Tandem Cycling - Mountain tandem with child stoker?

My eight year old and I enjoy mountian biking together however we obviously do not ride at the same speed. I am considering purchasing a Trek T900 and upgrading some components for mountain biking use. I know stoker comfort is paramount and would like to add a Cane Creek Thudbuster stoker post however I may need to add a rigid post lowered all the way down so that my son can reach the peddles. Does anyone have experience with a mountain tandem with a child stoker? Especially with a rigid stoker post. Thanks.

Not sure if you knew about MTBR.com. That site is based towards off road cycling. They do have a Tandem section, and there are several posts about teams with younger stokers.

This site does have some off road content, but seems to be more aligned with on road cycling.

In regards to the Thudbuster, for your smaller stoker, you might consider contacting the folks at Thudbuster for their opinion on elastomer ratings. Another option might be the Thudbuster short travel. This will set the saddle height lower, if needed you might be able to drill a hole in the elastomeric foam to soften it for the lighter rider.

Just some ideas.

PK

Don't know if this applies to your situation, but we have a KHS Tandemania Comp (26", enduro style frame) bought new at a bike shop several years ago. Got a child stoker kit from Chuck's bikes (don't recall the web address) for about 80 bux that seems to work pretty well. Had to scrounge a few parts to make it work (chainring spacers, seat tube shim) but we've been happy with it, especially considering what we paid. Better yet, it allows us to use the suspension post while still enabling my 5 year old to reach the pedals. I also had to fabricate a stoker stem extension but you could easily have a machine shop make you one up....

Works really well off road, too!

Just some quick info: Chuck's bikes no longer has the child stoker kits available. I got my child stoker kit from Precision Tandems. A lot more money, but a good quality product that should last through all three of my boys (if you're going the child stoker kit avenue).

I ride with an 8-year-old stoker. We ride Raleigh Coupe road tandem that I modified with a custom stoker seat post (to allow it to sit extra low with the clamp at between the seat rails) and bolt on crank shorteners. Crank shorteners may be a great solution for you which is a simple adjustable mod that accomodates shorter legs in the back (smaller pedal circle and effectively raises bottom of crank circle for short legs). We had no room for a shock seat post so I put on a thick gel pad. This has been fine for us on road riding, but not sure how well it will be for mountain... Good luck!

My eight year old and I enjoy mountian biking together however we obviously do not ride at the same speed. I am considering purchasing a Trek T900 and upgrading some components for mountain biking use. I know stoker comfort is paramount and would like to add a Cane Creek Thudbuster stoker post however I may need to add a rigid post lowered all the way down so that my son can reach the peddles. Does anyone have experience with a mountain tandem with a child stoker? Especially with a rigid stoker post. Thanks.

I just bought a Cannondale Street tandem to ride with my 7 year old son and we have a similar problem. Apart from getting a bouncier seat I was thinking about trying some Schwalbe Big Apple tires (http://www.schwalbetires.com/big_apple). They will probably work for us as we ride mostly trails and on the street. However, the tread pattern is probably not so great for more adventurous off-road riding.

Dave

Take a kid mtn biking day^
It's an '06 Cannondale MTN Lg/md tandem with a chuck's bike's child stoker kit, toe clips, an old seat post with roadie bar set-up so he can reach the handlebars. It came with a rear suspension seat post, I don't imagine he'd enjoy rigid at all as he already gives me the up and down when it gets too bumpy. He's now 5 and has over 3300 miles on this bike.

I didn't see a stoker kit on chuck's bikes but I did see the Tsunami bottom bracket thingy on there- that's the part you really need. I had to change out the 135mm cranks to 115mm anyway, though you might not have that issue with a taller kid, and buy a different chainring to match the 4bolt pattern on the Cannondale.

We've been everywhere from the road to Monarch Crest, Winter Park, Moab, Council Bluff (mo), and even the tighter trails of Farmdale Resevoir in Peoria IL, etc, etc.
The only things we really have to watch out for are boom tube clearance and tight turns-especially with trees. The fun part is getting the thing up loose hills with almost no weight on the rear wheel, same for braking on loose downhills. Your peddling style will change as you figure it out.
He won't work as hard as on a single bike so will need more layers than you-mine needs a jacket below 80 degrees.


He LOVES it!
Post #167 on the tandem couples thread for a few more pics.