Below is a thorough guide for anyone interested in learning to ride a tandem. Click here if you’d like to jump to details about where and when we ride.

Our guide below includes videos from a similar cycling program called the Trailblazers. (You can view the Trailblazers’ entire series of orientation videos here, but just keep in mind that the way our group operates is not exactly the same.)

This resource is an optional supplement to our in-person training. We’ll teach you everything you need to know in person, either at a designated training session or just before your first ride! Feel free to reach out to us with any questions. The best way to reach us is by email, at mwaba.inc@gmail.com.

Introduction

• Tandem biking is an equal partnership between both riders, and requires teamwork, communication, and trust. 
• The sighted “captain” or “pilot” rides in front of a tandem bicycle. The captain steers the tandem, and does all shifting and braking.
• The blind or low-vision “stoker” rides in the rear seat.
• The captain’s and stoker’s pedals are connected by a timing chain on the left side of the tandem, so captains and stokers must both pedal or coast together.
• The stoker’s handlebars are mounted to the captain’s seatpost, both of which shouldn’t move or turn once they are adjusted to the correct height and tightened.

Starting and Stopping

• The captain should be careful when mounting and dismounting the tandem not to kick the stoker. The captain should either bring their leg over the bar in front of their seat, or should only bring their leg behind their seat if the stoker is out of the way. When rotating the pedals before starting, the captain should take care not to hit the stoker, and it may be better for the stoker to rotate the pedals.
• Captains and stokers should discuss how they want to start and stop, including which foot is on the ground when they start and stop, and the starting position for the pedals (e.g., right foot on the pedal at the 2:00 position). Some stokers start by putting both feet on the pedals while the captain keeps one foot on the ground (and the stoker may want to keep both feet on the pedals at stops). This generally works well for experienced captains and when the stoker is smaller than the captain.

Starting

• Before starting, new captains should try out the bike on their own to make sure they’re comfortable and familiar with the shifting. Captains should put the bike in a medium or easy gear.
• One starting option is a seated position with your butt on the seat, one foot touching the ground on your tippy-toes, and the other foot on a pedal. Alternatively, you can start with one foot on the pedal, one foot flat on the ground, your butt off the seat, and then only sitting on the seat after you’ve pushed off. Similarly, when you stop, you can keep your butt on the seat while leaning slightly toward one side, or you can stop by stepping forward and off of the seat.
• Captain: Stand astride the frame, both feet on the ground, tandem straight up. Your feet should be far enough apart that the stoker will be able to rotate the pedals without banging into your shins, and squeeze the brakes. 
• Stoker: While keeping your weight centered over the bike as much as you can, get onto the saddle, rotate the pedals to the agreed-upon starting position, and let the captain know when you’re ready.
• Captain: ​Find your starting position with one foot ​​​​on a pedal​, then push off. Keep your upper body, the handlebars, and bike as steady and straight as possible (don’t try to correct-course by turning the handlebars). 
• Bikes are most unsteady when they’re going too slowly. So start pedaling while keeping your upper body steady. If the bike starts falling to one side, stop and try again. Starting on an uphill or uneven ground is particularly difficult on a tandem, so you may want to walk the bike to a better starting location.

Stopping

Stopping technique is pretty much the reverse of starting up, but there are a couple of things to watch out for:  

Captain: 

• Remember that you have to balance both the bike and the stoker, while the stoker dismounts. The most common mistakes are:  
  1. Letting the tandem lean too far to the side, so that you cannot hold up the weight of the stoker. 
  2. Not having your feet far enough apart to support the stoker. 
• We recommend unclipping both feet before starting to stop, if you’re riding clipped in.

Stoker:

• Keep your weight centered in line with the tandem’s frame.
• While you can generally wait until fully stopped to put a foot down (or keep both feet up at a stoplight), if the tandem starts tipping too far to one side, putting a foot down can prevent you from falling down.  

Captains and stokers (especially if they are new to riding with each other) should communicate before and during the ride. The captain should tell the stoker when they are going up a hill, and should ask if the gears are comfortable for the stoker. The stoker should communicate if they want to take a break—it’s best not to stop in the middle of an uphill, but the pair should decide on a good stopping point.

Shifting

• Tandem captains should be comfortable shifting into different gears, and should be steady, confident cyclists. Tandem captains can take the Confident City Cycling class offered by the Washington Area Bicyclists Association (WABA) and/or work on smooth starts, stops, turns, and shifting gears while going up and down hills on their own single bike. Cyclists can join MWABA rides on a single bike to learn the routes and learn about tandem biking through observation.​  
• While our tandems have different types of shifters (including brifters and bar-end shifters on road-style tandems and grip-shifters or trigger-shifters on hybrid-style tandems), the shifter on the right side of the handlebars is for the back gears and the shifter on the left side of the handlebars is for the front gears. There are either 2 or 3 front gears and 7-10 rear gears. The front small gear is the easiest, and the back small gear is the hardest. 
• Since tandems are generally slower on uphills and faster on downhills (and only experienced tandem teams should stand while pedaling), shifting is more important on a tandem than on a single bike. Tandems may have difficulty shifting into lower gears (especially the low gear in front) if you wait to shift until you are losing momentum on an uphill. It’s best to start to downshift before a big hill and to ease up on your pedaling while you downshift.

Advanced tandem skills

• As tandem riders become more comfortable, they can drink water and shift positions without upsetting the tandem’s equilibrium.
• Captains can ask stokers to pedal harder when going uphill.
• Stokers can signal turns and stops instead of (or in addition to) the captain.
• If either the captain or stoker ever feels uncomfortable or unsafe, or if the team needs to make a decision but doesn’t have time to do so, we recommend stopping on the side of the road or trail where it is safe to take a break and/or walk to a better starting place.
• If you’re going up a steep or long hill or didn’t downshift to an easy gear in time, you can try standing up for an extra burst of power. This is not something to try until you have gone past the beginner stage as a tandem team. Standing smoothly requires that both riders coordinate their movements with one another. While riders on a single bike will sometimes move the bike side to side while standing, we recommend trying to stay as centered as possible even while standing.  If the team decides to stand, then both may need to stand. 

Required Equipment—Each Rider

• Properly fitted bicycle helmet. It should fit square on your head, neither tipping forwards or back. Adjust the chin strap and the wheel at the back of the helmet (if the helmet has one) so the helmet is snug but not uncomfortable.​ 
• Identification and Communication. Carry identification and a cell phone (with the ride leader’s phone number) in case of breakdown or an accident. 

Required Equipment—Each Tandem Bicycle

• Front and rear lights if riding at night. 

Recommended Equipment

• Basic repair kit, including a tube, pump or CO2 tire inflator, tire levers (to remove the tire from the rim), and a bicycle multi-tool to adjust seat heights. 
• Water bottle.
• Cycling Shorts: the padding and lack of seams reduces discomfort on longer rides.   
• Cycling Jersey: wicking material and rear pockets to hold snacks and other essentials makes this bike-specific garment worth considering. 
• Cycling shoes. MWABA’s tandems either have flat pedals, or have pedals that are flat on one side with SPD clips on the other. SPD clips are two-bolt and are sometimes referred to as mountain-bike style clips. 
• Cycling gloves. The padding in these gloves prevents pain from compressing nerves in the hand while gripping the handlebars, and they protect your hand if you fall. 
• Additional layers depending on the weather. In the winter, full-fingered gloves, a thin hat, and a secure scarf or buff, are particularly important. We cancel our rides if there is a high chance of severe rain or thunderstorms, but we ride in light rain.
• ​We recommend wearing shorts or leggings or pants that are slim around the ankle, or using a Velcro strap if the pants are baggy so that the pants ​ ​​don’t​ catch in the chain.
• Glasses can prevent bugs or dirt from getting in your eyes.
• Lock for your tandem on longer rides.

Etiquette

• Identify yourself when approaching someone who is blind, or when entering a room or space with them. The person may not recognize you by your voice. In a group setting, address the person by name so they know when you’re talking to them. And inform the person when you depart, so they don’t continue the conversation to an empty room. 
• Understand that blindness is a spectrum, not binary. It may be useful for a sighted guide to understand the extent of another participant’s visual impairment, and it can be appropriate to ask, “Do you have some visual perception?” and “Would you like me to describe what I see during our bike ride?” However, please be considerate and avoid unprompted or invasive medical questions.
• If you think someone who is blind may want help navigating on foot, ask first — it’s jarring for anyone to be touched without prior consent. For example, you may ask, “Would you like to take my arm/hand?” If someone wants help navigating, they will generally grasp the guide’s arm above the elbow.
• Don’t assume what someone is capable of doing or if they want assistance. By all means, offer assistance, but if declined, trust that your assistance is not needed.
• If you see someone who is blind or visually impaired about to encounter danger, warn the person, using specific language, such as “there’s a curb right in front of you” or “the door in front of you is closed,” instead of “watch out!” Use directional language such as “to your left” or “directly behind you” rather than “it’s over here.” 
• Don’t pet or distract a working guide dog.

Click here for more details about where and when we ride.