Learning from experience

We were tandem virgins before we laid eyes on the Moustache. Taking the plunge to buy it without a test ride might seem a tad reckless, but we figured if it didn’t pan out, there’d surely be a line of eager e-tandem enthusiasts waiting to snatch it up. Evidently, e-tandems are as rare as a sunny day in England, and as we discovered, the delivery wait feels longer than a Monday morning meeting.

To our absolute amazement, tackling the tandem felt like attempting to ride a unicycle – completely bewildering at first, but once we got the hang of it, it was smooth sailing. After delving into the depths of tandem riding know-how, we uncovered the golden rule: impeccable communication. Before setting off, we hashed out a set of basic maneuvers, and during our stage 1 adventure, we hopefully have identified our shortcomings and the solution. Here’s a quick rundown of how we try and avoid the Mo from becoming a divorce machine:

• Get the Captain (grunt on the front – GOTF) on the bike first. The Captain’s role is to hold it steady while the Stoker (rear admiral – RA) gets on her seat with feet on the pedals.
• Once on the bike the Captain asks the stoker if she is “ready”?. Ready means that she is seated with feet on the pedals ready to apply the power on the secret command. With an affirmative answer the Captain will say the magic word (“go”) and off we pedal.
• There are 11 gears and we found that we use most of them, especially over hillier terrain. Gear changes require some coordination on the MO as our pedals are synchronised. To avoid mangling our cassette and chain we need to ease off the pedals while we shift through the gears. If coasting down a hill, the GOTF can change without much of an issue. However, when pedaling he needs to call out “shift” and we both momentarily pause pedaling. A particular challenge has been changing down in anticipation of an approaching hill. The GOTF needs to check our speed before initiating any pedaling. If you have dropped down into one of the lowest gears and attempt to pedal while going too fast, there is no resistance from the chainset our feet lose control of the frantically spinning pedals. Senior moments aside, the GOTF mostly has this sorted.
• The GOTF is pretty much deaf which is not great for communication. Hearing aids overcome this (mostly) is a normal environment but when breezing along on a bike, the wind (or traffic) noise effectively cancel out the aids. We agreed that in noisy or urgent situations the Rear Admiral (RA) would use hand commands to relay messages. A flat hand on the back means ‘stop’, a hand sliding down the back means ‘slow down’, two taps on the back means ‘stop pedalling i want to give my butt a break’. That last command was one we decided to use when the GOTF was nearly thrown off the bike as a result of the RA adjusting her position on the seat. The GOTF is due to renew his hearing aids in a month and items on the wish list are: a bluetooth microphone for the RA to talk directly into the aids, waterproof aids that can handle perspiration and rain and better programming to minimise wind noise (although muting background noise with a microphone should work).
• The RA is the navigator and is regularly monitoring route information on the iphone. In addition to guidance on which road to turn onto, she relays data on upcoming hills, our progress over them and of course, important for her, how far there is to ride. When riding our individual bikes the RA simply asked me how far we had to ride at the beginning and had no idea of what was coming up during the ride. As any route information is only true if you stick to that planned route, she would regularly complain that I was fibbing about distances. Now she has all the information at her finger tips. A wish list here is prescription sunglasses. You probably noticed in the ride videos that she has been wearing her normal glasses so that she can read the small screen. This situation was not helped by me commandeering her sunglasses when I lost mine (yet again).
• Finally, if we are going to turn or, ‘claim the lane’ when approaching obstacles that result in the road narrowing, the GOTF will call “indicate” and the direction. Her arm then relays our intentions to following road users.

One of the major hurdles for this epic mini-adventure was testing our daily limits. While the “GOTF” is game for anything up to 120km per day, the “RA” is definitely not on board with that plan. We decided to push the boundaries and embarked on an 83km ride on our fourth day up in the Far North. Let’s just say the RA made it abundantly clear that she’s not signing up for such long rides too often, if at all! This has posed quite the challenge for our big ride planning, and the GOTF has had to rethink several sections where he had naively expected to conquer some longer rides. After all, a happy RA is the key to a delightful journey!

We thought tackling the relatively short 52km ride to the Cape would be a piece of cake, but boy, were we wrong! Between the scorching heat and those sneaky hills, it felt like the universe was playing a prank on us. So, we’ve decided to tone down distances on the extreme climbing days and sprinkle in some generous doses of rest days. We’re definitely going to squeeze in a well-deserved break between our southbound ride (SOBO) and the return north (NOBO) journey. As for the bike, it’s getting a month-long vacation in Invercargill during the chaotic Christmas/New Year school holiday weeks. Guess even our bike needs some time off!

While we’re planning to steer clear of State Highways, we can’t dodge them all. When we smell trouble (read: lots of honking big trucks), we are going to make it a weekend affair. We learned the hard way up north that you have to treat those logging trucks like they’re carrying a load of dynamite on a bumpy road. Two close shaves, both times when we were basically invisible to them thanks to some sneaky bends. So, here’s the plan: if the shoulder’s more like a tightrope (a common situation on our State Highways) and there’s a potential surprise waiting around the corner, we’re off the bike and taking a stroll, hugging the left like it owes us money. That way, if a truck comes barreling around, we’ve got time to strike a pose and avoid getting squished, especially if there’s oncoming traffic in the mix. Plus, it’s a great way to stay in control when those monster trucks and their wild air currents pass.

Another scenario that had us strolling with our bike was when we tackled gravel roads. Picture this: the road’s awkward camber, combined with piles of loose gravel, made for an embarrassing performance that resulted in us eating a little dirt. Our hybrid tires, great on smooth surfaces but just okay on gravel, seemed to have a mind of their own, especially when the front tire was overinflated and the weight distribution was not quite optimal. It’s time for the GOTF to stop slacking off! He needs to deflate those tires a bit on gravel (and re-inflate when we get back on the seal) to get better grip, and perhaps put some more thought into shifting more weight forward. We might still have to walk the most treacherous corners, but hey, at least we’ll do it with flair!

The Mo was carrying a combined weight of around 186 kg and decided to show off its lack of grace when we were hunting for our overnight stay at Whatawhiwhi. The GOTF had a little lapse and mistook himself for a nimble solo rider when the ever-watchful rear admiral (RA) exclaimed, “there it is!” In a moment of unbridled enthusiasm, he attempted a maneuver that might have been feasible on his trusty mountain bike, but alas, a big laden tandem has its limits. Thankfully, our speed was modest, but gravity had its say, and we found ourselves unceremoniously sprawled on the ground in a slomo kind of way. We had already deduced these potential perils on switchbacks back on day 1 and had gracefully sashayed our bike around those treacherous turns. The GOTF has now noted and filed for future reference that even a tight turn on a straight road can be perilous on the big bike.

We bravely put our entire repertoire of acceptable accommodation to the test. Surprisingly, camping remains a viable option, but let’s be real – it’s usually in the middle of nowhere with just the basic facilities (hello, DOC campsites!). When there are cushier alternatives available, it’s safe to say that camping isn’t exactly at the top of our wishlist.

The Far North presented significant challenges in terms of food availability. Following our departure from Kerikeri, we encountered no major population centers until our return home. The absence of supermarkets meant we had to rely on “superettes / dairies,” which offered a significantly limited selection of food at notably higher prices compared to what we can access in Kerikeri. It made us think about the additional burden that must be placed on the food (and petrol) budgets of local residents, as they are compelled to either undertake a long journey to the nearest supermarket, more than likely at least 50km (or more) away, or pay a premium for the limited local offerings. Accessing both options would often entail a strenuous car drive along those roads we had our more challenging moments on. We allowed enough capacity to carry a few days meals and this worked as well as we hoped.

The tandem bike is like a strict bouncer at a party, limiting how much gear you can bring along. You’ve got space for your stuff as well as an extra person’s gear, so don’t even think about bringing the kitchen sink. We decided to channel our inner Marie Kondo and leave behind anything that didn’t spark joy (or serve a crucial purpose), except for the emergency kit – because, let’s be real, you never know. Our main concern for the long ride? Finding room for all those “just in case” layers!

Well we must be off, have some serious planning to get sorted.

You probably noted our intention to fly back to Kerikeri for a few weeks break at Christmas. We try to limit our flying to a return domestic flight. NZ transport options are very limited, especially if you want to get between two distant points in a hurry flying is sometimes the only option. If you want to find out the impact of flying on your carbon footprint check out the Carbon Neutral Trust footprint calculator.

Both the riders and tandem are enjoying a brief break from riding at present but don’t forget that our adventure is now heading into the serious phase. If you feel like keeping us motivated for the big rides starting in mid-spring please donate to our selected charity – Bald Angels.