Tandem Bikes

Compared to a conventional bicycle, tandem bikes have double the pedalling power with only slightly more frictional loss in the drive train. Tandem cycling has about the same wind resistance as a conventional cycling. High performance tandems may weigh less than twice as much as a single bike, so the power to weight ratio can be slightly better than that of a single bike and rider. On flat terrain and downhill, most of the power produced by cyclists is used to overcome wind resistance, so tandems can reach higher speeds than the same riders on single bicycles. Tandem bicycles are not necessarily slower on climbs, but are perceived as such, in part due the need for a high level of coordination between the riders, especially if the physical abilities of the two riders are very different, requiring a compromise on cadence.