How to Ride a Bike With Two People

Last Updated: November 15, 2022

Have you ever been in a situation where two people are coming back from the same place, but only one person has a bike? Well if you have, it's a struggle because normally the person without a bike wants to ride one too. Here is a simple solution on how to fit two people on a single bike and ride it comparatively safely.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Sitting on the seat and the center bar

1
Have the more experienced cyclist mount first. In preparing to go, the first person should hold the handlebars firmly and stand, both feet flat on the ground, while the other person mounts.
2
Have the other person sit down on the seat and put their feet on the rear axles while holding onto the first person. It is much easier if the person in front has a backpack.

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3
Set off. The person in front should put their foot on the pedal and gently take off. This is difficult, but you have to keep the bike as straight up and down as possible, or else the takeoff is nearly impossible.
4
Have the person in front stand up while pedaling. If their legs get tired, and they're riding a man's style bicycle, they can sit on the tube, but they can't sit directly on it. It hurts. They have to sit on one side of that particular body part.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Sitting on the handlebars

1
If you have a mountain bike you could try having the second person sit on the handlebars.
2
Have the second person mount the handlebars and hold on.
3
Get the person pedaling to use their legs to gain some momentum. Once speed is gained, driver can pedal like normal.
4
Note that the driver can alternate from which side of neck he looks on. And the rider on handlebars can leave their legs dangling in the air.
5
Try to go as fast as you feel safe. The faster you go, the easier it is to balance. This method is quite fun. It is easy to go fast.
6
Dismount. For the rider to dismount all they need to do is hop off.

Community Q&A

Question

Is it dangerous to bike with 2 people?

Community Answer

It can be, but you can be extra careful and avoid injuries.
Question

What is the slang term for riding with a second person on the bike?

Zelda gamer

Community Answer

You may be referring to riding tandem. That's used to also describe a bike specifically designed for two people to ride as well, with two seats, two sets of pedals etc. They're longer than normal bikes, as you can imagine.

Warnings

Make sure the person sitting is holding onto the person pedaling.

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Wear a helmet.

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Only ride where there is no traffic.

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If you cannot master this, do not try it.

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Ensure its legal to carry a passenger on your bicycle. In the UK, for example, it is illegal to carry a passenger on a bike on a public highway unless using a purpose built device.

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