I is confused as to why. How do you run your captain/stoker cranks? Did Santana ever take a position on the question?

I is confused as to why. How do you run your captain/stoker cranks? Did Santana ever take a position on the question?

I assume you're talking about phasing the cranks? There are all kinds of opinions about in-phase, out of phase, and then there are the folks who have the cranks just slightly out of phase. All that said, 95% of tandem riders ride in-phase. Most would say that in-phase is the easiest for starting up and low-speed maneuvers.

Out of phase was more popular back in the day when drive train components wern't tough enough to hold up to 2 hard riders-no longer a problem. They are somewhat easier for folks that spin a lot and don't plan to get out of the saddle.

Most experienced riders run their cranks in phase. Much easier IMO and we do like to get out of the saddle.

A new option that you can get for tandems is independent freewheeling. You don't have to pedal together at all-really good with mismatched fitness levels. Gotta be careful on corners and speed bumps.

I sold my tandem about 10 years ago, after riding it for about 10 years. We tried the cranks out of phase for awhile, but we never liked it. IMO/IME riding in phase is smoother, easier, and less trouble.

I've been reading some opinions in favor of out of phase timing, and it seems interesting, maybe it's smoother for in-seat climbing up long steady grades, but it seems that the tandemnistas that are hardcore OOP riders are doing it more out of habit than out of functionality. Maybe it stems from riding on whippier frames back in the day. Some OOP riders claim a couple of percent increase in speed during tandem time trials, then others talk about the aerodynamic inefficiency of OOP. I'm really happy in phase, so is my stoker, but inquiring minds, well, want to know...