Originally Posted by
Bostic
Do you recall how the descent on Haleakala was from the lower switchbacks (6000' to 3600')? That's the section of the marathon descent that would have me concerned the most regarding rim brakes on a tandem. Looking over my ride from 2012 I was averaging right about 30mph with a max of 39mph on the rental Trek I was using.
I don't recall the particulars of the descent. I (we) were very tired from the ascent and I wasn't paying a lot of attention to anything but getting down safely. I do remember that it was pretty cold near the top and I wasn't thinking about overheating the rims. I do remember that it took 9 hours to ascend (7 hours of wheels turning) and 2 hours to descend. Everything hurt when we finally got back to Paia.