Messing about on bicycles...

Well, Wife #1 and I just returned from our maiden voyage on a tandem. I bought the bike this week, sight unseen, from a Reverend in Iowa. I'd read a lot about tandems, and it looked like the ideal solution for me to get more mileage in, and for Megan and I to enjoy something athletic together.

We bought a forest green Burley Rumba Softride. I haven't got any pictures of it yet, but I'll post some soon. The bike is practically brand new. Fits like a glove. It's not a sexy oversized tube aluminum jobbie, just a simple, sturdy steel frame. Run of the mill components, but serviceable. Even came with one set of clipless pedals, which actually work surprisingly well.

Megan was a bit trepidatious at first- she generally approaches these things with apprehension. I would if I was married to me- I mean, I'm known to be a gung-ho idiot about lots of things... "Detangling a kite in below zero weather on the middle of a Minnesota lake? Sounds like fun!" "Running a marathon? Sign me up!" "Camping in February in Northern Minnesota? I'm there!"

So I figured I'd do what I could to make it as stress free as possible. I left the bike in the porch until the weekend, so she could see it, sniff at it, and get comfortable. Zoe and Stanley did this as well. When the weekend came, I suggested that we go for a ride, and then let that sit for a couple of hours while I helped clean up around the house. Then, once it had warmed up enough, we took the dogs for a walk.

It was time. Megan makes this cute noise when she's nervous about things, and I heard that noise a few times today. We did a dress rehearsal in the driveway, holding onto the railing on the deck for stability.

Then we went out into the road, got on the bike, and rode away. Just like that. It was sketchy for about the first 5 feet, but after that, we both settled down and and started enjoying the ride. It wasn't that different to riding my Kingpin with Megan on the back, except that things happen faster on a tandem.

After a mile, I downshifted and started spinning like I would on my single. I became aware of nearly uncontrollable giggling from the peanut gallery. I look back, and she's bouncing up and down in rhythm with the pedal strokes, and has the best grin on her face. What a hoot. Guess she's never had to develop a round pedal stroke before, and it was causing the bounce. It wasn't moving the bike at all, but every time I looked back she was bouncing. I started finding bumps on purpose to set her off, and once downshifted maliciously just to see if I could make her bounce more.

We didn't go far, as somebody forgot to wear appropriate butt-shielding and found the stock seat a little uncomfy. However, the stoker is always right, so we called it a day after about 3 miles. I can't believe how well we did as a team, and how much fun it was. Now we just have to find a way to tow the dogs along...