Hmmm... don't quite know what happened here. But she's almost home. LBS called this afternoon to say our new Raleigh Coupe is in final vehicle assembly and will be ready for her maiden voyage tomorrow. I am having the standard flat bars replaced with some 35mm rise, 6* sweepback bars. Went by the shop to look at her this evening even though the work wouldn't be finished. What a beauty. Now the questions. First, as some of you may know the Coupe comes with Avid BB7 6" discs F/R. From reading other threads this bothers some of you. I wonder why a major manufacturer with no gun to its head would introduce a new technology at the lower mid-level pricepoint when it really takes top of the line equipment to do the job? The LBS says the brakes cannot be changed or upgraded. Not even the 8" discs are an option for us it would appear. Our previous tandem had v-brakes which I had no issue with until our trip through Staten Island. Victory boulevard completely overwhelmed the brakes and the urban situation made a runnout inadvisable. I am new to tandem physics but I read a great deal. I know what drag brakes are but I thought they were a loaded touring necessity. Maybe not?? So, what can we expect from the 6" Avids? Will they be up to long descents on an unloaded (320lb team) road tandem? A drag brake is out of the question here but there are standard v-brake bosses in place. Should we get a second set of conventional brakes? Any thoughts?
H