Can't win TG without rushing in feudal

Hello there,

A friend & I play 2v2 ranked often (~1200 elo) and we have the following situation.

If I do a scout rush (Magyars mainly) and he an archer rush (any archer civ) in feudal, we win about 4 out of 5 games.

If we don't rush, and start combat in castle age, we lose 2 out of 3.

Is this a common thing? We would like to improve and win without rushing early. Our late game lacks. I think the main problem for me is spending resources. I often end up floating and not spending 2k gold for example.