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Crashing a tandem
The following thread is
from the Double Forte Forum and contains replies from various members for a
captain who failed to properly manage the direction of his ship (crashed) and
feels terrible about dumping his wife. It has happened to all of us and it will
happen again. Read on for some sage advice from seasoned captains and a few techniques
the stokers may use for communicating their displeasure with the skipper. Please
visit the forum and search their archives for other useful and entertaining
information.
-----Original
Message-----
From: Colin Levy
Sent: Tuesday, August 12, 2003 4:25 AM
To: DOUBLE_FORTE@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [DF] Newbie's On The List (Colin & Anita)
Well
you asked, so here is a bit about ourselves.
I
found DF a while back and asked a series of questions regarding the purchase of
our first MTB tandem. Being based in the UK it wasn't an easy search as we don't
appear to have any specialist shops supplying MTB tandems or bits. Eventually we
decided on a Dawes Doubledge which has proven to be great fun to ride. The
majority of our riding has been in the Peak district towards Ladybower reservoir
with the odd trip to Scotland thrown in for good measure.
One
problem we encountered, or at least I did as I do the steering, braking etc is
the feeling of guilt when it all goes pear shaped. Whilst out last Sunday in the
peaks we were descending a rocky track towards the cafe when without warning we
hit the floor, HARD! To be more precise Anita hit the floor first and appears to
have somewhat broken my fall.
Thankfully
no broken bones or bikes but just a dull sense of guilt on my behalf. Is this
normal? Do all captains feel responsible when it goes wrong? Anita is thankfully
very proud of the huge bruise on her thigh and has merely commented that perhaps
disc brakes would be a good idea after all. (after the crash the rims were so
hot that I burnt my leg on one as I picked the bike up off Anita) Colin &
Anita
From:
brimtb
Sent: Tuesday, August 12, 2003 6:04 AM
To: DOUBLE_FORTE@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [DF] Newbie's On The List (Colin & Anita)
Guilt
is something all captains live with when they lose the bike. Luckily, sharing
the experience, as you only can on a tandem, usually is a really good thing.
Glad to hear that aside from the bruise, everything's okay.
Looking
forward to hearing more from you,
Brian
Warner
From:
Alex Nutt
Sent: Tuesday, August 12, 2003 6:14 AM
To: DOUBLE_FORTE@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [DF] Newbie's On The List (Colin & Anita)
Colin,
Rule
# 1: The Captain always cushions the Stoker's fall during unscheduled trips off
the bike. The resulting bruises and bumps the captain receives from that noble
deed will far outstrip any silly guilt he/she/it may still be suffering.
The
exception to rule # 1 is when the stoker takes it upon her/him/themselves to fly
over or past the captain, in true Jules fashion.
Rule
# 2: Any mishap that results in permission to upgrade some bike parts is not all
bad.
Glad
to hear Anita's okay, and almost as important, willing to go riding again. As
for that nagging guilt, You might worry more about a couple of sizeable pinches
on your bum or pulling your shorts down around the saddle while you're riding.
Stoker's revenge is not a pretty thing. Anita, you should solicit advise on that
very subject here. The results are usually pretty entertaining!
Alex
Nutt
WWW.MTBTandems.com
From:
Mark P. Livingood
Sent: Tuesday, August 12, 2003 :05 AM
To: DOUBLE_FORTE@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [DF] Newbie's On The List (Colin & Anita)
Colin
Levy asked:
Is
this normal? Do all captains feel responsible when it goes wrong?
I
would say that:
a.
It's normal for the stoker to take the brunt of most crashes.
b.
It's normal to feel responsible since you are responsible for it.
c.
It's normal to feel awful as well, but don't over apologize for it and never
"promise that it won't happen again" because it's going to happen
again if you keep riding off-road tandems.
d.
It's even worse when it's a guest stoker who was terrified to begin with which
makes piloting a tandem on technical single track significantly more difficult
and, thus, a crash all that much more likely.
Here's
a re-run of a posting I made sometime back. I think most of it still applies:
For
anyone who has yet to "go down" on their off-road tandem the stoker is
at least twice as likely to end up on the ground vs. the Captain, notwithstanding
a head-on collision with a tree where the captain will likely take the brunt of
the impact: Alex can back me up on this.
Seriously
though, if you have a front wheel wash out or some other kind of forward motion
crash the captain has two major advantages:
a)
Timing - He knows what's coming before his stoker does and will begin to take
evasive maneuvers well before the stoker does.
b)
Escape Route - Just like on a single mountain bike, you can usually bail over
the handle bars or hop off to the side in a crash whereas the stoker can't go
off the front and usually doesn't have time to get off to the side either since
your body usually blocks their route.
Debbie
has been a real trooper when it comes to FDGBs (Fall Down Go Booms) on the
off-road tandems. She had a huge fear of falling when we first started but,
after our first crash that problem was taken care of -- turns out, it wasn't
that bad and we laughed about it a few hundred yards
later. We've had some hard falls, but nothing that's resulted in any broken
bones or trips to the ER. She trusts me to keep the bike under control with
respect to hitting speeds in conditions that could result in serious injury.
As
it turns out, most of our FDGBs occur when we are negotiating technical stuff at
slow speeds where gravity and poor wheel tracking does us in. In those cases,
we've been pretty good about landing on things other than BFRs (Big Frigging
Rocks) so again, no major harm done other than to pride.
I
subscribe to Jack's "Ride to Ride Again" mantra but I also subscribe
to the downhill skier's motto, "If you don't fall you're not trying hard
enough". So, go forth and be sure you ride within your capabilities, always
remain under control and expect the unexpected -- including the occasional FDGB.
Regards,
Mark
Livingood
Near
Atlanta, GA (USA)
From:
Dave & Vanessa Seto
Sent: Tuesday, August 12, 2003 7:33 PM
To: DOUBLE_FORTE@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [DF] Newbie's On The List (Colin & Anita)
Ah,
Colin, Dear Colin....
Welcome
to the DWC (Dim Witted Captains) fold. You have made a rite of passage
that every Captain and stoker must get through, unless of course your name is
Seattle Jack. At 21, Jack sold his soul to a man at the crossroads on the
edge of town, and he has never since dropped a stoker.
It
is something we all do, every once in a while, but more often when trying new
things like riding at night in the snow in areas with which we are not familiar.
You and your stoker must decide the level of risk/reward you are willing to
endure together. The first time is always the worst, unless your name is
Jules, in which case the last time was probably the worst. (See thread
about disc brakes and quick releases).
Vanessa
(my stoker) and lovely Jules (James' stoker) take delight in bashing their
captains about the head and kidneys whenever the steering goes "pear
shaped" and the rubber side ends upwards. Thus, they encourage a
higher level of captain risk-taking, so as to have as many opportunities as
possible.
Karen
(Brian's Stoker) is a genteel lady of a fine family, and would not deign to
succumb to any such outburst. She would merely make a phone call to some people
in Detroit and Brian would learn where Jimmy Hoffa went. Brian is therefore
careful not to provoke her with any shenanigans at the front end.
At
least Anita was not 6 months pregnant when you dropped her.
Do
try to keep the rubber side down from here on out, but don't fret about the
occasional bail. It happens when you are pushing and trying to get better.
Dave
This is from a different thread but applies as well as the above comments. I
quoted Jack in the story "Tandems in the desert".
From: Jack Tomkinson
Date: Thu Nov 29, 2001 10:47 am
Subject: Let the size of your injury be the measure of your love.
Mark wrote:
"crash with an audience on a hill near by. We were awarded major style
points and rode away with only a 8" raspberry on Mark's right hip and a
couple of abrasions on Debbie's right arm to show for it. The Ventana was
unfazed as usual."
This is an important point. The captain must always sustain the larger wound,
especially if he is married to the stoker. If you must trip while getting up to
bring your injuries up to par, do it. Even if she accuses you of faking it,
blood and torn flesh do not lie. They show your commitment to your spouse on
whatever level.
It's a little different for unattached couples - single stokers can be expected
protect themselves and they don't have so many ways to torture you for your
mistake. These situations vary as widely as do all other agreements between
consenting adults, so make your own rules.
When your married however - make sure every injury is a bonding experience.
All that being said. Most of us try very hard to avoid all injury. Don't
underestimate the ability of tandem mountainbiking to maim. As we say in our
local mountainbike club, "Ride to ride again." No whining is worse
than that from a laid up mountainbiker. This is why you want to be the last to
heal. You'll get pampered and begged for that next ride.
Happy trails,
Jack
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