Worth trying my mate Jon at Tomo [/url] as he’s just up in Chertsey.

Rode through yesterday on the blue on way to Mercury on tandem, was OK as frozen on fire roads and the blue was fine and only a bit puddly however if it’s raining there as it has now for the last few hours I’d expect it’s horrible by now.

I’ve always liked this from the Persuaders

My McFly in Tough shell came in at about £75 but if ordering from US the shipping pushed it over the £100 easily as their shipping costs are super high, Ned I’m only just down the road from you if want to take a look at the terrene.

I’ve got a McFly on the back of the tandem, like it a lot so far, very sloppy ride yesterday and it was fine. Got mine direct from the states via a family member, not cheap but the only option I had to find one when I got mine.

29 x 2.8 on the back with a Bulldozer up front on our long niche tandem, plus sized and hub geared. Rolls really well and grip is way better than what we have had for years preceding this.

Same as Jef, email in profile if you want a guide for the bits I or most of Ned mentioned

Ned’s pretty much summed it up but also add in a few trails down through Shipwrights Way down to almost Lindford and then do Broxhead and Kingsley Common as well then on down via Longmoor/Liphook/Chapel Common/Durford/Rogate to the Hangers/Hawkley/Selbourne and above Steep on Stoner. Theres a lot more than most people realise its not just about QECP round this way.

Trying out a Terrene McFly 2.8 on the back at present, held up well in the sticky stuff last week and great on the sandier trails round my way too, impressed so far.

Used a Super C Slim for a few 5 years now, best money I’ve spent on commuting gear, used carry a 15in laptop, clothes, travel towel and large lunch (plus a mutil-tool, tube and a mini pump) in mine with no issues at all but these days no longer need to carry the laptop. The only thing i never carried regularly was shoes but could cram a pair in if needed. Never had anything get wet but always carrier bag stuff inside as a precaution and makes it easier to keep clothes/towel compressed.

Currently it’s Mount Kimbie – What Love Survives, it keeps rolling back up the playlist along with Lcd Soundsystem.

Mine bought direct in the US than brought over by my sister in law in her luggage when she came over a few weeks back as they wanted $50 to ship, also looked at Teravail Kennebec in a 2.6 as that looked like an option as a chunkier winter tyre but werent available until the end of this month (may return to these though as the cumberland too looks like a fast option too).

Got a Terrene McFly 2.8 waiting to be fitted, probably wont happen until the weekend but will report back, I’d agree the Bulldozer is a bit iffy too.

Just spent the last two weeks travelling across Spain in 4 different locations, all airbnb hosts have been amazing, better than anywhere else I’ve stayed, local knowledge, friendly even had ones father give us all a lift up the mountain this morning to hike. Had previous booking cancelled on us but that is always a risk but always found an alternative easy to find. Would always look at airbnb first but the risks are there.

2.6 was great on the back of the tandem but got a 2.8 Terrene Mcfly sat on my garage floor waiting to be fitted but we’ve been away for the last two weeks, looks like it should be good and will report back with how it goes.

Or alternatively how about an afternoon/evening on a Gin Journey tour sampling some diffent gins with a distillery tour too?

http://www.ginjourney.com/%5B/url%5D

If you book a London one you may get Bugpowderdustjnr as your guide, he really does know his stuff when it comes to other spirits and gin (hes worked a few years in the gin industry and recently did a 3/4 month North and South American trip around many distilleries of varied spirits, this is his site of their trip and places he visited, they are still editing down more episodes, http://www.theworldsip.com/%5B/url%5D)

Bought my first in 88/89, an MBK Aventure in a 3 flouro colour fade, got me in to it massively and then went through a bike a year for the next four, MS Racing CompLX (i think), proper splatter Cinder Cone, then from the frame up a Zaskar LE (original one with a U brake) built with Pace hubs with Sachs freewheel, suntour thumbies, Scott AT4 Pro bars before going custom built with a beautiful TIG welded Cromor Fuquay with red USE bars with bar ends, USE seatpost and XT throughout.

I’m a SQR Super C user for my commutes too, manages everything I’ve needed to carry including a laptop in my previous commute, as above loss of light mount on seatpost is a pain though. Can get a bit noisy when its completely full too and stuff rattles around in it.

Got a 29er 50 on the front of the tandem and a 35 on the rear (shame the finishes dont quite match), running ours will a 3.25 bulldozer on and it took a bit of extra sealant to seal the 50 first time around as it seemed to leak a little through the joint but absolutely fine since then, does the job its supposed to fine as it does take a fair amount of battering too. 35 has been great too, seems very strong as well. I’d use them again if I was building a plus bike for myself.

I’d go with the Dawes too of the two you’ve looked at, we’ve got a Galaxy twin, a custom mtb tandem with a rohloff and just a bought a SH Thorn Kiddyback last to take the grandkids out and about. I’ve had Cannondales in the past too. The Dawes is great at what its for, rolling along a nice pace comfortably on the lanes, first thing I did was too pop a disk on the front. The Thorn is good from my initial ride but its a bit basic and it needs more brakes, v’s wont cut it with two up. What’s the main thing you want it for? Are you potentially wanting to take it offroad in time? Do you want to tour on it?
As above Double Edge as an into tandem is great, Landescape are an option too or if just road then even the Galaxy Twin, if you want to do the offroad thing in future Cannondale, Lapierre or even a Salsa Powderkeg, 27.5 or 29er wheels will make a difference to your stokers comfort as will a decent suspension seatpost on any of the above. Try and get a trial somewhere or hire and try it out riding a tandem is not something that suits everybody.

There are these too taken by a forum users daughter, some nice pics too.

https://www.facebook.com/pg/EMT-photography-508099965912897/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1442800699109481

Some real nice pictures in there and a good amount of the soloists too. Cheers MissLesT.

Rohloff on the tandem is the nicest thing, stationery shifting is really handy as it reduces the loads on the drivechain. Ours is over ten years old and still going strong so has paid for itself many times over. Alex is a real knowledge base when it comes to mountain bike tandems, if you speak to him mention Scott pointed you in his direction. If you wanted to try a 29er tandem (mines running a 29+ front end) at all your more than welcome to give mine a spin, I over in hampshire.

Speak to Alex at mtbtandems, his latest incarnation of the Fandango will take 29 and 27.5+ or even a Ventana Grand el Jefe, that’ll take fat,27.5+ and 29+ (if I had the money I’d have one in the garage). Build yourself from frameset and run single sided drive chain as it’ll cut costs and add flexibility to chainsets/bb you can use, we run raceface aeffect cranks with single ring front and double spider rear (cheaper than middelburn alternatives) mated to a Rohloff.

I’ve run 2.25 and 2.6 Nobby Nics and an Ardent 2.4 on my Vapour 35’s with no issue, however running a Vapour 50 up front with a 3-3.35 tyre.

I’ll be there, mixed team of 5 vets, my first one for 9/10 years after doing 9 straight. More of a social and revisit to times gone by.

On either be on my dune fatty or SS Karate Monkey and generally chatting all and sundry on my way round.

IMG_0150 by Scott Mansell[/url], on Flickr

IMG_0461 by Scott Mansell[/url], on Flickr

IMG_0549 by Scott Mansell[/url], on Flickr

IMG_0402 by Scott Mansell[/url], on Flickr

Get the route laid by a local, somebody who knows the trails and the best way they run, most courses are just laid out on a computer and tweaked a bit on a recce. Where are you looking at Scott? Happy to help if it’s Milland, part of the world I know inside out.

As above I’ve got two older frames, always used off road as SS but have toured on one too, great frames and good handling too, not completely bombproof as I’ve had one snap a chain stay at the BB end however steel frames make for cheap repairs as well. One of the frames I’d always look at above others as I found they suit what and the way I ride.

We were at Eidjford/Varingfossen hiking this time last week and it’s really snowy still up on the plateau and at a reasonably low altitude too, much lower than last year. The cyclist route up from Eidfjord still looks closed too.

I’m out too so next on the list, 29er ones are what I needed for now, though the 27.5 would be handy but not just yet.

Never got a chance to measure mine on the halo 35 on the rear of the tandem before a flint cut a dirty great big hole in it (fixed now but not refitted yet so back on the 2.4 ardent again). Worked really well on what we had a chance to try them on and the increased volume was noticeable over the 2.4. I’d be very interested in the pair if epicyclo doesnt want them.

Tjagain – can still get to the eccentric bolt as using a direct mount ring on a race face aeffect crank then same setup on the rear but with a 3x spider on the same crank and then narrow wide rings. It’s tight and some foliage gets wedged in the gap but works really well.

Our mtb one in its current guise, ready to be ridden in the Surrey Hills last weekend, Rohloffed with 29plus front with a 2.6 Nobby Nic on the back, our fourth mtb tandem, love it in this setup.

No pictures of our roadie tandem but stock Dawes but with Avid BB7s front and back.

Mines still sat there in the box, crappy winter and trails has meant the 2.4 stayed on for a bit longer than expected, though was thinking this week it’s time to fit as the deeper sandier trails dry out, probably do it this weekend now.

20 years plus on an MTB tandem for me and wife, been through a few, 2 x cannondales, mtbtandems Fandango and now on a SH 29er 18bikes custom frame I bought very cheaply, running the latest as 29plus front and std 29 rear and it really works where we ride.

Would love a Ventana too but cant justify full sus one but the fatty one I’d snap up if I could one at the right price. Take a look at mtbtandems Fandango’s Alex has a new 27.5plus version out, shame the exchange rate is so pants otherwise I’d say one of them is possibly the best production hardtail tandem out there, also the Lapierre is an option or even look at one of the french 29er frames on ebay and do a build yourselves its a lot easier than years gone by as you can run a single sided drive chain with std chainsets and either a 1×10/11 or a Rohloff.

Do as said above test ride one to make sure it works for you and accept that every ride is a challenge you’ll soon learn to look at each trail in a different way, solo line and then tandem line.

Wasnt me with the three dogs Yak, I ended up going for a walk up at Redford instead as we’d rattled ourselves and the tandem around Blade at Afan on saturday.

Didnt realise that they were using that side of the road when theres so much on the other Kingsley side. Still its a good job they never thought Slab as an option as thats horrendous on a bike.

You won’t need a lot of tread over at Bosc even in the rain, it runs pretty rapid in most weathers apart from the fields if they use them. May wander over with dogs later to take a look at its a mile from my house.

And the car park is a huge Tarmac area too so don’t worry about that too.

Watched first two thirds this morning whilst doing other stuff, enjoyed what I saw, it was more non chalk ridge based than I thought it would be.

Think I’m quite lucky as Black Down, Marley Common, Fernhurst, Selbourne and even Kingley Vale are all on mtb routes from my doorstep, Ebernoe aint far either and features on road rides out on to the Weald too.

Depends where the 30 minute detour is from, if its north then the Punchbowl is in great condition too.