We have been riding about a year and there are several 40mph hills around here for a single bike. It was an eye-opener to me the first time we took the bike out for a ride, as the speed quickly zoomed up coming down a hill close to home where I usually hit 30+ on my single.
I installed a drum brake on our tandem after a couple of hundred miles. We went to the Smokey mountains last summer for our first big outing. As new riders, I'm glad to have the drag brake to supplement our V-brakes. The extra two pounds is no big deal to us for the type of riding we do. It's also real handy for a parking brake. If had a set of disc brakes, I might not feel the need for a drag brake.
__________________