Originally Posted by
Leisesturm
[MENTION=152773]noglider[/MENTION], that is the funkiest (in a good way) tandem I have ever seen. What model of Burley is that? Triangulation for days, should be adequately stiff despite the comfort tires. I can't see what your small cog is, but the big one is likely 34T. Assuming your granny chainring is 28 or 30 teeth, your low gear is less than 1:1. A good thing. But if it isn't low enough, I for one would not hesitate to shop for an FSA 24T for the front. You might have trouble keeping your balance at such low speeds but you will be able to ride up any hill you encounter in the Tri-State area. As far as the big ring, its either 48T or 52T. The good news is your crankset appears to allow for swapping rings independently. On our tandem that I would most like to modify the gearing of, the entire triple is bolted together and I either replace the whole thing or live with it as it is. Enjoy.
The low gear got us up a pretty big hill. I'm actually surprised we managed because my wife isn't very muscular. The more urgent problem is the top end. I feel I need a 60T big ring. I counted all the teeth on all the gears but lost the numbers. I'll count them again.
The model is Zydeco. When we first got it, it seemed terribly whippy. Now we don't notice it. Either we had it set up wrong then or we have developed a pedaling style where frame stiffness isn't so important. I think the tires are a great size, and I'm quite happy about them. I don't like riding mtb tired on a single, as I find them too small in diameter, but I like them here.