Riding Downhill on a Side-by-Side Tandem Bike

Sam Pilgrim, the professional freeride mountain biker who tests out unusual ways to ride bicycles, paired up with his little brother Lewi to ride a side-by-side tandem mountain bike really fast down a really big hill.

This two person mountain bike is absolutely insane – Will we survive? Me an Lewi Pilgrim push this side by side MTB to the limits down MTB trails, stair sets and full speed hill bombs, we even wheelie it, but how long.

Sam then took a ride with his girlfriend Allison.

I also had my girlfriend along for the ride and made her send some heavy lines on this funny bike!

This “Buddy Bike“ has two seats, two handlebars, and two pairs of pedals on each side of the frame and was popular in the late 19th century. According to the Online Bicycle Museum, it was known as the “Side-by-Side ‘Sociable’ Tandem”.

This was the heyday of the ‘courting tandem’ when, for the first time, young men and women were able to go off together socially, leaving their chaperone behind. …

The idea, while clever, was short-lived. However, several builders attempted to revive the concept.

The idea died out after the turn of the century, as passenger trailers, and then sidecars, were introduced, for the motorcycles (‘motor-bicycles’) that came onto the market. But the idea was resurrected in Australia in the 1930s by the innovative cycle builder Bruce Small, of Malvern Star….The idea was reintroduced with the ‘Buddy Bike’ in 1980, but it was only in production for a few years.

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.

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