Child on tandem for 40 miles

BritishEagle
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Joined: 20 Apr 2021, 7:17pm

Child on tandem for 40 miles

Post by BritishEagle »

We like to do mini- tours of 4-5 days @ 40 miles or so. We are in Bristol so a lot of our rides soon get hilly as soon as we hit Wales or Devon.
For the last few years we have used the brilliant Followme for our son who is now 8 but every year it is getting heavier and more wobbly to pull. Generally my husband pulls him and carries sleeping bags and I carry the tent, food and other kit.
We are thinking about a tandem bike but our main concern is that as he can’t free-wheel, like on the Followme, his legs will have to move as much as an adults; is this good for a child over this distance?
I know kids can rest their legs up front but is this practical with spinning pedals?
Also, would we need a kiddy- tandem or can you convert a normal tandem with kiddy-cranks?
And what’s it like on a train with a tandem? It’s often bad enough with 3 separate bikes and 6 panniers.
Also, when you see photos of families online with 3 kids, piled with camping gear and pulled by one adult, is that adult superhuman? Or are we doing something wrong or are just very weak?
Jdsk
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Joined: 5 Mar 2019, 5:42pm

Re: Child on tandem for 40 miles

Post by Jdsk »

We have two Dawes tandems that have been used for forty years with children and grandchildren and others for the school run, day trips, holidays etc etc.

The stable also contains a covered trailer, child seats, a FollowMe, a tandem trailer trike and an assisted cargo bike.

You've raised a lot of points, and here are some thoughts. there's a lot of experience and good advice in the archives.

Jonathan
Jdsk
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Re: Child on tandem for 40 miles

Post by Jdsk »

Technical

Kiddycranks are mostly fitted to tandems which weren't designed specifically for the purpose.

You can fit freewheel kiddycranks but they're pretty unusual.
viewtopic.php?p=944454

Getting the right positions has included fitting a flat foot bar (irrelevant for your 8 year old son), kiddycranks, crank shorteners, different pedals and clips, raising and and dropping and fettling saddles, moving and reversing the rear handlebars and fitting bar end extensions. And the swapping and changing and adjusting need to be thought about and done again and again.

Not being able to freewheel has never been a problem but as with many other aspects of sharing tandem it requires a lot of communication.

Jonathan
thirdcrank
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Re: Child on tandem for 40 miles

Post by thirdcrank »

Are you sure this child wouldn't be ok on a solo bike? If they are not, they soon will be.
Jdsk
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Re: Child on tandem for 40 miles

Post by Jdsk »

When they're not being ridden

They're big awkward objects. You can fit frame couplers but we've never had to.

Some train operators won't allow them, others will. You need to check every time. and then recheck. and then ask this forum. You have to accept that they can be slow and difficult to manoeuvre.

Ours are mostly transported on top of the car. We put them upside down with the rear saddle in a holster and the rear bars in bar clamps. This works on small cars. Standing on something to get them up there can be a big help.

Jonathan
Jdsk
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Re: Child on tandem for 40 miles

Post by Jdsk »

Having fun

Your original OP reads as if you have a specific preferred way of cycling (4 to 5 days of 40 miles) and that you're trying to fit your son and the appropriate technology around that, and that you might succeed or fail in achieving it.

How about turning that round? What type of cycling on the tandem would lead him to say that he'd had a brilliant day and would like more of the same? Or something different?

And if he's enjoying it his stamina will be enormously greater than if he isn't.

Being on the back of a tandem can be one of the most relaxing ways of cycling: you're not responsible for road positioning etc and you can look round and watch things. But remember that need for extra communication... starting, stopping, foot up for toeclips, changing gear, signalling, foot down when you're stationary...

Jonathan
roubaixtuesday
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Joined: 18 Aug 2015, 7:05pm

Re: Child on tandem for 40 miles

Post by roubaixtuesday »

We used a tandem with kiddycranks for many years with three children, though only day rides, never touring, and certainly not camping (I regard camping as a whole different level of effort).

Some observations, and of course all children are very different.

1. Dependent on height and frame, you may not even need kiddycranks; Mrs Tuesday is 5'3 and the rear of our tandem would probably suit a child down to 4'11.
2. Freewheeling was not a problem. We had ours on the kiddycranks without a freewheel from 3-4 years
3. Tandems are not generally possible on UK trains - I've never tried but have looked at bike storage areas a few times and concluded not at all possible. I've seen some companies explicitly say tandems not allowed. There may well be some where it is possible though. We have a tandem rack for the car - goes on the roof.
4. At 8, most children can ride 40 miles, unless super-hilly, though doing it every day would be more of a stretch. We did a four day tour with those sort of distances when our youngest was 8.
5. Ours all wanted to be on their own bikes from about 8.
6. Second hand tandems are often very cheap, so you could try one out at pretty low cost.

Finally, the only people i've seen for real laden up as you describe have been in flat parts of France - not Wales or Devon!

Enjoy the touring!
Jdsk
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Re: Child on tandem for 40 miles

Post by Jdsk »

thirdcrank wrote: 13 Mar 2023, 8:19am Are you sure this child wouldn't be ok on a solo bike? If they are not, they soon will be.
Opinons vary. We were in no rush for the children to ride solo on public roads, and we wouldn't be if we had the choice again.

The tandems dramatically extended the range and allowed the children to learn about roads and traffic and other road users much more gradually than if they had been solo.

Jonathan
thirdcrank
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Re: Child on tandem for 40 miles

Post by thirdcrank »

Jdsk wrote: 13 Mar 2023, 8:35am
thirdcrank wrote: 13 Mar 2023, 8:19am Are you sure this child wouldn't be ok on a solo bike? If they are not, they soon will be.
Opinons vary. We were in no rush for the children to ride solo on public roads, and we wouldn't be if we had the choice again.

The tandems dramatically extended the range and allowed the children to learn about roads and traffic and other road users much more gradually than if they had been solo.

Jonathan
If it wasn't obvious, my comment was addressed to the OP. imo roubaixtuesday's more detailed post better expresses some of what I was getting at.

FWIW, my own elder son completed a 40 mile ride on a solo when he was six. I don't remember him ever riding on our tandem. His younger brother did do so but as we invariably started from home, he was acutely embarrassed if he thought any of his friends had seen him.
BritishEagle
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Joined: 20 Apr 2021, 7:17pm

Re: Child on tandem for 40 miles

Post by BritishEagle »

OP here. Our son has Williams Syndrome, we’ve toured with him since he was born and he swapped his Croozee for an Islabike when he was four. Endurance-wise he’s pretty good but there are lots of reasons for not riding solo (which apply to many boys) such as distractions (anything with a V8 engine), no common sense, daydreaming, Motorbike role playing to name a few. And although we avoid main roads, you still have to be alert on the lanes. So no, no solo riding until he is older, purely for safety reasons- you only have to be squashed once.

We found 40 miles a day about the sweet spot for getting from camp to camp but maybe we’ll have to drop that.

Jonathan, thank you for all the information, that’s very helpful and we will chew it over. I like the option of putting one on the car, which I didn’t think possible, it will give more flexibility on destinations. Maybe a suck-it-and-see with a second hand bike for the summer might work.
thirdcrank
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Re: Child on tandem for 40 miles

Post by thirdcrank »

BritishEagle wrote: 13 Mar 2023, 10:41am ... Our son has Williams Syndrome, ...
Best wishes for the future with that - something I'd never heard of and I've had to look up.
roubaixtuesday
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Re: Child on tandem for 40 miles

Post by roubaixtuesday »

BritishEagle wrote: 13 Mar 2023, 10:41am OP here. Our son has Williams Syndrome, we’ve toured with him since he was born and he swapped his Croozee for an Islabike when he was four. Endurance-wise he’s pretty good but there are lots of reasons for not riding solo (which apply to many boys) such as distractions (anything with a V8 engine), no common sense, daydreaming, Motorbike role playing to name a few. And although we avoid main roads, you still have to be alert on the lanes. So no, no solo riding until he is older, purely for safety reasons- you only have to be squashed once.

We found 40 miles a day about the sweet spot for getting from camp to camp but maybe we’ll have to drop that.

Jonathan, thank you for all the information, that’s very helpful and we will chew it over. I like the option of putting one on the car, which I didn’t think possible, it will give more flexibility on destinations. Maybe a suck-it-and-see with a second hand bike for the summer might work.
I did wonder if you had specific reasons for wanting a tandem rather than a solo.

We have a Pendle rack (not sure if they still make them) for the car which fits to roof bars. Takes a bit of getting used to lifting on and off but once you have the knack sorted it's not difficult.

[looks like they no longer sell what we have, but do do a tandem extension to their normal roof rack: https://pbr.co.uk/search?q=tandem*&type ... ticle,page ]

I think if he's already 8, unless very small for his age, getting a tandem he is sized for directly rather than kiddycranks might be an easier option - he'll also be much lower to the ground.
Mr.Benton
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Location: Broadway, Worcestershire

Re: Child on tandem for 40 miles

Post by Mr.Benton »

I used a tandem for myself and daughter when she was aged 8. We had a tandem that had a short rear seat tube so she could reach the pedals but we also used crank shorteners to make sure the cranks were a suitable length for her legs. She didn't have any problem with the distance as long as we had enough breaks and did fun stuff along the way. I did find that when she got tired she still pedalled but it felt like I was pushing her legs round, rather than her pushing the pedals.

Loaded up for camping for the two of us the tandem became a bit wobbly especially when my daughter started to fidget.
BritishEagle
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Joined: 20 Apr 2021, 7:17pm

Re: Child on tandem for 40 miles

Post by BritishEagle »

Loaded up for camping for the two of us the tandem became a bit wobbly especially when my daughter started to fidget.
That’s interesting and surprising; I’d have thought a loaded tandem would be relatively solid. That’s my main gripe with the Followme, even my Hewitt Cheviot Is wobbly with it.
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gaz
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Re: Child on tandem for 40 miles

Post by gaz »

Jdsk wrote: 13 Mar 2023, 8:23am Some train operators won't allow them, others will. You need to check every time. and then recheck. and then ask this forum.
Substitute "Many" for "Some" above and you'll be nearer the mark.
https://tandem-club.org.uk/files/inform ... iewContent
High on a cocktail of flossy teacakes and marmalade
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