Team Bison Rides again... and again.

6 am the bison is put onto it's new ride!

Neilll is lifting the heavy bison

Captain Flash and Stoker Jack both
dashboard surf to the starting point!

Let's go already!

The view from the back...
Only 100 miles this week!

Future Fun

Stepford weekend

OK, it was a really busy weekend. Upon reflection, I think the tandem ride Sunday morning was the highlight. I did my 27 mile ride with the ABC chapter on my solo bike. But Sunday at 7:00 am Team Bison met Brian P. at the back gate out of Anthem and we briefly escaped Stepford and did a 20 mile loop which took us through New River. This was our longest ride to date and both captain and stoker had occasion to stand up in the pedals. Stoker Jack stood in her basket but continues to refuse to pedal, the slacker!

While I'm not interested in racing, time and distance are two measures of our progress as a tandeming team. Our average speed for Sunday's ride was 15.7 miles per hour. Our previous longest ride was about 12 miles and we'd been logging average speeds around 12-13 mph.

We continue to equip Team Bison. New shoes, cleats, and pedals for Stoker Babe were recently added and I've added a handlebar bag, mounted a combination pump/CO2 inflator on the frame. A mount for my Garmin GPS has been added to the stoker cockpit, but that feature still needs fine-tuning. Stoker Babe wrapped new "Bison Blue" handlebar tape on both bars with all the skill of a veteran. We also continue to fine tune seat height, handle bar position and other fitment issues. S.B. has hinted that installing a music system might be coming soon. It seems that speakers shouldn't be a problem. We'll have to add tweeters but we already have a woofer. ;-)

Captain Flash

Kasidy " Devil Dog"

Today I got up and rode the tandem for about 6 miles. I don't really know for sure because Captain Flash did not charge our training device. I saw a few good looking rabbits and 2 dogs on the ground moving so slow I had to give them a holler! Being the stoker-jack sure wears me out!!

A new feeling

It's funny to be out riding the tandem and noticing that people are actually paying attention. We ride by a park and one kid says to the other, "Hey! Check it out!" Surely "Stoker Jack" adds immensely to the whole cute factor. We grin and ride on. Later a car pulls up alongside as we are riding and the passenger asks if we know where they can find Desert Hills Drive. "Right up ahead." I respond. "Thanks. Nice bike." comes the reply. Later as we smartly round a corner in Anthem, a pedestrian simply says, "Nice!" We smile.

Our longest ride so far is over 12 miles and we are currently averaging about 12 mph. I think our confidence level continues to climb as our distances get more ambitious and our average speed increases. I've stood in the pedals for brief periods. Kasidy (aka S.J.) now sports a harness with a two point connection to the bike and her basket attachment has been beefed up for increased stability. Even when passing whole flocks of bunny rabbits grazing on the green lawns of Anthem she yearns to be turned loose but she knows her team is depending on her and so she resists the temptation to indulge her inner Terrier. Of all the dogs I've ever bicycled with, Kasidy is my favorite.

Kristi (aka Stoker Babe) is like a sponge soaking up cycling knowledge like nobody's business. Her new (used from eBay) pedals and cleats have arrived but her new shoes (really new) from

Bike Nashbar are still inbound and expected any day.

View from the front seat

As captain of Team Bison I have to say that our slacker-Jack is truly a team player. By that I mean that we are a team and Kasidy plays. All seriousness aside, she rode well. I think we need to get a photo or perhaps video clip of Team Bison in action (as opposed to Team Bison inaction).

Team Bison

We are Team Bison! All three of us together!

Well we are making progress with the team and training.

Now to the costumes...
First we have Stokers Dreads


But I am not the only stoker on Team Bison..
we have a total slacker Stoker-jack names Kasidy


Look out Coyotes here we come!

We rode 8 miles today and Stoker-jack Kasidy did a great job!

No stops and no complaints and she rode around town drawing her fare share of the attention! It did seem we were followed a bit.

Arcosanti and Alcantara

An urban experiment and an Arizona winery form the basis for a somewhat spontaneous Sunday road trip north.

Constitution Poker on wheels

I remember riding a tandem once before in my life. I think I might have been about 12 years old and I think I somehow convinced my Mom that it would be fun to ride a tandem around West Palm Beach, Florida and look at all the grand homes. I think my initial instinct at the time was that the grown-up should drive. My best recollection is that after some initial struggles, Mom decided that we should switch places and things got better after that. My first "serious" bike purchase was during high school when I bought my Raleigh Grand Prix 10-speed. I was probably about 17 at that time. Thus, since my first tandem experience pre-dates what I consider my cycling career by about 5 years, it's very nearly accurate to say that I'd never ridden a tandem before yesterday.

I think that the general public has a highly romanticized fondness for tandems. I know that when I see a couple riding a tandem or see one on a car rack, I feel this internal sigh of contentment tinged with a touch of jealousy for the happy couple who get to share in this way. I mean seriously, who can think of "Daisy, Daisy, on a bicycle built for two" without smiling at least a little? But I suspect that for most folks this perception is based on never actually having tried to ride a tandem. In my opinion, riding a tandem is not easy. The bike is extrordinarilly long and it's heavy, especially when compared with my carbon-fiber Trek. The need for communication is tremendous. In short, it's not like riding a bike!

Our first attempt to get started riding nearly ended a few feet from our launch point in a heap of flesh and steel, but thankfully I was able to keep us upright and abort the launch safely. In the spirit of learning to ride a bike all over again, I quickly realized that even as a six or eight year-old I had recognized that it was much easier to get started on a downgrade rather then an upgrade. Even though the slope of the street out in front of the house was gentle, I was headed uphill. My 30+ years of cycling history have led me to arrogantly dismiss the gentle grade as inconsequential. The narrowly averted disaster has put a whole new perspective on things. We switched to the other side of the road and gave it another shot. I think there was a moment of dangerous foot shuffling before our wobbly downhill roll seemed sustainably stable. At about this moment, I realized the problem: Nobody was pedalling! "Pedal!" I said in a panicky voice. Suddenly the pedals are moving out from under my feet in a pretty disconcerting way. But almost as quicky, the familliar sense of gyroscopic stability takes over and we're cruising down the street. In a moment of triumph tinged with a residual fear of impending disaster, I exclaim, "Holy shit!"

After a few turns, Kristi thinks perhaps we should stop. In my most reassuring voice I explain that I want to wait until we are in front of the house again before coming to a full stop. I add that the reason for this is that I don't want to have to run any further than necessary should bandages be needed. Thus inspired, we negotiate a few more turns before overshooting my targeted stopping point by at least a car length! Man! It seems to take a lot of work to stop this rig!

The decal on the top tube with the model name "Vision" is slightly worn away and because of the lettering style, it looks like it could have originally read "Bison." Given the difference in handling between the tandem and my single bikes, the lumbering of a buffalo seems like an appropriate basis for a name for this beast. I'm sure that eventually I'll be quite comfortable on this bike and the handling will become a non-issue. Until then, the new bike is "The Bison."

What is constitution poker? More about that later but let's just call this a winning hand!

The view from the back...

"Holy shit!!! Pedal like hell! Holy shit! Pedal like hell!!!" This it the mantra I hear from my captain!, the confident bike rider I am to trust with my life. This was comedy deluxe and quite a rush!
A rough start on bison, however a few wobbles later we were flying down the road. We pick up speed rapidly and before any confidence is gained it's time for a turn. "Holy shit!" I hear as we take the entire road to maneuver the turn. We rode a quick few blocks, navigate several turns... we are best at the left turn. Upon our arrival home, we discover one of the back brakes is unhooked. Could that be why it handles like a bison and stops like a fully loaded semi... (he would not be calling his stoker, a load would he?

Seen on Craigslist

Santana Vision Tandem Oversize steel tig welded frame Mostly Shimano Deore components 21 speed, with bar end shifters Dimensions: Front seat tube 56 cm to top rear seat tube 52 cm to top front top tube 57 cm rear top tube 68 cm That means its appropriate in the front for a person from about 5-9 to 6-2 I've got another shorter front stem that goes with it for adjusting fit Nice cushy rear seat; that's very important on a tandem This is my final, rock bottom price before it goes to ebay. I'm not interested in shipping it. That's why it isn't on ebay now. Shipping tandems is a hassle and expensive. Call 602-999-9999

Crazy as a loom

Turkish ponchos!

Feltmaking in Valle

As you worked your felt design these images came to my mind. Looking at it now I see a burned out hill rising again.. new life will come along. Just as new life has come to me!

Look Ma! I'm felting.

Actually laying out a design to felt.

The finished product ( minus the margins)