Originally published at: Pushing a *side-by-side* tandem mountain bike to its limits | Boing Boing
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It just seems so awkward when it comes to the distance each rider is from the other. It seems like it’s worse than fighting over an armrest. 
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Worse than that - steerer’s elbow in passenger’s neck? Sharp left turn and passenger gets an elbow in the windpipe? No thanks!!
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I would have mentioned the “mixing sweat with folks I don’t have sex with” thing, but maybe that’s a pet peeve that belongs only to me.
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I guess that’s why they call it “the buddy bike”. Close buddies!
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Not just you.
it was funny to see them using it as an actual mtb but presumably the guy who made it just used an mtb as a convenient platform for a side-by-side, I doubt it was built with the intention of mountain biking on trails. the end of the video shows what it’s perfect for, a pleasure cruiser for the pubs.
also, the “cantilever brakes don’t work” thing: cantis are super finiky to set up properly, which means they almost never are, which is certainly the case here. it’s also highly likely that the pads’ compound has ossified with disuse. further, there’s no reason for him to have serviced them since bad brakes make the video funnier.
however, set up right, cantis are great. he usually rides disc and those are best though, so “cantis don’t work” is also a value judgement on his part.
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Technically, this layout is called a sociable and it’s been around almost as long as the modern safety bicycle. The word “tandem” implies “inline.”
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I do my best
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Fun fact: you don’t actually steer a bike by turning the handlebars. You lean, and then the wheel turns, bringing the handlebars along. The only thing you’re doing with the handlebars is keeping the whole arrangement stable. Don’t believe me? Try it: ride a bike and turn the handlebars without leaning or tilting the frame.
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Yup, or walk alongside the bike, pushing the bike with one hand on the seat and the other hand behind your back. The hand on the seat controls the direction, and, as you say, the handlebars follow along.
(If anyone has never actually tried this, it works great for walking your bike without getting hit in the leg with the pedal, because you can reach your arm forward a bit and stay behind the pedals.)
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