- This topic has 112 replies, 30 voices, and was last updated 13 years ago by TandemJeremy.
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Tandemtastic….
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HooterFree Member
NBT, yes I remember now. Great to hear you've finally had a go at tandeming. On our nights out I stay as captain, Ms Hooter doesn't drink so much and does a good job stoking, but she does have a habit of singing when tipsy 😉 BTW What frame are you getting?
nbtFull MemberWe're buying Daisy_duke's old Dawes Discovery, they've gone roadie tandem as per the pic 🙂
HantsNightRiderFree MemberHooter,
It as me you got the tandem off.
Glad to hear it still lives onMartin..
Fresh Goods Friday 696: The Middling Edition
Latest Singletrack VideosFresh Goods Friday 696: The Middlin...nbtFull MemberNew tandem purchased and brought home last night (thanks daisy_duke for meeting me at a convenient mid-point!). As I had to commute by bike this morning in order for Mrs NBT to pick me up tonight on the way out, I was sorely tempted to ride the tandem but managed to resists. Sadly we won;t be able to ride tonight either as we'll not be home till too late. Maybe tomorrow…
[OEGGVjWF]Free MemberIf there is anything dafter looking with my own eyes in the cycling world than a tandem being ridden by one person only, Ive yet to see it.
wwaswasFull MemberI cycle my daughter to school with a trailer bike and ride home with just me and the trailer bike.
the pedals still seem to go roudn on 'her' bit even when unoccupied so tend to look a bit like they've got a ghost rider.
and the number of 'you've lost your passenger' comments is fairly high, too.
BunnyhopFull Memberbarca2 – it was me that dissuaded him this morning, saying you'll look like a real 'plonker'.
[OEGGVjWF]Free MemberHaha! That looks like the captain abandoned bike :-].
That guy who travelled round the world giving random people a lift on his tandem looked like he had a great time. I'll see if I can find the website.
My loaned out tandem hasn't materialised back as yet. I could be wrong but I'm beggining to think I don't own it anymore?
TandemJeremyFree MemberThats a bummer barca – you not remember who you loaned it to?
tandemwarriorsFull Memberbarca2 – Member
If there is anything dafter looking with my own eyes in the cycling world than a tandem being ridden by one person only, Ive yet to see it.True, but riding it on your own you can do reeeeeeeeeeeealy big skids 😉
Childish Rob
Disclaimer: but not on the trails obviously!
[OEGGVjWF]Free MemberSome guy near Stoke I think. NBT thinks it was somebody in Scotland. I'm sure it was somewhere in between. He came to collect it. I did say keep it as long as you like. He must still like it :-}
nbtFull MemberAs I ride to work just after 7am, I'm not bothered about looking a plonker (if I was bthered about that I'd have topped myself years ago), I'm more bothered about half-asleep drivers being shocked but the site of an empty seat one a bike.
Then again, give that the majority of cars I see are occuppied by only one person, perhaps I *should* ride the tandem and show them they're not the only ones who can drive an inappropriately sized vehicle on the road (says he who drives a car when he doesn;t ride)
and at some point I will ride it to work, I'll be giving colleagues a ride round the park across the road for a 50p a time (fiver to be captain instead of stoker)
m0nster2Free Member🙂
I've been a Pilot with these guys for a few years now
http://www.vista.org.uk/All stokers are Visually Impaired (varying degrees, right through to 'Blind').
It's excellent fun and I chuckled reading most of the tips above since we've fallen-foul of most of them at some point or another.I'd say that, with a Sighted/V.I combo though, some of the rules are 'heightened' 🙂
Also, for the vast majority of the VIs, it's their only exercise and/or sensation of speed…We've done no real offroad but we've been working on offering the option for those who are interested.
(PS. We're always on the look out for Pilots – and stokers, for that matter – if anyone's interested)
nbtFull MemberBumpety bump
Few questions for my fellow TURDS
1) Disk brakes. The tandem currently has XT v-brakes (deore levers). I've a couple of brakesets that I own that may or may not be an improvement. Pair 1 is on original pair of hope minis, 185 front 165 rear. Pair 2 is a set of Hope Tech v2s, 183 front 160 rear. Another option would be to look at buying a brand new set of brakes: Ribble currently have SLX brakes for just over a ton (XT for £130), plus the cost of rotors, adaptors and a longer rear brake hose. Going this route would allow us to go as high as 204 front and rear. Your thoughts? It's worth perhaps mentioning that we weigh around 127kg between us (20 st or so), so not huge – there are blokes on here who weigh more than that on their own and who user 183 / 160 combinations.
2) Stoker stems: the "stoker stem" fitted appears to be a regular stem – it's not adjustable in length and is quite flat. We need something with a much higher rise as Mrs NBT finds it uncomfortable, the handlebars are quite low. Anyone got anything in the garage or a suggestion of the best place to buy?
thanks
singlespeedstuFull MemberI'd stick the V2's on but put 203 rotors on instead of the 183/160. Oh and you'll need a braided hose's too.
We've got this setup but have a vented disc on the rear and still run out of brakes on a couple of long steep descents.
Try JD cycles for a stoker stem.
tandemwarriorsFull MemberNever enough brakes on a tandem!
I'd say the V2's, I'm not sure the Minis would provide enough stopping power or deal with the heat, but others may know different. Go 203 on the front. For the rear you might find 185 is the largest you can go. We tried 203 on the 'dale and it fouled the chainstay. The Ventana takes 203 at the back but it is designed for it.For the stoker stem, try this
Rob
EDIT: damn, not only can SSS ride northshore on his tandem, he can type faster than me too!!
TandemJeremyFree MemberBrakes – the main issue is heat build up rather than power – most brakes have plenty of power tho only a few are tandem rated. I think only the V2s, M6s and and some magura julie tandem specials are actually rated for tandems. So be aware of dragging the brakes – use them in bursts or alternate them. I think of that lot I would go for the V2s with adaptors to go up a disc size.
Stoker stem – we tried a number of things – have you put it as high on the pilots seat as you can? Its usually recommended to run it just above the seat tube but I run ours right up under the seat.
There are various bodges available as well – I have tried some of them – I have a set of 6" rise bars from a brompton – you could have them from me. Some folk try BMX bars and there is an adaptor that allows you to use a ordinary quill stem to gain height or this one to allow an aheadset stem on the stoker stem
http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/product-Thorn-Thorn-Special-Alloy-Adjustable-Stem-Extension-for-1-1-8-Inch-Stems-120-mm-Long-17-Deg–Black-11797.htmHave a dig around on http://www.mtbtandems.com/
singlespeedstuFull MemberI'll have a look in the garage later.
I think i have a stem adjuster thing in there that would sort you out.Like this.
http://www.jdcycles.co.uk/components/all-tandem-components–accessories/tandem-stoker-risernbtFull MemberStems: currently fitted with one onf these
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/3t/the-stem-ec005073?style=10299
in about 120mm, admittedly
think I'll invest in one of these
http://www.jdcycles.co.uk/tandems/tandem-components–accessories/tandem-adjustable-tandem-stoker-stem
which is what's fitted to the tandem we borrowed
Brake wise, good call on upgrading the size of the V2s, will see what we can afford – that's the most important thing at the moment!
TheBrickFree MemberThread dredge I know but this does not require a new thread.
What rear hubs are you guys running? What spoke count? Problems with freehubs? Anyone on the shimano HF08?
I'm building a tandem up at the moment and am toying with Hope pro II trails hub, not 145 OLN and only 36 spoke but dish-less and a beefed up freehub with 4 paws. A custom cassette and I think a good range of gearing could be achieved, topping out in the high seventies G.I. Opinions?
TandemJeremyFree Memberthe shimano one didn't ast us at all. The bike was bought secondhand but in our first year went thru 3 freehubs and 2 sets of bearings.
We now run a hope big un 36 spoke rear. The freehub on that failed as well but under very extreme circumstances. Repaired free of charge by hope and they have recommended 3 monthly service rather than annual – and it has been fine since.
Is it for off-road use? You need IMO very low gears for offroad as its very tricky to stand on the pedals to climb – you need to sit and spin. we run 22/36 / bash with 11/34 cassette. Thats fine for us offroad
nbtFull MemberThe tandem we bought came with a Shimano XT tandem Hub, 145mm OLN. The one we borrowed first takes a "standard" 135mm OLN rear wheel, currently runs with a Hope ProII 36 hole wheelset – 20mm bolt through front, QR rear – with big strong rims fitted to it.
Jon and his missus are quite a bit beefier than Mrs NBT and me (mainly in the Jon department)
TheBrickFree MemberThanks for the replies. It's a shame to hear that about the shimano hub, the extra expense they charge over a standard xt hub seems to come with very little gain other than the option of 40 and 48 hole drilling.
[TandemJeremy]Is it for off-road use? You need IMO very low gears for offroad as its very tricky to stand on the pedals to climb – you need to sit and spin. we run 22/36 / bash with 11/34 cassette. Thats fine for us offroad
Yep off road and some touring too, some of which would be off road, bridleways, Scottish estate roads, Land rover tracks rather than hardcore routes obviously! I was thinking of the trails hub because you can fit 6 off of a 9 speed cassette on the freehub, meaning I could keep the low 22/34 gear and just loose a few of the top end gears, topping out at about 78 gear inches, which should be good enough for a 22 mph ish cruise on road without crazy cadence then just deal with freewheeling down hill! + Dishless + strong freehub seemed like a good idea. Not familiar with the biguns but they look like a another possibility at a similar price to the trails hub.
nbt – Member
The tandem we bought came with a Shimano XT tandem Hub, 145mm OLN. The one we borrowed first takes a "standard" 135mm OLN rear wheel, currently runs with a Hope ProII 36 hole wheelset – 20mm bolt through front, QR rear – with big strong rims fitted to it.
Jon and his missus are quite a bit beefier than Mrs NBT and me (mainly in the Jon department)
How are you finding the shimano hub? We would come in at about 130 kg + any luggage if touring (another 20 kg including food scaling up from my personal trips). So not massive.
I was thinking something like these beefy nimbus rims http://www.unicycle.uk.com/shop/shopdisplayproduct.asp?catalogid=942
They looks beefy and if they are good enough for unicycle trails with one persons weight on one wheel then logically, two people on two wheels should be good.
samuriFree MemberWhy does the bloke always go at the front?
Is it a size thing? Or does every single couple agree that the bloke should drive? Not trolling, genuinally interested in how the decision is made.
TandemJeremyFree Membersamuri – in our case its two reasons –
1) I am the more skilled rider
2) Mrs TJ finds balancing the bike with me on the back very difficult due to my weightI am actually happy to ride on the back of it and would like to do so more – but its a pain to swap the seats over and so on
The brick – you may find you go a bit more hardcore that you think as you get into it – build the bike as tough as you can.
double forte the MTB tandem forum has lots of discussions on hubs if you have a search around it – 'cos they are a week point. Everything just about gets blown up.
If you have the money I would go for a rohloff as they do survive tandems. Saves on drivetrain wear as well and you don't need a crossover drive The other expensive option is the chris king tandem special. Rare and expensive but unbreakable.
All other hubs fail altho IIRC the wood one has a reasonable rep
singlespeedstuFull MemberWe've also tried with Mrsssstu on the front but she hasn't got the upper body strength to steer on anything other than straight flat smooth trails.
If you have the money I would go for a rohloff
Having owned a 'Hoff I wouldn't.
trbFree MemberMrs trb always does the stoking – even on a 4000km / 16 week tour. I offer her the captains seat regularly, but she prefers the back. She can take more time to enjoy the view apparently.
SwiftacularFree MemberTwo of my mates (actually 17 year old, girls' jeans wearing bmxers) regularly come on our Sunday night ride on the shop's communal tandem. Last night though the drivetrain damn near exploded, dismounting the pair of them, with some pretty painful looking injuries. They took it in good spirits though.
We have to replace the chainrings and chain every few rides ( albeit cheap ones), do others tend to eat through rings/chains on a regular basis?nbtFull MemberNot having owned the tandem for very long can't give any advice as to durability etc, sorry.
TheBrickFree MemberThe brick – you may find you go a bit more hardcore that you think as you get into it – build the bike as tough as you can.
Yep I defiantly will be trying for a strong build but the budget does not run to King e.t.c. I was initially interested in the shimano due to the 145 mm spacing and option of 40 and 48 drilling options.
Thanks for the link to double_fort, I'll have a read through the archives.
BunnyhopFull MemberSamuri – I seem to remember many years ago Guy Kesteven riding a tandem as stoker, with his then girlfriend Ashley (Ashleigh sp?) as captain. Apparently they were quite a team on it.
I'm too scared to go up front, maybe when we've got some more experience.
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