The Annual Tandem Cyclists Survey TheTandemLink.com

1.  When did you first purchase and/or begin to ride a tandem on a regular basis?

Between Jan '07 and today (1 year or less)		#		%
		52		11%
Between Jan '04 and Dec '06 (2-3 yrs ago)
		87		19%
Between Jan '02 and Dec '03 (4-5 yrs ago)
		62		14%
Between Jan '00 and Dec '01 (6-7 yrs ago
		51		11%
Between Jan '98 and Dec '99 (8-9 yrs ago)
		31		7%
Between Jan '93 and Dec '97 (10-14 yrs ago)
		73		16%
Between Jan '88 and Dec '92 (15-19 yrs ago)
		34		7%
Between Jan '83 and Dec '87 (20-24 yrs ago)
		14		3%
Between Jan '78 and Dec '82 (25-29 yrs ago)
		19		4%
Prior to 1977 (over 30 years ago)
		16		3%
		439

2.  What is your combined Team Age as of today? Example: If today the Captain is 52 years old and the Stoker is 35 years old their combined age would be 87 years. Note: If you ride with multiple partners use the data that best represents your most frequent adult riding partner.

Less than 50 combined years		#		%
		9		2%
Between 50 and 59 combined years
		16		3%
Between 60 and 69 combined years
		28		6%
Between 70 and 79 combined years
		35		7%
Between 80 and 89 combined years
		60		13%
Between 90 and 99 combined years
		81		18%
Between 100 and 109 combined years
		105		23%
Between 110 and 119 combined years
		55		12%
Between 120 and 129 combined years
		29		6%
Over 130 combined years
		22		5%
		440

3.  When you and your primary tandem partner first began to ride tandems how would you describe yourselves?

Both new to cycling / returned from hiatus		#		%
		22		5%
Both casual, recreational single bike riders
		72		16%
Captain = avid cyclist, Stoker new to cycling
		158		35%
Stoker = avid cyclist, Captain new to cycling
		2		0%
Both of us were avid cyclists
		116		26%
Captain = racer, Stoker = new or casual
		25		5%
Stoker = racer, Captain = new or casual
		0		0%
Captain & Stoker = seasoned racers / athletes
		12		2%
Captain/parent & Stoker/child new to cycling
		9		2%
Captain = avid cyclist/racer, Stoker = child
		23		5%
		439

4.  How would you describe yourselves as a tandem team relative to skill / experience?

Both new and inexperienced, and that’s OK		#		%
		21		4%
New: confident Captain / cautious Stoker
		48		11%
New: cautious Captain / fearless Stoker
		6		1%
New: both confident in abilities as a team
		38		8%
Seasoned: confident Captain / cautious Stoker
		85		19%
Seasoned: cautious Captain / fearless Stoker
		9		2%
Season: both confident in abilities as a team
		112		25%
Very experienced, careful and risk adverse
		49		11%
Very experienced and aggressive but safe
		55		12%
Hammerheads: we feel the need for speed
		11		2%
		434

5.  Where do you do most of your riding? (Check all that apply)

Exclusively on dedicated bicycle facilities, e.g., MUPs & bike paths		#		%
		20		4%
Bike paths, bike trails, MUPs, and rails to trails projects
		212		48%
Lightly traveled rural roads
		356		80%
Public highways and thoroughfares
		190		43%
Urban and suburban roads with moderate traffic
		282		63%
Large city roads with heavy congestion
		66		14%
Off-road bike trails and fire roads
		69		15%
Off-road single track and technical terrain
		50		11%
Velodrome (high banked bicycle track)
		7		1%
Closed road racing courses
		9		2%
		441

6.  With whom do you ride your tandem? (Check all that apply)

Spouse		#		%
		366		83%
Children
		67		15%
Spouse or children
		63		14%
Spouse + child or multiple children (Triplet Quad, etc)
		30		6%
With single bike rider friends
		100		22%
With the racer boys on training rides
		26		5%
With many other cyclists at organized rides / centuries
		107		24%
With other local tandem teams
		74		16%
With many other tandems at rallies and such
		73		16%
Other tandem teams who compete at sanctioned events
		12		2%
		440

7.  Approximately how many total miles did you and your partner(s) ride on your tandem this past year (2007), on road, off-road, or otherwise. Single-bike mileage doesn’t count.

Less than 500 miles (Less than 806 km)		#		%
		108		24%
501 - 1,000 miles (806 -1,609 km)
		108		24%
1,001 - 2,000 miles (1,611- 3,219 km)
		112		25%
2,001 - 3,000 miles (3,220- 4,828 km)
		54		12%
3,001 - 4,000 miles (4,830- 6,437 km)
		28		6%
4,001 - 5,000 miles (6,439- 8,047 km)
		13		2%
5,001 - 7,500 miles (8,048- 12,070 km)
		13		2%
7,501 - 10,000 miles (12,072 - 16,093 km)
		2		0%
10,001 - 15,000 miles (16,095- 24,140 km)
		1		0%
More than 15,001 miles (24,142 km)
		1		0%
		440

8.  Which of the following describe your typical tandem rides (Check all that apply)

Basic transportation		#		%
		45		10%
An easy social ride of 20 miles or less
		141		32%
Fitness or social rides of 20-35 miles
		261		59%
Fitness or social rides of greater than 35 miles
		225		51%
A hard/fast training ride of 25-50 miles
		112		25%
A hard/fast training rides of greater than 50 miles
		56		12%
Banging elbows with the racer boys on club training rides
		18		4%
Organized fund-raisers, metric or full centuries, and tandem rallies
		153		34%
Centuries, double centuries, and brevets
		58		13%
Time trials, Criteriums, Omniums, or off-road races
		19		4%
		440

9.  Do you think of yourselves as an Elite, A, B, or C Team or perhaps just Civilian Cyclists? A complete description of my unofficial hierarchy of tandem teams can be found at this URL: http://www.thetandemlink.com/heirarchy.html. In short, Elite = licensed racers, A = very fast teams, B = faster than the average teams, C = your average team, and Civilian Cyclists are just folks who enjoy riding tandems but who don’t fancy themselves as the ubiquitous lycra-clad cycling team.

Civilian Cyclists, and quite content as such		#		%
		116		26%
Civilian Cyclists working hard to move-up
		15		3%
C Team and quite content to remain so
		110		24%
C Team and working hard to move up
		47		10%
B Team and quite content to remain so
		94		21%
B Team and working hard to move up
		26		5%
A Team but sand bagging with the B Teams
		10		2%
A Team
		15		3%
Elite but have never bothered to compete as a
		5		1%
Elite w/championship titles to prove it
		3		0%
		441

10.  When did you purchase your last BRAND NEW tandem?

It’s on order and due for delivery soon		#		%
		17		4%
Between Jan '07 and today (1 year or less)
		81		21%
Between Jan '04 and Dec '06 (2-3 yrs ago)
		131		35%
Between Jan '02 and Dec '03 (4-5 yrs ago)
		58		15%
Between Jan '00 and Dec '01 (6-7 yrs ago)
		31		8%
Between Jan '98 and Dec '99 (8-9 yrs ago)
		20		5%
Between Jan '93 and Dec '97 (10-14 yrs ago)
		16		4%
Between Jan '88 and Dec '92 (15-19 yrs ago)
		11		2%
Between Jan '83 and Dec '87 (20-24 yrs ago)
		4		1%
Prior to Jan '78 (over 25 years ago)
		4		1%
		373

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