pathdoc

https://www.chucksbikes.com/store/fr022a.htm

The small has a standover height of 75cm which is about 29.5 inches which would fit me nicely.

Over time I could acquire parts. I'm real particular about components so this may be the way to go.

Shipping on this frame is $90.

Any thoughts on the quality of this frame? Anyone ever seen one up close?

Thanks for your input.
Steve

pathdoc

Also, it appear the rear chain stay has the mounting area required for disc brakes.

apage4u

The angle of the stoker seat tube concerns me.

cornucopia72

A local team had one of those frames and they liked it.... they used it for a short time and then upgraded to a CoMo.

pathdoc

I also wondered about the angle of the stoker seat. My knowledge of tandem geometry is pretty much zero. That why I need you guys.

merlinextraligh

Unless you've got a fair number of the components already that you're going to reuse, or are a seriously diligent ebayer, I think you're likely to end up with a higher total cost than if you just went with a new entry level tandem like a KHS, or even the lowest priced Cdale.

$200 for tandem cranks, $300 for a good set of wheels, $50 eccentric, $300 for say 105 shifters, derailleurs, and cassette, $75 for tires tubes, $150 for disc brakes, $75 for chains, $150 for handlebars and seat posts, $50 for miscellaneous (cables, rim tape, seat collars, etc.) and before you know it, you're in for $2,000 on your $385 tandem.

TandemGeek

I believe it's an optical illusion created by the use of a slightly wide-angle lens with a downward orientation... noting the fork and head tube are also skewed so as to look steeper than they really are.

rmac

Another option may be a Cannondale M/S. I think you can get the Cannondale road frame and fork for $1200.

pathdoc

The Cannodale M/S does fit me but at $1200 it would be cheaper to purchase a complete Cannodale such as the RT3.
https://www.tandemseast.com/frames/cannondale.html

This looks like an exceptional deal.

merlinextraligh

^ I'd go with the Cdale.

rmac

True, but then you will miss the fun of building it up by yourself. And, you won't be able to select the components and wheels that you want.

72andsunny

This guy was really happy with his...I think he built most of it with parts on hand.

cornucopia72

I don't know if you noticed but the pic to the right of the R3 description is a R2. Either one is a great deal.

pathdoc

If I went with the Tsunami I'd go with a rear disc brake setup. It doesn't look like you can run a front disc brake setup with the Tsunami fork.

The Tsunami actually looks better than I thought it would.

I wonder how the quality of that frame compares to a Cannondale?

zonatandem

Have seen one Tsunami up close, but never ridden one.
If you have tandem parts sitting around, have access to wholesale parts or patiently wait for what you want on e-bay and love the idea of tinkering and building up your own twicer, then go for it. Hard to find a frameset for that kinda $$.

But 'looks'/price ain't erverything.

Pedal on!
Rudy and Kay/zonatandem

Cavalão

I have one, scroll down to the bottom of this thread for pics:
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...hlight=tsunami
And yes it does have disc tabs, and I used an Avid Mech until recently. I prefer the Dual Pivot caliper though actually as it is much lighter and gives better braking, but some of this is because I didn't have the disc optimized... and you can't really run tires bigger than 700x28's with DP caliper so you may be better with disc over cantis or mini-v's if you plan to run big rubber.

I had a Cannondale road tandem from the mid to late 1990's before this one, and this frameset is superior in terms of stiffness and handling (tracking straight, through turns, under power, etc). I can't compare to a current Cannondale however. Also, Chuck can set up up with a budget build kit if you ask... so don't think you have to spend $2000 to build it up... I believe in its original configuration I had less than $1000 in it as I bought most items from him from his bargain basement of surplus, but decent stuff. The only thing cheap and heavy we had was the stoker stem, everything else he sold us was mid level stuff for peanuts.

I am pleased with it, and don't plan to upgrade to Co-Motion anymore as I just can't rationalize the cost benefit ratio.

pathdoc

thanks for the review. Your frame is much much nicer than I thought it would be.

KRhea

We really like/liked our Tsunami. I purchased the frame and did the build myself and saved a ton of money. The frame performs very well and unless you're looking for ultralight weight or a more performance/race type bike they're great.
The Tsunami was our 3rd tandem and our first brand new bike. We purchased and built it 2yrs ago I believe. Since then we've had a custom tandem built and the Tsunami hangs in my shop. It'll be up for sale as soon as I wipe the dust off. We changed bikes for 2 reasons, #1- was/is my constant need to build something new. I wanted a sub 35lb steel tandem so we had a frame built and hit 31.5lbs on the new bike. #2- we decided we'd try some races in the future and we wanted a bike that handled a bit differently. Our Tsunami weighed a surprising 36lbs which ain't at all bad considering the price.

Here's ours: Tsunami Titanium "boom tube" model with Full Campy 10spd w/custom built DT Swiss wheels on White Industry hubs with rear titanium carrier. Elita cranks on rear and FSA carbon for captain, rear Avid disc brake and front Campy Record, Alpha Q fork. We also had it custom painted. It came in flat black which wasn't "fast" enough for my wife!

Stray8

Ditto on the photo distortion.

If you're specifically looking just for a small 7005 aluminum frame to work on, it looks like you could get a whole tandem for about $135 less (free shipping) and then strip the component parts off as you upgrade. Don't know if it'll support rear disk brake or not.



https://www.toysandgamesonline.com/Mo...ml#ProdDetails


.

pathdoc

I'm pretty certain I'm going with the Tsunami frame and will have it built up with my own components.
Probably go with a rear disc brake.

Stray8

Yeah, the Wanderer doesn't look like it supports a rear disc brake.

spinbackle

I have one of these frames and it was a fun experience building it up. Everything on it was hand picked. I got the Medium frame and it fits me well as well as my stokid. I'm using Avid V-brakes fore and aft. The fork is a Nashbar Carbon Cyclocross that is disc-ready. I went with a Campy drivetrain.


Scott

pathdoc

I ended up ordering the mountain tandem Tsunami frame. It has a standover height of 28 inches.
The Tsunami small road tandem had a standover of 30.3 inches which was too tall for me.
I'm going to build this up as essentially a road tandem on 26 inch wheels.
Should be a fun project.