Tandem speed vs. single-rider speed?

Hello,

I'm sure tandem bikes tend to have a higher speed than single-rider
bikes because there are four legs pedaling it. Yet, the bike has more
weight on it because it holds two people. So, maybe the speed is
equal?

Do any of you cyclists know the speed difference of tandem and single
rider bicycles?

Thanks,
Cullen

On Mar 6, 5:30*pm, " wrote:
Hello,

I'm sure tandem bikes tend to have a higher speed than single-rider
bikes because there are four legs pedaling it. Yet, the bike has more
weight on it because it holds two people. So, maybe the speed is
equal?

Do any of you cyclists know the speed difference of tandem and single
rider bicycles?

Thanks,
Cullen

Obviously, there are a lot of variables. The one experience I have
for providing a basis for comparison occurred when iwas part of a
group that biked from LA to the midwest with a tandem, a recumbent and
3 "standard" bikes. Generally speaking the tandem, like the
recumbent, was faster than the regular bikes going downhill andslower
going uphill. It was hard to tell on level ground; the identity of
the individual riders was the dominant factor. Here's a link to the
trip report: http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/4722

I agree with the post above. If you have two strong and confident riders on a tandem they are likely to go much faster than on single riders. However if the ride is all uphill, it is much more likely the single riders will be faster. A tandem would normally be faster across flat ground than a single rider due to increased momentum.

wrote:
I'm sure tandem bikes tend to have a higher speed than
single-rider bikes because there are four legs pedaling it. Yet,
the bike has more weight on it because it holds two people. So,
maybe the speed is equal?

Velocity primarily depends on flat ground on power/aerodynamic drag,
climbing on power/weight and going down on weight/aerodynamic drag.

The tandem scores higher in power and weight and lower in
aerodynamic drag: Given equal riders it will be faster in the flats
and downwards and equal to slightly slower while climbing.


In reality you often have mixed teams on a tandem: a stronger and a
less strong rider. Compared to the stronger rider on a single they
will be faster in the flats and downhill, and slower while climbing.
Compared to the less strong rider on a single they will be faster
everywhere.

--
Best Regards
helmut springer panta rhei

In article ,
Helmut Springer wrote:

wrote:
I'm sure tandem bikes tend to have a higher speed than
single-rider bikes because there are four legs pedaling it. Yet,
the bike has more weight on it because it holds two people. So,
maybe the speed is equal?

Velocity primarily depends on flat ground on power/aerodynamic drag,
climbing on power/weight and going down on weight/aerodynamic drag.

The tandem scores higher in power and weight and lower in
aerodynamic drag: Given equal riders it will be faster in the flats
and downwards and equal to slightly slower while climbing.

The weight thing ought to be qualified: most tandems weigh more than two
light road bikes, but the lightest racing tandems weigh less than two
UCI-legal road bikes:

http://www.precisiontandems.com/cat_...otogallery.htm

These are extreme examples, of course.

The other issue with tandems aside from the ones you've identified is
that most teams can't climb as smoothly as a single rider. It's a pretty
good trick to coordinate standing up at the same time.

I can assure you that drafting a tandem on even the slightest downslope
is a torrid affair. I've only done it once, and it was a typical
mismatched tandem team: Cat 3 captain, non-racing stoker.

One curiosity I've noticed is that while there's a tandem HPV record,
it's not as high as the solo record. The aerodynamics of a tandem HPV
should be nearly as good as a solo unit, with twice the power. I suspect
that a well-developed tandem (maybe even a very unpleasant tridem!)
should be able to take the outright HPV land-speed record.

--
Ryan Cousineau http://www.wiredcola.com/
"In other newsgroups, they killfile trolls."
"In rec.bicycles.racing, we coach them."

Wow. a lot of really scientific and technical answers to an Occam's
Razor question.

A tandem will go faster than a single speed because, as the original
poster already figured out, as there is more power applied that a single
machine and less wind resistance than for two seperate bikes, due to the
in line configuration (Drafting taken to the extreme).

It will, however, take longer to get to these higher speeds and slow
down from them because there is more mass to start and stop than with a
single bike. As per Newton.

The same reason even a Yugo can start and stop faster than a Semi truck

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