Mountain biking is a challenging and potentially dangerous sport. Riding off road on varying terrain can be difficult, and requires riders to exercise a great deal of judgment when it comes to knowing his or her limits.
Riding a tandem mountain bike is, in some cases, even more challenging and places greater demands on both riders' skills. Captaining a tandem mountain bike carries with it the inherent responsibility for ensuring the safety and comfort of your stoker and yourself.
You are a
team when you ride a tandem and you must always work together.
Consider how your movements and body position will potentially
effect your teammate and the handling of the bike. When first
starting out find a smooth, flat place to experiment with how
you and your stokers' movements affect the bike's handling BEFORE
hitting the trails.
Pay particular attention to communication between the captain and stoker. The captain must always recognize he or she is the eyes of the stoker since they can't see what is in front of the tandem. Therefore, the captain must call out warnings to the stoker for all obstacles or hazards that could startle or cause them physical harm.
Due to the stoker's inability to alter their pedal position independently of the captain's on most tandems, the captain must properly position his crank arms when negotiating obstacles to prevent injury to the stoker's feet, angles and lower legs.
A captain should only ride places where he or she know they can ride with confidence... especially with new or inexperienced stokers. The stoker will only feel as confident as the captain. If the stoker is scared or not having a good time on a ride, it is the Captains' duty to remedy that situation. The Captain is 100% responsible for the stoker's enjoyment of a ride!
Special attention to the tandem's mechanical condition is part of riding with confidence. You as the tandem's owners and/or riders are responsible for ensuring that only products and components that have been approved for use on tandems by their manufacturers are installed on the bike and kept in good repair. An equipment failure on a tandem could not only leave you stranded, but could potentially lead to serious or fatal injury.
