Two wheels, two seats, two chains, two sets of handlebars and one cyclist: This is the typical scene for Mars Berwanger as he rides to class each day aboard his yellow Kulana tandem bike — typically with the rear seat just waiting to be occupied.

“Most of the time I ride alone,” said Berwanger, a second-year electrical engineering major from Houston. “If I see a friend I’ll give them a ride. That happens about once a week.” Occasionally strangers will ask for a ride, and Berwanger lets them hop on as well.

Last spring, Berwanger and two friends from his economics class got tired of their long walks to class. With one bike among the three of them, the tandem bike became the solution for getting the three of them to class more easily. Walmart was the retailer of choice, and the bright yellow beach cruiser, complete with palm tree decals, was theirs.

All three now live in North Avenue Apartments, though not together, and still co-own the bike, although Berwanger is the “majority owner” and the one who rides it on a regular basis.

“I don’t think they’ve ever ridden it alone,” he said. “I don’t think they have the courage.”

The rear seat of Berwanger’s bike is not for freeloaders. Hop-ons have their own set of pedals and are also tasked with manning the bell and horn that adorn the rear handlebars. Though his roommate has been a great passenger in the past — “a strong rider who is willing to put in the necessary effort to get the wheels to spin” —Berwanger would choose his mom above anyone else to ride “shotgun.”

“She is both very supportive and someone I have grown quite fond of," he said.

As anyone who’s walked or ridden Tech’s campus will know, it’s hilly — and not just at Freshman Hill. Berwanger, who’s also involved with Outdoor Recreation Georgia Tech, knows the terrain all too well, as the Kulana has just one speed. To make his rides less of an uphill battle, he’s considering trading the bike in on Craigslist for something with more speeds.

But one thing won’t change: “It has to be tandem,” he said. “Someone on this campus has to ride a tandem bike.”