Tandem Vs 1 | Are 2 Riders On A Tandem Faster Than 1 Roadie?

Tandem Bicycles are fantastic inventions. They're great tools for allowing cyclists of differing abilities to ride together, they can be more sociable than riding a regular road bike, and they allow visually impaired and para riders to cycle outside safely. In this video, GCN+'s Johnathan Schubert and Ollie 'Dropped' Bridgewood take to the tandem and challenge Conor to a race. Who will win? You'll have to watch to find out!
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Who do you think will win the race? The Tandem or the Roadie?
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Leave us a comment below!

[@gcn]

Who do you think will win the race? The Tandem or the Roadie?

[@Kimberly_Sparkles]

Ollie. He devised a way to win a race for himself.

[@xennedecock5010]

tandem... no question

[@Toothbreaker1990]

The average power on the Tandem whould have been interesting.

[@davidburgess741]

On a straight course the tandem will win. It would take a smoother paceline than we've seen to have any chance with 2X.

[@mumongtae1821]

Time trial vs tandem

[@fergusdenoon1255]

waiting patiently for the Si on a TT, Connor and Alex in a road train, Mannon in a recumbent, Jeremy on a fixie, Johnathan and Ollie on a tandem and Hank on a tricycle, race... With Dan on a e-unicycle.

[@katiel7166]

No, no, there would be nothing left for GCN that could be awesomer than that race. They'd have to shut up shop afterwards.

[@dlevi67]

I think you forgot Hank's dad on an unrestricted e-bike!

[@zaddamploi]

Don't forget Freddie and Hank's dad.

[@bubblesezblonde]

YES

[@chrisridesbicycles]

That sounds like the greatest race ever.

[@kroee]

Now GCN needs to start looking for a 4-person tandem

[@Kimberly_Sparkles]

They make an 8 rider bike. It’s out there when you look for multiple rider bikes.

[@gcn]

🤔 Good idea...

[@o0260o]

Back when GCN had only 3 presenters we were promised a 3 person tandem hour record attempt.

[@noahschuler6388]

Or a tandem recumbent

[@pigeonpoo1823]

@@Kimberly_Sparkles surely this could be a far more entertaining TTT at the TdF???????

[@kierran01]

"Finally I've won a race!" Technically Oli came across the line second! 🤣🤣

[@secretagent86]

Hahahaha

[@MrTeff999]

My wife and I ride a tandem. I'm a strong rider and I tend to ride fast. When we're on our individual road bikes, even though she's a strong rider, she can't keep up with me so I have to either ride at her pace or repeatedly wait for her to catch up. The tandem solves this problem. If you enjoy riding with the one you love, a tandem is a great way to do it.

[@pepepantuflas1]

@@ThroughGrace88 maybe loose weight. The bikes don't deserve to be put through such horrendous conditions

[@shinobusensui9395]

What's y'all top speed on the tandem?

[@MrTeff999]

@@shinobusensui9395 It’s hard to generalize. On the flat with no wind our speed might be the average of when we are apart. Climbing, we’re slower. Downhill we’ve gone well over 50. I once road with a blind stoker who was very strong and we were very fast. It was definitely fun. But really, tandeming isn’t about speed. It’s about togetherness.

[@stephanepawlak4431]

Tandem time : 9:36 Video length : 9:36 I see what you did there, GCN

[@lewislittlewood5038]

minecraft speed run 1.16 rsg wr

[@B-Rad-K]

I really like Ollie, he has the perfect blend of meticulous/serious/jokester/geek and the ability to not take himself too seriously that keeps him feeling real and relatable.

[@mrT-gx5bq]

finally found a configuration in which ollie could not get dropped

[@ytwos1]

Can, but involves wrecking the bike in most scenarios.

[@mrT-gx5bq]

@@ytwos1 valid point

[@Systematicsphere]

Your bike is too small for you

[@mrT-gx5bq]

@@Systematicsphere they told me size doesn t matters

[@declanfaughey8471]

I clicked on this video faster than ollie got dropped.

[@Kimberly_Sparkles]

The bike broke in half?!?

[@jonglass]

that must have been really, really, REALLY fast, then! ;-)

[@troisminutesdumans7650]

This takes a bit effort.

[@inlovewithgoats1092]

Should we really put Ollie and fast in the same sentence? 🤔

[@justwannaridemabike]

🤣🤣

[@AgentSmith16]

This video should inspire a new GCN T-shirt. "My tandem has Dura-Ace."

[@japmkam]

Ours has di2

[@nounours2627]

A new bike discipline! The Tandem Time Trial!

[@ronbell7920]

@@japmkam you guys rule! We are still shifting with 105 and bar ends!!

[@GraemeBray]

Ollie, "It does not feel like I am riding into a headwind" and then the curry that John ate kicks in

[@swites]

I've done a 150km race with tandems in it. We were in the front group of about 30, but I along with the guys on the tandem got dropped on the 2nd to last pinch/power climb. Luckily I jumped on the back and they towed me the last 10 or so km's to the next steep power climb within reach of the leading bunch. I said thanks a lot fellas and easily left them behind up the short steep section where their weight countered against them. After it flattened out with about 1.5km to go I heard this whoosh whoosh whoosh behind me(these were big powerful guys at max wattage), and they came past me like a train. I tried to jump on the back but they were way too quick - more like a car going past- and left me for dead!

[@TimHornik]

As a tandem guy, this is too common. Yeah on the flats its great to slip behind us. However climbing is just a pain. Just make sure to leave a lane for the tandem to pass on downhill. If you wish to be nice, toss the tandem team a beer after the race, we do appreciate it. :)

[@theadventurebiker]

@@TimHornik Yup! We ride tandems too! #tandemadventurers

[@chapshobai]

Ha! That was a cracking Jackson Five joke, nice one =)

[@robertcatuara5118]

Bob is my favorite Jackson.

[@robertcatuara5118]

No wait. This one's better. Bob Jackson was their uncle.

[@uptown710]

Connor sounded super deadpan ; “you just can’t get dropped on this one Ollie”

[@Aubreykun]

John is great in front of the camera. I hope he comes back for more videos here on the main GCN!

[@petinka721]

What a fantastic presenter Ollie is! Conor is great to! Love that video!

[@danielbender4327]

This year’s presenter challenge needs to be the whole team (including Dan) on tandems…with randomly assigned partners. And one team has to use the side-by-side we saw in hack/bodge.

[@appa609]

Build a 5 man bike and make them roadtrip all together

[@johnbowers5447]

Great idea from the slow ride pod: It's time to launch a regular segment where a pro is captain and Ollie is stoker and Ollie interviews the pro while the pro takes him for a scary fast ride.

[@PietroAzzarri]

when u feel alone and useless remember the tandem front derailleur

[@Daniel-ng8fi]

haha, maybe it helps keep the chain on?

[@CommaCam]

@@Daniel-ng8fi Yes probably just serving as a chain catcher. I don't see a cable attached to it.

[@appa609]

"3, 2, 1, shift!"

[@eagleironic5815]

As a stoker, I love this so much. MORE 👏 TANDEM 👏 CONTENT 👏 PLEASE!

[@davidcroxton8306]

My favourite tandem is "Janus" (back to back) recumbent. It has really good aero characteristics but the stoker faces backwards.

[@walcottav]

Yes to the rematch. More of that Bob Jackson tandem please. What a machine. Piloting a tandem well requires particular technique, skill and concentration, not to mention good communication with the stoker. Try one on open roads. Worthy of its own GCN Tech video.

[@gcn]

More of the tandem to come!

[@kazuhirofunakoshi689]

Great content. That is what I wanted to know for decades.

[@hernendezsanchez7646]

I actually really enjoyed this video, good job chaps.

[@andresbarriga5305]

The editing on this is fire. Great content, as per usual.

[@johnandrus3901]

I love my tandem. Always fun to ride, but sometimes hard to find a riding partner since I split with my ex. I found out about the speed of tandems back in my younger days on a large, organized ride. We were bombing along in a large draft pack when we heard 'On your left.' A group of about 25-30 tandems rolled by us like we were standing still. Years later, when I could afford a nice one, I picked up a gently used one from my shop. We upgraded it with the latest goodies from Shimano and I've enjoyed it ever since. Looking forward to some more tandem vids.

[@stewartwyeth1302]

Epic! Would like to see it in race form rather than time. Really liking your content.

[@ndegraafndg]

That was easy, I ride with a tandem team at times as a friend is blind and that's the only way he can go out obviously. If I drop out of the draft I can't keep up at all, I'll be doing over 300w and they will be doing maybe 200w each. Sure is fun when you do get in that draft though

[@brreeaad]

That's so cool that you can ride a tandem while blind

[@carlholland3819]

@@brreeaad you can ride a tandem without any arms or legs. just need a ratchet strap

[@leonarntostefani9426]

"Need to nail this corner now" Misses the apex.....

[@SwiffMeister]

Nice tandem! I've build my own tandem based on 3 old scrap citybikes and a scrap mountainbike that I litteraly pulled out of a bin. I went on biking holliday with my girlfriend who had a lot less pace than me. I was able to build it with approx 150 euros and we did almost 1600km near the rivers Rhine and Moselle with all our camping gear on the tandem in 10 days.

[@Condemakoto]

yeeeeei! I love these videos haha. Hilarious all the jokes about Ollie being dropped, never gets old xD

[@nicor9321]

09:00 "I did over 400 watts there...-Ollies winning laughter hehe

[@Pshady]

Tandems are super fun, take my son to school on one. Would love to see more professional tandem racing, sure there is the road race in the Paralympic Games but I would like to see a Paris Nice stage race with Tandems. Crosswinds, sprints, climbs, the whole lot.

[@davidcurley7665]

Team time trial in a stage race. Time is taken from the third tandem to cross the line.

[@derekwilliams6188]

Is it harder to balance on a tandem?

[@MrTeff999]

@@derekwilliams6188 I ride a tandem with my wife. Although we can't balance while we wait at a traffic light, we can creep along at one or two mph with no problem.

[@derekwilliams6188]

@@MrTeff999 is it faster than traditional bike?

[@MrTeff999]

@@derekwilliams6188 If two people of the same ability were riding, a tandem would be faster than either one of them alone -- except when climbing where aerodynamics is less of a factor. On the other hand, if you have two people of different abilities, the stronger rider will be slower and the weaker rider will be faster than if they were on their own bikes. Why ride a tandem if it's not faster? It's all about togetherness. A word about weight: A good quality touring tandem will weigh less than 40 pounds. A high quality racing tandem can weigh as little as 24 pounds. Divide those number by two.

[@Nicky458itl]

next: tandem vs tt vs recumbent vs Hank'sdad on tank.

[@chanzdad]

Bring on Hank's dad on ebike aka Tandem-ninator

[@garthhentley5957]

I ride a recumbent tandem with the pedals 90 degrees out of phase . Very easy style and the more even torque I find better for hill climbing.

[@dudeonbike800]

Love the tandem content, folks!!!

[@rjzlwop3153]

Incredible video thank you so much. Tandem Bike is also an excellent way for blind and visually impaired people to be able to get out and enjoy riding a bike. I love this video

[@Knapweed]

I'm not a cyclist but I was gripped! Great video and a big surprise at the end.

[@rallyking13]

Great video. Can we just take a moment to say what a work of art Bob Jackson bikes are. They are some of the nicest steel frames out there. I would also be interested to see how a tandem fairs over a long ride in the real world when compared to a small group on road bikes.

[@dudeonbike800]

It all depends on the terrain. If flat, the tandem will lead the train the entire ride. If hilly, the tandem will almost certainly suffer badly. That said, the same road ride on a tandem is more taxing. It's explained by the additional mass and inertial. Every increase in output by one rider is met with far more resistance. This tends to wear the riders out faster.

[@MrTeff999]

​@@dudeonbike800 Re: "more taxing". My wife and I ride a tandem. The biggest determinant is the skill levels and teamwork of the captain and stoker. In our case, yes, I work harder on the tandem than I do I my road bike. I'm a strong rider and I tend to ride fast. When we're on our individual road bikes, she can't keep up with me so I have to either ride at her pace or repeatedly wait for her to catch up. If you enjoy riding with the one you love, a tandem is a great way to do it.

[@dudeonbike800]

@@MrTeff999 Agree. I'm lucky to have a stoker who's half my weight, so she's easy to move around, track stand, and climb the gnar. Plus, she trusts me (probably not a good idea!). This is a plus as we've road and mountain tandemed for 28 years without a crash (knock on wood/head). Our crowning achievement was getting up and around the Whiskeydrunk Cycles Whiskeydrome. That was a blast and the year my stoker turned 50. Oh yeah!

[@neilnunag9378]

another great series of videos

[@jojoanggono3229]

Wow...this is exciting. Wonder how 2 vs tandem will turn out.

[@prestachuck2867]

Anxious to see Jonathan and Ollie on the tandem vs Conor and Simon in a two-up TT!

[@KamalSingh-wc4pw]

Credit to the person who put the money behind making this video. Very interesting and original. More of this please.

[@raequanwilson7799]

Sweet video. I can't wait for Two vs. Tandem! Can you share the average race car time on that track(5x)?

[@guilhermeodai]

Funny the timing of this video, just the other day I was wondering about 2 vs tandem

[@Ducbr]

Looking forward for the rematch, great job guys :)

[@bujang3022]

Somehow i still think that ollie could get dropped even in a tandem. His getting dropped skills is legendary

[@kstethespokes1051]

Love it! Come on, admit it, the dropped jokes are passé, Ollie even with a hangover is a weapon!

[@sk8er7757]

Can't wait for the next video! Connor has to come back and win. He can get back 20s.

[@andrewchalke1078]

Good the see the great 'Bob Jackson' cycles on GCN

[@secretagent86]

comment before viewing. i went with a buddy on a tandem camping trip. about 100 miles each way. loaded with gear/tent and a slight tailwind we were coming back at nearly 30 mph for a LONG time. huge power

[@silviugheorghe7118]

I wish you guy will do a "TT vs Tandem for 30km". Fingers crossed 👍

[@bryanboldt887]

Tandems can also be set up in a TT configuration, so not really any point as this current video was basically an apples to apples set up comparison already.

[@silviugheorghe7118]

@@bryanboldt887 oki doki

[@roshanmeah]

Why is this not a 90 minute special on gcn+? Brilliant

[@juanf.v5854]

It would be very interesting this test with pedals powermeter im the tandem.

[@SanshoTheBailiff]

By far the best cycle show. ❤️

[@Aubreykun]

The Bob Jackson tandem being steel reminds me that English Cycles makes some weird-looking steel TT bikes. Might be neat for you guys to showcase them - or maybe on GCN tech?

[@ronbell7920]

That Reynolds 853 and the extra lateral, that is a beast of a frame! Love my 853 road bike, that is one fine road machine.

[@lemizu77]

Would love to see the power numbers of the tandem riders... next time please set the tandem with powermeter pedals to add some more technical analysis to the race!!!

[@JonCannings]

Disqualified for the inward brake lever positioning. Naughty.

[@MrBJPitt]

What about the no bar tape, I hope there is bar end plugs put in, that is deadly in a crash otherwise.

[@thebredebangbraadlandexpir5348]

Are inward brake levers banned. Please tell me

[@twilightofthegods33]

Great video guys!

[@coolfrost6]

Now we just need uci to alow tandems in the tour 😁

[@AndreasMic]

Lol i was doing chores in the house when i saw the notification!! Suddenly i was watching the video and I don’t even remember what happened with the chores 😂

[@Stubakez]

What a beautiful and funny tandem bike! I want it!

[@oddharmonix]

Pinnacle of comedy with that Jackson 5 joke!

[@vasupathak9635]

Tandem team would have done better if Johnathan had worn his glasses on the outside of his helmet straps like a pro...🧐😎

[@Kimberly_Sparkles]

Team Jollie vs “Team” Jolly. This isn’t even a pun, Oliver.

[@douglaspate9314]

GREAT CLIP...... though not wanting to throw cold water over Ollie's glee. My girlfriend and I have a Trek tandem and it is easy for us to hit 60km... at which point I have to say I do hear a shout in my ear.... "SLOW DOWN....SLOW DOWN!" so I am surprised how slow Ollie and Jonhathan were... really... However it is murder going up mountains! (we live in Andorra). I competed in the national championships here with a friend who lost an arm in a car accident. Training for the championship gave him his first introduction to cycling. He loved it! We came second!

[@samdumcum]

Can't wait for 2 vs Tandem!

[@jedisdad2265]

2 v Tandem. Can’t wait!!!

[@oliverbridgewood3929]

ITS COMING!

[@markbooth6745]

Nice, a proper bike. Steel , and no disc brakes.🔥👍👍

[@patricj951]

Interesting video even if I knew the answer before I saw the video. A bike for 2 persons get 2 persons power but not the air resistance of 2 riders on each bike. Therefore 2 riders of similar performance rides faster on a tandem than they do alone on each bike. But if you put a pro cyclist together with a bad cyclist it may go slower than the pro cyclist alone on a normal bike but faster than the bad cyclist on a normal bike. 2 pro riders together produce more than 1 hp continiously. Then 4 pro riders will produce more than 2 hp. Imagine a 4-tandem, that would be cool to see!

[@nialltracey2599]

Two versus tandem sounds genuinely interesting.

[@stppearson825]

I’ve never raced on a tandem, but I used to race on the track when tandem sprints were still a world championship event. At the track I raced at they would occasionally hold tandem sprint competitions, so racers could attempt to qualify for the world championships. Those guys would fly way faster than any individual sprinter I saw there and I saw the fastest in the world of that era race at that track. In fact, the most spectacular crash I’ve ever seen was when a tandem frame failed in the middle of a race at top speed. Both riders slammed into the track at full speed. Sparks trailed them as their limp bodies slid oddly in unison across concrete the track. They were easily going between 45 and 50 mph, and they both left in an ambulance. It was shocking to watch. I don’t think one of them ever raced again. Anyway, interesting video. Tandems (a.k.a. divorce machines) are interesting. I think the time it takes for teams to figure them out is underestimated. It takes some time for teams to work out a cadence and riding style that both are comfortable with. As I understand it, some people are so different with regard to their physical build, their cadence and their riding style, that they never get to the point where they fully take advantage of a tandem’s capabilities. Some people will never relax and let someone else control the bicycle. Tandems offer roughly twice the power with equally paired riders relative to the frontal area, but probably three to five times the complexity. I love the idea of them, but have yet to meet a woman that will ride one with me, and I’m not a big risk taker either.

[@robertwyland7770]

Yes, divorce machines. Rode a tandem with the ex-wife. Great way to ride together with differing abilities.

[@my_dear_friend_]

If someone refuses to be your stoker on a good quality tandem, you are doing something wrong.

[@stppearson825]

@@my_dear_friend_ I may be part of it, but the willingness to relinquish control on the part of a stoker can also be an element. I’ve been told that an unwillingness to smell another person’s farts is a reason not to ride stoker on a tandem. We all have gaseous emissions, but are not equally tolerant of them.

[@arrowflicker]

Put Conner on an aero time trial bike and see how he does!

[@pbakker]

Always wondered this!

[@ShakeNBakeUK]

holy **** that tandem is bonkers XD

[@davidbelous6435]

what would happen if you start increasing the grade? Would be interesting to watch with the calculated Power to weight ratio since weight will play a big role.

[@brunocyclist]

Awesome tandem! 🤙

[@Maximus2210]

0:42 ......buuuuurn! 🔥🔥🔥 We still love you Ollie! 🤣

[@davidtait6907]

I ride tandems, so much fun can be had on them. On the flats they can be fast, slow uphill and can be totally bonkers fast on the descent.

[@CapnAhabChannel]

Great vid, as ever, but I wondered why the two sets of cranks are "in phase" i.e. both at the 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock positions at the same time. Superficially, my limited knowledge makes me think being 90 degrees out of phase (12-6 and 3-9 o'clock positions) would provide power in those dead spots a single cyclist suffers from. Don't know whether that would lead to a better time but just a smoother application of power?

[@najihizdihar7877]

Maybe there will be confussion when going trough corners, one rider got the leg up away from the road surface, one rider leg dragged on the road surface. Is it make sense enough?

[@OneTwoFive0]

I once saw a tandem when I was with my mtb, you know damn well I asked for a race, surprisingly fast not gonna lie!

[@jonathancole9829]

Would be great to see a head to head on real country roads, with climbs and descents etc over 25-30 miles.

[@adamholliday3391]

Where were the aero helmets for all 3 of them? This was a time trial!

[@b226tj]

Idea for improvement, install a mechanism for rear gears(if not already on) and pegs so that the riders can switch whose pedalling (constant power).

[@martinandersson5833]

Imagine if Ollie would have fallen off and got ”dropped”😂. Congrats Dr. Bridgewood for winning a race👏👍🍾🥂

[@nerdexproject]

Ohhhh guys I am already so hyped for the rematch! :D *ALSO* I wanna know how big a tandem can get until there is no advantage anymore! I think a tandem for four people you might find on the market but then go further and build a customized one for five cyclists and should you still beat your time then go on with a custom tandem for six! :D Imagine how large this might become!

[@dennistay9980]

Yay Ollie!!! Congratulations!!! 🎉🎉🎉

[@Hawkeye269]

Ollie is such a good sport!

[@douglasrogers3918]

Having ridden many miles on a tandem with my brother. Once you have mastered it,there is no competition.

[@michalkupczyk7]

Question: why cranks are always synced? At 90 deg the power delivery would be much smoother, flattening acceleration-deceleration cycles.

[@alanfelsen4723]

@@michalkupczyk7 There is a slight side-to-side motion coming from each rider no matter how smooth you try to pedal. At 90 deg those motions are out of sync which is felt at the handlebars and makes the bike hard to handle. Plus most riders don't turn a perfect circle, and you don't want to be pushing the other rider's legs or have them pulling you through a dead spot. At 90 deg out-of-phase, riding out of the saddle would be difficult to impossible. At 0 deg you can get out of the saddle and sprint.

[@douglasrogers3918]

@@michalkupczyk7 The two riders work together, so the unnoticed slight movement on the bike both when seated and when out of the saddel have to be in sync. Also when cornering, both riders want the pedal on the outside of the curve to be down to handle the turn. By being synced the two riders feel the push of the combined pair when pressing down, much like when rowing.

[@blubaughmr]

@@alanfelsen4723 I like standing. My girlfriend doesn't. I switched our cranks to 90 degrees out of phase and it makes it easier for me to control the bike when I'm standing and she's seated.

[@michaelbilot6136]

Good show gentlemen. Santana Tandems makes an all Carbon fiber tandem. Might be worth a look.

[@ski6712]

the power of two !! after taking out a tandem rental mountain bike made by rocky mt. cycles we 👫(both experienced mt. bikers) had a blast just make sure you both anticipate the upcoming corners as your speed is shockingly fast. if you don't the bike and yourselves will just go straight off the road/trail. 🤣😵‍💫

[@arlin411]

My wife and I have tried many sports together, but the one that has been most successful is riding a tandem bike, because we can each ride at our own effort level. All we have to agree on is cadence, which is just fine. Tandems are slower than singles on climbs, but boy do they fly downhill!

[@sshum00]

Rematch yes!

[@mrbriancnc]

Can you do Hank and Hank's dad on the tandem VS Ollie? That's the race we need

[@kathyerickson9402]

That was a lot of fun to watch! I'm curious how much effort Ollie felt he had to put out while riding behind Johnathan?

[@felixkloss5667]

Imagine two gannas on a tandem!!!🤗

[@gcn]

Unstoppable!

[@gitarduden]

That bike change would take forever :o

[@alfonsokhiew2872]

The world isn't ready for this!

[@BryceRichman]

That's how you implode the universe

[@Alexrocksdude_]

Great video, looking forward to a rematch!

[@markmitchenall5948]

Having raced tandems in my youth, I just love this weapon! Just wish we'd have had that! But doesn't the guy on the front need a bigger belly? ... you know.. for aero? Also, never sure whether Manon is just that disappointed in Olly, or just driving away from a stalker? Also, if they're able to speak so easily, are they really trying hard enough?

[@rogerjohnson8540]

My (step) Grandfather was a keen tandem rider at 5’ 4” and legs like tree trunks (even in his 70s) his job was “stoker” though too modest to say, I suspect he was quite good, with talk of National TTs and 6 day track events. Does anybody out there know how to access archives to see results for British events from the 1920s-30s? I didn’t rediscover cycling until long after he had gone (beer, birds and mo’bikes) and wish I could have shared my modest achievements in Alpine sportives with him, but when the going got tough I knew he was on my shoulder “Come on, Skylark!”

[@danhunters8226]

You should do the rematch on a road with som hills. In the descents the higher terminal velocity of the tandem will make a big difference.

[@chrisbaum998]

Awesome Video!!