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Tandem biking on greenways or walking paths

These paved trails can be especially dangerous for Juicy bikes due to the higher speeds and reduced reaction time. Especially on the weekends, you will encounter a lot of families with kids, strollers, scooters, and dogs. Many are weekend warriors or new to the concept of getting out for a workout. They are not aware of the proper etiquette nor the possibilities for catastrophe. To make things even worse, many are wearing ear-buds, so you cannot communicate with them, even with a bike bell which, by the way, is required to ride on a greenway or paved walking path.

A tandem is like a high-powered pickup truck. I strongly recommend that you ride any paved path during non-peak times such as early in the morning or during the weekdays. Even holidays can be especially dangerous. Most trails are limited to a slower mph. it is easy for a tandem to get up quickly with speed and overcome walkers on the path, especially with an inexperienced pilot. It is not my pilot who I doubt usually, but rather, everyone else out there that we cannot control.

Some people believe it is easier to Pilot a tandem on the Greenway instead of a road when beginning. I totally disagree with this. Many technical turns, fast stops, and more gearing selection is needed to enjoy this sort of ride. If one does not feel comfortable starting on the road, then I highly recommend practicing in a large church or mall parking lot off hours. You can practice gear shifting, starting, stopping, and making wide turns. Also, it is a good idea to practice a very quick stop and how to use those brakes effectively, just in case you ever need to use this skill.

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