Originally Posted by
Onegun
Did you note to your wheel builder that they were for a Santana tandem and have 160mm spacing, not the standard 145?
Yep. I got it from House of Tandems, and let them know it was for a Santana with a rear disc brake.
Originally Posted by
Onegun
I believe the new Ultegra brifters referred to only come in 10 speed, so .... more money to change some amount of cassette, chainrings, and chain, depending upon what you're currently running.
Ah, good to know. I ran into this same issue when i switched my cyclocross bike from 9 speed to 10 speed; i thought it wasn't going to require many new parts, and it required a bunch, and more money than i originally anticipated. i think i'll hold off on switching the drivetrain to 10 speed...
but i think i may buy an XTR cassette for the new spinergy wheels, to at least save some grams over the current XT cassette on the current (heavy) wheels.
Originally Posted by
Onegun
If a caliper will work, DO NOT buy a high end caliper. Those are racing brakes designed to be as light as possible while still stopping a SINGLE bike. We got a tip about this from a fully-loaded tandem touring cyclist who had the same issues as we had. He recommended the "below the grouppos", unnamed Shimano calipers like
these since they were heavier and stronger. We also like the price!
We would like to get the bike as light as we can (while still remaining safe). We are a 295 pound team, and I don't anticipate we will be doing any touring on this bike anytime soon. I wouldn't mind doing some racing at some point, though.
Thansk for the advice on the brake pads; I'll make sure to get those replaced; I'm having the bike tuned up at my local bike mechanic, so I'll be sure to tell him to upgrade the pads.
Thanks for all your other tips.