Tandem Cycling - ? for two guys on steep roads

At 370lbs, that's combined :), what would be a good tandem? We are performance minded.
Considering the Cannondale RT2 as it should be stiff and could be upgraded.
The low gears of the Da Vincis are also interesting. Grades on the closest road are 14-19%.

Suggestions?

Team of 400lbs all up weight and a Cannondale MT2000. We use it offroad but 9 speed gearing will allow a 12/32 rear cassette. We have tried a 34t but we kept bending it. LX12/32 cassette is strong. We use 48/36/24 chainrings and Have no problems on 15% hills offroad. However on the road you might want Bigger chainrings.

That MT2000 is indestructable

Consider a large-tube, aluminum custom dimension tandem, perhaps something from Bushnell or Co-Motion.

Reasons: 1) mean height for an American male is 5'11" (and your weights put you somewhere around six feet), and for an American female it is 5'4". Guessing that your single bike horizontal seatpost to handlebar measurement is 27", and that you will want 8" of stoker stem, you will desire a rear top tube (and therefore the same bottom bracket shell ctc spacing) of 35". This cannot be had on a production tandem because they are built to fit smaller females. 2) The larger diameter aluminum tubes are much stiffer, which in the case of two large, powerful riders, is a good thing.

More discussion of this can be found in a number of threads. Look, for example, at "Cowhorn Bars & Stoker Fitting--Some Thoughts," a thread that currently can be found near the bottom of the first page.

A while back, the custom dimension surcharge for a Co-Motion was $350, and for Bushnell, it was N/C.

Stapfam's gearing advice is good. For ten percent grades in Colorado at altitude, I use 24(chainring) X 27(cog). I find that both the RX100 and Ultegra FD's will shift across 50-36-24 and 12-27. There might be a FD that will do better.

Both C'dale and daVinci would make good road/offroaders. DaV use of cogs instead of chainrings will give more clearance for rough stuff and loads of low gears.
Ventana is a real off road machine as is the Ellsworth.

Maybe I should be 6 feet tall. However, I am 5'7" on a good day. It is all muscle, of course.
The other guy is 6
feet tall.
Will look over rear top tube lengths before ordering. Do not expect to use it enough to get a custom.

At 370lbs, that's combined :), what would be a good tandem? We are performance minded.


I would highly recommend a CoMotion Robusta. Our team weight is 340 lbs and the Robusta has proved sufficiently stiff.

It's definitely performance oriented, and gives the feel of of a racing single.

We bought ours specifically for Everest Challenge (where the bike performed better than we did.) and have also taken it up climbs like Brasstown Bald.

Not to offend Da Vinci owners(and admitting my own lack of experience with DaVinci's) if the primary focus is performance, I would not think Da Vinci as my first choice.

Thanks