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advice for tandem wheelset and fork

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advice for tandem wheelset and fork

Old 06-24-08, 09:32 PM
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advice for tandem wheelset and fork

Hi Everyone,

Just recently bought a 2008 cannondale street tandem. Am going to configure it for off-road use.
Need to ask for some advice/opinions regarding the suitability of fork and wheelset.

Some basic information:
Team weight: 116kg (76 + 40)
Trails: Mostly undulating terrain, longest duration of downhill is only 3minutes...(we ride in singapore, sad to say, no long descents to speak of)

Question 1:
Can i get away with using a rock shox recon 100mm air-sprung quick-release fork?
This fork was previously on my hardtail and is now just collecting dust in my storeroom.. thinking
of using this together with XT disk brakes. Do take into account our rather low combined team weight.
Can i just pump in lots of air into the fork to counter the extra weight?


Question 2:
The stock bike came with 40-spoke hubs. Do you guys think i can get away with a 36spoke wheelset?
Would using a 36-spoke wheelset make it more likely to break and fail?

Thanks a lot!
Cheers,
John
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Old 06-25-08, 08:24 AM
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You thinking of going with 26" or 29er wheels on the thing?

If you go with 26" that should drop the clearance enough to cause all sorts of problems off road.
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Old 06-25-08, 09:00 AM
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I -think- the street tandem is the 26" wheeled tandem, but they took off the disc brakes and changed the spec somewhat to make it more like a hybrid.

It is the same frame/fork as the earlier mountain tandems.
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Old 06-25-08, 09:34 AM
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Originally Posted by johnicology28
Question 1:Can i get away with using a rock shox recon 100mm air-sprung quick-release fork?
Contact Rock Shox tech suppport and find out what it's maximum rated load is and/or if they would have any concerns with a 250 lb rider using that fork. If they say 'no problem' ask them if they'd have any concerns if that 250 lbs of rider weight was actually you and your stoker's combined weight and that you plan to us the fork on a tandem. To be frank, I tend to worry more about handling qualities vs. a catastrophic failure when considering what could be a fork of marginal strength on a tandem. The front wheel on a tandem tends to have a mind of it's own once it's pushed into ruts and technical terrain and unless your fork is very robust the front wheel won't track worth a darn and will make controlling the tandem a handful.

Originally Posted by johnicology28
Question 2:The stock bike came with 40-spoke hubs. Do you guys think i can get away with a 36spoke wheelset?
I don't think we've ever used anything other than 36h wheelsets on our off-road tandems and our combined weight is 285lbs. The key is having a well-built set of wheels. However, unless you're making the switch from 40h to 36h for some other reason such as disc brake compatibility, there's not a lot to be gained in changing the wheels to eliminate 4 spokes.
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Old 06-25-08, 10:10 PM
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Thanks guys for the replies and advice.

Ok. at least now i know that for wheelsets normal 36 spokes ones are ok for tandem off-road usage.
I guess the problem is trying to find the rear hub which has to be 145mm...

For now i think i will try out how the bike handles with the recon fork. If the handling/steering really suffers, the reason would be because it is too weak is it? ie flexes too much?

Would you guys have any recommendations for a suspension fork for my case? bearing in mind that my front wheel is QR. most single crown tough forks are all thru-axle!

Thanks!!
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Old 06-26-08, 07:05 AM
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Originally Posted by johnicology28
Would you guys have any recommendations for a suspension fork for my case?
Contact Alex@MTBTandems.com

His primary line of business is off-road tandems and components related thereto. He's got the inside track on what will and what won't work for tandem teams of varying weights and intended uses... not to mention being able to address your hub questions.
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Old 07-02-08, 03:06 PM
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My concern over the fork would be if you can get it firm enough for Tandem use. A lot more %age of weight is put on a Tandem front end than on a solo. I Use rockshox Boxers with the hardest springs- Maximum sag adjusters to give it less movement and use a heavier grade oil in it. Still use the whole 6" of travel on the downhills though. Second on the fork would be The wheel fixing. If using Disc brakes- it is preferable to have a Bolt through axle and not quick release.

On the wheels- If you are going offroad- then the wheels will take some punishment. Rims should be up to "Freeride" standard. Hubs will still take some punishment aswell so don't go too low a quality on the wheels.

Attachment is of the front end of our "Offroad" Dale MT2000- and this one does work offroad.

Boxer Forks- Hope Mono M4 disc's and Hope Bigun hubs on Mavic Downhill rims with 36 spokes.
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