We're engaged; let's get a tandem

The advantage of having a drag brake is to use it as a parking brake. It's surprisingly useful on a tandem, I almost miss having it on my solos as well.

I have one of these and it works exceptionally well. Generally quite readily available on the German evilbayz (apparently an obsession with retro mtbs...) http://ebay.de/itm/Shimano-Deore-II-U-Brake-SLR-komplett-mit-allen-Anbauteilen-incl-Anleitung-/321864223731?nav=SEARCH

I don't think your height difference would be as problematic as it first sounds. I'm 6'3" with comedy long legs. My stoker is 5'7" with normal legs.

Although I hunted around a bit for a big tandem (this is 60cm ctc on the front, 58cm ctc on the back), I reckon we would have been fine on a smaller frame. We just would have needed longer seatposts and stems.

There are quite a lot of frames with big disparities between pilot and stoker out there though. This one fell into forum hands recently with @ObiWomKenobi. CP thread here.

And this one went for well cheap on Ebay to @Constable_Savage (I almost bid for it myself)

I'm ignorant here. Why is a parking brake useful with a tandem? Do you mean that I'll be able to stand the thing up on its own? That would be cool. Could be a great way to reserve a good spot by the side of a bike race...

Sadly I saw @Snicks post too late. That would possibly have been a better bet than the one I've just ordered. I wanted to get one where the cradles for the straddle wire were quite a long way apart, to help with spacing on either side of the seat-tube.

Have you read through the various tandem bits and bobs on Sheldon Brown? The third brake can be the responsibility of the stoker so negating the need for an elaborate rear brake lever.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tandem/index.html

I did see Apollo's. A tasty beast indeed. I am long legged and she, short. I'm sure we'd find something. The Orbit looks very doable.

Basically, I haven't devoted enough time to it as it really is a bit of a dream and probably one for a little further down the line.

Friday evening update. Saw a bloke in Clapham today with one of these pet carriers.

Came home and mentioned it to my other half. Cat obviously overheard us talking, but cat knows that, with tandems being all about mad aero gainz (see above), his chances of ever getting a ride are slim. Cat has therefore attempted to perfect his aero TT position, in a futile effort to convince me to make this tandem a triplet.

Nice thread! And nice tandem!
Good meeting you briefly the other day...
Seeing your project now I doubt the white bars would work, maybe not "classic" enough and maybe too narrow/compact, but I could be wrong... Either way, keep the photos coming and good luck with everything!

I'm ignorant here. Why is a parking brake useful with a tandem? Do you mean that I'll be able to stand the thing up on its own? That would be cool. Could be a great way to reserve a good spot by the side of a bike race...

No. Well, yes if you fit a kick-stand. But really it just stops the bike rolling away when you lean it up, which tandems do more readily because they're heavier and you need a long, straight thing to lean them against, which tends to encourage them to roll.

It also means you can let go of everything when you stop at the side of the road to read the map, which is surprisingly handy. It frees up both hands and it's surprisingly tiring and awkward trying to keep a 30kg bike still between your knees.

Just like a handbrake on a car really.

I use ours all the time.

Good to meet you too. And thanks very much for the bars.

But...I think you're right: I'm not sure your bars will work as well as I first thought. Frankly, I think we're unlikely ever to ride in the drops, even on the light touring we plan. I have also been taking inspiration from @luckyskull's Mercian tandem.

So I'm looking at possible tourist-style, or porteur-style bars. Currently leaning towards these.

Or maybe something with a rise.

Can't make up my mind. Think I might need to build the bike back up and sit on it to get an idea of the riding positions.

Er. WTF?

My U brake arrived. But it is rendered utterly useless by the seat-tube, which prevents the arms from being pulled together. It's not even close to fitting.

So what the hell model of brake am I supposed to be installing down there?

Needs to be:

• Centrepull
  
• Boss-fitting
  
• Boss bolts 75mm apart
  
  

This diagram below seems to suggest that such a brake exists (Edit: and so does this thread on bikeforums). I have a nasty feeling that is may be exceptionally rare.

My bad, they weren't boss fitting.

Could a set of centre mount centre pulls be taken of their backing and put onto bosses?

A Weinmann Vainqeur could work? I have one somewhere, I'll measure the separation.

Yup, what @Hefty said. It's also nice how locking the rear wheel stops the front one from turning sideways, which is great when just leaning the rear of the bike onto something. It probably doesn't sound like much now, but you'll see what we mean when you start using it.

I thought a Weinmann centre pull might work. But I'm almost certain they didn't make one for boss mounts (they only made them for the conventional brake bridge/fork crown fitting).

I then wondered whether I could deconstruct the Weinmann centre pull I had in my parts box, get some longer pivot bolts and attach it to the bosses. But it turns out that won't work either, because the brake needs the back plate, which won't stretch, obvs.

If your Weinmann brake has a 75mm space between the nuts the deconstruction method might work, but mine was 65mm.

I definitely think Mafac as it's a French bike.
This looks like it is mounted on frame bosses.
Also a quick google found stuff relating to these DIA-COMPE DC 750 and GC 610 which have a fitting kit to be used as centre-pull on bosses.

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I believe Weinmann did make a boss mount version but they are very rare.I saw some on eBay from a seller in Israel a while back. If you Google rene herse bikes there are some showing Weinmann as well as mafacs.
Also here
http://www.pianosromantiques.com/images/DSCN0071.JPG

I think I might have solved this, thanks to the post above by @Constable_Savage.

Here's a picture of both sets of rear brake braze-ons. Note that the offending set, in the background, do NOT have those little holes (technical term) for the brake springs to sit in. Instead, they have a little flattened side (another technical term) on the inside of each braze on. I hadn't previously noticed this.

I think these braze ons are therefore designed to take one of these 'centre-pull to braze-on assembly kits'. Available here.

According to the listing (and my own eyes), by using this little kit, I should be able to remove the back plate from my handy parts-box Weinmann centre-pull and install the brake straight onto the frame, without the need to find/buy a centre-pull brake with 75mm spacing between the pivot bolts.

If that all goes to plan, my only problem will be finding a straddle cable long enough to stretch around the seat-post. Alternatively, I may just have to buy one of those Weinmann centre-pulls designed so that you don't need a straddle cable with barrel nipples at either end.

Sounds like a plan.

This might be long enough?

^ Oh, very good.

No progress over the past two weeks, due to every waking hour being taken up with refitting a kitchen and redecorating a flat.

If anyone is looking for a tandem project, this Dawes Horizon is £125 buy-it-now on Ebay. Basically just needs wheels and saddles, but you'd have to pick it up from Devon.

^ If anyone buys that, can I please have the front pedals? I need another set of PD-A520s for my build...

That is tempting. Especially as my family are all in Devon. It's a bit small up front perhaps, but it could be doable.

Buy it. Buy it. Buy it. Buy it.

No tandem is the perfect size. And anyway, that's what seatposts and stems are for.