Tandem Bicycle

Mostly For Recreational Purposes

A tandem bicycle is a type of bicycle that is used mostly for recreational purposes. Although in the past there were a few occasions in which the tandem bicycle was used for every day riding as well. However, the trend soon ended when people realized that a tandem bicycle could cause many dangerous and disastrous incidents if its bicyclists did not match their speeds well enough. This report will focus on providing general information regarding the tandem bicycle, ranging from a historical summary of the tandem bicycle as well as a discussion regarding the variations of a tandem bicycle.

General Information Regarding A Tandem Bicycle

Before diving into a quick historical look at the tandem bicycle, we will briefly talk about the general information regarding a tandem bicycle. A tandem bicycle is designed in a way that more than one person can ride the bicycle. You may wonder where the tandem bicycle obtained its name, or perhaps what its name means. In response, the word tandem refers to a type of seating arrangement. People who ride a tandem bicycle sit in a row, where one person sits behind another person. On a tandem bicycle, sometimes there are two drivers and sometimes there are more. In terms of the specific mechanics of a tandem bicycle, the bicycle is typically composed of two sets of cranks that are joined together mechanically to the chain of the bicycle. A tandem bicycle is designed in a way that the cranks turn at the same rate, therefore a double pedaling power is created. This is the reason why a tandem bicycle can reach very high speeds. Moving into the lingo that goes along with a tandem bicycle, the person who is at the front is typically known as the “Captain Pilot?or otherwise also called a “steersman.?What about the people riding behind the captain of the tandem bicycle, what are they called? Two terms are typically used to refer to the people in the back, navigators or stokers.

Brief History Of The Tandem Bicycle

This section will walk through a brief history of the tandem bicycle that, surprisingly enough, has been around since the late 1800s. According to historians, a patent for a tandem bicycle was filed as early as the early 1900s, when a person came up with a design for a tandem bicycle, one which sat two people and the other which sat four people. How were the earlier versions of a tandem bicycle joined together? According to a few people who own some of the earlier models, a tandem bicycle was built by welding two distinct bicycle frames together. Of course, nowadays, a tandem bicycle is built by means of a much more sophisticated process and is thus more reliable if used properly. Looking back into the uses of a tandem bicycle in addition to the typical recreational outings, there is mention that a tandem bicycle was used for various competitions in the Paralympics for individuals that were visually impaired. A person who was not visually impaired would ride as the captain, and the person who had a visual impairment served as a stoker.

Tandem Bicycle

A tandem bicycle comes in different shapes and forms. In this section, we will briefly explore a few of the different models. The main feature that distinguishes one type of tandem bicycle from another is the design of the bike and the kind of usage that that specific bike will have. To give a quick example, there is a tandem bicycle that allows for independent pedaling. Also, there is another design that allows a driver to propel the wheels while the back driver is engaged in a different motion.