The Tandem Book, written by tandem experts Angel Rodriguez and Carla Black, covers all aspects of riding a tandem, including detailed chapters on buying a tandem, maintenance and repair, tandem etiquette, selecting a “stoker,” family riding, tandem racing and competition, stocking supplies for a trip, various styles and components available, traveling with a tandem and even a history of tandems.
The 180-page book is designed to introduce new riders to the sport of tandem riding, as well as discuss topics of interest to veteran tandem riders.
Angel Rodriguez, a professional frame builder, built his first tandem back in 1977. Test riding it one afternoon, he rode it home alone. His next door neighbor, Carla Black, was sitting on her doorstep, and when he rode by, she asked him, “Who are you going to find to ride that little tandem with?” The two have been riding tandems together ever since.
Angel, former owner of R & E Cycles, a popular Seattle, WA, bicycle shop, went on to build hundreds of custom tandems. Carla worked for the City of Seattle as assistant bicycle coordinator. Together, and with the staff of R & E Cycles, the pair put tandem riding on the map in the Pacific Northwest and have achieved national acclaim as tandem experts. They rode a tandem across the US in 1980, and have ridden up and down both coasts and in dozens of cross-state rides since, logging thousands of miles on their tandems.