Originally Posted by noel
Can't do fixed wheel tandem on the road, Graham. With the much longer wheelbase you have to stop pedalling on very bumpy ground to avoid clouting the pedals or cranks
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On the subject of F/W, I thought I was going to total mine on Sunday. Whilst I can no longer be referred to as young and stupid, it was refreshing to find out that I have at least managed to retain half of the attributes.
For reasons that I clearly hadn't thought about enough, I chose to make my first ride in my brand new cycling shoes, with brand new SPD-SL cleats, on the F/W. Whilst you'd expect that with brand new gear, as opposed to well worn stuff, it would be harder to unclip your feet - this was most definitely not the case. Pulling away from stationary, out of the saddle and applying full power, I pulled my left foot clean out the pedal - which I have never done before.
The effect of suddenly releasing my left foot at full power caused the rear wheel to lift off the ground by around a foot. This caused the rear wheel to spin, and when it landed the sudden de-acceleration caused a hard-braking effect that almost put me over the 'bars. The bike almost stalled with my hands holding the brake hoods, and my right foot balancing on the one remaining pedal I was attached to at the very top point. I managed to sit down and re-attach my left foot, and then continued, nonchalantly, as though nothing had happened. The car that had pulled out of the turn directly behind me, rightly, gave me a very wide berth - probably not actually believing what he thought he'd just seen.
My audition for the circus is next week
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