riceowls

My wife and I decided to try tandeming and I just got a 2005 Trek T2000 (2005 T 2000 - Bike Archive - Trek Bicycle ). Seems like in good shape, 2nd owner did not put much use on it. Some minor adjustments are needed but overall good shape, excellent fit and looked like great deal. Loved the red color


Now a few questions:
1) Definitely needs new tires, the rubber on the current ones is dry and cracking. The current ones are 28mm ones. I have a pair of gatorskin hardshells that I was saving for my roadie - is this a good choice for tandem. It looks like the frame will accommodate wider size - is it worth to go to 32? (We may hit occasional gravel road patch but mainly be on the paved roads). However, ride comfort takes preference over speed as we are getting used to it. Also - anyone knows what are the widest knobby tires will it accommodate if we decide to take it to longer gravel trail
ride?

2) I am not a big fan of cantilever brakes - are these worth upgrading in the long run? What are the options?

3) I would love to hear from current/prior owners of their experience , things to watch out for regarding thing bike and other upgrade ideas.

WheelsNT

1) You previously said your team weight is 310. Based on that, 28's are fine for you on paved roads. Agressive teams might run less, like 25's, but there are probably more teams on something in the 28 range than any other size. For gravel, if you're riding gently and carefully they're probably fine to get you through a gravel patch, if you want to bomb it you'll want more float.

Another point that you may already have thought of is that tandems need to be quicker on the trigger to change tires than singles. Keeping the bike upright with a flat is a little tougher on a tandem, and the consequences of a fall where the stoker couldn't see it coming can be non-ideal -- might sour the stoker on tandems completely. So... keep good rubber on the bike and don't take chances with it like you might on your single.

2) Cantilevers are fine for normal use provided they are a) properly adjusted and b) matched to levers with the right cable pull. If the pads are old and hard, put new Kool-Stop or Swiss-Stop pads on them... search the forum, many threads on brake pads. We use the Kool-Stop salmon pads, and are happy with them. They are on a different planet from the old, hard pads they replaced.

If you just want to upgrade for the sake of it, you can go to linear-pull brakes (which again must match the cable pull of the levers). They're easier to adjust, but I don't think they actually provide more braking force than properly-adjusted cantilevers. People have strong opinions about brakes, so someone will probably be along soon to disagree, and that's fine. But I think if you swap the pads and adjust them, you'll be fine.

If you are descending mountains, then you are in a different category. You might want to consider a drag brake (usually an Arai drum) in addition to your cantilevers. Looks like your Trek has the "pac-man" hanger on the left chainstay for attaching an Arai drum.

Another thing you may know is that tandems brake differently than singles. Singles acheive maximum (controlled) braking with the front brake only, as the rear tire is just about to leave the ground. Tandems are longer and have more weight (proportionally) on the rear tire, so the rear tire on a tandem never leaves the ground. So maximum braking on a tandem is with both brakes, just short of the point where the tires skid.

3) Nothing to add here, our Trek is a T200, so older than yours and a different bike.

Hope that helps!

reburns

We have exactly the same bike, bought it as a new leftover in 2006, and have put about 15,000 miles on it at home and on overseas trips, packed into a Crateworks box.

We live in a hilly area and so bought it with an Arai drag brake. I had squealing problems with the front brake and ended up with Tektro 926 mini V brakes with Swissstop green pads, plus a brake stiffener arch on the front fork. Braking is excellent with this setup.

We have used 28 mm tires all along, lately Conti GP 4000 S2 which actually measure over 30 mm on the Bontrager rims. The frame can easily take much wider tires, but you might consider wider rims if you go that route, as the Bontrager rims are only 13 mm internal.

The bike is stiff and easy to control, so for comfort we upgraded to a Thudbuster LT seatpost for the stoker and carbon fiber handlebars. We have also converted the timing chain to a belt.

It's a wonderful bike, you should enjoy it.

merzcm

Some of the Trek T2000 and T1000 tandems will accept a rear disc brake. You might check to see if yours has mounts for it on the chainstay.

If not, Trek sells a bolt on adapter that will fit

Trek International Disc Brake Mount - www.trekbicyclesuperstore.com

riceowls

That sounds tempting longer term. It seems the adapter will be needed. I assume I would need a new rear wheel in addition to the disk break components... Any links to the conversion write-up?

merzcm

Check your back wheel to see if the left side is threaded or if it has a 6 bolt disc mount. If you have Bontrager tandem wheels, it is probably threaded.


Precision Tandems has a lot of good information about adding a Disc to your tandem:


PRECISION TANDEMS BICYCLE PARTS CATALOG


If you can take a picture of the rear wheel and left side dropout it would probably be helpful.

nfmisso

++

With same high quality pads, there is no difference in braking performance between properly set up linear pull (aka V-brake) and cantis. One of my commuters has cantis, the other linear pull. Admittedly, linear pull are a lot easier and faster to set up.

A brake stiffener arch is the next thing after pad upgrades.

mtseymour

Although I have disk brakes on several bikes, your most cost-effective upgrades would be V-brakes and brake stiffener. If you want to spend more, you can go faster and in more comfort with upgrades to wheels, saddles, suspension seatpost, etc.

riceowls

Yeah, after pricing the options disk brakes will have to wait for a long time. I've ordered new Koop stop pads and will consider mini v brakes ( brand recommendations/links???) my lbs doesn't have any. And what is brake stiffner?

reburns

This is what I put on our 2005 T2000. It seemed like the steel fork was just flexible enough to make brake shoe adjustment touchy for being quiet. This was part of the solution: Components - da Vinci Designs

mtseymour

A brake stiffener was popular in the early days of mtn biking when using V-brakes. They're rarely used now because disk brakes rendered them obsolete. The boosters use the brake bosses as your mounting point and reduce fork flex for better braking.

Avid SD-2 and SD7 V-brakes are good and easy to find. I prefer the Shimano XT & XTR V-brakes because they use a parallel linkage to move the pads in a straight line (rather than in an arc) for better braking and setup. Shimano has discontinued these models but they can still be found on eBay.

V-brakes need more cable pull (than cantilevers) and may be incompatible with your road levers. The "Travel Agent" adaptor from ProblemSolver is an easy fix.

riceowls

Got a pair of stiffeners from eBay for less than $3 each. Will give theses a try. Perhaps $28 davinci one is better but can't justify paying this much for a piece of aluminum with holes.

Had our first 20 mile ride on t2000 today. We both liked it a lot. Would be even better after tune up and adjustments.

mtseymour

Glad that it worked out. Have fun!

OneIsAllYouNeed

Cheap and very effective mini-V brakes are:
Tektro 926 (super cheap, but effective)
Tektro RX6 (slightly more tire/fender clearance than the 926)

Both work with well road brake levers -- no adapters required. I'd upgrade the pads to Koolstop, though.

riceowls

thanks for the info. I got a pair of 926 brakes and the stiffeners, will install soon (seems need to get more cable housing to work). I have another question. It seem that the bike is equipped with 46" handlebar. My road bike has 42", my cross has 44". Based on the should width measurements my fit is more like 41" - I am narrow-shouldered. Should I replace the handle bar with a narrower one -- or is wider better for tandem control. I did notice some neck/upper back pain on the days after the rides - not sure if that is coincidental.

WPH

Well we have gone with Tektro RL520 levers and Shimano XT v-brakes with Swisstop pads for very very good rim brake performance. As Nigel says, above, the performance is not markedly better than cantilevers but setup is a doddle by comparison.

The RL520s have a nice little QR button so you can run your pads close if you want but still get the wheel out if a big tire is mounted.

Then: bar-end shifters - cheapish 2nd hand in 8, 9, 10 or 11sp on craigslist or fleabay.

We have recently switched from 28c rubber to 32c Clement Stradas. Really nice for comfort and grip. I will try 35c tires next time. Big changes in the last 2-3 years in the world of tires: big volume, light weight, folding, high performance products have flooded the marketplace at reasonable prices.

WPH

We have 44s on the front for me (same as my road bikes) and the 46s on the back with stoker pegs. The 46s are wide enough to clear my hips. Stokers have not complained.

Some older handlebars have quite deep drops, I like the newer Ritchey bars because they are a shallower (and my back is not any younger!).

I think as you ride more on the tandem the handling seems more and more like a single bike - maybe a tourer not a race bike. So the wider bars are less important and comfort becomes more important. YMMV.

WPH

We have 44s on the front for me (same as my road bikes) and the 46s on the back with stoker pegs. The 46s are wide enough to clear my hips. Stokers have not complained.

Some older handlebars have quite deep drops, I like the newer Ritchey bars because they are a shallower (and my back is not any younger!).

I think as you ride more on the tandem the handling seems more and more like a single bike - maybe a tourer not a race bike. So the wider bars are less important and comfort becomes more important. YMMV.

OneIsAllYouNeed

I ride with 42cm handlebars on all my road bikes - including the tandem. If you spend a lot of time on a bike, the fit matters. Check your handlebar reach and saddle-to-bar-drop, as well.

I dealt with some neck pain while cycling a few years ago. I used 40cm bars at the time, but my fitter recommended 42cm bars. I started chiropractic, too. It turns out the real crux of the problem was that I'd just gotten a new smart phone. I spent way too much time holding the smartphone with two hands and staring down at it. The real fixes: YWTL exercises; consciously holding my phone up while using it.

riceowls

Enjoying our tandem thus far. Finally replaced the brakes with mini-v with stiffeners. I love the braking power and the sound (more like the lack of annoying squeak from the cantilevers) . However, I have to disconnect the cable to get the rear wheel off - very annoying. Any work-around?

We also had one of the spoke failing on us. Had to go to 3 LBS before I found someone who was able to find us something that worked. Anyone has an idea of what is the exact spokes on Bontrager Race Lite Tandem wheelset and where to buy these online to have a spare stock.

Alcanbrad

I am not familiar with these brakes but I have seen this brake configuration with the curved cable guide pipe that fits into the cantilever arm. For a quick release you would squeeze the pads together with one hand which loosens the cable and you pull the curved cable guide pipe out of it's seat in the brake arm.

If this feature is not on these brakes, another option is to let the air out of the tire to so it can be removed. Still a PITA but you would not have to futz with adjusting the brake each time you remove the wheel.

reburns

The issue with mini-Vs is that there is less movement available where the cable connects due to the shorter arms. It is helpful to use an adjustable noodle so that it is easy to back off the cable tension for disconnecting the cable from the brake. Like this: https://www.universalcycles.com/shop...iABEgK5FfD_BwE

You might try Mel at Tandems East for help with those wheels, he used to sell them.

riceowls

Adjustable noodle is a good idea -just ordered one - so is deflating the wheel for removal. Emailed tandemeast for spokes! Thanks!