Want to try pairing up on wheels, like Daisy Bell? I\’ve been familiar with the song Daisy Bell since childhood. These aren\’t the exact words that my mother used to sing, but I guess it\’s like a lot of such songs; there are a lot of variations. How would it be to ride a bicycle built for two?

So far I\’ve never tried riding a tandem. I would think that it must take some doing. From what I\’ve read, a tandem is good for two people of differing abilities who want to ride together. Each can pedal at his/her own strength.

I guess the trickiest part would be starting and stopping. Both riders, it seems to me, must use the same foot to start, and put down the same foot when stopping.

Do tandem riders ever swap positions? (The front rider is the captain, and the rear rider is the stoker). That way, both riders would learn how to ride both positions. I see a tandem-riding couple around here pretty regularly, but haven\’t had the chance to speak with them about these things.

Oh, and what would it be like to crash on a tandem bicycle? I don\’t even like to think of it. If one rider goes down, both go down. It would not be pretty.

I hope Daisy Bell never had that problem!