving corresponds with a 6% increase in the odds of being obese, a shift of bicycle ownership and ridership in a positive direction is long overdue.

In the past century both developed and developing countries have undergone rapid transitions towards motorization, which have disfavored bicycle use, the study reports. Increasing motorization leads to injuries from road traffic crashes, growing vehicular air pollution, and declining physical activity.  The movement of people and goods by bicycle reduces vehicular air pollution and motor vehicle traffic congestion. Cycling is a key element to livable cities (and Southern Pines), it connects easily to other modes of transit, and it can stimulate local businesses via the addition of new cycling routes.
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Even though the issues of road safety, air pollution and public health seem big, they are changed one person at a time like anything else. By owning and riding a bicycle each Southern Pines resident can make a difference. At May Street Bicycles we are teaming up with public health campaign My City Bikes to help inexperienced riders make that change with the a soon to be developed Southern Pines Bikes app, a basic utility that provides a guide to local beginner biking, as well as need-to-know information about bike safety and maintenance. It may seem small, but just getting out for a ride for 15 minutes or biking to the park or a friend’s house with your family instead of taking the car does make a difference.

My City Bikes powered by Interbike is the first and only public health campaign for beginner cyclists. The web- and mobile- campaign benefits communities by providing simple, localized mobile resources and media advocacy to facilitate cycling. No one is exempt from the basics of biking, and that is why My City Bikes and May Street Bicycles supports and inspires the culture of beginners in biking. Whether for fun, fitness or transportation, My City Bikes is the official guide to beginner biking opportunities. Along with its network of beginner-friendly bike shops (May Street Bicycles) and government partners, My City Bikes is connecting communities with their basic but essential beginner biking resources to empower individuals to improve their health by simply pedaling a bike. Join the biggest bike team in the world! We hope you will be able to download your free Southern Pines My City Bikes app at http://mycitybikes.org in the near future. 

We at May Street Bicycles host two local entry-level rides each week at 6 pm on Tuesday and Thursday on our Urban Loop Ride. It is only 4 miles in length and provides a great opportunity to learn more about safe cycling and improve your fitness.  We also provide basic DIY bike maintenance classes. So join us for a ride. May Street Bicycles is a beginner-friendly bike shop in Southern Pines. 

Yours in Cycling and Fitness,
Greg Combs
President of Fun
​May Street Bicycles is not your typical bike shop. Sure we sell awesome bicycles, provide bicycle repairs, and rental bikes all at great prices. But we do a great deal more such as dynamic bike fitting, metabolic testing, altitude training, and personal training. And getting Southern Pines on the My City Bikes App!

These past days we have been slammed with activities and I apologise for not shouting out for nearly a week. So here are some updates.

Last Tuesday we had an interesting visitor, his name is Carlos. Carlos is from South America and he is riding his bike around the world.  Carlos stopped in at May Street Bicycles in a desperate state.  His rear derailleur was stuck in his rear wheel.  So Matt took his mountain bike loaded with 90 pounds of luggage into the shop and began unloading his bags. Upon investigation, his chain was shot, along with a destroyed rear derailleur and derailleur hanger. As well, he had busted spokes. Unfortunately, we were not able to help in getting the bike road worthy until the next day. We had to get the derailleur hanger sent by UPS overnight from JBI importers. Although Carlos was disappointed for the 16 hour delay, he did mention he was glad it did not happend when he was riding in Cuba.  He was surprised that the repair bill was a fair price.  He was back on the road by mid day on Wednesday with a planned stop over in Mebane, NC. To learn more about Carlos' adventure check out his website here: http://www.cleteando.com

On March 26th we hosted our 3rd Team Adaptive Duathlon Training Event at Weymouth Woods Nature Preserve.  We were excited to have such a fantastic turnout. We also had Setup Events' Andrew Silbereisen volunteer and donate his expertise and event equipment such as chip timing, banners, barriers and Start/Finish Arch to make our event a grand success. We also want to thank our sponsors for donating their products and services: Hammer Nutrition, W3, Cactus Creek Coffee, JBI Imports, and Orbea Bicycles.  It was great having the Orbea Demo Crew at the event to have participants and spectators test ride and race their great machines.  I raced on the Orbea Oiz and it was fantastic!

We also received a load of Orbea roads bikes that are on Warehouse Close Prices. Check out our close out page for pictures and prices.

Also stop to place your order of our new shop cycling kit. 

On April 14th at 6pm we will have a wine and cheese social at May Street Bicycles. A donation of $10 will be greatly appreciated as a fund raiser for Team Adaptive.  More information about this social will be announced soon.

​Yours in Cycling and Fitness,
Greg Combs
President of Fun
​May Street Bicycles is not your typical bike shop. Sure we sell awesome bicycles, provide bicycle repairs, and rental bikes all at great prices. But we do a great deal more such as dynamic bike fitting, metabolic testing, altitude training, and personal training.

As you may already know we are hosting our third event of the Team Adaptive Duathlon Training Series this Sunday at Weymouth Woods Nature Preserve.  To include with the duathlon we are having an Orbea Demo Day. So come out and check out some of these awesome bikes from our friends at our Orbea
First in the demo line up is the OIZ!

The OIZ!
"Oiz is engineered for one purpose – Speed.
The kind of lung-burning, cross-country efficiency that is expected from a racing bike, matched with DNA that devours rough terrain and leaves traditional hardtails behind. Lap after lap, Oiz responds eagerly to each climb, every rocky, root-filled descent, pushing you to ride faster. Oiz is the ultimate advantage – not a machine that rides in the middle of the pack – Oiz was Born to Win."

Next is the Rallon X10!

​"Time flies, it slips away and we can never have enough of it. What would you do with a little extra? We can’t turn back the clock on a misspent youth but the speed of the new Rallon gives you a few precious seconds to write your own story on the mountain.
Grab a few extra raspy breaths at the top of the climb. Whip instead of tuck. Knock your buddy off the leader board. Take the fun line instead of the easy line. Pull a snack from your pack or post a pic to instagram.
Sometimes a few seconds can seem like all the time in the world."

We will also have the OCCAM M10!

​"Singletrack filled with rocks and roots. Loose climbs that take finesse to finish without walking. Steep, dark chutes through huge trees and over decaying logs. Ledgy switchbacks that you have only ridden that one time when you were in the zone. With all the buzz surrounding Enduro, e Bikes, Fat Bikes and wheel size, it’s easy to forget that THIS is what mountain biking is all about. Escaping your daily routine to ride your bike anywhere, on any trail, until you can’t ride any further. This is why you began and this is why you keep coming back.
The new Occam celebrates this freedom and brings you to the places where it all started.
Welcome Home."

We will have the LOKI 27+ LTD at the Demo!

In Norse mythology, Loki is a trickster god. He is a shape shifter and in different stories he assumes multiple forms.
Loki is a different kind of bike. And instead of saying it’s tailored for one type of rider, we’re going to go ahead and claim it’s the perfect fun trail bike everyone will enjoy.

We hope to see you Sunday to enjoy the great weather and test out these great bikes. As well, our event is helping a great cause... supporting our local wounded warriors.

Yours in Cycling and Fitness,
Greg Combs
President of Fun
​May Street Bicycles is not your typical bike shop. Sure we sell awesome bicycles, provide bicycle repairs, and rental bikes all at great prices. But we do a great deal more such as dynamic bike fitting, metabolic testing, altitude training, and personal training. ​

On March 18th I posted the first steps to improving your swim stroke on the Vasa Trainer/Erg;
Technique 1. Hand Placement: How To Properly Set-Up The Stroke
and
Technique 2. Fingertip Orientation: High Elbow Catch or Early Vertical Forearm

Below is Part 2 Faster Freestyle Swimming: wth Karlyn Pipes

In the last blog, Faster Freestyle Swimming: Learn To Swim Better In 5 Easy Steps, we introduced you to Karlyn Pipes & her methods to improving freestyle swimming techniques on land, using the Vasa Swim Ergometer. In the first two videos, Karlyn taught how to properly set up the stroke and how to master the high elbow catch.
The next 3 videos in this 5-part clinic include:

• Wrist Awareness & The Power of Y
• Umph at the Front: Where To Apply The Power
• Exiting the Stroke Efficiently to Reduce Drag

Once you begin using Karlyn’s expert coaching, you’ll be able to swim faster with less effort. In these videos, Karlyn works with High Performance Triathlon Coach Tim Crowley to demonstrate proper technique, power and efficiency.
Here’s a more in-depth look into those videos:
​Faster Freestyle Swimming: Part 3. Wrist Awareness & The Power of Y
Karlyn describes how to use “the power of the Y” for feeling pressure on the water and how swimming with an open, relaxed hand will help you engage the larger muscle groups (lats) for more power in your freestyle swimming stroke. This technique is used by many of the top swimmers in the world. With this technique, you’ll have less tension in your hands, save energy, and have more power, speed and efficiency in all swimming strokes. Using Power Paddles while training on the Vasa Swim Ergometer really helps to learn and perfect this technique.

​Faster Freestyle Swimming: Part 4. Umph at the Front: Where To Apply The Power
Karlyn Pipes teaches how to put the “umph at the front” of your freestyle stroke. This technique uses a high elbow catch that will help you to get more power, speed and efficiency in your swimming stroke. Using this technique puts the power in the front of your stroke to engage the large back muscles for greater propulsion, while saving your shoulders & arms. This technique will help you to develop a faster, powerful, and efficient pull for all swimming strokes.

​Faster Freestyle Swimming: Part 5. Exiting the Stroke Efficiently to Reduce Drag
Proper, relaxed recovery will help you to save energy, set-up for the next stroke, and avoid injury. This video describes how to finish the power phase of the stroke, blend into the recovery, and then right back into the “stretch, catch and pull” technique for which Karlyn is famous.

Whether you are a competitive swimmer, swim coach, triathlete or triathlon coach, these videos will teach you how to achieve dramatic improvements in stroke technique, sustained power stroke, speed and stamina, so you can swim faster than ever before.
It’s important to remember that optimal body position and stroke technique are crucial for a fast swim, and they’re not the only key elements. Applying more force to the water throughout each stroke—while maintaining correct technique and body position—will also make you go faster, often with little or no increase in exertion.
We hope these instructional videos were useful to you and your training. Be sure to watch these videos more than one time to gain maximum benefit.
For more information on other training resources please visit the Vasa website. Or stop in at May Street Bicycles.

Coach Bio:  Karlyn Pipes is an excellent and very popular swim technique coach.  She practices what she coaches as an accomplished Masters Swimming World Record Holder. She has an appetite for success and it shows. Voted one of the top ten masters swimmers of all-time, she holds over 200+ FINA Masters World records, of which 47 are still current. In early 2017, she broke six more FINA Masters World Records while competing in Europe.
Karlyn travels the world teaching swimmers and triathletes of every age and ability “how to swim faster with less effort”. She runs swim technique clinics and camps through her business Aquatic Edge, located in beautiful Kona, Hawaii. Recently, Karlyn was inducted into the International Swimming Hall Of Fame in 2015 and has released her new book, The Do-Over. We are proud to be associated with Karlyn and we commend her on all that she has accomplished throughout her swimming & coaching career.

Yours in Cycling and Fitness,
Greg Combs
President of Fun
​May Street Bicycles is not your typical bike shop. Sure we sell awesome bicycles, provide bicycle repairs, and rental bikes all at great prices. But we do a great deal more such as dynamic bike fitting, metabolic testing, altitude training, and personal training. 

As I ponder our new bicycle shop cycling clothing design. I am also considering what is the best color scheme. Sure I want it to be appealing to the eye so it will be purchased.  But, most importantly, I want my clients to been seen while riding. So I have been browsing best colors for cycling.  I came across a nice article posted by "Bike Noob."  Check out what he had to say.

"I’ve been riding along some pretty busy roads lately. Most of the time, they have shoulders. Sometimes, they don’t. And shoulders and bike lanes usually end at intersections. So being seen is something I’m always aware of.

It seems whenever I hear of a collision between a car and a bike, the driver often says something like, “I didn’t see you!” Now, that’s generally because the driver was not looking for a cyclist. They were looking for motorized traffic, (or texting, these days) so didn’t expect to see cyclists.

So I decided early on that I would try to wear clothing that is visible.

Different colors show up differently. Below is a shot from the start of a group ride I attended about a year and a half ago.

​Anyway, some colors jump right out. Hi-vis green, for one. On this overcast day, the screaming color makes the cyclists wearing it stand out from the crowd. Another good choice is bright yellow, also obvious in the picture.

Less of a standout — white and black. Again, the overcast sky has an effect. White might work on a day like this, but not as well when the sun is low in the sky. Blue is a popular color. It’s one of my personal favorites, and I have three jerseys that feature blue as a dominant or prominent color. But I don’t think blue is a great choice for visibility. Note the cyclist in blue top and black shorts in the right third of the picture. Not exactly a stand out.
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Red and orange show up well. I was following a group several weekends ago, and all were wearing different shades of those. My wife was in her salmon pink and orange jersey, and was riding with a woman in a red flower print top. I could see them clearly well before I could determine who they were.
So I’m at a loss to figure out why black seems to be such a popular jersey color these days. Cyclists in black seem to me to blend in with their surroundings.

In addition to being less of a standout, it strikes me that black jerseys absorb too much heat. I own a jersey with black shoulders and a blue body. I wear it often, but during this hot sunny summer weather we’re having, it is not my first choice. I pick it when my other jerseys are in the wash. Both the Sky and Leopard-Trek teams in the Tour de France wore jerseys that were predominantly black. Ugh. I can’t imagine going more than 100 miles for days on end in the summer, in black.

A lot of cyclists prefer to go the understated way, though. They don’t like to dress in high visibility colors. Why? Often, it’s because they’re engaged in cycling for reasons other than sport. Commuters, for example, would like to wear their work clothes on their bikes. Touring cyclists might want to stop and visit attractions or shops on their routes, and darker clothing makes them less conspicuous in a crowd of non-bikers. Some might think the bright colored cycling jerseys themselves are dorky looking.

Other cyclists argue that color is not important — it’s how you cycle that matters. Make yourself prominent on the road. Take the lane when necessary. Make eye contact with drivers. Just because you’re wearing high-visibility clothing doesn’t mean drivers will see you.

As in most issues, there can be extremes. A line of cycling gear called See Me Wear is available that — well, see for yourself:

There’s even talk of requiring high-visibility colors when cycling. New Zealand is going through a debate along those lines right now. Proponents say anything that makes cyclists more visible is a good thing. Cycling advocates argue that making mandatory a type of clothing that some might see as “dorky” would discourage some people from riding — and could lull others into a false sense of security.

You wouldn’t find me wearing one of these warning chevron jerseys. But at the same time, I’m not going to take anything for granted. I’ll do what I can to ride safely, and to make myself known to drivers. But I’ll also do it in my red or yellow jerseys, and my hi-vis green jacket. And as I add to my cycling wardrobe, I’ll favor brighter, not duller, colors."

Personally, I prefer wearing orange. I have orange shoes, orange socks, and an orange helmet.  What colors do you folks like to wear while cycling? I am interested in your opinion.
​
Yours in Cycling and Fitness,
Greg Combs
President of Fun
​May Street Bicycles is not your typical bike shop. Sure we sell awesome bicycles, provide bicycle repairs, and rental bikes all at great prices. But we do a great deal more such as dynamic bike fitting, metabolic testing, altitude training, and personal training. 

On occassion I have clients come in and ask about riding a tandem. They ask about any challenges and nuances that come with riding a bike for two. Below is a few things to consider. But first check out this video of two experienced riders (one a down hill specialist and the other a roadie) trying out a tandem mountain bike for the first time:)

Advice for New Riders of Tandems

Tandems are lots of fun, but it takes time to learn how to ride such a large BIKE… IN TANDEM. It is recommended to start out easy. Don't go for a century ride on the first time out. Make sure you can get along very well with your stoker/captain. It's a lot of togetherness and it takes time to become a "team". For couples, just being married or living together doesn't mean you will tandem well together in the beginning. Just ask my ex-wife. The stoker needs to have high trust in the captain. Trust is the important thing two people who ride a tandem share. This is going to take much more communication than on single bikes.

The assumption that the man should be the captain, and the women should be the stoker may or may not be right for you. I know of teams that work better the other way around because of differences in physical build or attitude toward riding a tandem bike.

Before venturing out, I recommend reading, "The Tandem Scoop" by John Schubert.  If you are lucky to have a club of tandem riders in your area, join a tandem organization, they often organized rides and go to tandem specific bike rallies. That way you can learn from other tandem teams. Try and find an experienced tandem team. Both of you (assuming that you have a stoker or captain selected) start by taking a ride as stoker with an experienced captain. A new captain needs to get some experience as a stoker; it will prevent many misunderstandings in the future. The new captain should practice riding the tandem solo; learn the controls and the handling of the bike.

The first miles of tandem riding may be difficult, as the tandem seems to swerve around the road. Two very experienced riders may take 50 miles to work together as a team. One experienced rider and one less experienced rider will take more time, about 100 miles. Captains may take 50 miles to get used to handling the big bike even without a stoker. Captaining a tandem is very much like riding a loaded touring bike (except the luggage pedals). An experienced or strong rider has to modify their style to accommodate a less experienced partner.

Try to be steady and predictable. Tandems don't handle like singles; you can't make sudden last second changes in direction or speed. Bad habits of throwing the bike when standing and climbing will have to be unlearned. Stokers can make the problem much worse (without realizing it) by leaning or attempting to steer. Stokers often lean slightly in an attempt to see around the captain. The stoker should be very quiet (little body movement) on the bike when you first start out until handling is in control and always quiet going downhill. The stoker will have to learn how to get their water bottle or look behind them without leaning the bike. This takes time and practice, so be patient. The stoker should always alert the Captain when going for water. Stokers need to realize that their movements affect bike balance and the Captain can't compensate as quickly and as smoothly as for his own movements.
 
Tandems go like a bat out of hell while going downhill. Even coasting, the acceleration on a hill can be quite fast. I recommend work up to speed gradually on the down hills. Remember, due to their longer wheelbase, Tandems are more stable at higher speeds than singles. Rim heating can be a problem on severe down hills. Therefore, newer bikes typically come with disc brakes or brake drums.
Be especially careful when stopped or when coming to an emergency stop or it may be your last tandem ride. When only one foot is down, falls to the other direction are common for new tandem teams (especially if they are not used to clipless pedals or toe clips.

Ride conservatively until you get to know the bike and your stoker's cycling style. Don't ride as close to things (cars, barriers, etc.) as you would on a single (this is common for the experienced rider to do) unless you really want to give your stoker a heart attack. Downshift well in advance of hills - they have a large effect on a tandem. Both of you need to coordinate taking the pressure off the pedals, so it can take longer to do. Tandems require more gear shifting than singles due to their mass.

Communicate your needs to each other. Remember that safety requires that decisions about starting, stopping, steering, standing, etc., be communicated. Some teams communicate every shift, but some captains only announce major changes, i.e. double shifts or shifts into the small chainring. Compromise extends to details such as cadence, since it must be the same for each partner.

The Captain is responsible for the stoker's comfort (calling bumps, etc.) and safety (they have little control and can't see directly to the front anyway). If the captain doesn't look out for the stoker you're better off on two singles. Stop when the stoker wants to stop, shift when the stoker w ants to shift, walk when the stoker wants to walk. Take lots of "butt breaks." Don't eat anything that give you gas in the middle of a long ride. Make sure the stoker has a good time! Do yourself a favor and never dump the bike with the stoker on it.

When riding as stoker, keep changing your hand positions. Given that you will not be shifting, braking, etc., the tendency is to forget to move your hands around. The result is sore elbows and shoulders, and numb thumbs and fingers. You can even go no-hands without any problems (after advising the Captain of your intent).

If wearing tennis shoes, tuck your shoelaces into the tops of your shoes. Tandems eat shoelaces. Own a low vehicle so loading the bike can be done without ladders and hanging out the front window to place the fork into the holder. Make sure that you have tools that fit all the odd sized nuts and bolts that you'll find on the bigger bike.

The rear tire lasts about half as long as the front. When the rear wears out, shift the front to the rear and put the new one on the front. You always want the best (thickest tread) up front because front flats are not fun at speed.

Yours in Cycling and Fitness,
Greg Combs
President of Fun
​May Street Bicycles is not your typical bike shop. Sure we sell awesome bicycles, provide bicycle repairs, and rental bikes all at great prices. But we do a great deal more such as dynamic bike fitting, metabolic testing, altitude training, and personal training. And I have a great deal of tandem cycling experience.