The Annual Tandem Cyclists Survey (Winter 2010) www.thetandemlink.com

1.  How long have you been tandeming? While not intended to preclude that one time you and a friend hopped on a rickety old tandem and went cruising around the boardwalk, this is really looking back to when you decided that you were serious about riding tandems.

Less than six months		#		%
		17		4%
Between 6 months and 1 year
		28		7%
Between 1 and 2 years
		24		6%
Between 2 and 3 years
		36		9%
Between 3 and 4 years
		35		8%
Between 4 and 5 years
		25		6%
Between 5 and 10 years
		77		19%
Between 10 and 15 years
		60		15%
Between 15 and 20 years
		37		9%
More than 20 years
		54		13%
		393

2.  Down economy impact: It's been a tough couple years for a lot of folks, and certain industries and areas have been hit a lot harder than others. How would you characterize your situation? (Again, this is a blind survey... I have no idea who submits what responses)

Lost job/biz; still not working		#		%
		17		4%
Lost job/biz, took lower paying position
		9		2%
Lost job/biz; found equivalent work/biz
		9		2%
Same job/biz w/pay cut & uncertain future
		40		10%
Same job/biz w/same pay & uncertain future
		56		14%
Same job/biz w/same pay and outlook OK
		131		33%
Have seen positive change; doing a bit better
		23		5%
Have seen positive change; doing much better
		11		2%
I'm OK, but family or friends are impacted
		68		17%
None of the Above / Prefer not to respond
		27		6%
		391

3.  Spending on cycling: Somewhat hand-in-glove with the previous question is the following that takes a look at how the current economic conditions may have influenced your spending habits on cycling and tandeming:

Had to sell off cycling 'stuff' to make ends		#		%
		1		0%
Haven't spent a dime and no plans to do so
		3		0%
Just covering the basic maintenance costs
		38		9%
Pretty much the same, noting we're frugal
		109		27%
Postponed/scaled back planned purchase
		15		3%
Postponed/scaled back trips, rallies, tours
		11		2%
Cutting back on 'pay-to-ride' events/rallies
		15		3%
Pretty much the same, spending as we please
		116		29%
Bought a new tandem this year
		57		14%
Plan to spend more on tandem tours and trips
		25		6%
		390

4.  Aches and pains: It's not all that unusual for tandem teams to experience various aches and pains associated with cycling. Without getting into when they occur (e.g., after being off the bike for the winter), which of the following have plagued your team? (Check all that apply)

None, aside from a good muscle burn after a tough ride		#		%
		120		30%
Hot foot or Tingling toes
		64		16%
Hand numbness
		120		30%
Tendentious / Tennis elbow
		17		4%
Lower-back soreness
		63		16%
knee pains
		106		27%
neck or shoulder pains
		90		23%
Saddle soreness or chaffing of the nether regions
		117		30%
Cramping during or after rides
		41		10%
Others not listed
		27		6%
		390

5.  Tires - Part 1: What size tires do you use on your road tandem? Please indicate which of the following tire sizes are the ones that you use most often. (Check all that apply)

700x 23mm or less (Very narrow)		#		%
		23		5%
700x 25mm (Narrow)
		82		21%
700x 28mm (Normal, Sport)
		188		48%
700x 32mm (Normal, Touring)
		52		13%
700x 35mm or larger (Wide)
		13		3%
27" Narrow
		1		0%
27" Normal / Touring
		7		1%
26" Narrow
		16		4%
26" Normal / Touring
		72		18%
Other ('bents, Fridays, etc)
		25		6%
		390

6.  Tires - Part 2: What's your favored brand of road tire? Please indicate which of the following brands of road tires are what you'd call your "favorite"... or "favorites" if you use different brands for different purposes. (Check all that apply)

Avocet		#		%
		16		4%
Continental
		236		61%
Hutchinson
		8		2%
Maxxis
		5		1%
Michelin
		45		11%
Pararacer / Rivendell
		32		8%
Schwalbe
		62		16%
Vittoria / Veloflex
		22		5%
Vredestein
		20		5%
Other
		53		13%
		381

7.  Tires - Part 3: Tires are a constant discussion subject among cyclists and tandem teams and, frankly, much of what you'll hear is pretty subjective... even some of the purportedly objective stuff. So, what we're looking for here is just some basic feedback based on your experiences with road tires on your tandems. (Check all that apply)

No real problems to report		#		%
		244		63%
Difficult to mount
		19		4%
Mystery Flats
		13		3%
Casing deformation or sidewall failures
		20		5%
Tread life: Less than 500 miles (single wheel use)
		1		0%
Tread life: 500 miles - 1,000 miles (single wheel use)
		25		6%
Tread life: 1,000 miles - 1,500 miles (single wheel use)
		93		24%
Tread life: Over 1,500 miles (single wheel use)
		74		19%
Tread life: They usually dry-rot before wearing out
		6		1%
Tread life: They are usually damaged before they wear out
		29		7%
		387

8.  Component Reliability: Tandems can be tough on parts, that's pretty well understood. What we're looking for here is your feedback on which of the following components have given you problems where the components needed to be repaired or replaced to correct the problem: (Check all that apply)

No real problems		#		%
		258		67%
Bottom bracket issues
		41		10%
Chain breakage
		37		9%
Rear hub failures
		21		5%
Conventional wheel spoke or rim failures
		42		10%
Integrated wheelset spoke or rim failures
		6		1%
Headset failure / indexing
		6		1%
Integrated shifter issues / failures
		27		7%
Carbon fork cracks / delamination / failure
		1		0%
		385

9.  Overall Bike Performance / Tweaking: Coming short of a component failure are finicky components that always seem to require adjustment more often than they seemingly should. Which of the following have you experienced: (Check all that apply)

Nothing unusual for us; about the same as our single bikes		#		%
		176		45%
Finicky front derailleur shifting performance / Issues
		85		21%
Finicky rear derailleur shifting / frequent adjustments
		90		23%
That all-too-annoying rim brake squealing
		51		13%
Wheels that need frequent re-trueing
		8		2%
Disc brake rotor rub, pad wear, cable adjusting
		41		10%
A constant creaking that comes from the crank area
		35		9%
Rear hub noises and creaking
		8		2%
A consistent whine coming from the front or back seat
		21		5%
		388

10.  Tandem activity up or down? So, how much tandem riding is going on in your area and household? (Check all that apply)

We're riding about the same as last year		#		%
		161		41%
We're riding more than last year
		161		41%
We're riding less than last year
		57		14%
We plan to attend rallies or take a tour this year
		171		43%
We'll probably pass on rallies and tours this year
		36		9%
We see about the same number of other tandems
		96		24%
We're seeing more tandems than we have in previous years
		71		18%
We're seeing fewer tandems than we have in previous years
		11		2%
Our tandem club is doing fine
		41		10%
Our tandem club is struggling or has folded
		17		4%
		390

Hopefully you'll find the results to be interesting. Click your browser back button twice to return to the page you were previously on.

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