Ritterview

That is a legitimate way to weigh a bike, the peripheral stuff doesn't count. At least that is how it goes at Weight Weenies. At WW the rules are you can use only one water bottle cage, so a tandem could get by with two.

That is a dang good weight! No disk saves roughly a pound.

DubT

I do intend to replace the heavy 8 speed sync chain with the CDX drive when it becomes available, on our bike that should reduce the weight by about .5 pounds.

waynesulak

Bebop pedals are great. They function like speedplays, are very light weight, tolerate sand/gravel much better, and are more durable than the plastic speedplays.

I am happy they are now available from Universal.

https://www.universalcycles.com/search.php?q=Bebop

jimmuller 

Interesting replies here. When I rebuilt our '82 Peugeot I tried to be a weight weenie and it came in at 40lbs, with rear rack and with pedals. Since then I've added a handlebar bag, a front rack, and panniers on the rear. Will have to weigh again.

Some people like to weigh their bikes without pedals. Next time I have to ride up a steep hill I intend to leave the pedals at home to make it lighter for the climb.

DubT

I bought mine from Cambria bike for a little over $90 and then ordered titanium spindles off of eBay for a little over $50. An individual pedal weighs 75 grams.

outthedoor

Jim,

I know you're only kidding but it is really hard to ride a bike without pedals, ask me how I know. I was taking the car into the shop and brought my bike to get home. I had forgotten that I had removed the pedals on the bike for whatever reason. The worst thing was not that I couldn't pedal but that I couldn't get up on the seat without getting started next to a curb so I could coast the downhill sections.

DubT

I believe that almost all new medium to high end bikes are sold without pedals and the published weights (when published) reflect that weight. This is probably where the trend started. If you will note our weight does include pedals, all four of them and four bottle cages. If I removed the pedals and cages it would be nearly one pound lighter.

The ready to ride weight without water bottles is still a lightweight 28.7 pounds. I would not go back to a 40+ pound tandem!

austke

G'day All,
This is our Meile Lupa Triple Tandem,
Trying to get accurate weight, but it is roughly 50kg/110Pound. Reason I say that is that my scales only go to 45kg, and it is almost taking all its weight at that point, but I added another 5kg (50kg) to be conservative. certainly no WW, even by Triple standards. But we have a ball on it.

Ritterview

On the Calfee Facebook page. Very nice, and it appears quite honest. No unrealistic weight weenie items that would need to be switched out for real riding, save, perhaps for that stoker's saddle.

Calfee Dragonfly Tandem 24.12 Pounds Featuring BB30 Cdale Cranks


BB30 cranks. What BB30 eccentric is available? Bare carbon, should order this right away!


Specialized Toupe saddle. Not as uncomfortable as it low weight would suggest. How many mm is that stoker's stem? Looks like a Profile Design Cobra Wing bar.


The stoker gets a Specialized Toupe as well. Hmmmm....


Enve rims. 65 mm clinchers? Or SES 6.7? I think that's an Enve 2.0 fork.


Cannondale Hollowgram BB30 crank in double (no triple spider for Hollowgram cranks). The owner is a Floridian, I think.


eebrake, 95 grams.


Presumably with pedals.

PMK

Nice machine. If it is headed to Florida, it will be in good company as there are quite a few very nice tandems that live here.

PK

photogravity

According to Bicycle Quarterly my Bilenky 650B Constructeur is 46 lbs. We don't race and are more concerned with stability and all-day comfort in the saddle.


Bilenky Brunswick to Dargan C&O Towpath Run - 7 by Sallad Rialb, on Flickr

ksisler

Late 1980's Santana, XL/L, upright bars, 48-spoke wheels, 26x1 3/4 Marathon Plus tires, Arai drum, with dual racks, PB fenders, primary and backup lighting, panniers front and rear, two bells, tool kit, pump plus mini-pump w/cartridges, 6 water bottles, safety flag, and an old burley trailer most days. Probably near 50 pounds all told but it feels responsive and light and no problem to whip up on top of the mini-van (sans trailer of course). If stoker is motivate, it pulls about like a single touring bike. If there is a headwind, then it is better than singles.

mrfish

Now that Bilenky just screams class. mmmm

Homeyba

Is there such a thing as an unstable tandem (assuming its from a reputable builder)? Even the racing ones have really long wheel bases. You of course know that you can have all day comfort in the saddle on a "racing" gometry tandem too. That is a very pretty bike you have there.

Ritterview

In a discussion of weight, it is a non-sequitur to discuss stability, unless you think that weight affects stability. A heavier tandem is less stable at low speeds, because if it begins to fall over it is that much more to pull back up. Are you advancing a theory of road-hugging weight, ala the 1974 Ford Pinto?

Likewise comfort neither equates, nor even correlates, with weight. Lugging the mass and inertia of a heavy tandem is not considered particularly comfortable. Comfort does relate to frame material, and though heavier steel is more comfortable than lighter aluminum, the most comfortable material, carbon, is also the lightest. Certainly wider (and thus heavier) tires contribute to comfort, as does saddle weight up to, say, 250 grams. But other than these, I don't see where all day comfort has much to do with weight either. Moreover, if all-day comfort is the factor, fatigue is a consideration. Overcoming gravity, inertia, and rolling resistance is fatiguing, and fatigue is comfort's enemy surely as much as road buzz.

So, to say that you are more concerned with stability and comfort than weight is akin to saying you are more concerned that your bike be maroon in color. That's fine you like maroon, but it has nothing to do with its weight.

waynesulak

I would say that photogravity is just not that concerned about weight. I can respect that. He is concerned about comfort and that is somewhat subjective and a question of degree.

I have studied the specs on that bike because I read Bicycle Quarterly and have a 650B tandem. let me say that if he were concerned about weight there is a lot of very low hanging fruit on that bike and it could easily be much lighter. The fact that he (unlike me) has not fallen prey to the search for fewer grams/pounds is refreshing. Not like me but still refreshing.

jimmuller 

I've seen pg's bike and ridden with them. It's a lovely bike and quite functional. I think his comments are meant more as a reason for them to like that bike than a technical treatise on stability. It's all about priorities. Comfort is important to them. This bike meets that criterion. Weight isn't important enough to make them want to replace it.

As for low-hanging fruit, perhaps. Six bottle cages are probably more than sufficient. The fenders are nice only when it's raining. The racks and saddlebag are useful only when they need to carry something. Weight is saved not in big chunks but in many small ones. It could be argued the lights aren't needed except for night riding. On the other hand, it has rained 50% of the time we've ridden with them. We always have panniers and like to carry a nice picnic, and in this kind of weather extra clothes. We run our lights during the day when the weather is overcast, and pg's make their bike equally visible. Around here (and I don't know about his neighborhood) one can easily find water almost every 10 miles or so. So how much weight could/should they save? If they ain't racin' and they like it, then great!

DubT

As they say different strokes for different folks. I absolutely would not want PG's or ksisler's bikes. Our lightweight (approx 26.5 pounds with the new center track belt drive) is stable, comfortable and FUN to ride. A long ride for us is 50-55 miles and our idea of a fun ride is to ride as the spirit moves us. We will ride along at an easy pace and then will will hammer as hard as we can go at times and enjoy both. Our lightweight carbon bike allows us to climb faster, accelerate quicker and enjoy the ride much more than we did on our heavy steel bike. So for us, we will ride a bike that is as light as I can afford. Stoker agrees! LOL

photogravity

Perhaps you are correct about weight being a non sequitur and I am not espousing a road hugging weight mentality.

We have three tandems in the collection that have been ridden extensively: a 1984 Davidson, a 2003 Burley Rivazza and the 2010 Bilenky 650B Constructeur.

-- The Davidson has pretty steep geometry, with lots of toe overlap, and requires considerable effort to ride, requiring constant input on the bar to select and hold a line.

-- The Burley also has toe overlap issues and is not very pleasant to ride since its buzzy and harsh aluminum frame make for a very fatiguing ride, though it is light and makes for a pretty fast accelerating bike.

-- The Bilenky, though the heaviest bike of the bunch, is the most relaxing and enjoyable to ride. The Grand Bois Hetre tires make for a cushy, yet fast accelerating machine, and the relaxed geometry makes for a bike that just screams to be ridden over long distances.

I've ridden some of the lighter saddles that some of the go fast crowd espouse and concluded they are not for me, I'm clearly in the Brooks camp when it comes to saddles.

I think you took my comments in a way that wasn't intended. I was merely stating the weight of our bike and what we enjoy in a tandem. After all, the title of this thread is "What's your tandem weigh?", correct? I thought that was what this thread was about and didn't realize I had jumped into the quagmire of weight-weenyism. We wanted a classy touring tandem that emulated the finest tandems of the golden age of bicycles and this machine fits that bill perfectly.

Accept my apologies if I offended your sensibilities. Obviously, my attempt at trying to espouse a somewhat contrarian view doesn't fly in this thread. I've learned my lesson.

photogravity

Homeyba, to answer your question all you would need to do would be to ride my Davidson and Bilenky back to back. The geometry differences between these two machines is quite different and makes a big difference in the handling and stability characteristics of the bicycle.

Thanks for your kind words on the Bilenky. We really love the bike, if you didn't already figure that out.

photogravity

Wayne, you are entirely correct: I am not that concerned with weight. Obviously, the approach I espouse is one of practicality. To me, fenders and lights are a practical consideration, and I am willing to have a slightly heavier bike in exchange for that practicality.

Maybe someday I will be interested in lightening up this bicycle, but for now I am very happy with it as it sits. Perhaps I am the Ritterview of the future and just don't know it yet!

jimmuller 

As I posted before, our '82 Peugeot is 40lbs. We've ridden it over 2000 miles since last October. Our typical day is between 40 and 60 miles, our longest 72 miles. I can't say I'd know what a 28lb tandem feels like, but we are sure enjoying ours.

photogravity

DubT, here's what I propose: bring your bike down to our favorite potholed, gravel trail and ride it 50 miles and then you can tell me how "stable, comfortable and FUN to ride" your carbon frame bike with its skinny tires is. I'd be willing to bet you would prefer my Bilenky over your bike.

DubT

i do not ride that kind of road/trail I only ride where my carbon frame skinny tired bike is FUN and comfortable. LOL I have absolutely no desire to ride that type of terrain. For several years I rode off-road motorcycles and mountain bikes, that page of my life book is closed. I also used to race road bikes and I also no longer do that, however my bicycles lean more towards racing than they do towards touring.

Enjoy your potholes and gravel, you can have them, if we run into a road that has been recently oiled and graveled we turn around.

wayne

photogravity

Touché! One of the great things about the tandem forum is that there is such great diversity among the folks here. The thing that matters is that we do as Grant Peterson urges: just ride.