Conference noted::bicycle

Are you going to ride your Tandem non-stop? 

(sorry...)

One thing to remember about tandems is that they are very heavy. It doesn't
seem like a big deal because there are two of you but it is.

Hills are a big deal. Down hill is sometimes worse then up hill. When I
rode cross country (15 years or so ago) there was a tandem with the group.
The guy riding on the back was blind so we figured he'd have trouble finding
his way alone. :-) I digress. Any way we replaced the brake pads a couple
of times. Seems it takes a lot out of them trying to keep the bike to a 
reasonable speed coming down mountains.

We occasionally switched front riders because the guy on back was not in
top shape and the guys in front had to do more work. We rode between 100
and 120 miles a day. If you keep a lighter pace that may not be a problem.
However, I'd suggest a light pace from the start.

We used a Schwinn by the way. I don't know much about the current market.
My Mule (custom made from a Schwinn frame) should last me a life time.

	Alfred

	What kind of "special" does the crankset need to be ?  
I understand that TA and Campy are available as different length left
and right arms, TA is also reputed to have the widest choice of
lengths and chainrings; Avocet (Ofmega) has offset arms that help
ankle bone clearance problems, though I don't know if they are
available in different lengths within a set.

	If you don't have to go "top of the line" it may be worth a
look at european or japanese tandems.  Motobecane, Peugot (sp ?),
Kuwahura (I know that IS spelled wrong) each have sub_Santana priced
tandems that look like a good deal, I'll go through my old Bicycling
copies for test reports if you don't already have them.  If you are 
around the greater Boston area try Belmont wheel works for Santana, 
and I think at least one Japanese bike; try International for 
Motobecane.

	Which way will you go/come ?   West to East or <-  ?  I assume 
not both ?  I have heard that it is best to GO by bike and fly back. 
That way you get the changes gradually and enjoy them one by one
instead of starting the trip with jet lag, scenery and culture shock
and having to ride back to whatever you needed the break from. 

	Reg	(who will probably get "fixed" in the spring time)

	Re:-  PS to .3

	IF you and your wife have major differences in in your natural 
cadence the following thoughts might be relavent:-

	There are some people who just will never be able to spin, no
matter how hard they try/practice, their legs just won't go around
that fast.  Similarly there are others who are natural spinners and
can't push hard, no matter how hard they try, they just can't climb
steep hills in high gears.  Conventional wisdom has it that spinning
fast is more efficient, less stressful on the joints, more aerobic,
what the racers do, and generally better.  I don't want to argue with
convention too much here, just to say that we don't all conform to it
and that not all of us should all the time.  If there is great
disparity between the "natural cadences" of two cyclists it may be
great folly to put them on a tandem and have at least one of them,
maybe both, suffer an unnatural compromise, especially on a cross
country trip. 

	Any attempts to arrange the cross-over crankset to accomodate
a difference in cadence would be unacceptable to both riders.  The
lighter/less powerful rider would probably suffer most, finding their
power stroke phasing into and out of sync with that of the
heavier/more powerful rider, who would dominate the balance of the
bike, the heavier/more powerful rider would suffer at least a major
annoyance every time the other rider contributed any power to the
pedals.  The weird in_balance/out_of_balance phases as the cranks come
into and go out of sync would almost certainly be totally unbearable
to both riders. 

	Reg	

	  (Who will probably never ride cross country, (with his wife))

Re: -1

	Very good points. It certainly is something to consider before you
embark on a long trip. You wouldn't want to wreck your marriage!

Re: Questions

	Please describe your wife's handicap in a bit more detail. In response
to a reply, Campy cranks (the BEST tandem crankset) are available in 162.5,165,
167.5,170,172.5,175,and 180 mm lengths. TA also comes in the same sizes except
for the 162.5, but the variety is not as readily available. TA rings are
very easy to come by, with Campy a close second. Stay away from the Ofmega
stuff, it's fairly rare,not top quality and almost as much as Campy.

	Top of the line tandems: Santana, Serotta, Bob Jackson, Roberts,
Schwinn Paramount and some others which escape me at the time.
	Mid-range tandems: Peugeot, Claud Butler, Motobecane, Paris-Sport,
etc. Santana now makes a $1200 tandem which falls into this range.

	A tandem takes a bit more concentration to ride than a single, but
when the two of you are really meshing there's nothing like it. When it comes
to purchasing one, don't skimp. A cheap tandem, when loaded, will shimmy
and shake on the hills, and flex away your precious glycogens. Surprisingly,
they seem to retain their resale value, so think of it as an investment.

Go for it....

CdH

	Let me put in a word for the semi-recumbent tandem, the Counterpoint. This
	is the one where the front rider is recumbent, out in the open, and the 
	rear rider steers, brakes, shifts and pedals.  There is a gearshift for the
	front rider (I think) that allows that person to ride at a different cadence
	than the rear rider.  The front rider had a fantastic view, can take photos,
	etc, while the rear rider has a good view too, over the top of the front
	rider.  This is the only tandem I've ever seen where the rear rider can see
	anything.  I think it will take a full load of rear bags and low-riders in
	front.  I've got the address at home, if you're interested.    Chris

Here's note 4.6 without the leading "TAB" characters, which allows it to 
fit on an 80-character screen.

Tom

PS:  Hi, Gary -- didn't know you're a bicyclist too!

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 EUCLID::PAULHUS                   Bicycling                  17-DEC-1985 10:09 
 Note 4.6              -< Xcountry Tour Advice Request >-                6 of 6 
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Let me put in a word for the semi-recumbent tandem, the Counterpoint. This
is the one where the front rider is recumbent, out in the open, and the
rear rider steers, brakes, shifts and pedals.  There is a gearshift for the
front rider (I think) that allows that person to ride at a different cadence
than the rear rider.  The front rider had a fantastic view, can take photos,
etc, while the rear rider has a good view too, over the top of the front
rider.  This is the only tandem I've ever seen where the rear rider can see
anything.  I think it will take a full load of rear bags and low-riders in
front.  I've got the address at home, if you're interested.    Chris

re: 4 & 5
We are going to ride out, and I expect we'll be flying or training back.

My wife's handicap...stiff ankles both were broken badly causing a stiffness
especially in side-to-side movement. That's not too bad.. but the biggie

is her left knee, which has just a shade less than 90% flex, causing her
to pedal with her heel on the platform now.

That's all.

Re: Tamdem brakes - if you are going to ride over any real hills, you need a 
disc brake.  These work just like the ones on motorcycles and cars, and have 
far greater stopping power and life expectancy.  Phil Woods makes one for 
tandems.

cbs