Gates has reviewed our photo's and is recommending that we replace the system due to the wear I noted on the stoker sprockets. We will be returning our old system to them for their inspection and evaluation. I hope to have more information to pass on after they've looked at it. I'm also asking them if we would have been able to get longer life from the system if we had rotated the sprockets from captain to stoker every 2,000 miles (like tire rotations on a car). My captain will be talking to Gates tomorrow, and he has lots of questions (including the CenterTrack).

We put another 115 miles on the system last Saturday ... far short of the 300k we'd planned. We went thru new brake pads during the first 65 miles due to the hills, rain and road grit. We had one spare set of pads but were uncomfortable riding an additional 126 miles with limited braking. It is still early in the season and we will have other opportunities to complete a 300k to qualify for Paris-Brest-Paris. A Louisville Bicycle Club tandem team did complete the 300k in the all day downpour - this is their first season of randonneuring and I'm so impressed by their ride.