veloverde

I am thinking of a 650b tandem.
I can use some advice, thanks in advance.
I have not decided if this will be rim or disc brakes.
I had hoped to find some MTB rims that would work, but have not found anything.
They either don't have a pressure rating high enough, or only 32°.

The big questions are:
1. Will 36° holes be sufficient for tandem that will not be heavy-toured?
2. Rim choices so far: Velocity Dyad or Atlas, anything else?
Between the two Velocity rims, are there any preferences?
3. DT Alpine spokes, or ??
4. Are there any reasons for not using tubeless wheels on a tandem?
My MTB is tubeless but my road bikes are not, haven't thought about road tubeless.

thanks folks

StephenH

My suggestion is to figure out who your wheelbuilder is going to be and get their input on a good workable combination to do what you want.

DCwom

I not an expert on wheels, but what is the team weight, and intended riding surface? These are important considerations, probably more important than whether you tour or not.

mikeybikey2

Hi,
Just built up a set of 650b wheels using 36h mavic en321 disc rims. Only have one ride so far. I think disc is the only way to go. I don't believe the Dyad is made in 650b anymore. In the Velocity line, the Blunt might be a choice. It depends what you are going to use it for. We have ours on an GT Quadrofoil that we use primarily as a gravel grinder. We also have a set of 700c Dyads that we also use.
I don't quite understand the pressure rating thing? We run 30lbs on 1.95 Vee Rubber tires with no problems and a cushy ride.

We had been using the old 700d wheels (which will take a 650b tire) that came with the bike with non tandem rated shimano xt hubs for about a year with no problems. We wanted a little more robust set of hubs and wider rims to support lower tire pressure.

hope this helps

waynesulak

We are <300 lb team use 650B wheels 40mm actual width tires run at 75-80 psi. Ride on road only by we are NOT gentle with the wheels and take bumps and holes at good speed with jarring results.

Have had good luck with 36 hole Velocity A23 rims built with high tension. Rear wheels have no dish (160mm spacing) and no truing needed so far on two sets of rim brake wheels each with about 5,000 miles on them. Prior to A23s we went thru a lot of warrantied Synergy rims and they could just not take the pressure we run.

Dyads should work well I would use A23s again.

For many people I would suggest rim brakes.

Personally I would not run 650B wide tubeless at 70 psi or above and don't want a 300lb bike on lower pressures.

veloverde

I think that the A23 might not be enough for us, I would lean toward the Dyad, I suppose. They don't feel/appear to be particularly strong IMHO.
I would like to find non-Velocity rims--they are fine for my single bike, but I have heard of lots of failures of all types of Velocity touring rims when used for loaded cycling.

I hear you on the tubeless pressure issue, I would not want a high or low pressure tubeless on a tandem either.

seely

The Atlas/NoBS is a good choice. It will likely be stronger than the Dyad, but at a weight penalty. Chris Murray has been running his on a loaded cargo bike and had a great writeup: Chris Murray Wheel Works: NoBS Short Term Review

I think either rim will work, but my preference would be the NoBS or Atlas vs. the Dyad for a tandem.

veloverde

Thanks. I feel that way too--the Dyad doesn't impress me, and I cannot reconcile that with its good reputation for durability.
There is just something about the Dyad, like it seems that it is a rim made in the same place that makes cheap ladders.
If Velocity used a tougher alloy, and/or didn't have mixed reputation for durability, I would feel better about them.

seely

For what it's worth, the Dyad is extruded by one of the premier extruders in the US, with one of the longest histories of high-end performance bicycle rim extrusions. Out of all of our rims, the Dyad has consistently been one of the most reliable and consistent with an extremely low failure rate. We have had batches of sub-par extrusion, mostly before switching to our current US extruder, but the Dyad's been pretty consistently reliable. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone, but if you're after the paramount in strength, the NoBS/Atlas platform is beefier.