Orbit Velocity Pro

Price £2,600, tandems.co.uk

Frame aluminium

Gears Shimano XT

Brakes disc

Weight 20.3kg

In these turbulent times it sometimes feels as if the world has gone out of sync. We clash, jar and take offence at everything. Everyone seems irritated. What is needed is a lesson in harmony – and nowhere is that achieved more quickly, or more literally, than spending an afternoon on a tandem. Maybe parliament should hire some tandems and see if they can’t find some common ground. Because, no matter how far apart you think you are, riding a bicycle made for two – with its repetitive rhythm and flawless synchronisation – will soon have you singing from the same hymn sheet.

According to Ruth Hargreaves, who runs JD Tandems in tandem (sorry) with her husband John, it’s mostly couples who buy these bikes. The Hargreaves also own Orbit, a brand which started in 1980 with touring bikes before concentrating on tandems. Ruth and John bought the business in 2006. Back then, she says, it was empty-nesters in their mid-50s who rode the bikes. “That was our typical demographic. They’d raised their kids and were now looking at each other and thinking: ‘Eeek, what are we going to do now?’” Buying a tandem isn’t the first thing that comes to my mind – what’s wrong with sailing round the Caribbean or a wine tour of France? But it’s relatively cheap and if the third chapter of our lives is supposed to be all about sharing mutual hobbies, it doesn’t get much more mutual than pedalling together.

Ruth is quick to points out that they sell to younger riders, too. I’m not sure whether you’d go as far as calling tandems trendy, but there are highly engineered, performance-focused two-seaters out there that will take your breath away. At the other end of the scale, the arrival of electric-assist means older riders can now also enjoy the sport further into a ripe old age. And then, of course, there is the wonderful potential for visually impaired riders to cycle in the company of a sighted pilot.

My wife Juliet and I chose to test ride the Orbit Velocity as it’s one of Ruth’s bestselling models. The straight handlebars offer a more upright position, though you can have drop bars. It’s comfortable and fitted with mudguards, so Juliet wouldn’t get a tell-tale badger streak up her (very unsensible) pale blue jumper. Importantly, the Velocity has panniers, too, so we could pack a decent picnic. The bike is easy to use. It feels stable and surefooted, and big disc brakes mean you always feel in control. The lightweight, fully-butted frame gave us a really smooth ride and ironed the UK’s rough roads. The frames are built in Taiwan and then assembled in North Yorkshire with top quality components. The steel frames which are used in some of Orbit’s more superior models are still made in Leeds by Bob Jackson.

Like many couples who take up tandem-riding, I’m a keen cyclist while my wife couldn’t care less. But, Ruth says: “They make the best ‘stokers’.” By that, I think, she meant Juliet would sit quietly and pedal hard… Erm, no. Though, to be fair, Ruth doesn’t know my wife. Juliet also, bizarrely, had a tendency to lean outwards when cornering, which was very weird. But we soon worked it out and being on a tandem is gloriously sociable. Riding a tandem is not so much easier than a normal bike as different. Yes, two of you are pedalling, but there is twice the load.

JD Tandems is based in Yorkshire and offers a huge range of models. You can even take one out for a test ride in the Dales. If that doesn’t persuade you of the joys of riding – and living – in tandem, nothing will.

Cool kit

Famous for its race helmets, Kask is now heading off-road with the high-protection Caipi. Off-road helmet £120, kask.com

Email Martin at martin.love@observer.co.uk or follow him on Twitter@MartinLove166