Tandems of the forum

This is significantly less fancy than the above Cannondale, but just as red. So it's got that going for it. Anyone want to take it off my hands?

https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/317730/

Wheels are Synergy hubs with Velocity 48 hole Chukker rims
Hope external Bottom Brackets, Hope headset and seat clamps.

Could be rad, shame it's unsuitable for me and the boss at the moment. Glws

As the weather has now improved, took the Cannondale tandem on a 20 miler to dial it in and try all the new stuff out.
From the first pedal revolution, the bike felt really nice and responsive, went a bit tentatively on the brakes to slowly bed them in.
The gates belt is a really nice bit of kit…..silent in operation and no noticeable take up.
The biggy for me is the Etap…..once you've tried Etap….theres no going back !! its sets the ride up to a new dimension……..effortless. I remember in the 70's & 80's using the down tube shifters, hairing round bends and having to take your hand off the bars to change gear, then came the bar con shifters, I never really felt comfy with these and as soon as I could afford them, went to STI levers. Etap, well it is effortless, silky smooth changes on both back and front, no clunking or delays in the shifting and is a joy to use.
By the end of the ride the TRP Spyres were performing really nice with a positive feel to them. Looking forward to getting out and putting more miles in.
One thing I wouldn’t mind looking at, is a computer that links with Etap, really so I know which gear I’m in, anyone have experience with one ?

Unrelated to your Etap query, but can vouch for usefulness of a gear display on cockpit. I had a Shimano Flight Deck on my previous tandem, so good.

Waaaaaaaiiiiiiiit is that why my 'flight deck' labeled sti's had the funny knobbly bump at thumb position on the hood?? Damn I knew I was missing out ...!

One thing I wouldn’t mind looking at, is a computer that links with Etap, really so I know which gear I’m in

That's what your legs are for

Somewhere between Taunton and Bishopsteignton, last weekend.

Should have picked flatter countryside.

This thread always makes me smile when I get a notification

I'm considering building up a tandem this summer. Other than the obvious (long chain, cables etc) what tandem standards are going to cause me issues?

Can I use a standard crankset on the front then the stoker has tandem specific cranks or is the eccentric bb usually wider?

Can I use a standard crankset on the front then the stoker has tandem specific cranks or is the eccentric bb usually wider?

The eccentric will be a normal 68mm wide on nearly every tandem ever built. Cranks will depend on what drive you use, crossover needs 3 tandem cranks and only the stoker's drive side is common with a solo, straight through can use 4 solo cranks among other benefits, but one of the drive side chainrings is used for the timing chain so you lose the use of that one as a final drive ring, unless you use John Allen's hack with the timing chain outside the final drive rings.

The tandem non-standards which can bite you are rear hubs, where there is no general agreement on OLN dimension, and headsets where you might come across a 1¼" threaded headset depending on the vintage of the frame you find.

Usually for the front you have a crank with no ring on the right and a ring on the left. So you can't use a regular crankset, unless you use double sided pedals and are okay with them wanting to unscrew themselves.

Have a Google for stronglight impact tandem crankset. That's what we have and they do the job for not too much £££

thank you both, very helpful

This is one of a handful of tandems at the bike shop waiting for renovation/rescue. Half tempted to build it and try convince them to let me store it there to use as/when. Could be a beauty when built. Probably not.

4 Attachments

Very old and very cheap

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Tandem-Bike-Vintage-Reynolds-531-Frame/253608553534?hash=item3b0c3f6c3e:g:racAAOSwFq1a8InQ

£500 Ono BIN. Seems like a bargain.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F163065853126

1 Attachment

I put an offer on that last night.

Good luck. It's a beauty, a bit too big for my Mrs otherwise I'd have done the same.

Does anyone know anything about Burley as a tandem manufacturer? I'm looking at a "Duet" model with Suntour XCE drivetrain, a drum brake and possibly 27'' wheels (not sure, could be 700c). It looks well taken care of, and the price seems fair.
Should I avoid it like the plague, or could it be a good buy?

1 Attachment

It was a cheeky offer so I’m not holding my breath. I’m still trying to sell my Pashley tandem so I won’t be too popular for bringing another one home...

This reminds me of the sensation I feel riding our 1990 Dawes fully loaded...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N39uwTykTQk

Ridiculously awesome..

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/113056365842

Bought this one last sunday for ~£500:

It's a 1994 Trek T100 Double Track, and it's in near perfect condition. The previous owner was a lovely elderly lady, who had been riding it with her husband all over Europe (Mont Ventoux and several other cols). It's been stored indoors for the past ten years, so it's a little dusty, but theres no visible rust and almost no damages to the paint.

The Cambium and the tires are my additions to make it rideable, but other than that everything works flawlessly. I do have a few upgrades planned for it, and they should be on their way in the mail.

My gf and I took it for a spin yesterday, and its great fun, but we really need to practise starting and stopping - tips and tricks are welcome! It's easy to handle once moving, but a little scary in the trafic with the large turning radius and extra length.

Edit: Attached the image instead. Does linking to Google Photos not work?

1 Attachment

Fat Chance tandem for sale over on Retrobike (not mine).
http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=156806

1 Attachment

Who here has a 'rough stuff' tandem, how easy is it to ride off tarmac? Not necessarily proper mtb terrain but gravel.