We got our tandem replacement rear wheel (Delivered by the customary surly twat) on Thursday (Three weeks and six days after returning it) put it in the bike, pumped it up, set the bike on the ground and immediately got a puncture due to the rim tape being so pathetic. Aaargh!
Yesterday, we made a trip to get some spare inner tubes and new cloth rim tape. I applied the rim tape last night, pumped the wheels up and waited for today's cycle excitedly (And with a little bit of nervousness). Today, we got up, got all our cycling clobber on and prepared to go out for a cycle on our new unused tandem. The one side SPD/one side platform pedals I bought didn't seem to want me to clip into them so I took them off and replaced them with some single sided pedals I already had and we got ready for the off. What a friggin disaster!
I knew it might be tough trying to cycle on a tandem for the first time but the bloody thing must be totally buggered. We couldn't even freewheel about fifty metres without the violent shunting of the back wheel causing us to almost fall off (And this was at only about 10mph). Stopping it was a ropey manouver too. There seems to be something seriously wrong with this bicycle. Surely we should have been able to freewheel at low speeds without feeling like we're going to fall off all the time and having the bike moving about of its own accord?
Given all the problems we've had with this tandem, at times it makes me feel like I'm going a bit mental. I would dearly love just to have it all sorted out and be able to get out on it, especially as it was the only Christmas present we had got one another.
Yesterday, we made a trip to get some spare inner tubes and new cloth rim tape. I applied the rim tape last night, pumped the wheels up and waited for today's cycle excitedly (And with a little bit of nervousness). Today, we got up, got all our cycling clobber on and prepared to go out for a cycle on our new unused tandem. The one side SPD/one side platform pedals I bought didn't seem to want me to clip into them so I took them off and replaced them with some single sided pedals I already had and we got ready for the off. What a friggin disaster!
I knew it might be tough trying to cycle on a tandem for the first time but the bloody thing must be totally buggered. We couldn't even freewheel about fifty metres without the violent shunting of the back wheel causing us to almost fall off (And this was at only about 10mph). Stopping it was a ropey manouver too. There seems to be something seriously wrong with this bicycle. Surely we should have been able to freewheel at low speeds without feeling like we're going to fall off all the time and having the bike moving about of its own accord?
Given all the problems we've had with this tandem, at times it makes me feel like I'm going a bit mental. I would dearly love just to have it all sorted out and be able to get out on it, especially as it was the only Christmas present we had got one another.
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