# i have a triple tandem bike ask me anything about riding it.



## dave soi (26 Mar 2020)

i own a triplet so please feel free to leave your questions below


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## Rocky (26 Mar 2020)

Is light a particle or a wave?


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## dave soi (26 Mar 2020)

lol i changed the title you got me there. light is a wave actually


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## Alex H (26 Mar 2020)

How does it handle with only you riding?


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## roley poley (26 Mar 2020)

can you keep 2m apart with pilot and stoker no.2


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## Rocky (26 Mar 2020)

Will it fit on a train or car? What happens if you want to tour in Europe for example?


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## Tenkaykev (26 Mar 2020)

Did you get if from the Goodies?


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## Dogtrousers (26 Mar 2020)

Have you tried sitting in the back seat and steering by means of reins attached to the bars?


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## Yellow Saddle (26 Mar 2020)

Do you have two wives?

Tandems cause divorce, and a double divorce will be expensive.


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## Yellow Saddle (26 Mar 2020)

How many spokes in the back wheel?


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## dave soi (26 Mar 2020)

1 handling on my own is fine
2 i can keep about 1.5 metres between the stokers
3 it wont fit in a car even without both wheels but can be put into a van no problem. thats the way it was delivered to me was in the back of a van
4 i havent tried stirring from the other seats nor is that a good idea
5 no i didnt get it from the goodies lol nor do i have two wives that would bankrupt me
6 i think bot wheels have 48 spokes but am not sure the wheels are 26s


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## Drago (26 Mar 2020)

Do you wear Y fronts while riding it, or is commando preferred?


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## dave soi (26 Mar 2020)

we wear normal clothes


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## Ian H (26 Mar 2020)

_Tandem triplet_, or just _triplet, _are the correct terms.


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## dave soi (26 Mar 2020)

well yes but everyone knows what your talking about but those are the correct terms


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## CanucksTraveller (26 Mar 2020)

Is it hard to ride, does it need the steerer to be an experienced tandem rider already, and the stokers experienced on a tandem? 

Who are your fellow riders, family members or experienced tandem enthusiasts? 

(For now I'm picturing a rather conservative man in a business suit, and a tall one with slightly wilder hair who looks like a geography teacher complete with corduroy jacket.. I'm also imagining you as the short hairy little man if that's okay, it helps paint the scene) .

In all seriousness, what a machine!


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## Bazzer (26 Mar 2020)

I'm guessing turning left at T junctions takes a little more planning. In fact possibly everything to do with stopping and starting takes a little more planning and coordination.
What is the unladen weight?
Are you planning on touring with it or (for want of a better term) recreational cycling.


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## classic33 (26 Mar 2020)

dave soi said:


> lol i changed the title you got me there. *light is a wave actually*


Didn't Einstein say it was both a wave and particle?


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## dave soi (26 Mar 2020)

it isnt that hard to ride if you didnt have tandem experience then i suggest the person who will captain the bike to go around on it on their own and then add 1 rider go around for a while and add a 2 rider. having tandem experience helps a lot. as for t junctions they need little planning just anticipation. and team members are family and only using the bike for recretional cycling


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## Yellow Saddle (26 Mar 2020)

Rim brakes front and back? Hmmmm.


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## dave soi (26 Mar 2020)

yeah rim brakes front and back and a drum brake.


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## roubaixtuesday (26 Mar 2020)

How many buttocks do you have, and what is the distance between them?


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## Ming the Merciless (26 Mar 2020)

Does it get longer as you approach the speed of light?


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## dave soi (26 Mar 2020)

@roubaixtuesday am not sure what you are asking


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## roubaixtuesday (26 Mar 2020)

dave soi said:


> @roubaixtuesday am not sure what you are asking



Don't worry, just being silly. 

Love the bike, we've got a tandem. 

Enjoy!


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## CanucksTraveller (26 Mar 2020)

dave soi said:


> @roubaixtuesday am not sure what you are asking



I think he's just having fun. Possibly imagining the comic image of trying to utilise all 3 saddles at the same time, single handedly. These amazing feats of engineering will always tend to bring out the whimsy in people I think, it's no bad thing and it's testament to how unusual they are.


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## Ridgeway (26 Mar 2020)

How did you get it back to your house ? i assume it's too big for a bike rack on the car.


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## Ridgeway (26 Mar 2020)

If the rear rider is called a stoker on a tandem, what is the middle rider called on a Triplet ?


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## classic33 (26 Mar 2020)

You could get aero on it


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## Yellow Saddle (27 Mar 2020)

What is the longest cable on there?


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## Spoked Wheels (27 Mar 2020)

How much does it weigh?

How long is it?

It looks like it'd be fun to ride, thanks for sharing


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## dave soi (27 Mar 2020)

it is 35 kg and the man i bought it from delivered it in a van to my house. the 2nd and 3rd person are still called stokers that doesent change even on a bike build for 6 which is called a hex. a tandem by definition is the seating arrangement hence a bike for 4 people which is a called a quad tandem is by definition still a tandem because of the seats being one behind the other. the brake and gear cables are longest. it is fun to ride got to be careful with turns.


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## Ian H (27 Mar 2020)




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## dave soi (27 Mar 2020)

here is more info on triplets quads quints and hexes https://www.thetandemlink.com/Triplets.html


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## Saluki (27 Mar 2020)

Who do you ride with?


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## dave soi (27 Mar 2020)

family members


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## Ridgeway (28 Mar 2020)

dave soi said:


> family members



That must be very nice, lucky guy.

I can just the imagine the arguments if my team were in those saddles....


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## Archie_tect (28 Mar 2020)

That would be fun... enjoy!


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## dave soi (28 Mar 2020)

currently in to have a kick stand added so should have it back in a week.


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## Archie_tect (28 Mar 2020)

dave soi said:


> currently in to have a kick stand added so should have it back in a week.


Just the one?


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## Dogtrousers (28 Mar 2020)

If it were my bike I'd be worried about the stress a kick stand could put on the frame where it is attached. I've read of ordinary frames being damaged by kick stands, and the force on the attachment would be much greater with a bike like this.

I could be totally wrong. I have no personal experience of kick stands and tandems, and it might be that correctly done, you will have no problem but it might be worth checking.


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## dave soi (28 Mar 2020)

well hopefully it wont cause problems


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## Rocky (28 Mar 2020)

Given, in the UK, we are only allowed out if there are two or fewer people together, which seat stays empty when you ride?


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## dave soi (28 Mar 2020)

currently all of them as its in service but probably the middle one will be vacant so that we can keep social distancing


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## Yellow Saddle (29 Mar 2020)

dave soi said:


> currently all of them as its in service but probably the middle one will be vacant so that we can keep social distancing


Why not put a shop dummy on that seat. Then the balance and symmetry will be preserved even when social distancing on your triple. Don't forget to put a helmet on her head.


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## dave soi (29 Mar 2020)

haha could do that


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## Sharky (29 Mar 2020)

YukonBoy said:


> Does it get longer as you approach the speed of light?


and will the bike lights still be effective at the speed of light?


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## matticus (29 Mar 2020)

Sharky said:


> and will the bike lights still be effective at the speed of light?


Yes. (Although my relativity is Very Rusty!)

I want to know if his wife and mistress both cycle. Sorry, lockdown "humour" ...


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## roley poley (29 Mar 2020)

I like it but if you push it away from you REALY fast it will appear to shrink and you may be able to fit it in the shed


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## Ming the Merciless (29 Mar 2020)

What happens if you hit a black hole at the speed of light? Plus are more black holes appearing due to lack of maintenance by the galaxy highways department?


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## dave soi (29 Mar 2020)

guys you have amazing humor now is any one here from Ireland ?


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## classic33 (29 Mar 2020)

dave soi said:


> guys you have amazing humor now is any one here from Ireland ?


Which County?


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## Dayvo (29 Mar 2020)

roley poley said:


> can you keep 2m apart with pilot and stoker no.2


A good fart will make the back two rubber-neck somewhat!


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## Dayvo (29 Mar 2020)

Ridgeway said:


> If the rear rider is called a stoker on a tandem, what is the middle rider called on a Triplet ?


Piggy!


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## Dayvo (29 Mar 2020)

Dayvo said:


> Piggy!


Or Piglet!


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## dave soi (29 Mar 2020)

am in Carlow where are you @classic33


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## classic33 (29 Mar 2020)

dave soi said:


> am in Carlow where are you @classic33


Gods County, Yorkshire.


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## Rocky (29 Mar 2020)

If I enjoy wasting time, is it really wasted time?


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## Sharky (29 Mar 2020)

Brompton Bruce said:


> If I enjoy wasting time, is it really wasted time?


A line from a great song - 
When I think of all the good times that I've wasted having good times

The Animals


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## classic33 (29 Mar 2020)

dave soi said:


> am in *Carlow* where are you @classic33


Where why the sky is blue was explained.
And has links with Hollywood, and the Battle of the Little Big Horn.


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## classic33 (29 Mar 2020)

dave soi said:


> am in *Carlow* where are you @classic33


Where why the sky is blue was explained.
And has links with Hollywood, and the Battle of the Little Big Horn.


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## dave soi (29 Mar 2020)

here is my triplet beside my tandem not the greatest angles for comparison. and the last one is the triplet parked in the hall of my house.


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## Mike Ayling (31 Mar 2020)

Yellow Saddle said:


> Rim brakes front and back? Hmmmm.


Until quite recently Thorn would not have a bar of disc brakes and fitted very adequate V brakes.
We have a Thorn tandem and with pilot 75kg, Rear Admiral 50kg and a credit card touring load of 20-25kg I have never had a problem stopping it, even it the wet.
The secret of course is to adjust to the weather conditions.\

Mike


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## dave soi (31 Mar 2020)

it also has a drum brake for going down steep hills


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