There is a technical solution for this. Whilst there are many factors that influence your preferred cadence, crank length is a significant one. When I was waiting for surgery, and unable to pedal with standard 170mm cranks, I bought (by special order) 155mm cranks which I could ride. I geared down, expecting to ride slower but found I was riding just as fast as before but at a higher cadence; the bike just wanted to rev faster.Originally Posted by noel
Whilst I've never seen a formula, the general rule is that shorter cranks feel 'right' at higher cadences whilst longer ones feel 'right' at lower ones. This gives you three options:
1 Reduce the length of Mrs Noel's cranks by 5mm so that her preferred cadence is higher
2 Reduce Mrs noel's cranks by 2.5mm and increase yours by 2.5mm
3 Increase your crank length by 5mm so that your preferred cadence is lower
Assuming your tandem has chains on both sides at the back pedalling position, then options 1 and 2 are too expensive. Option 3, however, is fairly cheap and if you are the type of tandem crew that freewheels around faster corners then there's no real downside to it.
Mainly for Graham's interest, I should state that I have the 155mm cranks I mentioned, 165mm ones that came with the bike I rescued from a shed (in a shocking condition), several pairs of 170mm cranks and 175mm ones that came with a very cheap bike 17 years ago. I have even mixed sets, riding a 155mm on one side, and a 170mm on the other (very difficult 'out of the saddle', but otherwise ok).
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