The New Adventures of Monsieur Nugget de Poulet

Those following me on social media will know that I acquired a tandem cycle a couple of months back and as with my cargotrike, it has further sharpened my appreciation for how streets designs help and hinder non-standard cycles.

The wonderful machine was an eBay find and is an Arcade Cycles Tandem Coffee. It's a bit rough around the edges, but mechanically very good. Being aluminium, I can manually handle it a bit and with 7 hub gears from a twist shifter, it is very easy to ride, even without a stoker. 

The other thing I like about it is that it is cruiser style meaning a nice upright seating position (which I prefer). The only slight downside is that it is not step-through, but that's a personal preference of mine linked to how bendy my joints are!

So, why the name? Well that's my youngest daughter's doing. I have never been a bike namer, but happy to make the exception for her and being of French heritage we've Monsieur Nugget de Poulet. After a little TLC he was ready for some new adventures.

The obvious thing to note is M. de Poulet is much longer than a standard cycle, he is 2.4m long; not quite as long as the 2.8m of the LTN 1/20 Design Cycle (p42), but pretty long nonetheless. Sure, it's easy to lock him to a cycle stand, but not every installation has space as generous as my local retail park (above).

Handlebar-wise, the front set are a touch over 600mm wide and the rear a touch under 650mm wide which sets the overall width envelope at that height (i.e. not clipping posts on the street), but in comparison with the cargotrike, I have less of an issue avoiding kerbs as I can make fuller use of any cycle track with in-line wheels.

The length of the machine means the rear wheel doesn't closely follow the front when the the turn is sharper, and so one has to have this in mind when getting through tighter spots. The floating bus stops on Cycleway 2 in London felt a little awkward for this reason, especially given the fairly sharp horizontal deflection and the need to constantly watch the high kerbs (above). Some of the idea of the deflection is to slow some people down, but it doesn't work and it makes life harder for the users of non-standard cycles.

The other problem is chicane barriers. We of course know these metal monstrosities make it hard for many people to pass, but of course it is even harder with the tandem because of the length. Above is a photo of a set of barriers that were impossible to get through without dismounting and even then, I had to handle the cycle round them.

The other length-related problem to highlight is that of staggered crossings. Above is a local staggered toucan which is a pain to use on a standard cycle, but almost impossible on a tandem. There are two problems here. First, at low speeds, cycles become less stable and with two people on a tandem it's even trickier. Second is the turning circle where the rear wheel doesn't follow the front on a tight turn making it very easy to catch the rear handlebars on the push button pole.

After checking with Transport for London, we took M. de Poulet on the Elizabeth Line this week so we could cut out the traffic sewers of east London and have a ride from Stratford into Central London. On the outbound leg (where the train was quiet), we used the folding seats section, but the tandem stuck out and blocked a fourth seat so on the homeward leg, we used the doorway which was easier, despite the vertical pole in the middle of the vestibule. As the doors open on one side for most of our trip, this seemed the better option and the double kick stand was very stable.

In terms of rules, TfL told me that the rules for a tandem are the same as non-folding cycles and so for our trip, we headed to Maryland which is my station of choice for a trip to Central London because it is way quieter than nearby Stratford and they have long lifts with doors at each end. As it turned out, M. de Poulet and my daughter and I fitted into the lift (just) and so I only had to carry the tandem down a handful of steps at the main entrance (there is a lift, but for a few steps, I could manage). 

It's probably not much of a surprise that the things which are awkward with a standard cycle are worse with a tandem, but it is always worth pointing this out because the message hasn't got through to everyone yet.

However, despite the annoyances, getting out on some decent cycling-friendly streets was a blast and we are looking forward to continuing the new adventures of Monsieur Nugget de Poulet into 2024.