Mixed-sex tandem riders (yes, it's SFW)

July 3, 2006 1:43 PM

Why, if a mixed-sex couple is riding a tandem bicycle, is the man always the one in front? (I'm sure there have been documented cases of women being in front, but I've never seen it in the wild.)
posted by The corpse in the library to Human Relations (23 answers total)

Do men have more upper body strength? This tandem bicycling primer suggests the "captain" needs more upper body strength and the person behind uses more leg power.
posted by acoutu at 1:47 PM on July 3, 2006

Happened to see mixed-sex tandem couple today and, yes, the lady was 'bringing up the rear'.
posted by the cuban at 1:48 PM on July 3, 2006

There are several reasons. Ten year tandem captain here, no brag, just so you know. The bike handles better with the heavier rider (usually the male) in the front. The more experienced rider (again, not always but usually the male) makes a better captain. Although there is a lot of technique and I can teach any reasonably coordinated person how to captain for any size stoker, it can take some upper body strength to captain a tandem. When I have taken stokers who were larger than me for rides - I take blind kids on occasion - it is a little dicey at first. It's fun, though. We rode 60 miles on Saturday and 55 yesterday.
posted by fixedgear at 1:49 PM on July 3, 2006

I remember back in some intro sociology class a discussion about how men are so used to driving or steering, that even if they and their female parter are walking together with a stroller, the man is most likely to take control and steer the stroller. If someone remembers this more clearly than I, maybe they can link to the relevant study. I would suspect the tandem bike thing is a just another variation on the theme.
posted by arcticwoman at 1:51 PM on July 3, 2006

Of course, the actual tandem biker has a lot more credibility than my half-remembered intro course...
posted by arcticwoman at 1:51 PM on July 3, 2006

Strangely enough, this question was asked in yesterday's "Parade" magazine in the "Ask Marilyn" section.. Here is Marilyn's answer.
posted by crazyray at 1:52 PM on July 3, 2006

Thanks for the explanations. I am disturbed to learn that I'm channeling Marilyn vos Savant...
posted by The corpse in the library at 1:57 PM on July 3, 2006

Bummer, but Marilyn's answer won't be available on-line until Wednesday. She said what I said, BTW.

I took a soc course once, too ;-) Just kidding, arcticwoman.
posted by fixedgear at 2:00 PM on July 3, 2006

Everyday cyclist and occasional tandem racer here.

First, a bit of theory behind balance. You know how clowns balance an umbrella on their nose? Basically as the umbrella falls toward a particular direction, the clown moves so that he is underneath the umbrella again, keeping it upright. Same deal with riding a bike, ice-skating, walking, standing, etc. On a bike, you steer in the direction that you're falling in order to stay upright. This is known as "countersteering". Once you've "learned" how to ride a bike you're doing this all the time so instinctively and so subtly that it's not noticeable.

Now, unless you're both very experienced and perfectly co-ordinated, tandems are hard to control at low speeds, especially when starting or stopping. The captain will instinctively countersteer against his/her own body movements, whereas there is usually a lag between when the stoker shifts his/her weight (especially if accidentally) and when the captain countersteers to keep the bike upright. Therefore the lighter person should be stoker, because the destabilizing momentum of the heavy person's limbs flailing about when panicking will send the bike crashing to the ground. And it's safe to say that the average man is heavier than the average woman.

I'm sure it helps to have the stronger person steering, and perhaps there's truth to the cliche that men want to be in control, but ultimately it's simple Newtonian physics that dictates the man, if heavier, should ride in front.
posted by randomstriker at 2:25 PM on July 3, 2006

I'm not sure it's true, but I've been led to believe that there are also aerodynamic advantages to having the bigger person be the captain.
posted by box at 2:34 PM on July 3, 2006

The few times I've ridden a tandem with a girl I've always taken the back seat. I much prefer the view from there.
posted by aladfar at 2:38 PM on July 3, 2006

Hubby and I ride a tandem recumbent trike, so no stability issues dictate our positions. He's the captain just because he likes to be in control! He's also more assertive than me and he gets impatient when I timidly wait for traffic, so it's just better for the domestic harmony to let the big dude do the driving.

/puts on high heels, pearls and frilly apron, fires up vacuum cleaner .../
posted by Quietgal at 2:46 PM on July 3, 2006

I know a husband-and-wife-tandem team in which the woman always rides in the front - because the man is blind.
posted by amf at 2:50 PM on July 3, 2006

... and I used to race on a team with a husband-and-wife pair who would actually switch captaining duties, with the wife captaining probably 70% of the time.

in their particular case it was because the wife was actually an inch or two taller and the same weight as her husband, and both were/are highly skilled experienced riders, so it was a wash, and the husband said it was definitely conducive to their domestic tranquility to let his wife do the captaining, particularly in race situations. They actually sought out and raced in tandem criteriums which (as crazy as I am, and I ride a brakeless fixed gear in urban traffic on a daily basis) is not something I'd ever voluntarily do.

I (female) rode and raced a tandem with an ex roommate (guy) who was about the same height and weight, so we alternated, too. in our case it was because my roommie wanted me to understand how it affected his handling when I got all squirrelly in the stoker cage on corners or standing climbing, etc... this certainly led to me being a lot more considerate as a tandem partner.

incidentally most tandems are actually built and sized so that the captain's cage will only properly fit the taller rider, and the stoker cage will only properly fit the smaller rider, so in many cases it's not a matter of choice or chauvinism, but simple logistics.
posted by lonefrontranger at 3:10 PM on July 3, 2006

A tandem designed to have a smaller rider in front would have to be a custom build because off-the-shelf tandem frames are universally designed to have the larger rider at the front. The makers know that this is almost universally the choice of couples and design them that way. To a certain extent this, therefore, perpetuates the practise. The choice isn't entirely arbitrary or sociological, however, for the reasons mentioned by fixedgear and because it is more difficult (and hence expensive) to build a tandem frame for a smaller front rider. It can and has been done, but it's a custom (very expensive) job if you want a good fit for both riders.
posted by normy at 3:23 PM on July 3, 2006

My wife and I have a tandem, and I always take the front. I had experience with one, and she did not - so she naturally took the backseat in the beginning, and I suppose we just stayed in the same position.

However - I just asked my wife, and she stated that the reason is this - she doesn't want me commenting on her fat butt the whole ride.
posted by bradth27 at 8:33 PM on July 3, 2006

But it isn't, is it? Say it isn't.

And tell me you have not made any comment. . .
posted by yclipse at 8:44 PM on July 3, 2006

I haven't ridden tandems much, but the rule I've always known is that the woman gets the captain unless they explicitly want the stoker.
posted by thebabelfish at 11:16 PM on July 3, 2006

Related: my wife and I have noticed this phenomena at our subway's "Kiss and Ride" (where people are dropped off): a car will pull up, the man will get out of the driver's seat and kiss his wife goodbye. She moves from the passenger seat to the driver's and leaves.

The reverse happens when a wife picks up her husband and moves over so he can drive home.

When my wife picks me up I often will walk over to the driver's side and patiently wait for her to move over (as a joke).
posted by Taken Outtacontext at 5:52 AM on July 4, 2006

I don't ride a tandem, but as a wee lad (weeeee!) I went to a great many historical bicycle events. Highwheelers, that sort of thing. There were plenty of tandems there, with the same 'man in front, woman in back' set up. The explanation I remember always being given is that they were set up this from basic chauvinism. Women couldn't be trusted to be allowed to have control, so they had to ride in the back. There were a few tandems where the positions were reveresed, woman in front, but the steering still remained in the hands of the man via some clever mechanical bits. The Newtonian reasons that have been cited make good sense, and are probably why things have remained the same for so long, but the origins of the practice might have been a *bit* less grounded in practical science...
posted by schwap23 at 9:28 AM on July 4, 2006

I always ride in front, unless mines are involved, then my wife rides up front.
posted by zackdog at 12:59 AM on July 5, 2006

I always figured it was because men are better drivers. Actually I think ego has a lot to do with it. I think streigth does, too, since the captain is the one controlling the breaks (not to mention the gears) it makes sense that he need to be able to balanace the bike quickly when coming to a stop.
posted by JamesMessick at 8:27 PM on July 6, 2006