Avid Mechanical Disc

[ottodog]

Hello All,

Just getting ready to order our first tandem, a Co-Motion Speedster, and was curious if the optional Avid Mechanical Rear Disc is worth the $165. If you don't add it, you receive Avid Single Digit 7's F & R. Being our first tandem, and never having ridden a disc equipped bike, I'm not sure what to do on this. Total team weight is about 300 lbs. We live in Colorado, so mountain riding might be a possibility.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

[bentbaggerlen]

How do you plan on using the tandem? If your just going to use the bike for day rides the disk brake may be fine. But if your going to tour on the bike you would do better with a drum brake on the rear.

Disk brakes work well to stop a bike, but if used to control the bikes speed on long downhills they over heat and fail quickly. Using rim brakes to control your speed down hills will cause the rims to over heat, leading to tire failure. You could try "pumping" with rim brakes to control your speed, but it takes longer to dissipate the heat built up in the rims then it dose to heat them. So, each time you apply the brakes the rims heat up a little more. Trust me having a tire fail at 30 mph is sure to make an impression on your stoker.

The drum brake can better stand up to the heat when using the brake to control your speed. 50 mph comes up real fast on a tandem. Yea, it's not high tech, its not light weight at three pounds, but it works.

[TandemGeek]

Hello All,

Just getting ready to order our first tandem, a Co-Motion Speedster, and was curious if the optional Avid Mechanical Rear Disc is worth the $165. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

I would invite you to visit the following Web page where you'll find an Email address for Bryan Boldt, one of the movers and shakers with the Colorado Tandem Club. Bryan is intimately familiar with the use of the Avid rear disc brake, cycling in Colorado, and cycling in general and would probably be able to offer you the best and more applicable council: http://www.coloradotandemclub.org/modules.php?name=Members_List