"As for tire load limits: 70-75 kg on the rear wheel would eliminate 90% of the teams out riding, successfully I might add, and 100% of the triplets and quads. I once measured the load on our Santana Arriva with us on it along with rear rack, trunk bag, water bottles, etc. and it came to a tad over 101 kg and we are a 350 lb team."
Tailwinds,
Charlie[/QUOTE]
I agree with your point that 90% of tandem teams weigh over 75kg per tire and strongly believe that probably 95% of 700cc road tires are NOT designed for tandems use! Most triplets and quads have stronger 26 inch wheels and tires.
Here's my experience and warning to my fellow tandem brethern....I recently had a Schwalbe One 28mm tubeless tire fail on a descent at 40+ mph that resulted in serious injuries to both me and my stoker. I've used the same Schwalbe tire on two road bikes for thousands of miles and having confidence in this set up recently installed them on my tandem.
Our total team AND bike weight was 380 lbs or 86 kg per wheel if you assume equal weight on front and back which isn't accurate. The tire had less then 100 miles on it, was properly installed & inflated, and on a downhill gradual turn without warning instantly developed about a 12 inch sidewall tear. It did not roll off the rim it simply just torn the sidewall and the bead stayed in place.
Other details...I was not braking (have dual discs) and the tandem specific rim was not under significant side load. Talking to Schwabie they claim that each of their tires has a published specific maximum weight limit. The Schwabie One tubeless 28 mm is 70 kg and their new Schwabie One Pro 28mm is 75 kg per wheel. I'm trying to see if Connti tests and publishes a per tire weight limit.
Have fun, be safe, and just because other people are using equipment on a tandem without failure doesn't mean we should too.