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05-02-09, 12:04 AM
After another pair of test rides (da Vinci Joint Venture and Santana Sovereign) my wife an I decided on the da Vinci. We had also ridden a Co-Motion, but without the ability to test ride one outfitted with a CF fork the ride up front was deemed too rough. In the end both the Santana and the da Vinci handled well (DV a bit quicker) and peddling was a bit smoother on the Santana, but we attributed this to my stoker not being clipped in and not having a very smooth pedal stroke. The DV drive train accentuates this lack of smoothness by allowing the stoker to progressively get more out of phase.
The DV drive train is certainly unique, but we felt advantageous for our lack of tandem experience. yes, we won't get the ultimate tandem bonding experience, but I believe it's right for us.
It will take a while to be able to feel which of the four chainrings we're in and which of the nine cogs, but that will come after a few hundred miles. We're pretty exciting to be taking a long ride on our new ride next weekend; picking up the bike on Tuesday. We've done our part for the economic recovery.
I do have one question regarding gearing. The daVinci with four chainrings (60/48/36/24 - effective) and a 9 spd 11-32 Cassette has much lower gearing than what I would normally use on a 1/2 bike. My wife and I are very used to the 12/27 10 spd cassette on our road bikes, and I've got mixed feelings about setting up the tandem with similar spacing. Wife and I just returned to cycling in our 60's after 20 years and I'm the far stronger rider for the moment in hills, but even a 12-27 would give use 23 gear-inch or so. Normal hills are in the 4-8% range with stretches in the 12-15% range. I take it the compelling reason for sticking with the lower gearing is the inefficiency of our climbing while we're learning to ride together. Any and all input would be greatly appreciated.
The DV drive train is certainly unique, but we felt advantageous for our lack of tandem experience. yes, we won't get the ultimate tandem bonding experience, but I believe it's right for us.
It will take a while to be able to feel which of the four chainrings we're in and which of the nine cogs, but that will come after a few hundred miles. We're pretty exciting to be taking a long ride on our new ride next weekend; picking up the bike on Tuesday. We've done our part for the economic recovery.
I do have one question regarding gearing. The daVinci with four chainrings (60/48/36/24 - effective) and a 9 spd 11-32 Cassette has much lower gearing than what I would normally use on a 1/2 bike. My wife and I are very used to the 12/27 10 spd cassette on our road bikes, and I've got mixed feelings about setting up the tandem with similar spacing. Wife and I just returned to cycling in our 60's after 20 years and I'm the far stronger rider for the moment in hills, but even a 12-27 would give use 23 gear-inch or so. Normal hills are in the 4-8% range with stretches in the 12-15% range. I take it the compelling reason for sticking with the lower gearing is the inefficiency of our climbing while we're learning to ride together. Any and all input would be greatly appreciated.